October 01, 2024
Week 4 of the NFL season is in the books, and there is only one undefeated team left in the NFC. As I'm sure we all thought before the season began, it's the Minnesota Vikings. There are no new obituaries this week.
15) Giants (1-3): In the Giants' loss to the Cowboys, Daniel Jones was 29 of 40 for 281 yards, 0 TD, and Hail Mary INT to end the game. Those numbers don't look bad, but man did he not pass the eye test. He threw hospital balls all night to rookie sensation Malik Nabers, and he had a chance for a TD throw on a free play to Darius Slayton, which he left woefully short.
Last week: 15
14) Cardinals (1-3): At 5-16, Jonathan Gannon has the worst career winning percentage among all active NFL head coaches.
Last week: 12
13) Rams (1-3): Much like the Eagles missing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Rams were missing Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua on Sunday against the Bears. Unlike the Eagles, their other receivers actually did some stuff:
• Tutu Atwell: 4 catches, 82 yards
• Jordan Whittington: 6 catches, 62 yards
• Demarcus Robinson: 2 catches, 37 yards
Still, they lost to a bad Bears team, because they're so banged up as a team. Kupp and Nacua will both be out again Week 5 against the Packers, and the Rams are staring a 1-4 start in the face.
Last week: 11
12) Bears (2-2): Jaquan Brisker is an up-and-coming star player. On Sunday he had 12 tackles, a sack, a PBU, and the game-sealing INT.
BEARS SEAL THE W
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
📺: #LARvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/k1RvGeVWIi
He also had an INT that didn't count because he stepped out bounds while blanketing a Rams TE:
Last week: 14
11) Saints (2-2): I guess the first two games of the Saints' season were a mirage. That's kind of what they do. In 2023 they won four games by three or more scores:
• At Patriots 34-0
• Panthers: 28-6
• Giants: 24-6
• Falcons: 48-17
They finished 7th in the NFL in point differential (+75), but went 9-8 and didn't make the playoffs. This year they're tied for first in point differential (+57), but they're 2-2.
Spoiler: They're going to finish with a good point differential again this season, and probably not make the playoffs.
Last week: 6
10) Falcons (2-2): If you read me regularly, you know I don't think much of the way the Falcons are built. But their kicker is certainly good!
YOUNGHOE KOO FROM 58 YARDS FOR THE LEAD WITH TWO SECONDS LEFT! pic.twitter.com/8b2A4SlWKm
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
Last week: 13
9) Cowboys (2-2): The Cowboys only gave up 15 points to the Giants on Thursday night, but it was still a pretty alarming defensive performance, as the Giants moved the ball and managed five scoring drives. The Cowboys were simply fortunate that the Giants stink and couldn't capitalize on plays that were there to be made.
The defense will be even more concerning going forward, as the Cowboys could be missing their best player (Micah Parsons, ankle) and their other good defensive lineman (DeMarcus Lawrence, foot) for at least the next two games before their Week 7 bye.
Their next seven opponents have a combined record of 18-10 (0.643):
| Opponent | Record |
| At Steelers | 3-1 |
| Lions | 3-1 |
| At 49ers | 2-2 |
| At Falcons | 2-2 |
| Eagles | 2-2 |
| Texans | 3-1 |
| At Commanders | 3-1 |
| TOTAL | 18-10 |
Last week: 9
8) Eagles (2-2): 2024 NFL first head coach fired odds:
When given opportunities to show support for Sirianni (a) after the Eagles' loss in the playoffs to the Buccaneers last season, and (b) during the summer, Jalen Hurts gave non-answers.
At the start of training camp, a likely PR-coached-up Hurts finally showed some support for Hurts, oh and hey look (!) they even rode in a golf cart together!
Jalen Hurts giving his head coach Nick Sirianni a ride in Big Dom’s golf cart after practice with some good tunes pic.twitter.com/PmidAOOYyy
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 5, 2024
Lol.
Anyway, Hurts' distaste for questions about his collaboration with Sirianni is back already.
Meanwhile, Sirianni absolutely will not even hint at criticizing Hurts in his pressers, despite the quarterback's clear issues protecting the football since 2023.
Last week: 3
7) Packers (2-2): Every year kickers get better and better and better, and yet there are always a small handful of teams that have major kicking issues. This year the Packers are one of them. Here are all four of Brayden Narveson's misses so far:
The first six possessions of the Packers-Vikings game went like so:
They probably need to get a new kicker immediately. The final score was 31-29. (In Andy Reid voice)... "We can all count. Those points would have helped."
Last week: 5
6) Buccaneers (3-1): Todd Bowles is a weird head coach, in that I wouldn't want him to be my team's head coach, mainly because of his bad and sometimes bizarre game management decisions. For example:
It was 4th Down. Tampa Bay had one time out left and 40 seconds on the clock. They could have called a timeout. Force Detroit to go for it, kick a field goal or punt. But they would have gotten the ball back. Todd Bowles explanation is one for the ages.pic.twitter.com/Up963zY3An
— The Real Wailele Sallas🚫 (@WaiSallas) January 22, 2024
And yet, he's a head coach that as an opponent you don't want to face because he is usually such a good game-planner for opposing quarterbacks.
Last week: 8
5) Seahawks (3-1): This is a pretty crazy stat:
The Seahawks had 38 first downs tonight!
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) October 1, 2024
That's the most by any team in a game in the last 10 seasons.
To put 38 first downs into context, the Bucs moved the ball with ease all day against the Eagles, and they had 29 first downs. The NFL record for first downs in a game is 40, by the Saints in 2013 against the Cowboys.
Last week: 4
4) 49ers (2-2): I'm so mad at myself for selecting Christian McCaffrey No. 1 overall in my fantasy football draft.
The Achilles tendonitis that Christian McCaffrey is suffering in his right leg is now in both legs, so there remains a major question on when he will return, according to @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/6Z4ZBwOW6a
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 30, 2024
Last week: 7
3) Commanders (3-1): Jayden Daniels is third in the NFL in QB rating (107.4), and he's second in quarterback rushing yards (218), behind only Lamar Jackson.
The Commanders have punted ONCE in their last three games.
Their defense is bad and one could make the argument that they haven't beaten any good teams yet, however, they also don't have many good teams left on their schedule. In fact, they have the fourth-easiest strength of schedule remaining in the NFL. (The Eagles actually have the easiest, for what it's worth.)
Last week: 10
2) Lions (3-1): Jared Goff was 18 of 18 for 292 yards (16.2 YPA!), 2 TDs, 0 INTs, and a TD reception!
Ben Johnson you sicko 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/NYg99br4aK
— Mob (@MobHoops) October 1, 2024
He didn't even get the game ball, lol.
Reporter: “Can you talk about Jared Goff’s performance? He was a perfect 18-for-18.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 1, 2024
Dan Campbell: “Well, I just gave the game ball to somebody else - so I feel awful right now.” 😂😂😂
pic.twitter.com/kqGcgP5RMx
The best win of the Lions' 2024 was somehow being able to keep Ben Johnson as their offensive coordinator for another season.
Last week: 2
1) Vikings (4-0): During the 2017 offseason, Howie Roseman and the Eagles had incredible success signing a bunch of older guys to bargain deals, including Nick Foles, Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, LeGarrette Blount, Stefen Wisniewski, Chris Long, Patrick Robinson, and Corey Graham, who all helped contribute to the Super Bowl season. They tried that approach again in 2018 and 2019, and it didn't go quite as well.
Anyway, the Vikings are having some early success with a similar approach this season:
The Vikings pro scouting department deserves so much praise for the work they did this offseason pic.twitter.com/C04aDo4vuj
— Adam Patrick (@adampatrickNFL) September 30, 2024
All of those guys listed above have been positive contributors for Minnesota through the first four games.
Last week: 1
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