Bengals need to earn their stripes, Steeler Nation set to descend on Croke Park - 5 storylines for this weekend's NFL

Michael McQuaid of Pro Football Ireland looks at some of the key storylines ahead of the fourth week of the 2024 NFL season, which gets underway tonight (1.15am Irish time) with the visit of the Dallas Cowboys to the New York Giants.

The forgettable six

As we enter the fourth week of the season, we need to focus on the teams who are struggling. Two outfits that were not expected to be winless at the end of September are the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Jaguars hit a real low on Monday Night Football, being swept by the Buffalo Bills in a 47-10 loss, while the Cincinnati Bengals lost out to the Washington Commanders in a close battle. Since 1979, only six teams have made the play-offs after starting with three losses. For fans of both teams, that is not a promising sign.

It isn't getting much easier, either. The Jaguars will travel to Houston this weekend to take on a Texans team who will be raring to go after being well beaten by the Minnesota Vikings - one of the standout results of the third weekend. An AFC South divisional match-up is never easy, and if Jacksonville were to fall to 0-4, it would create an even bigger discussion line around future elements of the franchise.

Heading to Carolina on Sunday, the Bengals are now officially under pressure. A win over the Commanders on Monday night would really have alleviated this, but a week in the league can make a serious difference. Last week, Bryce Young was benched for Andy Dalton in Carolina. Enter the veteran QB, who had 319 passing yards and three passing touchdowns last weekend.

The mood, energy and optimism has taken a shift in Charlotte. This is not the time to play the Panthers. Also, add in to the mix that Andy Dalton was drafted by the