Week 4 is in the books, which means it is time for another edition of EST Excellence, where we hand out Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to the best quarterback and wide receiver performances of the week.
This week featured one of the biggest upsets of the season, some outstanding quarterback play and absolutely ridiculous performances from the league’s receivers.
Let’s hand out some medals.
Quarterbacks
🥇 Gold — Drake Maye, New England Patriots
269 passing YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT + 54 rushing YDS
Drake Maye takes home Gold after leading New England to a stunning 29–26 road victory over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills.
Maye threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 54 yards on the ground. Against one of the best teams in football, Maye delivered when New England needed him most.
Going into Buffalo and handing the Bills their first loss of the season earns Maye the Gold medal for Week 4.
🥈 Silver — Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
29/41, 329 passing YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT
Bryce Young earns Silver after leading Carolina to a huge 32–26 upset over Detroit on Sunday Night Football.
Young was excellent, completing 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns without turning the football over. He repeatedly found Tetairoa McMillan throughout the night, and when Carolina needed a play, the connection between Young and his star receiver delivered.
This wasn’t simply McMillan putting together a monster performance. Bryce was accurate, composed and in control against Detroit, finishing the night with a 110.7 passer rating.
More than 300 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers and a prime-time win over Detroit?
That’s a Silver medal performance.
🥉 Bronze — Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
335 passing YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT
Dak Prescott takes Bronze after helping Dallas come away with a 34–30 victory over Houston.
Prescott threw for 335 yards without turning the football over and consistently moved Dallas down the field. CeeDee Lamb was his favorite target all afternoon, and Dak continued feeding him as Houston struggled to find an answer.
A clean, efficient performance and a Cowboys victory earns Dak the final spot on the podium.
Honorable Mention — Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
225 passing YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT
Patrick Mahomes just misses the podium after helping Kansas City remain undefeated with a 30–27 road victory over Las Vegas.
Mahomes threw two touchdowns without an interception and made the plays Kansas City needed in its toughest game of the season so far.
It wasn’t quite enough to earn a medal this week, but Mahomes deserves an honorable mention.
Wide Receivers
🥇 Gold — Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
14 REC, 192 YDS, 2 TD
What else is there to say?
Tetairoa McMillan absolutely exploded on Sunday Night Football, catching 14 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns as Carolina stunned Detroit 32–26.
McMillan was essentially uncoverable. Whenever Bryce Young needed a play, he looked toward his star receiver, and McMillan continued to deliver.
Fourteen receptions. Nearly 200 yards. Two touchdowns. And a prime-time victory over Detroit.
That’s Gold.
🥈 Silver — CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
17 REC, 189 YDS, 1 TD
In almost any other week, this performance probably earns Gold.
CeeDee Lamb caught an absurd 17 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown against Houston. Dallas fed him the football all afternoon, and Houston simply couldn’t stop him.
Seventeen receptions is ridiculous.
Unfortunately for Lamb, McMillan somehow managed to produce an even bigger performance later that night.
CeeDee takes a very deserving Silver.
🥉 Bronze — Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs
5 REC, 111 YDS, 2 TD
Tyquan Thornton continues to make plays for Kansas City.
Thornton caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 30–27 victory over Las Vegas, providing Patrick Mahomes with the explosive plays Kansas City needed in a close divisional battle.
More than 100 yards and two trips to the end zone earns Thornton Bronze.
Honorable Mention — Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
8 REC, 118 YDS, 1 TD
Zay Flowers deserves recognition after another excellent performance.
Flowers caught eight passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore’s 24–18 victory over Tennessee.
In most weeks, that’s a medal-worthy performance. This week, the receiver competition was simply ridiculous.
McMillan went for 192 yards and two touchdowns, Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards, and Thornton went over 100 with two scores.
Flowers settles for an honorable mention.
EST Excellence — Week 4 Medal Table
Quarterbacks
🥇 Gold — Drake Maye
🥈 Silver — Bryce Young
🥉 Bronze — Dak Prescott
Honorable Mention — Patrick Mahomes
Wide Receivers
🥇 Gold — Tetairoa McMillan
🥈 Silver — CeeDee Lamb
🥉 Bronze — Tyquan Thornton
Honorable Mention — Zay Flowers
Week 4 gave us some of the best individual performances of the season so far.
Drake Maye takes Gold after walking into Buffalo and handing the Bills their first loss, while Tetairoa McMillan takes receiver Gold after an incredible 192-yard, two-touchdown performance under the lights against Detroit.
Carolina also deserves some serious recognition this week, becoming the first team this season to take home two EST Excellence medals in the same week, with Bryce Young earning Silver and McMillan taking Gold.
We’ll be back after Week 5 to hand out the next set of EST Excellence medals.
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