Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!<\/p>\n
If a tie is like kissing your sister, then things got extremely awkward in Dallas last night because the Cowboys<\/a> and Packers<\/a> played to a 40-40 tie. And on that note, let me just say, I hate tie games. Not only do they mess up the standings, but tie games should NOT be allowed to happen in prime time. If I’m staying up past midnight to watch a game, I need a winner and I need a loser. Instead, I went to bed mad.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyway, it’s Monday, so you probably already know what’s coming your way in today’s newsletter: We’ve got grades from every game, including Packers-Cowboys, plus we have some overreactions. And of course, we’ll have some picks and best bets for the Monday night doubleheader that will be kicking off at 7:15 p.m. ET.\u00a0<\/p>\n As always, here’s your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is\u00a0click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. NFL<\/a> Week 4 grades: Giants<\/a> earn an ‘A’ for upset win, Ravens<\/a> get a big fat ‘F’\u00a0 The professor of football is back to hand out grades for Week 4. OK, no one actually calls me that, but I’m going to try to make that nickname happen. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Anyway, here’s a look at the grades from three notable games Sunday:<\/p>\n Giants 21-18 over Chargers<\/a> (full recap<\/a>)<\/p>\n Chargers takeaway:\u00a0The Chargers got caught napping in this one. This team came out flat during a first quarter where the Giants jumped out to a 10-0 lead (L.A. had just 49 yards on three possessions in the opening quarter). The Chargers have been using Justin Herbert’s<\/a> right arm to win games this year, but Herbert couldn’t carry them on a day where it seemed like he was facing pressure on every other play. Herbert threw two costly interceptions that led to 10 points for the Giants. The offensive line was bad and it might get worse with the loss of Joe Alt<\/a> to an injury. With Alt going down, the offensive line could be a huge issue for the Chargers going forward. Through the first three weeks, the Chargers looked like one of the best teams in the AFC, so it will be interesting to see if this loss was a fluke or something more concerning.\u00a0Grade: C-Giants takeaway:\u00a0The first start of Jaxson Dart’s<\/a> career was a memorable one for the Giants. Dart’s numbers won’t wow anyone — he threw for just 111 yards — but he provided a spark that just wasn’t there with Russell Wilson<\/a>. Dart totaled two touchdowns, including a 3-yard pass to Theo Johnson<\/a> in the third quarter that provided what ended up being game-winning points. Defensively, the Giants beat up on Justin Herbert, who was sacked twice. They also forced him to throw two interceptions with the biggest one coming from Dru Phillips, who returned it 56 yards to the Chargers’ 3-yard line. This was arguably the biggest upset of the NFL season and thanks to this win, this team is going to be playing with a lot more confidence going forward. Of course, this win did come at a massive cost with the Giants losing Malik Nabers<\/a> (torn ACL<\/a>) for the season.\u00a0Grade: A<\/p>\n Chiefs<\/a> 37-20 over Ravens (full recap<\/a>)<\/p>\n Ravens takeaway:\u00a0It’s official: The Ravens defense can’t stop anyone. Going up against a struggling Chiefs offense, the Ravens didn’t force a single punt until the fourth quarter. Lamar Jackson<\/a> usually plays well enough to keep Baltimore in the game when the defense is struggling, but that simply wasn’t the case here. Jackson turned the ball over twice, before leaving with a hamstring injury in the second half. The Ravens also made some interesting coaching decisions like only giving Derrick Henry<\/a> eight carries and not having him in the game on both a third-and-1 and fourth-and-1. After just four games, it seems like Baltimore’s season is already hanging on by just a thread.\u00a0Grade: FChiefs takeaway:\u00a0It took four weeks, but the Chiefs offense came alive and all it needed was Xavier Worthy<\/a> out on the field. With Worthy back in the lineup, the Chiefs offense exploded for 37 points. Worthy played a big part in the resurgence with 85 yards receiving and 38 yards rushing. Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, who threw four TD passes, looked a lot more comfortable with his speedy receiver back on the field. Rashee Rice<\/a> will be back on the field in Week 7, and when that happens, the Chiefs will be back at full strength and we all know what this team can do when it’s at full strength.\u00a0Grade: A<\/p>\n Cowboys 40-40 tie with Packers (full recap<\/a>)<\/p>\n Packers takeaway:\u00a0Micah Parsons<\/a> didn’t turn out to be much of a factor in the Micah Parsons revenge game. The Packers defense, which looked dominant through the first three weeks of the season, had no answers for anything that the Cowboys did on offense. The Packers’ defensive meltdown almost cost them the game, but Jordan Love<\/a>, Josh Jacobs<\/a> and Romeo Doubs<\/a> came to the rescue. Doubs caught three TD passes while Jacobs totaled 157 yards and two touchdowns on 26 touches. As for Love, he made several big time throws and he kept the Cowboys defense guessing on a night where he completed at least one pass to 10 different receivers. The Packers can’t be happy with this tie, especially since they led by double digits at one point. Grade: B-Cowboys takeaway:\u00a0The Cowboys didn’t get the win, but it probably felt like a win for Jerry Jones, who got to watch Dak Prescott<\/a> and the Dallas offense put up some huge numbers on the Micah Parsons and the Packers defense. Prescott was nearly perfect, completing 77.5% of his passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. And more importantly, George Pickens<\/a> (eight catches, 134 yards, two touchdowns) proved that he can be the No. 1 receiver in Dallas while CeeDee Lamb<\/a> is sidelined. The Cowboys defense, which hasn’t been able to stop anyone this season, continues to be a huge issue. The Packers piled up 489 yards and became the third straight opponent to score 31 or more points against Dallas. If the defense can’t stop anyone, it could be a long season for the Cowboys. Grade: B<\/p>\n As for the other 22 grades we handed out in Week 4, you can check those out by clicking here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. NFL Week 4 winners and losers: Bryce Young<\/a> lands on the losers list<\/p>\n You can’t have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. Cody Benjamin came up with this week’s list, and we’re going to check out his winners, which is pretty coach-heavy.\u00a0<\/p>\n LOSERS<\/p>\n Titans<\/a> coach Brian Callahan.\u00a0Cam Ward<\/a> didn’t mince words when addressing the state of the Tennessee Titans after a 26-0 loss to a Houston Texans<\/a> club that looked absolutely lifeless prior to Week 4. The real concern in Nashville is that Callahan, the man at the helm of the entire operation, has no answers to right the ship after already ceding offensive play-calling duties.Browns<\/a> coach Kevin Stefanski.\u00a0The Giants got their quarterback spark by going from the old guy (Wilson) to the fresh talent (Dart), and it worked for the most part on Sunday. Under Stefanski’s direction, the Cleveland Browns are still trying to trudge through with an aging arm in Joe Flacco<\/a>, who had another couple of picks against the Detroit Lions<\/a>. Now, would their best alternative — say, rookie Dillon Gabriel<\/a> — fare much better? It’s up for debate. The fact a debate can even be had, however, is why plenty of Browns fans are frustrated. Why keep going through the motions just to lose?.Panthers<\/a> QB Bryce Young.\u00a0Young led the Carolina Panthers to a blowout win in Week 3, but even in that contest, the former No. 1 overall draft pick struggled to show up through the air. It was more of the same — and much worse — against the New England Patriots<\/a> on Sunday, when Young’s squad easily won the time-of-possession battle but mustered just 150 yards passing.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you want to see Benjamin’s list of winners, be sure to click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 3. Overreactions from Week 4: Are the Ravens cooked? \u00a0<\/p>\n Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened in Week 4 to decide if we’re all overreacting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Statement:\u00a0Ravens won’t make the playoffs.\u00a0 Statement: Chiefs are going to win the AFC West again.\u00a0 Statement:\u00a0Jaguars<\/a> are the best team in the AFC South.\u00a0 There are plenty more overreactions, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4. Crazy stats from Week 4: Rams<\/a> pull off rare TD that NFL hasn’t seen in 65 years Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild stats about the games that were just played.\u00a0<\/p>\n With that in mind, here are 12 crazy stats from Week 4:\u00a0<\/p>\n Stafford goes long. Matthew Stafford’s<\/a> 88-yard TD pass to Tutu Atwell<\/a> with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter was the longest game-winning scrimmage touchdown in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter since 1960. Stafford ended up throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns in the win.\u00a0Puka has been perfect. With 13 catches during the Rams’ 27-20 win over the Colts, Puka Nacua<\/a> now has 42 receptions on the season, which is tied for the most receptions by any player through the first four weeks in NFL history (Cooper Kupp<\/a> had 42 while playing for the Rams in 2022 and Michael Thomas<\/a> hit 42 while playing for the Saints<\/a> in 2018).Block party.\u00a0The Eagles<\/a> are the first team in NFL history with a blocked kick return TD on back-to-back-to-back defensive drives. In their Week 3 game against the Rams, the Eagles blocked a field goal on each of the Rams’ final two possessions. They followed that up by blocking a Buccaneers<\/a> punt on the opening possession of their 31-25 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.\u00a0International man of mystery. Aaron Rodgers<\/a> completed 81.8% of his passes (18 of 22) for 200 yards and one touchdown in Ireland on Sunday. His completion percentage is now the highest ever by a starting quarterback in an international game. The old record was held by Tom Brady<\/a>, who completed 81.1% of his passes (30 of 37) in Mexico City back in 2017.\u00a0Buccaneers rookie record goes down. With a 77-yard touchdown catch against the Eagles,\u00a0Emeka Egbuka<\/a> recorded the longest catch every by a Buccaneers rookie. Egbuka had four catches for 101 yards and a TD in the 31-25 loss.\u00a0Josh Allen<\/a> catches Cam Newton<\/a> in the record book. With two TD passes and one TD run against the Saints, Josh Allen now has 45 games in his career with at least one pass TD and rush TD. That ties him with Cam Newton for the most NFL history.\u00a0Captain Cook joins exclusive club. James Cook<\/a> had 117 yards and one touchdown in Buffalo’s 31-19 win over the Saints. Cook has now done that in every game this season, making him just the sixth player in the Super Bowl<\/a> era with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in his team’s first four games, joining O.J. Simpson (1975 with Buffalo), Billy Sims (1981 with Detroit), Emmitt Smith (1995 with Dallas), DeMarco Murray<\/a> (2014 with Dallas) and Christian McCaffrey<\/a> (2023 with San Francisco).\u00a0Chargers get hit by a Dart.\u00a0With the Giants’ win over the 3-0 Chargers, Jaxson Dart became the first QB in 23 years to win his first career start over a team that was 3-0 or better going into the game. The last QB to pull that off was Marc Bulger in 2002. This was also the first time an 0-3 team beat a 3-0 team since the Chiefs beat the Broncos<\/a> back in 2008.Raiders<\/a> hit new low. The Raiders are the third team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games despite having a player score three or more touchdowns in each game (Ashton Jeanty<\/a> scored three touchdowns in the Raiders’ loss to the Bears<\/a> while Tre Tucker<\/a> scored three touchdowns in last week’s loss to the Commanders<\/a>). The Raiders join the 1976 49ers and 2004 Titans as the only teams on this brutal list.\u00a0Raiders hit new high. Ashton Jeanty rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown while also adding two receiving touchdowns in the Raiders’ 25-24 loss to the Bears. With those totals, he became just the third rookie running back ever with at least 100 yards rushing, a rushing touchdown and two touchdown receptions in a single game, joining De’Von Achane<\/a> (Sept. 24, 2023 with Miami) and Kareem Hunt<\/a> (Sept. 7, 2017 with Kansas City).Pat is back.\u00a0Patrick Mahomes threw four TD passes against the Ravens on Sunday, which means he now has 252 regular-season touchdown passes in his career. Mahomes crossed 250 touchdowns in just 116 games, which makes him the fastest to hit that number in NFL history. The previous mark was held by Aaron Rodgers, who hit 250 touchdowns in 121 career games.\u00a0Cowboys and Packers make history. The tie game between Dallas and Green Bay was the highest-scoring tie game in the Super Bowl era and the second-highest scoring tie game in NFL history. It also marked the first time since 1969 that the Cowboys were involved in a tie game. The Packers most recent tie before Sunday came in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you see any other fun facts,\u00a0feel free to tweet them at me<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 5. The Monday night doubleheader is back: We’ve got two games tonight<\/p>\n For the second time this season, we’re getting a Monday night doubleheader, which means we’ll be getting two games tonight. The NFL schedule<\/a> included a total of four Monday night doubleheaders this year. The first one came in Week 2, the second one is coming tonight, and then we’ll also be getting a doubleheader in both Week 6 and Week 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first game of the night will feature the Jets<\/a> (0-3) at Dolphins<\/a> (0-3) in a game that will kick off at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here’s one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into the game:<\/p>\n Why the Jets can win:\u00a0This has the makings to be a big game for Breece Hall<\/a>. After rushing for 107 yards in Week 1, Hall hasn’t topped 30 yards since then. The Jets might want to make sure to call his number early and often tonight since New York will be going up against a Dolphins defense that’s surrendering 145 rushing yards per game. Getting the ground game going will also take some pressure off of Justin Fields<\/a>, who’s returning to his starting job after missing Week 3 due to a concussion. Fields is also a good runner, which should give the Jets’ rushing attack a much-needed boost.\u00a0Why the Dolphins can win:\u00a0If there’s one team that Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> is probably happy to see this week, it’s the Jets. Tua has faced them five times in his career and not only is he 5-0 in those games, but the Dolphins have averaged 30.2 points per game in those wins. If Tua can keep his dominance of the Jets going, then the Dolphins will be in line to pick up their first win of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can get a full preview of the game from Cody Benjamin by clicking here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the late game, we’ve got the Broncos (1-2) hosting the Bengals<\/a> (2-1) at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC. Here’s one reason why each of these teams could pull out the win:<\/p>\n Why the Bengals can win:\u00a0The Cincinnati offense will likely have a tough time moving the ball, which means the Bengals are likely going to need an inspired performance from their defense if they want to pull off an upset. The defense forced two turnovers in both Week 1 and Week 2, and the Bengals won both games. If they can force at least that many, it will give the Bengals a chance to win. Offensively, Ja’Marr Chase<\/a> will likely be dealing with Patrick Surtain for most of the night, so the Bengals could definitely use a huge game from Tee Higgins<\/a>, who only has seven catches through three weeks.\u00a0Why the Broncos can win:\u00a0The Bengals have one of the worst offenses in the NFL and the Broncos should defense should be able to feast. The Broncos have been been exceptionally good at getting after the quarterback: They’ve racked up 12 sacks through the first three weeks, which was tied for the most in the NFL heading into Week 4. Nik Bonitto<\/a>, who leads the team with three sacks, has been unblockable this year. If the Broncos put constant pressure on Jake Browning<\/a>, who was sacked three times in Week 3, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals offense scoring very many points.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can get a full preview of the game from Jared Dubin by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you’re thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props (via BetMGM<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n ONE PROP I LIKE FROM JETS-DOLPHINS: Justin Fields OVER 45.5 yards rushing\u00a0 (-115):\u00a0With Fields coming back from a concussion, it’s possible that he’ll be hesitant to run, but I don’t see that happening. His legs are a huge part of his game and he’s been using them all year. The last time we saw him on the field came in Week 2 and he went over this number with 49 yards rushing even though he only played two-and-a-half quarters against the Bills<\/a>. He also rushed for 48 yards in Week 1. Fields loves to run and I think we’ll see him do plenty of that against the Dolphins.\u00a0ONE PROP I LIKE FROM BENGALS-BRONCOS:\u00a0J.K. Dobbins<\/a> OVER 64.5 yards rushing\u00a0(-115):\u00a0The Broncos running back has gone over this total in each of his past two games, including Denver’s Week 3 loss to the Chargers where he ran for a season-high 83 yards. This week, he’s getting a matchup with a Bengals defense that is surrendering 119 yards per game on the ground. The Broncos should be able to run and that should work in Dobbins’ favor.\u00a0 If you’re wondering how my props are doing this year, I’m 8-7 (4-3 on kicker props and 4-4 on all other props).<\/p>\n And now, it’s time for some picks.\u00a0<\/p>\n PICKS FOR THE MNF DOUBLEHEADER<\/p>\n JETS-DOLPHINS BENGALS-BRONCOS Over on our CBSSports.com picks page<\/a>, all eight of us are taking the Broncos to win straight up, but we’re split right down the middle on the Jets-Dolphins game with half of us taking Miami and half of us taking New York.\u00a0<\/p>\n 6. Extra points: Malik Nabers appears to suffer season-ending injury It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giants fear torn ACL for Malik Nabers. The Giants won on Sunday, but that victory appears to have come at a huge cost. According to NFL Media<\/a>, the team believes that Nabers suffered a torn ACL during the win, and if that’s the case, that means his season is over. We’ve got more on the Nabers injury situation here<\/a>.\u00a0Browns make trade for left tackle. With Dawand Jones<\/a> out indefinitely, the Browns decided to add some depth at tackle by making a trade for Cam Robinson<\/a>. There will be a swap of late-round picks in the trade with the Texans getting a sixth-rounder and the Browns getting a seventh-rounder to go along with Robinson, according to NFL Media<\/a>.\u00a0Lamar Jackson leaves game with hamstring injury. The Ravens QB had to exit Sunday’s game against Kansas City after suffering a hamstring injury in the second half. At this point, it’s not clear how serious the injury is, but\u00a0 if he has to miss any time, the 1-3 Ravens will be in trouble. For more on Jackson’s injury, you can go here<\/a>.\u00a0Super Bowl halftime show is set.\u00a0Taylor Swift will NOT be the Super Bowl halftime show this year. Instead, the NFL has tabbed Bad Bunny, who will be headlining the show for Super Bowl LX, which will be taking place at the 49ers’ home stadium in February. If you want more details on the NFL’s selection, we’ve got that here<\/a>.\u00a0NFL headed to Rio De Janeiro.\u00a0The NFL will be holding a game Rio De Janeiro for the first time ever and that will be coming during the 2026 season. That means that the league will be playing in at least two new cities next year with Rio joining Melbourne, Australia. The first two Brazilian games were played on a Friday in Week 1, but that’s not an option in 2026, so it will be interesting to see where the Rio game falls on the schedule. You can read more about Rio getting a game here<\/a>.\u00a0
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Overreaction or reality:\u00a0Reality. Even if Jackson is healthy and doesn’t miss a significant period of time after exiting Sunday with a hamstring injury, it may not matter. This isn’t the Ravens of years past, a team with a dominant defense and an MVP quarterback. The Ravens just can’t stop anyone, a sign of a team that will miss the playoffs.<\/p>\n
Overreaction or reality:\u00a0Reality. Let’s declare it after Week 4, the Chiefs are back. Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdowns in a 37-20 blowout win over the Ravens as Kansas City scored on seven of its first eight possessions. … The Chargers lost both their offensive tackles and were upset by the Giants, opening the door for the Chiefs. The Chiefs were always going to be fine, and they may be back too. They’ll win the AFC West again.<\/p>\n
Overreaction or reality:\u00a0Overreaction. What a victory for the Jaguars, as they walked into Santa Clara and beat the 49ers<\/a> — earning four takeaways and extending their league lead in that department. … Are the Jaguars better than the Colts<\/a>? The Colts have a strong case to be 4-0 if it wasn’t for two blunders by Adonai Mitchell<\/a>, even with Daniel Jones<\/a> throwing two interceptions in the loss. Even though Jacksonville beat Houston, hard to keep the Texans out of the conversation — even at 1-3. The Jaguars are off to a nice start and have stacked up some big wins. If the offense can get going, let’s revisit this conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Nick Folk<\/a> OVER 5.5 points (-140):\u00a0Whenever I see a total this low for a kicker, I will almost pounce on it. Folk is averaging seven points per game this season and he’ll be going up against a Dolphins team that has been surrendering 9.7 points per game to opposing kickers, which is the fourth-most in the NFL. Evan McPherson’s<\/a> total is also at 5.5 and he’ll be playing in a kicker-friendly city in Denver, so that could also be a good bet, but I’m not sure I trust the Bengals offense right now. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
My pick:\u00a0Jets 22-19 over Dolphins
Cody’s pick:\u00a0Jets 24-22 over Dolphins
Prisco’s pick:\u00a0Dolphins 24-17 over Jets<\/p>\n
My pick:\u00a0Broncos 27-17 over Bengals
Dubin’s pick:\u00a0Broncos 27-17 over Bengals
Prisco’s pick:\u00a0Broncos 27-16 over Bengals<\/p>\n
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Robert Saleh and Liam Coen have heated postgame exchange. The 49ers defensive coordinator, who accused Coen’s Jags of sign-stealing last week, got into a heated verbal altercation with Coen following Jacksonville’s 26-21 win over the 49ers. “Keep my name out of your mouth. Keep my name out of your f—ing mouth,” Coen said after the victory. If you want to read the full comments of their exchange, be sure to go here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n