In the first three weeks of play, I didn’t roll a single overtime game. That changed in week four, as there were four of them, all of which saw exciting endings to regulation.
The results were decent — the actual winning team was victorious in 10 of the 16 games. Some of the other six results were fine (a better or equal team won in the replay), though a few would be considered big upsets.
I had my best scoring week of the season so far, as teams averaged 44.8 points (better than the 43.0 in the actual week four and the season average of 43.6). I am tempted to mess with one of the core gameplay mechanics in week five to see what happens to the scoring. I’ve been thinking about trying this change because it ought to benefit the offense a bit, but I’m not sure if I need to do that anymore.
Interceptions (1.9 per game) and fumbles (0.9 per game) were very close to the actual season averages, so that’s a positive.
This week’s games took a bit longer to play because I’ve been working on the next iteration of the game — 2023 college teams. I’m not sure if what I’ve done will translate perfectly to college football, but it is worth a try.
Week 4 recaps:
Green Bay 30, Detroit 24 (OT): It took until week four, but this was the first overtime game of the season. After missing a potential game-tying 47-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter, Packer kicker Anders Carlson redeemed himself with a 33-yard field goal at the buzzer to send the game to OT. Green Bay won the coin toss and on the first possession, Christian Watson caught his third touchdown pass of the game to end it. It was Love’s fourth TD pass of the contest. (actual: Detroit 34-20)
Atlanta 27, Jacksonville 0: This one was all Falcons. Desmond Ridder threw for two touchdowns and ran for one. The Jaguars fumbled twice on two of their best possessions of the day. (actual: Jacksonville 23-7)
Miami 31, Buffalo 14: The Dolphins went to Buffalo and took it to the Bills. It was 7-7 at halftime but Miami scored the next 24 points to go up 31-7 in the fourth quarter. (actual: Buffalo 48-20)
Minnesota 26, Carolina 20 (OT): The second overtime contest of the week was an exciting one. The Vikings led 10-0 after the first quarter but then trailed 17-10 late in the contest. Kirk Cousins tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Powell in the final minute to send the game to overtime. The Panthers won the overtime coin toss and kicked a field goal. The Vikings matched that field goal, stopped Carolina on its next possession, and then got a game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Jordan Addison. (actual: Minnesota 21-13)
Denver 23, Chicago 14: The Broncos took their first lead in the third quarter on Russell Wilson’s TD pass to Brandon Johnson, which made it 20-14. The Denver defense came through down the stretch, twice stopping Chicago on fourth down in the red zone in the fourth quarter. (actual: Denver 31-28)
Baltimore 55, Cleveland 14: The Ravens were unstoppable, scoring seven touchdowns and kicking two field goals on their 11 possessions. Lamar Jackson threw one touchdown pass and ran for two. Justice Hill also ran for two scores. Baltimore put up 21 points in the first quarter and 17 in the fourth quarter. (actual: Baltimore 28-3)
Pittsburgh 24, Houston 21 (OT): The third overtime game of the week had a dramatic finish. The Steelers took a 21-13 lead in the fourth quarter on Jaylen Warren’s 10-yard run. Down to their last possession, the Texans ended regulation on a 12-yard touchdown run by C.J. Stroud, and they made the two-point conversion to send it to overtime. But after winning the toss, Houston couldn’t score on the first possession of OT, and Pittsburgh went down and won the contest on Chris Boswell’s 37-yard field goal. (actual: Houston 30-6)
Los Angeles Rams 33, Indianapolis 28: This one turned into a shootout in the fourth quarter. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson ran for a score to cut the Rams’ lead to 24-21. An LA field goal made it 27-21. Indianapolis took a 28-27 lead on a Zack Moss touchdown run. The Rams came right back with Matthew Stafford’s second touchdown pass of the game to Cooper Kupp to go back in front 33-28 (the extra point was missed). Indianapolis got the ball into LA territory on its final possession but couldn’t convert a fourth-down attempt. (actual: Los Angeles 29-23)
Tampa Bay 23, New Orleans 13: The Buccaneers overcame three Baker Mayfield interceptions. Tampa Bay took the lead for good at 17-10 on Rachaad White’s 8-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. The Saints closed it to 17-13 after three quarters, but Tampa Bay kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter to put it out of reach. The Saints had an interception and a fourth-down fail on their final two possessions. (actual: Tampa Bay 26-9)
Philadelphia 24, Washington 17: The Eagles took their first lead at the end of the third quarter on Jalen Hurts’ TD pass to DeVonta Smith, which made it 13-10. After a Philadelphia field goal made it 16-10, the Commanders went back in front 17-16 on Sam Howell’s TD pass to Jahan Dotson. Philadelphia came right back and scored on a Hurts 5-yard touchdown run, then made a two-point conversion to make it 24-17. Washington drove into Philadelphia territory on its final possession but couldn’t convert a fourth down. (actual: Philadelphia 34-31)
Cincinnati 27, Tennessee 17: The Titans led 17-14 at halftime, but in the second half, the Bengals had two interceptions and once stopped Tennessee on fourth down in the red zone. Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes, including one in the third quarter to make it 21-17 Cincinnati, and one in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach. (actual: Tennessee 27-3)
Los Angeles Chargers 23, Las Vegas 10: Justin Herbert ran for two touchdowns and Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals, two of them at 50+ yards, to lead the Chargers to the win. It was 10-3 at halftime and 20-3 after three quarters. (actual: Los Angeles 24-17)
Dallas 20, New England 3: The Cowboys’ defense was dominant, forcing six turnovers, including four Mac Jones interceptions. But the Dallas offense couldn’t find the right rolls despite many advantageous situations, and settled for just 20 points on offense. It was 20-0 after three quarters before the Patriots got a late field goal. (actual: Dallas 38-3)
San Francisco 48, Arizona 17: Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both ran for two touchdowns in the 49ers’ rout. After opening the game with a punt, San Francisco scored on eight of its next nine possessions. It was 21-14 at halftime and then the 49ers ran off 20 straight points. (actual: San Francisco 35-16)
New York Jets 23, Kansas City 13: The Jets built a 23-0 lead in the fourth quarter and pulled off the upset. The Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but their comeback effort ran out of time. New York won despite losing three fumbles. (actual: Kansas City 23-20)
Seattle 27, New York Giants 24 (OT): It was tied at 17 heading to the fourth quarter. The Giants scored a touchdown on their final possession, but the Seahawks did the same on their final possession, sending the game to overtime. New York couldn’t capitalize on Geno Smith’s third interception of the game and had to punt, and the Seahawks went down and kicked a game-winning field goal. (actual: Seattle 24-3)
Week 4 Standings
AFC East: BUF 3-1, MIA 3-1, NYJ 2-2, NE 0-4
AFC West: DEN 3-1, LAC 3-1, KC 1-3, LV 1-3
AFC North: BAL 4-0, CLE 2-2, PIT 2-2, CIN 1-3
AFC South: HOU 2-2, IND 1-3, TEN 1-3, JAX 1-3
NFC East: DAL 4-0, PHI 3-1, WAS 0-4, NYG 0-4
NFC West: SF 4-0, SEA 3-1, ARI 2-2, LAR 2-2
NFC North: GB 4-0, DET 3-1, MIN 3-1, CHI 0-4
NFL South: NO 2-2, ATL 2-2, TB 2-2, CAR 0-4
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 