Now those were the Baltimore Ravens we expected to see this season.
The Ravens got off to a surprising 0-2 start, which included a shocking fourth-quarter collapse against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.
But over the past two weeks, the Ravens have looked like the Super Bowl contenders many predicted them to be this season. It started in Week 3 with a 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.
Baltimore followed that up with a 35-10 thumping of the Buffalo Bills, in what very well could be the most impressive win of the NFL season through four weeks.
The Bills came into the game 3-0 and had looked like the league’s golden standard to start 2024.
But it was all Baltimore, all night on Sunday. And they were paced by their prized off-season addition in star RB Derrick Henry.
Henry got things started early with an 87-yard TD romp less than five minutes into the first quarter, and once again made us question how a man that big can move that fast.
The league’s active-leading rusher was only getting started, too, as he would finish with 199 yards on 24 carries while also adding a receiving touchdown.
With QB Lamar Jackson also adding 54 rushing yards and a TD, the backfield duo that many thought would give opposing defences fits this season looked the part on Sunday.
More magic from the rook
It’s Jayden Daniels’ world, we’re just living in it.
Over the past two weeks of the NFL season, the Washington Commanders QB has not only staked his case as the clear favourite to win offensive rook but is also inserting himself into the MVP conversation as well.
Cleveland Browns legendary RB Jim Brown is the only player in NFL history to win MVP in his rookie season (1957), so the odds are certainly stacked against the young Commanders QB.
And yes, we also realize it’s only four weeks in and there is a lot of football to be played. But it’s hard to deny what Daniels has done just four weeks into his NFL career.
After leading Washington to a 42-14 shellacking of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, the 2023 Heisman trophy winner has the Commanders on a three-game win streak and atop the NFC East division with a 3-1 record.
He completed 26-of-30 passes in the win and set a new NFL record for the highest completion percentage (82.1 per cent) through a quarterback’s first four games of the season in the process. Whose record did he break? None other than the great Tom Brady who held the record since 2007, when he completed 79.2 per cent of his passes through four weeks.
So much for that rookie learning curve so many young QBs struggle with. And we haven’t even mentioned his ability to make plays with his legs which makes him even more dangerous.
“Fun times right now,” said Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, who has put up with below-average QB play for most of his career.
It’s not going to be this easy for Daniels every week, but one thing is certain: At long last, the Commanders have a quarterback to be excited about.
Vikings stay hot
The New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings surprised everyone when they each sprinted out to surprising 2-0 starts.
And while the Saints have come back to earth, losing their next two games to fall 2-2, the Vikings have just kept rolling right along.
In Week 4, the Vikings and QB Sam Darnold looked unstoppable in the first half in a divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers. They blitzed the Packers in Jordan Love’s first start back from a Week 1 injury and grabbed a 28-0 lead.
The Vikings did let their foot off the gas in the second half, and Love and the Packers made it a game. But in the end, Minnesota held on and is now one of only three (Chiefs 4-0, Seahawks 3-0) remaining undefeated teams left in the NFL.
A lot of praise should rightfully be given to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who has resurrected Darnold’s career and looks like the early favourite for the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.
But how about giving some love to the work defensive co-ordinator Brian Flores is doing with the young Vikings defence. On Sunday, Minnesota picked off Love three times and also recovered a fumble.
With both sides of the ball playing well, the belief something big could be happening in Minnesota is growing week by week.
“At the end of the day, we believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us,” Darnold said after the game.
Flacco turns back the clock, again
Joe Flacco showed once again why having a competent backup is so important in the NFL.
After an incredible run with the Browns last season, where he led Cleveland to the playoffs and won 2023 Comeback Player of the Year, Flacco showed he’s still got plenty left in the tank in Week 4.
After Indianapolis Colts starter Anthony Richardson went down in the first quarter with a hip injury, Flacco came in and the Colts offence didn’t skip a beat. He finished with 168 yards and two touchdowns to lead Indianapolis to a much-needed win over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.
It also came against a Pittsburgh D that came in as the league’s top-ranked unit.
“He’s been out there, a veteran presence,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said of Flacco after the game. “Obviously, he’s played a lot of football, went in there and operated pretty darn good.”
Reports suggest that Richardson isn’t supposed to miss much time, but even if he returns in Week 5, he has proven to be a bit injury-prone due primarily to the amount he runs the football.
There’s a good chance that Flacco may be called on again this season, and with what he showed on Sunday, the Colts have to feel like they have one of the best backup situations in the league.
Kelce steps up as Chiefs’ injuries mount
A lot of the talk surrounding Chiefs TE Travis Kelce through the first three weeks was that he wasn’t the player he used to be.
He came into the Chiefs’ Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers with just eight catches for 69 yards and no scores through three weeks. Not the numbers we are used to seeing from the four-time All-Pro.
But after the Chiefs’ star young receiver Rashee Rice was ruled out with a first-quarter knee injury, Kelce stepped to lead Kansas City with seven catches for 89 yards. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions when he passed the 916 catches legendary Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez had in his Hall of Fame career.
The Chiefs are now 4-0 as they start their quest to make NFL history, but they haven’t exactly blown away the competition. And now the injuries are starting to pile up, with early reports suggesting Rice could be done for the season with an ACL injury.
As long as the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, you can never count them out. But they are certainly going to need more of the same from Kelce and rookie WR Xavier Worthy — who caught a 54-yard TD on Sunday — as their list of offensive playmakers grows thin.
Doug Pederson on the hot seat
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson seemed shocked that he was asked about his job status after their Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans.
“My status? I mean, no,” Pederson said. “That’s kind of a strange question, but OK.”
Well, it might not be as strange as he thinks, as after the Cincinnati Bengals got a win on Sunday, the Jags are now the only team without a victory through the first four games. The Tennessee Titans are also winless, but get a chance to get in the win column against the Miami Dolphins on Monday.
Despite how Pederson feels, a big change could be on its way in Jacksonville.