NFL Week 4 buy or sell: Trust 3-0 Eagles, 49ers? Plus, Daniel Jones enters MVP race

Buffalo is working from a script that we’re not accustomed to seeing during the Sean McDermott-Josh Allen era. Usually, the Bills have to wait until the postseason arrives to watch their defense turn unreliable. This year, that unit has been problematic for most of the last three weeks -- giving up 40 points to the Ravens and allowing 10-of-15 third-down conversions in a 31-21 win over Miami -- but guess what? It hasn’t mattered. Buffalo's offense is so elite that offensive coordinator Joe Brady has only asked Allen to throw for 361 combined yards over the last two games. The Bills are quite comfortable gashing teams via one of the league’s best rushing attacks, with James Cook doing the bulk of the damage. When they have to turn to Allen, he can devastate defenses with his legs or his ability to utilize a variety of receivers. Of course, the schedule is a huge asset for the Bills, as well. The combined record of their next four opponents (the Saints, Patriots, Falcons and Panthers) is 3-9 and then they host the struggling Chiefs in Week 9. It’s going to be really hard to keep this team from locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. DECISION: BUY

The Colts are easily the biggest surprise in the NFL, driven by the spectacular play of reborn quarterback Daniel Jones. He’s now the first player in the Super Bowl era to have at least three touchdown passes, three rushing touchdowns and no turnovers in the first three games of a season. What’s scary is that he just seems to be getting started. Jones is utilizing all the benefits that came with joining the Colts and beating out former first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the starting job. Running back Jonathan Taylor has been excellent. Jones has a variety of playmakers in the passing game, including rookie tight end Tyler Warren and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. The Colts' defense also has been vastly improved, as that unit has forced five turnovers this season. You can quibble with the opponents Indianapolis has beaten -- nobody in that group has a winning a record and the most recent victory, a 41-20 bashing on Tennessee, came against the team that picked first overall in last year’s draft -- but the Colts don’t care. The AFC South is one of the softest divisions in football, and the team that won it last year, the Texans, is currently sitting at 0-3. The Colts haven’t started this fast since 2009. They don’t look like a team that is about to melt down any time soon. DECISION: BUY

Jim Harbaugh is doing Jim Harbaugh things once again. He led the formerly hapless Chargers to a wild-card spot last season, though some skeptics thought he benefitted from a weak schedule. Now that the Chargers are 3-0 -- with all three wins coming against AFC West rivals -- it’s time to start believing in what this franchise is building. The Chargers don’t have a roster loaded with stars, but Harbaugh isn’t somebody who’s ever been enamored with that. He wants buy-in over big names, and that’s exactly what he’s getting from this group. The defense is one of the stingiest in the league. The offense has proven to be far more explosive than anybody imagined coming into training camp, back when slot receiver Ladd McConkey was the only reliable target for quarterback Justin Herbert. The emergence of Quentin Johnston and the revival of Keenan Allen have made this offense more electric and, in the process, turned Herbert into a legitimate MVP candidate. This fast start also means the Chargers are in great position to break Kansas City’s streak of nine straight AFC West crowns. Sure, there are health concerns, including season-ending injuries to left tackle Rashawn Slater (knee) and running back Najee Harris (torn Achilles), as well as a dislocated elbow that landed edge rusher Khalil Mack on short-term injured reserve. But as Harbaugh loves to say after games, who’s got it better than the Chargers in this division at the moment? That’s right: Nobody. DECISION: BUY

The Eagles needed two blocked field goals to hold off the Rams -- one by defensive end Jalen Carter and the other by nose tackle Jordan Davis, who returned that last one 61 yards for the final points in Sunday's 33-26 win -- but they got the job done in a game they seemed likely to lose at one point. Philadelphia’s ability to overcome that 26-7 deficit is strong evidence that this team is a real threat to win a second consecutive Super Bowl. All we heard in the previous two weeks were questions about this team’s feeble passing game. The Eagles had no problem flipping the switch and turning on the explosiveness when they needed to in this one. Philadelphia had 33 total yards in the first half of this contest. Jalen Hurts finished with 226 passing yards and three touchdowns, while A.J. Brown (six catches for 109 yards), DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert caught one scoring pass apiece. The Eagles have now won three games without looking anywhere near as impressive offensively as they did during their run to a championship last year. Some of that is likely a byproduct of acclimating to new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. However, it’s also fair to say the same thing about the Eagles that we’ve said in the past about the team they trucked in last year’s Super Bowl, the Chiefs: The Eagles clearly know how to win. They’re also quite comfortable doing it in whatever manner is necessary. DECISION: BUY

The 49ers have been surviving in exactly the same way as the team below them on this list, the Bucs -- by not allowing injuries to key players derail them. What makes San Francisco’s situation more impressive is it doesn’t even have the major components of the passing attack in place. Quarterback Brock Purdy has been sidelined, along with tight end George Kittle and wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers hope to have all these players back on the field together at some point, but the prognosis timelines vary for each. It also doesn’t help that Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa left Sunday’s win over Arizona with an undisclosed knee injury. If he’s out for any amount of time, then a revitalized defense takes a huge hit, as well. The upside here is that backup quarterback Mac Jones has played inspired football the last two weeks, and the 49ers understand how to operate in this situation after injuries ravaged them last year. San Francisco finished 2024 in last place in the NFC West. It shouldn’t implode in that fashion this time around, but it’s apparent that the division is tougher. The Rams and Seahawks have played impressively while the Cardinals are sitting at 2-1, as well. In other words, don’t bet on the Niners holding that first-place spot all year. DECISION: SELL

The Buccaneers are arguably the most battered and bruised team in the league at the moment. They’ve surged to a 3-0 start despite a multitude of injuries, which only increased during Sunday’s 29-27 win over the Jets. The Bucs already were down three offensive linemen before that game started (offensive tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, and guard Cody Mauch, who’s out of the year). They wound up losing star wide receiver Mike Evans to a hamstring injury against New York, which is another big blow. Tampa Bay has weathered these problems by making history: It's now the first team in the Super Bowl era to win its first three games by scoring in the final minute of regulation. You also must wonder how long the club can sustain those fabulous finishes with a compromised roster. The Bucs are about to enter the toughest stretch of their schedule, as they’ll face six playoff contenders in the next eight games. Those teams include the Eagles (this coming Sunday), Seahawks, 49ers, Lions, Bills and Rams. It would be hard enough facing those teams while completely healthy. If the Bucs have to deal with those opponents without some of these key players available, then it’s not going to end well. DECISION: SELL

Daniel Jones is the major story in Indianapolis, but the Colts' star running back deserves plenty of love, as well. Taylor leads the league in rushing yards, and he added 102 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s win over Tennessee. He’s also likely to do even more damage if Jones continues to play at a high level. Taylor ran for 1,400 yards last season despite the Colts relying on one of the worst passing attacks in the league. Imagine what he’ll do with a more balanced offense working in his favor.

The Vikings cornerback had a day in a 48-10 win over Cincinnati. He finished with an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown, a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown, a second forced fumble and two pass deflections. Rodgers also is one more example of how resourceful the Vikings have been at finding cornerbacks for defensive coordinator Brian Flores to use in his system. Who cares if Rodgers went crazy against Bengals backup Jake Browning? Well, the performance was literally historic.

There have been a lot of jokes made at the expense of Cleveland’s offseason quarterback situation, but nobody is laughing about what Schwartz is doing with that defense. On Sunday, the Browns beat up on a Packers team that had been one of the hottest squads going. Cleveland also limited the Bengals to 141 yards when Joe Burrow was still healthy and had its defensive stats skewed in a 41-10 loss to Baltimore because the Ravens scored a defensive touchdown and had the benefit of short fields on three other scoring drives. The Browns D is legit. Believe it.

You’re guaranteed to make this list when it’s Week 3 and you’re getting pulled for Kirk Cousins at the end of a blowout loss to Carolina. Penix completed half his passes (18-for-36) and threw two interceptions in that contest, one that ended up being a pick-six. There are still plenty of games left -- and Penix opened with a two tough contests against Tampa Bay and Minnesota -- but this was the worst he’s looked in his brief pro career. Penix was supposed to benefit from all the highly drafted weapons around him. Instead, Atlanta's offense has scored one TD combined in its last two games, and he only has one touchdown pass thus far.

The Broncos were a sexy pick to challenge for the AFC West, but they’re not looking the part right now. Denver is off to a 1-2 start, and this is now the third straight year that Payton’s team has opened a season slowly. The defense that dominated last year also is struggling at the worst possible times. Denver couldn’t keep Justin Herbert from rallying the Chargers to a 23-20 win in the fourth quarter on Sunday. That same defense also gave up 473 yards and 29 points to the Colts in a loss in Week 2. That’s two blown leads in two weeks. This better not be a sign of what’s to come throughout the year. 

We’re still waiting for the C.J. Stroud that overwhelmed the NFL in his rookie year to reappear in Houston. There are understandable challenges to that, including a new offensive coordinator, an offensive line that was reassembled in the offseason and a foot injury that landed running back Joe Mixon on injured reserve. That also doesn’t mean Stroud is blameless. He threw two interceptions in a loss to Jacksonville on Sunday -- including one deep in Jaguars territory in the final minute of the game -- and this team hasn’t hit the 20-point mark in three games. If Stroud is the kind of player who can help others ascend, then it’s time for him to hurry up and show it for a team stuck at 0-3.

The Ravens come into this contest knowing they’ve beaten Kansas City only once since Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson became superstar quarterbacks. The Chiefs enter this one with a more sobering understanding -- that they can ill-afford to fall to 1-3 if they want to have a shot at winning the AFC West and earning prime real estate in the postseason. These two teams usually play exciting games that have huge stakes. This time around, the narrative is much different. One team is trying to prove it can rid itself of old demons. The other is hoping to prove its dynasty isn’t dying yet.

• DraftKings odds: +275
• Weeks in top five: 3
• Next game: vs. Saints | Sunday, Sept. 28

• DraftKings odds: +550
• Weeks in top five: 1
• Next game: at Giants | Sunday, Sept. 28

• DraftKings odds: +275
• Weeks in top five: 3
• Next game: at Chiefs | Sunday, Sept. 28

• DraftKings odds: +8000
• Weeks in top five: 1
• Next game: at Rams | Sunday, Sept. 28

• DraftKings odds: +1600
• Weeks in top five: 2
• Next game: at Buccaneers | Sunday, Sept. 28