NFL Week Four Thoughts

We are in October. Baseball playoffs are here. Legends are born in October. It also means that we are a month into the NFL season, and the story lines keep coming. Week four has come and gone, so let’s get on with it; here are my NFL week four thoughts!

• Detroit looks good. I mean, really good. HEY EVERYONE, COME AND SEE HOW GOOD THEY LOOK. Ron Burgundy quotes aside, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Detroit Lions team in the top ten in both offense and defense, but here we are. Seeing the Lions in the top ten offensively isn’t surprising, but them being ranked fourth in total defense and first against the run feels weird. Aaron Glenn’s defense has taken a huge step forward, led by Aidan Hutchinson, who has been very disruptive thus far. David Montgomery had a big game coming back from injury, but they gotta give Jahmyr Gibbs more touches.

• Maybe Zach Wilson isn’t the worst quarterback in the NFL. Maybe that distinction belongs to Desmond Ridder. Watching Ridder miss wide open guys, have zero awareness, and just flail around out there isn’t fun. Wilson actually played well against Kansas City, but as bad as he is, at least the performance showed Jets fans something. Atlanta actually isn’t as bad as many thought they would be, but this is another team being held back by hideous quarterback play. Atlanta is last in passing yards per game, and Ridder has one of the worst statistical outputs of any starter in the league. The only quarterbacks with lower QB ratings are guys with the worst offensive lines in the league, a rookie, Zach Wilson, and a superstar playing on one leg.

• Buffalo is the class of the AFC at this point. Miami will dazzle with their high scoring offense, but this game showed that Buffalo is at another level when they’re on. The first week of the season was concerning, but it looks like we’re past that. The offense can drop points with the best Miami’s of the league, and the defense has shown that it can be dominant. Two key issues still need to be sorted out: Allen has to keep the turnovers/mistakes to a minimum, and the defense has to be better against the run. Buffalo’s defense is middle of the pack versus the run, but they are allowing the highest rushing yards per play in the league going into week five.

• This year’s class of first round rookie quarterbacks are at different levels right now – and it isn’t in the order you would have thought coming into the season. C.J. Stroud is by far the best rookie quarterback through the first four weeks. He looks comfortable in the pocket, has not been turning the ball over, and the ball placement is something special. He is currently the Offensive Rookie of the Year leader.
  

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  Coming into the season, Anthony Richardson was widely considered the rookie QB in need of the most development as a passer. While that is certainly the case (56.9% completion percentage), the kid can sling it, and his rushing ability is a real weapon. He has already missed some time due to injury sustained while running the ball, so that will have to be fixed sooner than later before he gets seriously injured.

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  Bryce Young was the number one pick, but he has struggled mightily in the early going, and also already missed time due to injury. He hasn’t been able to make off-script plays like he did at Alabama, and the passing game has struggled. His 4.9 yards per attempt is the second worst in the NFL – only the clearly injured Joe Burrow (more on him later…) is lower. It doesn’t help that the offensive line hasn’t been good, the running game is non-existent, and the receivers aren’t getting open. Carolina has reportedly been working the phones nonstop trying to add a number one wide receiver after their slow start.

• Joe Burrow (calf) and Derek Carr (shoulder) are both dealing with injuries that are clearly affecting them and shouldn’t be playing right now. Carr injured his shoulder in week three, and was back out there week four. It was painfully evident that he couldn’t push the ball downfield throughout the game, and the offense suffered for it. Same with Burrow and the Bengals, who currently have the worst offense in the NFL. Raise your hand if you predicted that in the preseason! They just made Burrow the highest paid player in NFL history; why risk Burrow’s health and the season by trotting him out there in this condition?

• Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up? First two weeks they look like the best team in football, then they let Arizona run all over them in a loss, just to follow that up with another dominating performance. Inconsistency is a major issue here, and that will have to be sorted out before they start being mentioned in the same group as Philly and San Fran in the NFC. The Cowboys are averaging 31 points per game, but the offense itself has struggled scoring touchdowns in the red zone, ranking 30th behind only Houston and New Orleans in red zone touchdown percentage.