Soccer 301 Playbook: 4 weeks into season, listed here are NFL’s high standouts (welcome again, operating backs!) and droop (c’mon, Browns)

We’re on the de facto quarter pole of the NFL season. And identical to each NFL season, there have been standouts, surprises, slumps and all the pieces in between (it’s why it’s the very best). On this week’s Soccer 301 Playbook, I wished to focus on the winners and surprises of this maturing 2024 season.

Working backs!

Particularly groups which have actual deal stars on the place who can, ideally, deal with each snap if want be. The Eagles and Ravens received Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, respectively, and have to this point reaped the advantages.

It’s evident in:

• The attention check of seeing Henry and Barkley stampede for lengthy touchdowns, which is certain onerous to overlook.

• Field rating stats that present they’re each within the high three in particular person dashing yards.

• In superior stats, that present each groups are tied for first in dashing yards over anticipated per keep on operating again runs at 2.1 yards per carry. That is an enchancment from the Ravens’ marks of .6 and the Eagles’ -.2 in 2023.

Josh Jacobs helped the Packers’ foray with Malik Willis be a enjoyable footnote for the season, with these video games even influencing Inexperienced Bay’s assault going ahead as I noticed some Swing-T motion in opposition to the Vikings with Jacobs and vast receiver Jayden Reed, who’s rising as a difference-making participant with the ball in his fingers. He’s very, excellent.

Jonathan Taylor and Bijan Robinson look nice as the first drivers of their offenses. Aaron Jones has added a brand new factor to the Vikings. Brian Robinson appears massive and at instances just like the quickest participant on the sphere within the Commanders’ up-tempo assault.

Alvin Kamara, the duo in Detroit, Jordan Mason holding the fort in Santa Clara, the Payments’ run recreation, the crisp approach that Kyren Williams runs the ball with.

Hiding tendencies is as essential as ever within the NFL with coaches having extra entry than ever to knowledge when scouting opponents. A operating again who can impression the sport as a runner, receiver and blocker, and thus keep on the sphere, has an impression for recreation planning functions, too. Groups are going to check their opponents’ run protection, a gifted operating again helps shore up any points you might need up entrance (like with Robinson in Atlanta), whereas additionally boosting the benefits you have already got (like in Philadelphia with Jeff Stoutland and the Eagles’ offensive line and Baltimore and Lamar Jackson sharing the identical backfield).

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Nico Collins

Is 489 yards via 4 weeks good?

Collins took a leap in 2023 and continues to soar in 2024. His thoughts meld with C.J. Stroud shines each week and has earned weekly appointment viewing standing.

Collins is a bona fide X vast receiver, an explosive iteration of a throwback kind of vast receiver with vertical route tree that doesn’t want movement to assist him get open. Collins has the mix of dimension, velocity (he has recorded the quickest high velocity by a ball provider this season at 21.89 MPH on a 55-yard haul in Week 1 , in keeping with NextGenStats) and ball abilities that maximizes area and inventive throw angles for Stroud, who has no qualms with utilizing them. His means to sink and velocity out of routes opens up the whole route tree for Collins to run. And the Texans are neatly utilizing him to assault the intermediate elements of the sphere again and again.

Collins isn’t only a high 10 vast receiver, he’s knocking on the door with the large “E” on it. It is a top-five, All-Professional worthy participant who needs to be considered as elite with out even glancing at any field rating stats.

Every thing that’s happening in Minnesota

Choose wherever you need. A 4-0 begin. League leaders in level differential. Sam Darnold is steering the ship, typically proper into rocks (3 INTs, 4 fumbles), however typically he’s coasting across the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

The Vikings have had very optimistic recreation scripts this season, which has helped them keep on with utilizing play-action on an excellent chunk of their snaps, with head coach Kevin O’Connell utilizing screens to maintain the protection pressured and discovering fixed solutions within the numerous high-leverage conditions that come up in an NFL recreation like within the crimson zone (Vikings rank eighth in red-zone effectivity) and third down.

The run recreation with Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler is explosive and environment friendly, and stacks up among the many recreation’s finest. And that’s with out having to depend on utilizing Darnold for any designed runs … but. (Darnold has picked up a number of first downs as a scrambler).

Justin Jefferson is Justin Jefferson. The sport’s finest receiver whom O’Connell loves to make use of as a menace always. Any time the Packers blinked and put extra gamers within the field and dared to run man protection, O’Connell and the Vikings had a play prepared to tear off one other chunk acquire.

Jordan Addison seemed nice in his first recreation again from damage. Jalen Nailor has had some promising moments however nonetheless wants to scrub up particulars, along with his position cranking down a bit with the return of Addison and the Vikings’ means to play out of two tight finish or fullback appears (which could be finest to streamline issues for Nailor).

The offensive line has weak spot in cross safety alongside the inside however O’Connell strikes the pocket sufficient to assist mitigate it. Once more, optimistic recreation scripts assist. And Darnold has been doing a robust job of promptly getting the ball out.

The protection is exclusive and will help the offense leap out to leads and keep optimistic recreation scripts. The Packers confirmed that there are solutions to the Vikings in the event you belief your safety (and quarterback) to carry up as Brian Flores sends his defenders and specters alike on the cross and into protection. That’s simpler stated than executed, particularly when the offense retains discovering solutions like this.

The NFC North is the NFL’s finest division. The Vikings, Packers and Lions are among the many convention’s finest, and the Bears wield a troublesome protection, the world’s most harmful punter in Tory Taylor and an offense that appears prefer it’s beginning to trim some fats from the glut of concepts that the Bears needed to start the season (another concept is fewer D’Andre Swift touches and extra Roschon Johnson touches to assist the offense keep on observe).

Darnold has been a shock, however the Vikings have proven sustainability on early downs, on either side, with the power to crank the dials with their cross rush and Darnold’s sheer means to get the ball to Jefferson. That’s been a successful components and it stays as much as different groups to step up and gradual it down.

Geno Smith

He’s simply been a pleasure to observe. I’ve written about it a bit of bit the previous few weeks, however Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has given Smith management of the joystick and is letting him go. No stats or charts right here. Simply needed to give Smith and his unapologetic grip-it-and-rip-it type a shoutout.

Surprises

Chargers’ basic competency

Exterior the Chiefs, who nonetheless get the honorary title, the Chargers haven’t precisely performed a assassin’s row of offenses to start out the season. However they’re getting the job executed and appear like they’ve the next baseline of play than anticipated below new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Chargers’ underlying metrics are glowing. They sit first in mixed defensive success price and opponent explosive play price allowed on early downs. It’s a slog to maneuver the ball on this protection.

In Week 4, the Chiefs began to seek out their manner with some play-action chunk performs and on runs late, however the Chargers didn’t make it fully simple on them. With their personnel enjoying inside themselves in protection, as nicely.

I nonetheless have points with a few of the offensive design. Justin Herbert appeared a bit displeased with the time Greg Roman took to relay the calls, too. However there are items of an excellent run recreation right here, particularly if the offensive line can return to full well being. Quentin Johnston is enjoying the very best soccer of his younger profession and Ladd McConkey has already earned the belief of Herbert and appears explosive with and with out the ball in his fingers, and is sitting on a breakout recreation quickly.

I’m not shocked that Jim Harbaugh has been capable of focus the Chargers and their free meeting of stars. They don’t have a full roster to make actual noise however they’re going to be aggressive each week, a troublesome out with a quarterback nonetheless able to going nuclear at any second.

Commanders offense

All of us noticed this coming, proper? The Commanders, not the Chiefs, Payments, Dolphins, Ravens or 49ers, are those on a record-setting offensive tempo via 4 weeks of the season.

Whereas that scoring tempo will decelerate, the Commanders’ personal tempo gained’t. Their opening drive in opposition to the Cardinals in Week 4 featured the Commanders marching their manner down the sphere, nearly all out of hurry-up, no-huddle appears that had the Cardinals trying each which manner.

It certain appears just like the Commanders’ offensive baseline shall be excessive this yr. They’re going to give slacking defenses, and teams with out velocity, tons of points. And that’s with a rookie quarterback and a number of other different new faces on the roster. Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leaned closely into run performs with bubbles and different receiver screens early within the season, to a lot groaning from the soccer Twitter group. However he has been tweaking the offense with extra vertically, shot performs and a dropback passing recreation that’s proper in Jayden Daniels’ wheelhouse (my favourite throw of his as an expert got here on a traditional Air Raid idea often called Y-Cross to fellow rookie Luke McCaffrey).

The run recreation appears diverse and actual, with the Commanders’ means to get to a full menu of runs out of no-huddle appears being a weapon in opposition to defenses which might be used to dictating in opposition to offenses nowadays. Brian Robinson has seemed nice on the vast assortment of run ideas, capable of run between the tackles along with his dimension and energy, with loads of juice to get to the sting. He was even featured in a Wildcat formation in opposition to the Cardinals.

Daniels has been correct and has made a number of sensible selections, which mixed with the environment friendly run recreation has made the Commanders tough to maintain off the sphere. He hasn’t taken too many tough hits but regardless of scrambling on the highest price in recorded historical past via the primary 4 weeks of the season, which is a credit score to his velocity, the lanes he fines and the Commanders’ offensive line doing a pleasant job with checking out cross safety. An environment friendly thrower who can create explosive performs on third down along with his legs goes to be an absolute headache for defensive coordinators. Ask Shane Bowen how third down went in Week 2 in opposition to the Commanders.

The protection, particularly the adventures they prefer to take whereas masking the cross, is a special story. Prepare for loads of high-scoring affairs involving the soccer workforce in Washington this season (I wished to make a shootout/Washington Bullets joke right here).

Browns’ basic blah

This offense shouldn’t be enjoyable to observe. It’s been decimated by accidents, and whereas Jerome Ford is a stable again, he isn’t fairly Nick Chubb to make issues all higher. Deshaun Watson is a non-factor, overmatched behind a battered line and throwing and processing at a substitute degree. The protection has misplaced its spark from final yr’s efficiency that decimated overmatched quarterbacks and offensive traces. This has dissatisfied me after how briskly and ferocious they had been throughout lengthy stretches of 2023.

The Browns may deliver the battle to the high-flying Commanders offense this weekend, however proper now they give the impression of being and really feel extra like a protection that’s center of the pack (and they’re, metrics-wise), and never the fear-inducing unit that includes Myles Garrett and 10 different banshees.

Accidents stink. I simply wish to see extra life out of this workforce that has seemed listless for stretches of this season. One thing has to occur and I do know precisely the place I’m for a change.

Broncos protection

What a revelation the brand new Orange Crush have been of their second yr below defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.

Zach Allen continues to wreck video games and Nik Bonitto has had moments getting after the passer. In the meantime, Pat Surtain II has a viable case as a front-runner for Defensive Participant of the Yr as he turned DK Metcalf (29 receiving yards allowed), George Pickens (16), Mike Evans (8) and Garrett Wilson (22) into non-factors whereas singling all of them up in protection for big swaths of the sport.

The opposite Broncos cornerbacks have stepped up, too. Riley Moss has emerged as a robust No. 2 cornerback reverse of Surtain and is equally up for his weekly man protection assignments.

Ja’Quan McMillan is feisty within the slot and Joseph’s blitz-happy scheme lets his gamers play quick and take the problem to the offense. The Broncos at the moment sit fourth in success price allowed and first in explosive play allowed. That is wildly spectacular provided that the Broncos lead the NFL in blitz price at a hysterical price of 45.5%.

Bo Nix and the offense will get loads of consideration, however be certain to observe this Broncos protection that’s suffocating opponents.