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Around the NFC
No ‘D’ in Detroit. Raise your hand if you had the Detroit Football Lions leading the NFL in total offense (436.8 yards per game) and scoring (35 per game) through the first four weeks of the season. Yeah, me neither. You probably wouldn’t guess it by looking at the standings, either, considering Dan Cambpell’s team is 1-3. That’s because the Lions’ defense has been putrid. Like, 444.8 yards and 35.3 points per game bad. Both worst in the NFL. They’re exciting at least! No wonder Mac Jones pushed hard to return from injury to play for the Patriots this week.
Scary Gary. Green Bay has won three straight after a Week 1 dud, just as it did last year. This time around, it’s riding a deep and talented defense. Perhaps nobody in Joe Barry’s group is playing as well as outside linebacker Rashan Gary, who has five sacks in four games and has recorded at least one each week. The 2019 first-round pick from Michigan is quickly becoming one of the most feared edge players in the NFL and before long will also be one of the highest-paid.
Rush vs. the Rams. Cooper Rush looks to take the next step in his MVP campaign when he leads the Dallas Cowboys into SoFi Stadium this weekend. Alright, maybe not, but Rush has led Dallas to three straight wins in Dak Prescott’s absence. If he wins this one, imagine what Jerry Jones will say. If the Cowboys are 4-1, plans for the statue might be in place by the time their Sunday night tilt against the Eagles arrives.
Around the AFC
In the 40s. Weather’s starting to cool off in the Rockies, but the offense is just heating up in Kansas City. Five NFL teams have put 40 points on the board in a game this season, but only the Chiefs have done it twice. Patrick Mahomes is off to a dynamic start once again and there’s nothing to suggest at this point that his team isn’t the one to beat in the AFC West. Against a struggling Raiders secondary? Look out.
Cheetah code. What Mahomes is doing this year is made all the more impressive by the fact that he’s sans Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins wide receiver is off to a torrid start in South Florida, rolling up 477 yards already through four games. He’s got outings of 190 and 160 yards against Baltimore and Cincinnati, respectively, and leads the NFL despite having just two catches for 33 against Buffalo. He’ll make life a lot easier for Teddy Bridgewater, who steps in for the injured Tua Tagovailoa.
So long, Blake. Speaking of Florida football luminaries, quarterback Blake Bortles is riding off into the sunset. He announced his retirement on a podcast this week. Bortles, of course, quarterbacked the Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC title game in 2017 under the direction of offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. That was Bortels’ career pinnacle — well, maybe the $26.5 million guaranteed he got on an extension after that season — narrowly edging out the 2020 season which he spent between Denver’s active roster, the practice squad and the COVID list.
Game of the Week
Cincinnati at Baltimore
The Bengals have leveled their record after an 0-2 start. The Ravens blew a big lead against Buffalo last week, but are certainly dangerous and enter this Sunday night matchup as a three-point favorite. This is about as compelling a showdown of 2-2 teams as you could hope for. Both teams are going to have to hand out mega-extensions to their quarterbacks after this season, but for now, they’ll just try to get to 3-2 and get a leg up in the AFC North.
Ravens 27, Bengals 24
Lock of the Week
Pittsburgh at Buffalo
Yeah, yeah, it’s the easy way out. But look, it’s not every day a 14-point betting line shows up in the NFL. That’s what fans are treated to this week along the shores of Lake Erie. Kenny Pickett is making his first career start for the Steelers. Buffalo…has the NFL’s No. 1 pass defense and Josh Allen.
Bills 34, Steelers 10
Upset of the Week
Seattle at New Orleans
The Saints enter as five-point favorites over the Seahawks. Maybe the oddsmakers don’t realize that Pete Carroll has been letting Geno Smith cook in the Pacific Northwest. Or, maybe they just don’t trust the recipe. Neither team feels particularly strong, but New Orleans had to travel back from London and get back into a work week while dealing with injuries to quarterback Jameis Winston and running back Alvin Kamara, among others.
Seahawks 21, Saints 20
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