Season 4 episode 9
NFL Week 4 Recap: Panthers Shock the Lions, Plus PGA Tour Pro Harris English Talks Jaguars
The Screenplay Podcast — Week 4 Recap
The Screenplay Podcast welcomed five-time PGA Tour winner, two-time Ryder Cup member, and lifelong Jacksonville Jaguars fan Harris English for a Week 4 show covering golf, college football, and the Jaguars' surprising start. Hosts Evan Grenus and Andrew Novak then broke down every marquee Week 4 game, an early look at the 2027 NFL Draft order, updated power rankings, three fantasy football truths, Week 5 starts and sits, betting picks, and the Survivor Pool standings.
Guest Spotlight: Harris English on Georgia, the Jaguars, and Parker Washington
Harris English, a Georgia alum, discussed the No. 2 Bulldogs' upcoming test against Alabama, crediting Georgia's reduced schedule difficulty so far and expressing cautious optimism despite leaning toward picking Alabama. He shared the story behind the putter he's used for roughly 15 years — discovered on a practice green in his final college semester after a teammate's rave reviews, and carried through a Walker Cup run and into his pro career — along with a run of PGA Tour rapid-fire answers (Torrey Pines as his favorite stop, Riviera as the best course, Oakmont as the hardest, Augusta and Hilton Head among the best fan atmospheres, and Colonial's player dining as the best food week on tour).
English also recalled overlapping at Georgia with Matthew Stafford, calling him humble and low-key, and predicted Stafford will eventually get an Augusta National member invite after retirement. On the Jaguars, English offered a notably measured take on star receiver Parker Washington, saying he doesn't view him as a $35 million-a-year, true No. 1 receiver on the level of Ja'Marr Chase, even while praising his work ethic and value to the locker room — a dynamic playing out as Washington reportedly turned down a $25 million-per-year offer from Jacksonville to bet on himself. English closed with a measured Jaguars prediction: a somewhat lower win total than last season's 12-5 campaign, but no shock if the team makes a Super Bowl run, contingent on the secondary (and cornerback Travis Hunter in particular) rounding into form.
NFL Week 4 Recap
Panthers 32, Lions 26 (Sunday Night)
Bryce Young turned in one of his best performances as a pro, finding Tetairoa McMillan repeatedly in an aggressive, RPO-heavy offense both hosts said has given Young far more confidence than Carolina's run-first approach in past seasons. Both hosts credited a beat-up but still-functional Panthers offensive line and pointed to Detroit's injury-ravaged defense — now without Joey Porter Jr., among others — as a problem with no fix in sight, with Jared Goff's 400-yard, four-field-goal outing not enough to overcome Carolina's more efficient scoring. Carolina's offense now ranks fourth in the NFL in total yards and first in passing yardage per game.
Rams 24, Eagles 20
Los Angeles dominated the underlying numbers (415 total yards to 172, seven conversions on 16 third-down tries to Philadelphia's 0-for-12) but needed a second-half comeback to escape with a win, with both hosts pointing to continued Matthew Stafford turnovers (six touchdowns, six interceptions through four games) and shaky special teams as the Rams' lingering issues. Philadelphia's offensive line was gutted by injuries (Landon Dickerson on IR, Lane Johnson out and since retired, with rookie Markel Bell forced into action), and both hosts said the Eagles' offense looked lost without Devonta Smith and a hobbled Jalen Hurts, who finished 12-for-27 for 93 yards.
Patriots 29, Bills 26
New England beat Buffalo for the second time this season behind a go-ahead catch from backup receiver Efton Chism III, prompting controversial postgame comments from Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson downplaying the Patriots' offense that both hosts found puzzling given New England's 29 points. Both hosts pointed to a late, ill-advised deep shot into double coverage from Josh Allen as a continuation of a late-game decision-making pattern that has plagued Buffalo in big moments, while Drake May's three fumbles and one interception were offset by a career-best 54 rushing yards that both hosts said may be the key to unlocking his game going forward. Keon Coleman (6-for-7, 116 yards, a touchdown) continues to step up when DJ Moore is limited by a shoulder injury.
Early Look: 2027 NFL Draft Order
As of Week 4, the hosts pegged the top of the draft order as: 1. Houston Texans, 2. Tennessee Titans, 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4. Los Angeles Chargers, 5. Miami Dolphins. Andrew's own top-five prediction for where the season ends up: 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4. Arizona Cardinals, 3. Washington Commanders, 2. Tennessee Titans, 1. Miami Dolphins. Evan largely agreed, swapping in the New York Jets (who currently control three of the top 12 picks via their own selection plus Indianapolis's and Dallas's) at the five spot.
Screenplay Podcast Power Rankings — Week 5
1. San Francisco 49ers (4-0) 2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) 4. Seattle Seahawks (3-1) 5. Chicago Bears (3-1) 6. Buffalo Bills (3-1) 7. Los Angeles Rams (2-2) 8. Las Vegas Raiders (3-1) 9. New England Patriots (2-2) 10. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Evan defended a somewhat controversial inclusion of the 4-0 Vikings at No. 10 despite an offense that has scored touchdown-free wins, citing a defense allowing just 12.75 points and 289 yards per game. The Raiders are the week's biggest riser (up four spots despite a loss to Kansas City), while Buffalo is the week's biggest faller after its loss to New England. Andrew floated the Vikings, not the Bears, as his pick for the league's best-coached team.
Fantasy Football: Three Truths for the Rest of the Season
Start every quarterback who faces the Detroit Lions: opposing quarterbacks are averaging 32.8 fantasy points per game against Detroit's defense, and the team has gone over its game total in every outing but one this season. Volume is king, and the plays-per-game stat matters as much as target or touch share — the hosts named Chicago, New Orleans, the Rams, the Raiders, the Panthers, and Detroit as the NFL's six highest-plays-per-game offenses worth prioritizing fantasy assets from, while flagging Miami and Tennessee as the offenses to avoid. And it's extremely difficult to beat true workhorse studs (Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Kenneth Walker III, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) in a fantasy matchup, so both hosts advised overpaying for that tier in trades rather than trying to find value elsewhere.
Week 5 Fantasy Football Starts
Dante Myers (vs. Dolphins, if either Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins is out), Marvin Harrison Jr. (vs. Lions, in a plus matchup both hosts admitted feels uncomfortable to recommend), DeAndre Swift (vs. Packers, with Kyle Monangai banged up and Green Bay's defensive line decimated), Bhayshul Tuten (vs. Eagles), Quinshon Judkins (vs. Jets, who are allowing 26 fantasy points per game to running backs), and Jacoby Brissett (vs. Lions, projected for a huge day in a plus matchup).
Week 5 Fantasy Football Sits
Will Shipley (Eagles' backfield vs. a tough Jacksonville run defense in London), Carnell Tate (vs. Texans), Mike Evans (vs. Seahawks, playing through cracked ribs), Keon Coleman (vs. Rams, who haven't allowed 100 passing yards to a single opposing receiver recently), George Pickens (vs. Buccaneers, a stingy pass defense), and a caution flag — not a full sit — on Brock Bowers against a Patriots defense allowing just five fantasy points per game to tight ends.
Week 5 NFL Betting Picks
Evan went 1-1-1 last week (now 6-5-1 on the season, 54.1% all-time); Andrew went 2-1 (now 6-6 on the season, 55.9% all-time).
Andrew's picks: Titans +7.5 vs. Texans; Vikings −1.5 at Saints; Bears −2.5 at Packers.
Evan's picks: Bears −2.5 at Packers; Jaguars −6.5 vs. Eagles (London); Steelers −2.5 vs. Colts.
Screenplay Podcast Survivor Pool Update
The pool has narrowed from 31 entrants to 26 remaining heading into Week 5. The Ravens (48% of the field) and Vikings (22%) were the most popular picks and both survived, while Seattle (9.7%) also survived; the Saints, Cardinals, Bills, and Lions all proved fatal picks this week.
Listen to the Full Episode
New episodes of The Screenplay Podcast drop every Wednesday at 8 a.m. wherever you stream podcasts, hosted by Evan Grenus and PGA Tour winner Andrew Novak, running from now through the Super Bowl. A full written recap with fantasy starts/sits, bets, and more is also posted to the site's blog every week.