Nacua makes history, Stafford makes magic

Sunday’s Best is a weekly column highlighting the NFL’s top five performers. Each week, the players who are spotlighted not only put up big numbers but also set the tone for their teams and shape the storylines of Sunday.

Marking the conclusion of the first quarter of the 2025 NFL season, Week 4 has brought performances that will be remembered the rest of the way. When the margins tightened and the pressure rose, these players didn’t just play — they took over.

Here are Sunday’s Best from Week 4.

Puka Nacua | WR | Los Angeles Rams

Every week, Puka Nacua raises the bar even higher.

Nacua entered Sunday’s game already as the NFL’s leading receiver, and he bolstered his reputation by hauling in 13 passes for a career-high 170 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets in the Rams’ 27-20 win over the Colts. Seven of those catches came in the first half for 112 yards.

His touchdown would come on a fourth-and-two, with the Rams down seven and just over three minutes remaining in the game.

Nacua has had a prolific start to the season. His 42 catches are 16 more than any other player in the league, and his 503 yards are 101 more than the next best.

Sunday also marked Nacua’s fifth career game with at least 150 receiving yards, making him just the second player in the Super Bowl era with 40-plus receptions and 500-plus receiving yards through four games.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford has built careers for receivers like Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp, but Nacua’s flipped that trend around and is boosting Stafford.

Matthew Stafford | QB | Los Angeles Rams

Speaking of Stafford, the 15-year veteran showed once again why he’s one of the NFL’s most clutch quarterbacks.

The Rams quarterback had a sluggish start and struggled to find a rhythm with his receivers beyond Nacua, as the Los Angeles offensive line had trouble holding up in pass protection.

But once Stafford got the ball at the end of the first half, he woke up and led the Rams on a 13-play, 96-yard drive capped by a touchdown pass to wide receiver Davante Adams.

Stafford continued targeting Nacua and Adams, which paid off on a fourth down in the fourth quarter when Stafford connected with Nacua for a nine-yard touchdown.

After Indianapolis answered, Stafford delivered the biggest play of the game: an 88-yard strike to a wide-open Tutu Atwell with less than two minutes left.

The deep ball resulted in Stafford’s 50th career game-winning drive and his 39th fourth-quarter comeback.

He finished 29 of 41 for 375 yards and three touchdowns, including an impressive fourth-quarter stretch when he went nine of 10 for 172 yards and two scores.

It was also Stafford’s 14th career game-winning touchdown pass in the final two minutes or overtime, tying Tom Brady for the most in NFL history.

George Pickens | WR | Dallas Cowboys

It’s not easy to shine in a 40-40 overtime tie, but George Pickens did just that.

In the Cowboys’ first game without star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the former Steeler torched the Packers’ secondary for eight catches, 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Pickens came up big in crucial moments in what was Micah Parsons’ return to AT&T Stadium after being traded to Green Bay less than two weeks before the season began.

His first major play came late in the first half, when Dallas was down 13-2. Pickens made a remarkable grab in double coverage to give Dallas an opportunity to make it a one-possession game.

Moments later, after the Cowboys’ defense forced a strip sack, Pickens converted the scoring opportunity and split the secondary for his first touchdown of the game.

Dallas and Green Bay traded the lead in the second half, and Pickens recorded a second touchdown. With under a minute left and the Cowboys trailing 34-30, he broke free for a 28-yard score to put Dallas ahead.

Pickens now has four touchdowns in his first four games with the Cowboys, putting him on pace to surpass his previous career high of five.

Dak Prescott | QB | Dallas Cowboys

If there was any doubt about Dak Prescott after last year’s ACL injury, he’s been able to silence it so far.

Prescott completed 31 of 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns against Green Bay, including a jaw-dropping 34-yard toss off his back foot to Jalen Tolbert in overtime, which very well could have been the best throw of his 10-year career.

Prescott has been the NFL’s highest-graded passer under pressure this season, and Sunday proved why that is.

He went nine of 10 for 134 yards, threw a touchdown while under pressure, and recorded zero turnover-worthy plays.

Week 4 reminded fans that Sundays in the NFL always produce numbers, but the real story comes from the moments that bend games, shift narratives and reveal which players teams can trust when it matters most.