After the AFC East had its time in the spotlight last week, the NFC East takes center stage this Thursday, with the Dallas Cowboys taking on the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. Neither team has had a rollicking start to the 2024-2025 season. Both stand at 1-2 and are tied for last place in the division, but a win could catapult them to second place by the end of the weekend. It could be an uphill battle for the Giants, though, which hasn’t beaten Dallas since the season finale in 2020.
The NFC South figures to be a three-way race this year, unless the Andy Dalton-led Panthers can blow it wide open between all four teams. Behind the steady hand of a veteran quarterback, the Saints and Falcons should be in the mix for the division crown all season long.
The Saints started off red hot with Derek Carr looking like an MVP candidate before losing last week to the Eagles. Kirk Cousins has been better the past two weeks for the Falcons after a rough first game in Atlanta, but the 1-2 Falcons are still looking for their first win at home this season.
The Saints and Falcons kick off in Atlanta at
1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) on Fox. Here's how you can watch, even if the game isn't available on your local Fox channel.
The New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are both proud NFL franchises. They've won more Super Bowls than anybody else over the past five decades. But they entered the 2024 season seemingly on different trajectories, and that is where the best potential drama lies in their Week 4 matchup.
The 49ers, coming off another Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, were still supposed to be the NFC favorite this year. The Patriots, after parting ways with Bill Belichick, had a rookie head coach (Jerod Mayo), a rookie quarterback (Drake Maye), and low expectations. Both teams, however, enter Sunday's game with 1-2 records.
San Francisco is dealing with injury issues on both sides of the ball, which helps explain consecutive road losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. Running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve before the team's season opening win over the New York Jets, and there's no indication yet when he'll return to the field. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle also missed last week's game, but they returned to practice ahead of Sunday's game. Their status bears watching.