close
close

Latest Post

Davante Adams: All I can control is what I do next New superstar WR moves to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Scoop City is The Athletic's daily NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it straight to your inbox.


Since 2000, Washington has had 27 different starting quarterbacks. Only two (Jason Campbell and Kirk Cousins) started full consecutive seasons.

So yes, plans for a statue could be afoot after freshman Jayden Daniels just recorded the highest completion percentage (82.1). any four games in NFL history, even defeating Peyton Manning in 2008 and Tom Brady in 2007. Your briefing for week 4:


Week 4 Rising Star πŸ“ˆ: The Vikings continue to shine

The Vikings. According to BetMGM, Minnesota entered the preseason with an expected win total of 6.5. Given the brutal schedule early in the season, an 0-8 start seemed like a possibility.

Instead, the Vikings are aiming for 8-0 and better. Yesterday in Green Bay, they added to the list of Super Bowl contenders they've beaten (with Houston and San Francisco also on that list). Justin Jefferson sets the tone (with otherworldly plays) while Aaron Jones averages 5 yards per carry. It's all in Minnesota.

The ravens. As The athlete's Zak Keefer writes in his Week 4 insights: “Baltimore's 35-10 loss to the previously undefeated Bills served as a reminder: This team isn't going anywhere.” It was old-school Ravens football, with 271 rushing yards and a dominant defensive performance.

The smoke of Tom Brady. After Baker Mayfield suggested that Tampa Bay players were stressed with Brady around, the GOAT fired back while broadcasting Mayfield's game:

β€œI found it stressful not having Super Bowl rings… This wasn't daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I would take my kids to Disneyland.”

These 3-1 Buccaneers. Their quarterback caused a lot of stress in the 33-16 win over the Eagles, as Mayfield finished with 347 passing yards and three touchdowns. This team is serious on both sides of the football.

The Broncos' 2-2 defense. Although Bo Nix failed to complete a pass beyond the line of scrimmage in the first half, Denver beat the Jets 10-9 in East Rutherford. Credit goes to Vance Joseph's defense, which recorded five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. His pressure can come from anywhere. In the secondary, Patrick Surtain & Co. allow the third-fewest yards per pass in the NFL.

Written off quarterbacks. Darnold is 4-0. Geno Smith is 3-0 (with a big game tonight in Detroit). Mayfield and Justin Fields are 3-1. Andy Dalton (1-1) brought hope to Carolina. Gardner Minshew is 2-2. Malik Willis is 2-0. Suddenly Joe Flacco is 1-0. Both were discarded at some point, but they are a combined 16-4 in 2024. Hope for Bryce Young?


Week 4-Faller πŸ“‰

Trevor Lawrence. Speaking of hope, it arrived in Jacksonville when they landed the 2021 No. 1 pick. Since then it has slowly faded away. Lawrence has won just 38 percent of his games, while EPA ranks tied with Aidan O'Connell (and Darnold!) for 44th among QBs in his career since 2021. These Jags are 0-4 for the second time since this draft. As a reminder, three months ago, Lawrence signed a guaranteed $200 million contract.

The rest of the NFC East. Even better news for Washington. In The athleteSaad Yousuf sums up the findings from week 4 well:

β€œSince last season, the (2-2) Eagles have looked like a complete mess. The (2-2) Cowboys have been shut out twice at home and are dealing with injuries to arguably their best defensive players (Micah Parsons has a sprained ankle and DeMarcus Lawrence could go on injured reserve). The (1-3) Giants continue to play no role.”

The 4-0 Chiefs. Fall despite another victory? Well, her perfect start was anything but. They won every game by one point, scored fewer points than the 1-3 Bengals and allowed more than the 2-2 Saints. Now it looks like star sophomore Rashee Rice will be out for the season (Dianna tells me the team is bracing for news of a torn ACL) and will be joined by offseason acquisition Marquise Brown. RB Isiah Pacheco is also out. 4:0 should be feel better than that.


What Dianna hears: Licht's Bucs send some messages

Yesterday, the Buccaneers overwhelmed the Eagles with quick, high-percentage passes and took an early lead. Even the final score of 33:16 doesn't do justice to the Bucs' dominance.

After the game, her GM, Jason Licht, sent her a message in the mail The athlete's front office rankings (voted on by NFL executives and coaches) on social media.

In these rankings, the Eagles received plenty of support, while the Bucs did not appear in the top 10. However, Licht's Bucs are 6-1 against Howie Roseman's Eagles.

(Fun note: The two worked together in the Eagles' front office in the 2000s. Roseman, who knows how to find the right candidates for his roster, has a similarly strong track record when it comes to romantic scouting: He put in front of light to his wife Blair.)

Back to you, Jacob.


Week 4 stats: Seriously, Daniels was amazing

β€œStatistics are for losers,” Falcons HC’s Raheem Morris said when asked about Kyle Pitts in his postgame media session. He's right. Pitts' stats (zero yards, zero catches) are the reason I lost in my fantasy football league. Better stats from Week 4:

0.42 EPA per play: A year after No. 2 (CJ Stroud) eclipsed No. 1 Bryce Young, No. 2 Jayden Daniels was even better. Over the past 20 years, his historic start in QB-EPA trails only Tom Brady's in 2007 – and this is the beginning of Daniels' Career.

23 points with 19 incompletions: According to NFL Network's Jack Andrade, Daniels' Commanders have more shots on goal (23) than incomplete passes (19) through four games. My goodness, Cliff Kingsbury.

78 pounds: The weight difference between Derrick Henry and 165-pound (4.21-40) Xavier Worthy, who both hit a top speed of 21.2 MPH on their fastest runs yesterday. Worthy is fast. Henry is superhuman.

+14.6 percent: The net increase in odds the 2-2 Bears achieved from punter Tory Taylor's five punts, including this 66-yard bomb. Taylor – to whom Caleb Williams infamously texted, “Hey, you won't be punting too much this year” – played a crucial role in their 24-18 victory over the 1-3 Rams, as did D'Andre Swift (165th overall). ). yards).


The doubleheader tonight

Tonight's schedule with links to full game previews. One of these is a must. The other one is likely to disappoint. I'll let you guess:

  • 0-3 Titans at 1-2 Dolphins, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN: Preview.
  • 3-0 Seahawks at 2-1 Lions, 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC: Preview.

Scoop City is The Athletic's daily NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it straight to your inbox.
Sign up for our other newsletters:

The jump πŸ€ | The Windup ⚾ | Full time ⚽ | Prime Tire 🏁 | Until Saturday 🏈

(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *