49ers surge, Kirk Cousins impresses and Cowboys offense headline Week 4 lessons

Week 4 brought sharper definition to the NFL hierarchy. All five winless teams entering the weekend — the Chargers, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Titans and Texans — stayed that way, while only three of the five undefeated clubs maintained a perfect record. Amid that churn, three storylines stood out: the 49ers separating as perhaps the league’s most complete team, Kirk Cousins producing a throwback performance for the Raiders, and a Cowboys offense that is good enough to erase defensive breakdowns.

Shanahan’s 49ers look like the current standard

Among the remaining unbeaten teams, San Francisco has the most convincing résumé. The 49ers have routed the Rams and Dolphins, handled a better-than-expected Cardinals squad and just beat the Broncos 24-14, continuing a stretch where the offense dictates terms. They rank fifth in rushing success rate after finishing 21st last season and remain one of the NFL’s heaviest motion offenses, averaging 7.3 yards per play when using motion, the best mark in the league so far.

Kyle Shanahan is doing it while short-handed at wide receiver, operating without De’Zhaun Stribling, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson and Christian Kirk. To compensate, he has leaned into two-back personnel on nearly half of San Francisco’s snaps and is using three-receiver sets at the lowest rate of his head-coaching tenure. The offensive line has yet to allow a single sack through four games, something no team has accomplished since the 2005 Colts with Peyton Manning. That blend of scheme flexibility and protection has the 49ers looking like the current benchmark.

Kirk Cousins shows he is more than a bridge in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, a 30-27 loss to the Chiefs overshadowed one of the more impressive individual efforts of the week. Kirk Cousins completed 31 of 52 passes for 365 yards with two touchdowns and a late desperation interception. Most notably, he took zero sacks despite being pressured 21 times, a statistical rarity matched in the last decade only by Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen in similarly intense pass-rush environments.

Cousins, brought in at 38 largely as a short-term option ahead of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, is playing like far more than a placeholder. He used functional mobility to avoid negative plays, worked efficiently off play action and consistently found tight windows, operating within Klint Kubiak’s system that previously unlocked Sam Darnold in Seattle. If this level holds, the Raiders’ quarterback room may be a strength rather than a stopgap.

Cowboys offense carries the load as young receivers emerge

No unit is humming quite like Dallas’ offense. As highlighted by Anthony Dabbundo of The Ringer, the Cowboys are averaging 3.39 points per drive, a pace that would rank fifth since 2000 and put them in the same neighborhood as the 2024 Commanders, 2021 Chiefs and 2007 Patriots. Their 34-30 comeback win over the Texans showcased that firepower, with the offense repeatedly rescuing a secondary that has been leaky on the back end.

CeeDee Lamb torched Houston’s highly regarded defense for 17 receptions, 189 yards and a touchdown, including the game-winner in the final minute. Nearly one-third of Dallas’ offensive snaps resulted in either a first down or a touchdown, the third-highest such rate the Texans have allowed in the last three seasons. Inside the 20, the Cowboys are fourth in red-zone touchdown rate, riding Javonte Williams for five short-yardage scores from three yards out or closer.

Elsewhere, Zay Flowers is emerging as one of the league’s most efficient weapons. After a hamstring injury limited his early-season availability, the Ravens wideout posted eight catches for 118 yards and a score on 10 targets in Week 4. He is averaging 6.29 yards per route run, dwarfing Tyreek Hill’s modern-era high of 3.85 from 2023, with much of that production coming from the slot, where he now aligns on nearly 60% of his snaps under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

Flowers’ surge is part of a broader uptick from the 2024 wide receiver class, which accompanied a celebrated quarterback group. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman and Ladd McConkey all factored into Week 4, with Coleman (116 yards and a touchdown), Nabers (112 yards and a score), Worthy (70 yards and a long contested grab) and others signaling real second-year growth. The lesson: development curves vary, but patience with talented young receivers is often rewarded.