IIt’s hard to believe we’re almost a quarter of the way through the NFL regular season. It feels like yesterday that was the case optimism within the New York franchises and Sean Payton would revive the Denver Broncos. But enough negativity, here are a few pleasant surprises from the first weeks of the new season.
Puka Nacua
Does anyone else have Nacua fever? How quickly did you move to your fantasy football waiver wire to nab the fifth-round rookie after his explosion in Week 1?
Through four games, Nacua already has 501 yards, surpassing the two best receiving yards seasons in NFL history, ahead of Calvin Johnson in 2012 and Cooper Kupp in 2021 (although Justin Jefferson is actually the leader in receiving yards this season , with 543). Again, he’s a fifth-round rookie! Do you know what Johnson, Kupp and Nacua have in common? Matthew Stafford at quarterback.
The 35-year-old Stafford seems to have revived after struggling with injuries last season. He remains volatile and can produce the throw of the week on one drive and a mind-numbing interception on the next. But a dealing Stafford remains one of the most entertaining watches in football. On an undermanned Rams team, Stafford has returned to the old bleep-it style that defined his days in Detroit.
It sounds trite to say that this is Sean McVay’s best coaching job yet, as he has led two teams to a Super Bowl and captured one title. But McVay puts out an extraordinary offensive production with an unknown group led by Nacua, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Higbee, as he jettisoning Cam Akers, which was once the foundation of McVay’s offense. The Rams currently rank eighth in EPA per offensive play, a measure of their consistency. Producing that kind of production with Nacua at its center is nothing short of remarkable.
Stafford is dealing with a hip contusion, which is part of the overall Stafford experience these days. But if the Rams QB can stay healthy, Nacua should show no signs of letting up — and Kupp will return to the lineup midseason.
Lamar Jackson
Jackson’s partnership with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has gone as well as anyone could have hoped. Despite players around him getting injured, the Baltimore quarterback is playing at an MVP level.
Monken has reshaped the Ravens’ offense. From the design of the offense to the communication system, it’s a new world for Jackson in his professional career, echoing the style he used at Louisville in college. After some growing pains in Week 1, Jackson has caught fire.
Even the most generous analysts would have pinpointed the middle of the season as the time when the Monken-Jackson combo would find its groove, and that was before members of the Ravens offense started dropping like flies. But things quickly came together. Jackson has more control than ever at the line of scrimmage, shifting some of the offensive burden on the quarterback from his post-snap excellence to the pre-snap machinations. The play is more spread out, creating lanes where Jackson can leave as a runner or come in as a passer.
Through four weeks, Jackson has played as well as any quarterback in the league, embracing his new role as a distributor while still being able to create some magic when needed. The Ravens have all the makings of a championship contender in the AFC, provided they don’t suffer many more injuries.
The Texans offense
Heading into the season, it was easy to see the Houston Texans as playful starters. Perhaps they would improve on both sides of the ball while struggling to close out games, as is often the case with a young roster and a novice coaching staff. That alone would have been better than the tanktastic era that has defined the post-Deshaun Watson Texans.
But the Texans are more than sloppy. They are downright good, with the best points differential in the AFC South by quite some distance. The defense is a lot better, thanks in part to a rejuvenated pass rush and the head coach, DeMeco Ryans.
The most important change, however, concerns a violation. CJ Stroud already looks like the most comfortable of the starting quarterbacks. This should not be a surprise based on the pre-concept evaluations. But what’s telling is that Stroud’s calm, fast-paced style of play has translated so quickly to the pros, despite injuries to his talented offensive line.
Stroud plays in the pocket at NFL speed and throws with anticipation to all levels of the field. The big pocket quarterbacks conquer the vaunted stick-slide-climb-throw, where they move slightly away from their spot to change the radar for pass rushers. It’s the ability to navigate those cluttered lanes, to make small movements that create decent throwing angles. To turn a dead game or negative game into a significant win.
Stroud’s supporting cast was impressive. Third-year receiver Nico Collins looks like a superstar on the edge, while Tank Dell has troubled opposing defenses with his electric speed. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is the newest ghost of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay assembly line and will undoubtedly get a head coaching nod in the next 24 months. But it’s Stroud’s ability to remain calm that made the whole operation work.
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The Browns defense
Cleveland has fielded the best defense in the league through four weeks. They rank second in the league in EPA per play against the pass And the rush, the only group in the NFL to rank in the Top 10 in both categories. The offseason gamble to reshape the front around a group of get-off-and-go pass rushers backing Myles Garrett is working.
Most of the credit should go to new defensive czar Jim Schwartz. Schwartz has long been a coach who lifted his plan from spot to spot, wringing out as much as he could before moving on to the next stop. In Cleveland, Schwartz has adapted. The grumpy Schwartz of old is out; a fresh, freewheeling, blitz-happy Schwartz has arrived.
So far, so good. Schwartz has helped elevate the Browns’ already promising pass rush and rebuild a run defense that ranked last in the NFL last season.
De’Von Achane
The Dolphins have the most overwhelming offense the league has seen since the 2007 Patriots. That’s not hyperbole. In almost every crucial metric, they are better than the Brady-Moss Pats and are well ahead of the Greatest Show on Turf.
There are not many secrets in the formula. In Mike McDaniel, they have one of the sport’s premier schematic wizards, a coach who devises avenues so creative they border on cheating.
It’s a group built on speed, with Tua Tagovailoa filling his ideal role as a point guard and playing with a newfound knack for off-script playmaking. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are the stars, with running back Raheem Mostert adding extra presence on the ground and as a receiver.
The breakout star, however, is former track phenom De’Von Achane. The rookie running back averaged a ridiculous 11.4 yards per carry. The past two weeks have been particularly impressive: he has racked up 304 yards (!) and four touchdowns on 16 carries, numbers that don’t take into account his impact out the ball.
Speed kills, the old football saying goes. It certainly helps to put points on the board. The Dolphins are on pace to score a whopping 638 points this season – just under 38 per game. Miami currently has a monopoly on the top five fastest ball carriers in the league in 2023, according to NFL Next Gen Stats:
By somehow drafting and playing Achane, the fastest team in the league became faster. Good luck with persevering.