Sunday delivered the kind of NFL chaos that reminds you why autumn belongs to football. The New England Patriots stunned the Buffalo Bills 29-26, the Kansas City Chiefs survived Las Vegas 30-27 to stay perfect, and the Dallas Cowboys edged Houston 34-30 in a thriller. From London to Las Vegas, NFL Week 4 had game-winners, comebacks, and breakout stars across the board.

The afternoon's headline act came in Orchard Park, where Drake Maye outdueled Josh Allen. The Patriots' third-year quarterback threw three touchdowns, including a 23-yard game-winner to Efton Chism III with 1:50 left, to hand the Bills their first defeat of the season. Maye, who reached the Super Bowl with New England last season, entered Sunday having thrown just one touchdown against six interceptions this year and was benched in a Week 3 blowout loss to Jacksonville. His bounce-back was emphatic: 22 of 37 for 269 yards, three scores, and a two-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson that put the Patriots up 29-26.

"It gets us back in the race," head coach Mike Vrabel said, according to ESPN. "Josh is unbelievable but I felt like Drake went toe to toe with him." Allen was excellent in defeat, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown while running for another, but a Craig Woodson interception with 1:14 left ended Buffalo's final drive. Allen's rushing score made him the Bills' all-time leading touchdown scorer, a milestone that will have to wait for a happier Sunday.

Chiefs stay perfect in NFL Week 4 without Kelce scoring

In Las Vegas, the Chiefs needed every break to escape with a 30-27 win over the Raiders and remain the AFC's only unbeaten team at 4-0. Patrick Mahomes threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns, but the day belonged to Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 177 yards and two scores, striking twice within about 15 seconds after a Raiders kickoff fumble.

The win came with a cost: receiver Tyquan Thornton caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yarder, but suffered a gruesome ankle injury late. Travis Kelce was quiet by his standards, two catches for 15 yards and no touchdowns, though he passed Tim Brown for seventh on the all-time receptions list. Kelce's 37th birthday was Sunday; Taylor Swift did not attend the game, reportedly in New York for Saturday Night Live.

The Raiders had the Chiefs on the ropes, leading 19-17 with five minutes left, but a Kansas City punt pinned them at their own one-yard line with 1:26 remaining, and Xavier Nwankpa's interception of Kirk Cousins sealed it. Cousins threw for 365 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

NFL Week 4: London, Texas, and the kickers who carried the day

The day began across the Atlantic, where the Indianapolis Colts beat the Washington Commanders 30-13 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Jonathan Taylor ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns, celebrating with a tea-sipping gesture that is already all over social media. Daniel Jones threw an interception and lost a fumble for Indianapolis but added a rushing score. Washington fell to 1-3 while playing its third-string quarterback: Jayden Daniels missed the game with an elbow injury, Marcus Mariota left in the first quarter with a knee injury, and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis finished the game.

In Minnesota, the Vikings stayed perfect at 4-0 without scoring a single touchdown. Kicker Will Reichard went five-for-five on field goals, accounting for all of Minnesota's points in a 15-10 win over the winless Dolphins. Tight end T.J. Hockenson caught all 13 of his targets for 119 yards, and quarterback Kyler Murray avoided turnovers as the Vikings' defense held Miami to 198 total yards. The Dolphins dropped to 0-4 for the first time since 2019.

Dallas and Houston staged a shootout in Texas. CeeDee Lamb caught a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards, the second-most in Cowboys franchise history, including the 12-yard game-winning touchdown with 40 seconds left, as Dallas won 34-30. Dak Prescott threw for 335 yards without an interception and led an 11-play, 74-yard winning drive in under two minutes. Javonte Williams added a career-high three rushing touchdowns, all in the second half. For Houston, C.J. Stroud threw for 347 yards and two scores, but the Texans fell to 0-4, their first such start since 2020.

Sunday night belonged to the Panthers in NFL Week 4

The nightcap in Charlotte was a statement. Quarterback Bryce Young threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers beat the Detroit Lions 32-26 in their first Sunday Night Football appearance since 2016. Receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year, posted career highs of 14 catches and 192 yards with two touchdowns, nearly setting franchise records, while Chuba Hubbard rushed for a season-high 122 yards and two scores. The crowd chanted "MVP" for Young, who entered the week leading the NFL in passing yards. Jared Goff threw for 412 yards in the loss, and Jake Bates kicked four field goals.

Elsewhere in NFL Week 4, the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Lumen Field, with Sam Darnold throwing two touchdowns and the defense forcing four turnovers from Justin Herbert, who also lost a fumble. The Chargers, like the Dolphins and Texans, fell to 0-4. The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 24-14 to join the Chiefs and Vikings at 4-0, and the Los Angeles Rams stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20 on the road behind two Kyren Williams touchdowns in the final four minutes, according to Sports Illustrated.

Why this matters

For Gen Z fans, NFL Week 4 was a showcase of the league's young stars. Taylor's tea celebration in London, Lamb's 17-catch masterclass, and McMillan's breakout are the clips that will live on highlight reels. Maye's redemption arc after being benched is the kind of storyline that defines seasons.

The bigger picture from NFL Week 4 is parity, or the lack of it: three teams sit at 4-0 while three sit at 0-4, and the AFC East is suddenly a race again. The NFL Week 4 slate wraps tonight, with the Falcons visiting the Saints on Monday Night Football, with both teams at 1-2 and desperate to stay in the hunt.

Sources: ESPN, Pro Football News, NBC Sports, and Sports Illustrated.

Related coverage: Continue with the latest GenZ NewZ headlines, more sports coverage, Chourio walk-off sends Brewers to the brink of the NLCS, Tetairoa McMillan's Career Night Lifts Panthers Past Lions, and Verstappen Sepang Win Ends His Season-Long Victory Drought.