4 DOWN TERRITORY By USA Today Sports: Recent Episodes
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USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s TouchdownWire site will break down what you need to know heading into each week on 4-DOWN TERRITORY, with no option to punt!
4-DOWN TERRITORY's host Luke Easterling is joined by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who will break down the latest news and action around the league. Whether it’s happening on or off the field, 4-DOWN TERRITORY will provide expert analysis, with a dash of sarcasm and plenty of bickering about the biggest NFL topics with the people who are most passionate about the game.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Kyle Shanahan had more at stake – more to lose – than anybody else in this Super Bowl. And he lost. In the biggest game of the season. And once again, he had a huge lead that he and his team ultimately squandered. What does this say about Shanahan in an overall sense? Where are we with him historically at this point?
- Conversely, where are we with Andy Reid? All of a sudden, he’s not just a first-ballot Hall of Famer; he’s now the engineer of one of the true dynasties in pro football history?
- The other greatness discussion we have to have at this point relates to one Patrick Lavon Mahomes II. Are we now talking about the greatest quarterback we’ve ever seen? And if not, what’s the argument against it?
- Where do both of these teams go from here?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- What’s the one thing the San Francisco 49ers must do to win Super Bowl LVIII?
- What’s the one thing the Kansas City Chiefs must do to win Super Bowl LVIII, and bag their third Super Bowl win in the last five years?
- Who’s your Secret Superstar of Super Bowl LVIII – the relatively unknown player who could make all the difference?
- Finally, who’s winning the game?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell will be pilloried all offseason long for his two failed fourth-down conversion attempts in his team’s 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Should he be?
- The Baltimore Ravens looked just about unbeatable as they started their AFC Championship contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. Three hours later, the Ravens were out in a 17-10 loss, and the Chiefs were headed to their fourth Super Bowl in the last five years. What did this tell us about the Ravens?
- Kyle Shanahan now has the opportunity to erase his postseason demons and beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl as he couldn’t in Super Bowl LIV. Why will he be able to do that, if he’s able to do that?
- What was your Worst of the Week?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Now that the Dolphins are out of the postseason following their 26-7 wild-card loss to the Chiefs, we’re left with the question we’ve been asking all along – is Tua Tagovailoa the right franchise quarterback for this team to trust?
- Will Jerry Jones fire Mike McCarthy? Should he fire Mike McCarthy, and if so, who should replace him?
- We’re shooting this before Monday night’s Eagles-Buccaneers playoff game. If the Eagles get blown out (which is entirely possible), should owner Jeff Lurie move on from head coach Nick Sirianni? And even if the Eagles win, how much faith do you have in their ability to get to another Super Bowl?
- What’s your Worst of the Week?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Which wild-card team should be taken most seriously for a Super Bowl run?
- Which wild-card team should be taken least seriously?
- Who’s your Secret Superstar for the wild-card round?
- Which assistant coach would you most like to get a vacant head coaching job?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Is there anyone else but Lamar Jackson who can make the case for NFL MVP?
- Should the NFL make a more public statement about the state of officiating by firing everybody on that crew when the regular season is over?
- If you had to pick one of the defending Super Bowl teams to make it back to the biggest game – and we would understand you not wanting either one – would you go with the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Philadelphia Eagles?
- Week 17, Worst of the Week
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- We have three weeks left in the 2023 NFL regular season. Which team are you all-in on now that you did not expect to be at the season’s halfway point?
- Conversely, which team were you believing in at the halfway point, and you’re now saying to yourself, “I can no longer take them seriously?”
- Who’s your most underrated player in the NFL right now?
- What’s your Worst of the Week?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- What do Joe Flacco and Jake Browning tell us about quarterback evaluation?
- Brock Purdy is NOT a system quarterback
- Patrick Mahomes’ Meltdown
- Worst of the Week for Week 14
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- 49ers dominate Eagles
- Patriots first team to lose 3 straight allowing 10 points or fewer since 1938
- Coaches on the Hot Seat
- Worst of the Week for Week 13
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Who’s your MVP at this point of the 2023 season?
- Which team that’s currently out of the playoff race is the NFL’s most dangerous?
- If there’s one player who could be traded from his current team as an act of mercy, who would it be?
- What was your Worst of the Week for Week 12?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Coaches on Hot Seat
- Coach of the Year so far
- Do the Browns or Bengals have a realistic chance at the playoffs?
- What’s your Worst of the Week for Week 11?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- This season, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers who are on the tip of the good luck spear. They’ve been outgained in each of their nine games this season, but they’re somehow 6-3. Is there any fire behind that statistical smoke, or should the Steelers not be taken seriously at all?
- Is it time to elevate our perception of the LIons to legitimate Super Bowl contenders?
- So, are the 5-4 Texans the kind of team that could shock the world and go deep into the playoffs, one year after a 3-13-1 disaster?
- What was your Worst of the Week?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Did the Panthers make a mistake in trading up to the top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and selecting Young instead of Stroud?
- Is there any reason not to crown John Harbaugh’s squad as the NFL”s best? Does any other team have a case?
- Is there another coach or coordinator that needs to go to save the team that currently employs him?
- What’s your Worst of the Week?
The halfway point of the season for a league that no longer has a halfway point in the season.
- Most disappointing team in the first half of the season
- Most pleasantly surprising team
- Most disappointing player (non-Deshaun Watson division)
- Most pleasantly surprising player
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- We are at a point in the NFL where officiating needs an intervention
- We’re getting closer and closer to the October 31 trade deadline, and while there will be trades upcoming, which move would you like to see
- Two defensive players have won the NFL Most Valuable Player award – Alan Page of the Vikings in 1971, and Lawrence Taylor of the Giants in 1986. Could Garrett make it a third
- What’s your Worst of the Week that had nothing to do with officiating
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Do we know who the NFL’s best team is right now? The formerly undefeated Eagles and 49ers both fell on Sunday. The Bills nearly threw away a game to the Giants. The Chiefs are playing great defense, but who knows what’s going on with their passing game? The Dolphins can’t be stopped on offense, but their defense is a problem.
- Will it be impossible at this point for any team to go from Week 1 through the Super Bowl without losing a game?
- Who is your Secret Superstar through Week 6 – the NFL’s most underrated player worthy of much more attention than he’s getting?
- What was your Worst of the Week? John Hussey leading the charge in a truly horrible week for officiating. Brock Purdy MVP takes are my worst of the week.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Is 49ers' Brock Purdy More Than a System Quarterback
- NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat: Mike McCarthy on Notice
- Should the NFL and the NFLPA ban the Tush Push
- What’s your Worst of the Week for Week 5?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- The worst thing that happened in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season
- How were the Bills able to stop the Dolphins’ offense in Buffalo’s decisive 48-20 win?
- Are we to the point with the Chicago Bears where they’re so dysfunctional, they should worry about getting a public relations fixer for their player comments and public statements before they even think about replacing their coaches?
- What was Zach Wilson’s cheat code against the Chiefs?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Not to pick on head coach Matt Eberflus after such an awful week, but if you’re the Bears, do you start making serious changes right now, or is there any benefit to staying the course?
- On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins tied for the third-most points in pro football history when they stomped the Broncos, 70-20. Are the Dolphins the best offense ever?
- Was this an example of coaching brain-cramp, or was this an indictment of McDaniels’ own offense?
- Through three weeks of the 2023 season, tell us about one thing in the NFL you don’t think is getting nearly enough attention.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss:
- Is Justin Fields ever going to be a top-tier quarterback?
- Who is your Goat of the Week for Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season?
- Who will be the first NFL coach fired this season, and why is it Brandon Staley of the Chargers?
- Did Bill Belichick change the face of field goal coverage forevermore?
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire breakdown all the action from Week 1.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire make some NFL predictions: Most Valuable Player for the 2023 season, Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Super Bowl predictions!
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss the NFL’s top 101 players, Trey Lance to the Cowboys and which players who were under the radar made the best preseason arguments to stick and stay with their preseason teams.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss the biggest storylines from Week 2 of the Preseason.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss the biggest storylines from Week 1 of the Preseason. From players who made the most of their preseason playing time and players who are looking for a re-do.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss the biggest storylines from NFL Preseason from Nathaniel Hackett said Sean Peyton violated the Coach’s code to 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire discuss the biggest storylines from NFL training camp, are there one or more rookies, drafted outside of the first and second rounds, who you think will be a starter by the time training camps and the preseason end and who has piqued your interest due to their potential in a new home?
Our NFL Wires editors submitted their picks for the most dominant players in the game right now, and we tabulated the results to determine a top 50. Our list consists of players who dominate at their respective positions, so there’s a nice mix of different position groups (even though quarterbacks and skill position players are well represented).
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” the guys discuss the best remaining free agents, ideal late-draft scheme fits, and the teams most and least improved after the draft.
In this week's "4-Down Territory," Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson get into the NFL's best and worst team drafts, steals and reaches.
Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson discuss the four biggest questions heading into the 2023 draft
In this week’s “4-Down Territory,” Kyle Madson of Niners Wire and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire put on their general manager hats for the Houston Texans, the Seattle Seahawks, the Detroit Lions, and the Philadelphia Eagles — the four teams currently with two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft.
00:00 – Intro
01:35 – How do you think the Houston Texans should spend their assets?
06:32 – How should the Seattle Seahawks spend the kind of draft capital?
13:51 – What would be the best course of action for the Detroit Lions?
22:51 – How should the Philadelphia Eagles use these picks to set its course for another Super Bowl?
With the 2023 scouting combine wrapped up, it’s all about how the prospects did in the medicals, in the meeting rooms with NFL teams, and of course, on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
00:00 – Intro
01:01 – Which offensive draft prospect helped himself with the combine drills?
05:29 – Which defensive draft prospect helped himself with the combine drills?
09:18 – Which offensive prospect failed to capitalize on it when the rubber hit the road?
13:36 – Which defensive prospect didn’t meet expectations at the combine?
Answering the biggest questions heading into the NFL scouting combine. 4 Down Territory's hosts Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar explain which draft prospects will break out and who needs a big workout at the 2023 NFL Combine.
00:00 - Intro
01:53 – Who needs a solid combine week to solidify his status as a potential first-tier pick?
06:22 – Which lesser-known prospect will blow it up at the combine?
11:35 – Which prospects need the medicals to work their way?
16:13 – Which guy is absolutely going to jump out of the gym and blow it up?
It’s all about draft prospects with the scouting combine a week away, so in this episode, Doug and Luke put their general manager hats on and go either-or with some major 2023 draft prospects.
With the Super Bowl LVII in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs set as world champs over the Philadelphia Eagles, there was a lot to discuss.
00:00 – Intro
01:20 – Should Carl Cheffers and his crew have called that defensive holding penalty on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry in Super Bowl LVII given the situation?
07:32 – Where do you put Patrick Mahomes in the all-time Quarterback Pantheon at this point?
12:21 – Where does this heroic Super Bowl performance from Jalen Hurts put him among the NFL’s quarterbacks today?
16:50 – Do you think the Eagles can get back to next year’s Super Bowl?
The two home teams in the NFL championship games held serve this week with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs punching a ticket to Super Bowl LVII.
The Chiefs won a nail-biter over the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow with some Patrick Mahomes magic with a score of 23-20.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have breezed through the NFC with dominant victories in back-to-back weeks over the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
NFL Wire editors, Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar, break down the conference championships and the upcoming Super Bowl LVII on this week’s edition of 4 Down Territory.
Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With the Super Wild-Card round in the books, and the divisional round just around the corner, there’s a lot to discuss!
4 Down Territory's hosts Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar recap Week 16, including:
- How can the Dolphins fix Tua Tagovailoa's December struggles?
- Are we to the point where Belichick is running out of ideas?
- What’s been the problem for Brady and the Bucs this season?
- Which team to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVII?
4 Down Territory's hosts Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar recap Week 15, including:
- How should the NFL solve the officiating blunders?
- What is the dumbest play you’ve ever seen at any level of football?
- Is Jalen Hurts a system quarterback and easily replaceable?
- Is there anything about this win that makes you believe more in the now 11-3 Vikings?
4 Down Territory's hosts Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar recap Week 10, including:
- Is it time for the Las Vegas Raiders to cut their losses with head coach Josh McDaniels?
- Who’s the NFL’s best quarterback… right now?
- If you could pick Justin Jefferson or Stefon Diggs to be the anchor of your passing game, how would you play it?
- Why has Josh Allen become a disaster in the red zone, when he used to be the league’s most formidable weapon near the goal line?
This week, Doug and Luke present their Midseason Awards, because in a 17-game season, “midseason” is whatever you want it to be. Kind of like the Colts’ coaching situation.
- Who are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year so far?
- Who are the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year?
- Who are the NFL’s most underrated players?
- And finally, who’s the league MVP at our halfway point?
With Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire discuss:
- Now that the Eagles have unleashed Jalen Hurts as a deep passer, does the NFL’s lone undefeated team have a single obvious weakness?
- Which current coordinators are most deserving of head-coaching interviews once the 2022 season is done?
- Which team has been the most disappointing in 2022
- Which team has been the most pleasant surprise?
With Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire discuss:
- Among surprise disappointments at 3-4, whether the Green Bay Packers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have more to deal with on the way back up
- If Dak Prescott looked about like we expected in his return from injury
- If Tua Tagovailoa can take the Dolphins to the top (or near-top) of the AFC East
- Between the Houston Texans and the Seattle Seahawks, which team has had the best 2022 draft class so far?
Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
- Whether the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, or Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL’s best team
- If the Dallas Cowboys are right there at the top with a healthy Dak Prescott
- Which trades we would most like to see before the November 1 deadline
- Whether rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe has earned starting consideration over Mac Jones
With Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire discuss:
- Which of the five rookie cornerbacks who had interceptions on Sunday has been most impressive through the season so far
- Why the Packers are in trouble, and how they can turn things around
- Whether the NFC East has become the best division in football after years of justifiable “NFC Least” jokes
- What it will take for the NFL to get roughing the passer calls right
This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
- Whether there’s any question that the Eagles are the NFL’s best team
- If there are reasons to worry about the Jaguars after that loss to the Eagles
- Why the Buccaneers are going south on both sides of the ball
- If John Harbaugh made the right fourth-down call in the Ravens’ loss to the Bills
With Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
- What they’re looking for in Thursday night’s game between the Steelers and Browns on Amazon Prime
- Which team who had an amazing comeback in Week 2 has the best ability to make that momentum stick
- Why the Bengals’ offense is falling apart
- Why the Broncos’ offense is doing the same
With Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover! This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
- Whether Lamar Jackson (or anybody else, ever) will get the fully-guaranteed contract he wants, and Deshaun Watson somehow got
- The weirdest coaching decisions in Week 1
- Which alleged playoff contenders gave us the worst vibes after their inaugural performances
- It’s Early Overreaction Time, so which head coach will be the first to be fired in-season?
With Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season right around the corner, our guys are laser-focused on that. This week, Doug and Luke discuss:
- Which elements are most important in the 2022 season opener Thursday night between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills?
- Which Week 1 revenge game is the most compelling?
- Every year, there’s a worst-to-first team — last year, it was the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. Which teams are best set up to rise to the top in 2022?
- Conversely, which 2021 playoff teams are the guys most worried about when it’s time to run it back?
This week, Luke and Doug discuss the myth that Kayvon Thibodeaux doesn’t love football, which free-agent signing will pay the biggest dividends for his new team, which currently unsigned free agents should point to which teams for the best fit, and the overtime rule proposals at the owners meetings.
Week 1 of free agency is in the books, but in this new league year, it’s trades that have ruled the news cycle. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, and Luke Easterling of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, are back with yet another episode of “4-Down Territory,” in which our intrepid analysts throw a wide net over everything that’s happening in the NFL. This week, Luke and Doug discuss why the Deshaun Watson trade is an ugly thing no matter how you look at it, which major trade benefits one team and sets the other back, and the teams that have won and botched the free-agency process.
This week, Luke and Doug discuss Tom Brady’s return, Deshaun Watson’s complicated future, what the league’s quarterback landscape looks like after the combine and before the draft (hint: it doesn’t look great for this year’s quarterback draft class), and the most underrated free agents in this class.
In this week’s episode, our fearless experts get into why the Rams’ Dream Team plan actually worked, how likely it is that the Bengals get back to the Super Bowl, which other NFL team could mirror Cincinnati’s worst-to-first path, and what Aaron Donald’s legacy is if he actually retires.