NFL Week 4 Report Card: Bears, Ben Johnson Earn A- Amid Injuries; Bengals Struggle

Welcome to the Week 4 grades!

This was a rough week for injuries in the NFL , with several notable players going down. In Baltimore, Lamar Jackson left the game at halftime after injuring his ankle against the Titans . Saquon Barkley didn't return for the Eagles after injuring his hamstring in the first quarter against the Rams .

The Bengals also took a big loss when Ja'Marr Chase was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the first half against the Jaguars . Cincinnati was hit with a double whammy when Tee Higgins also suffered an adductor injury. The Broncos lost 2024 NFL defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain to an ankle injury. And then you have the Commanders , who took another hit at QB when Marcus Mariota went down with a knee injury in London against the Colts .

So how did those injuries impact this week's grades? Let's find out, starting with the Bengals' loss to Jacksonville.

Jaguars (3-1) 22-17 over Bengals (2-2)

B Jaguars The Jaguars defense got gashed up for more than 430 yards, but they made plays when they had to, and that's how you beat good teams in the NFL. Rayuan Lane saved the game with a huge fourth-down tackle on the Bengals' final offensive play. Foyesade Oluokun kept the Jags alive with a fourth-quarter interception after Cincinnati had marched deep down into Jacksonville territory. Those are big plays. Offensively, the numbers weren't sexy, but everyone did their job, which is the sign of a well-coached team. Through the first four weeks, the Jags have made it clear that they're one of the best teams in the AFC. C+ Bengals There have been some questions this week about whether Joe Burrow is clutch, and that debate is likely going to rage on after his performance in this game. Burrow had the chance to win it with a late drive, but he threw short of the sticks on fourth-and-10 with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter. He also threw two interceptions, including a fourth-quarter pick that came inside Jacksonville's 10-yard line. It didn't help that the Bengals lost Ja'Marr Chase to a concussion in the second quarter, and it also didn't help that Burrow got zero support from a rushing attack that totaled just 23 yards. But the bottom line is that the offense wasn't good enough. Going into the season, the Bengals figured they could win games if the defense played better, and that unit played well enough to win. The offense didn't carry its weight.

Chiefs (4-0) 30-27 over Raiders (3-1)

B Chiefs At the rate things are going, the offseason signing of Kenneth Walker might go down as one of the best free agency acquisitions in NFL history. In a game where Patrick Mahomes struggled with his accuracy, the Chiefs' offense was able to chug along thanks to Walker, who rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns. When you're outshining Mahomes, you're doing something right in Kansas City. Tyquan Thornton had a breakout game for the Chiefs, but he might not see the field again this year after suffering a gruesome injury.  Andy Reid probably won't be thrilled with the overall performance of his defense -- they had zero sacks for the third straight game and struggled to stop the Raiders' big tight ends -- but Xavier Nwankpa did save the day with a game-clinching interception. It's hard to complain about anything when you're undefeated and that's what the Chiefs are.  B Raiders It's been a long time since the Raiders have been in a game like this and that seemed to show in crunch. The Raiders made mistake after mistake in the fourth quarter, which overshadowed an otherwise impressive game. DarekeYoung had a back-breaking fumble on a kickoff return that allowed the Chiefs to take a two-score lead. The Raiders defense did a good job of holding the Chiefs' offense in check until the fourth quarter when the wheels fell off the wagon. And let's not forget about Kirk Cousins, who threw for 365 yards: He's doing his best to make sure Fernando Mendoza never sees the field this year. The Raiders didn't get the result they wanted, but they certainly proved that they can play with anyone. It won't be surprising at all if this team is competing for a playoff spot come January.

Seahawks (3-1) 30-23 over Chargers (4-0)

B Seahawks The Seahawks bullied the Chargers for the better part of three quarters, jumping out to a 27-6 lead, but then almost blew the game. The Seahawks defense won this game with a strip-sack of Justin Herbert by Uchenna Nwosu, which was fitting, because the defense beat up on the Chargers all game. The Seahawks defense is so good because it's so strong at every level. They got a sack from one of their safeties (Nick Emmanwori), their linebackers came away with two interceptions and their defensive line caused nightmares for Herbert. This is one of the best defenses in the NFL, and if they didn't get a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, this game would probably have been a blowout.  C Chargers The Chargers offense has been bad this year and after losing RT Joe Alt and WR Ladd McConkey to injury in this game, things only got worse. With Alt out, the Seahawks were basically able to tee off on Justin Herbert, who got sacked four times while also turning the ball over three times. The Chargers defense held Seattle under 300 yards and gave this team a chance to win, but the offense just didn't have the firepower to keep up. At 0-4, it might be time to write the Chargers off.

49ers (4-0) 24-14 over Broncos (2-2)

C+ Broncos If the Broncos need to do one thing forward, it's that their offense needs to figure out how to get off to a faster start. You can blame new play-caller Davis Webb or you can blame Bo Nix or you can blame Sean Payton, but whatever the problem is, the offense seems to look out of sync at the beginning of each game. Through four weeks, this team has only scored one first-half touchdown and 13 total first-half points. That's not going to cut it, especially when you're facing a high-powered offense like the one the 49ers have. The Broncos defense held the 49ers in check for the better part of three quarters, but after losing both starting corners -- Patrick Surtain (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs) -- things went south quickly.   B+ 49ers The 49ers offense gets all the headlines, but it was the defense that stole the show in this game. Raheem Morris called a brilliant game that saw the 49ers keep Denver out of the end zone for the first three quarters. The offense finally shot to life over the final 1.5 quarters. On the 49ers' final three possessions of the game, Brock Purdy went 9/10 for 129 yards and two touchdowns (He was 10/20 for 89 yards before that). The offensive line continues to be the big story: They kept Purdy from getting sacked against a ferocious Broncos' defense and the 49ers are now the first team in 21 years to start 4-0 while giving up zero sacks.

Vikings (4-0) 15-10 over Dolphins (0-4)

B- Dolphins The Dolphins scored zero points and put up just 76 yards in the first half and it looked like they were going to get run off the field in Minnesota, but they actually showed some feistiness down the stretch. Ollie Gordon took over for the injured De'Von Achane and gave the Dolphins some life on offense with a 100-yard performance that included a 53-yard run. Zach Sieler led a defense that harassed Kyler Murray while holding the Vikings out of the end zone. Going into Minnesota and pulling off a win here would have been one of the biggest shockers of the season and the Dolphins almost did it. This team was a Chris Bell toe away from pulling off the upset . B- Vikings It took four weeks, but the Vikings offense finally showed signs of life. For the first time all years, the Vikings topped 250 yards and they did it with the solid one-two punch of T.J.  Hockenson and Aaron Jones. The Vikings tight end caught 13 passes for 119 yards and appears to have a budding chemistry with Kyler Murray. Jones also came up big with 124 yards on 24 touches. The Vikings didn't score a TD on a day where they struggled in the red zone, but they took a baby step forward and that's what they need right now. This team has mastered the art of winning ugly, but they keep winning, and that's all that matters in the NFL.

Patriots (2-2) 29-26 over Bills (3-1)

A- Patriots After struggling through the first three weeks, Drake Maye proved that he can still play at a high level. The Patriots QB needed a big game, and he got it: Not only did he throw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, but he also rushed for a team-high 54 yards. Maye also deserves a lot of credit for engineering a game-winning 73-yard TD drive that saw him complete four passes of at least 12 yards, including a 23-yard score on a WILD catch by Efton Chism that ended up providing the game-winning points. Maye wasn't perfect — there were still too many turnovers — but if he continues playing this well, the Patriots will be in the playoff conversation later in the season.  B- Bills It's hard for the Bills ' offense to win when it's not on the field, and that was one of the problems for Buffalo in this game. The Bills had only four possessions lasting at least five plays, and on top of that, they couldn't get their run game going. The Bills went into this game with the third-best rushing offense in the NFL, and they were going up against a Patriots defense that has struggled to stop the run this year. Despite that, Joe Brady decided to run the ball just 12 times with James Cook. That was bad, but the defense was the bigger problem. The Bills suddenly don't look so invincible.

Cowboys (2-2) 34-30 over Texans (0-4)

B Cowboys This will forever be known as the CeeDee Lamb game. It's not easy to move the ball on the Texans ' defense, but the Cowboys made it look easy. That was mostly thanks to Lamb, who caught 17 passes for 189 yards and a TD. The Cowboys' two highest-paid offensive players came up clutch with Dak Prescott hitting Lamb for a game-winning 12-yard score with just 40 seconds left in the game. The Cowboys still have plenty of question marks — namely, their defense can't stop anyone — but it's a lot easier to try and fix those problems when you're coming off a win.   B- Texans The Texans might be done. This team was supposed to have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but it certainly hasn't looked like that through four weeks. The return of Nico Collins , who has seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns, did provide a huge spark for Houston's offense, but again, that went to waste because the defense couldn't slow down the Cowboys. The Texans rebounded from 0-3 to make the playoffs, but 0-4 might be too deep a hole to climb out of.

Rams (2-2) 24-20 Eagles (2-2)

C+ Rams For three quarters, the Rams did everything they could to lose, but then they came alive in the fourth. With their season on the ropes, the Rams stepped up and stole this one from Philly. Matthew Stafford went 13-of-17 for 149 yards in the fourth quarter. In his return to the field, Puka Nacua caught five passes for 76 yards in the FOURTH QUARTER ALONE to help spur the comeback. Sometimes, a bad game can be saved by your clutch players coming up big, and that's what the Rams got here. The only reason the Rams stayed in this game is that Chris Shula's defense absolutely shut down the Eagles, holding Philly to just 172 total yards. Not only did

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-4-grades-for-all-32-teams-bears-bengals-patriots-rams/)._