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

We’re on the de facto quarter pole of the NFL season. And similar to each NFL season, there have been standouts, surprises, slumps and every thing in between (it’s why it’s the most effective). On this week’s Soccer 301 Playbook, I wished to spotlight the winners and surprises of this maturing 2024 season.

NFL quarter pole winners

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 bought Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, respectively, and have up to now reaped the advantages.

It’s evident in:

• The attention check of seeing Henry and Barkley stampede for lengthy touchdowns, which is bound exhausting to neglect

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

• Superior stats that present each groups are tied for first in dashing yards over anticipated per keep it up operating again runs at 2.1 yards per carry. That is an enchancment from the Ravens’ marks of 0.6 and the Eagles’ -0.2 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 huge receiver Jayden Reed, who’s rising as a difference-making participant with the ball in his fingers. He’s very, superb.

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

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

Hiding tendencies is as essential as ever within the NFL with coaches having extra entry 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, and 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 offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and the Eagles’ O-line, and Baltimore and Lamar Jackson sharing the identical backfield).

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Nico Collins

Is 489 yards by 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 huge receiver, an explosive iteration of a throwback kind of huge 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 prime velocity by a ball provider this season at 21.89 MPH on a 55-yard haul in Week 1 , in response to NextGenStats) and ball expertise that maximizes area and inventive throw angles for Stroud, who has no qualms with utilizing them. His capacity to sink and velocity out of routes opens up all the route tree for Collins to run. And the Texans are well utilizing him to assault the intermediate components of the sphere time and again.

Collins isn’t only a top-10 huge receiver, he’s knocking on the door with the massive “E” on it. This can be a top-five, All-Professional worthy participant who must be considered as elite with out even glancing at any field rating stats.

Every thing that’s occurring in Minnesota

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

The Vikings have had very constructive recreation scripts this season, which has helped them persist with utilizing play-action on a very good chunk of their snaps, with head coach Kevin O’Connell utilizing screens to maintain the protection confused and discovering fixed solutions within the numerous high-leverage conditions that come up in an NFL recreation like within the purple 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 couple 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 risk always. Any time the Packers blinked and put extra gamers within the field and dared to run man protection this previous Sunday, O’Connell and the Vikings had a play prepared to tear off one other chunk achieve.

Elsewhere within the receiving corps, Jordan Addison seemed nice in his first recreation again from harm. Jalen Nailor has had some promising moments however nonetheless wants to wash up particulars, together with his function cranking down a bit with the return of Addison and the Vikings’ capacity to play out of two tight finish or fullback seems (which could be finest to streamline issues for Nailor).

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

The protection is exclusive and can assist the offense soar out to leads and preserve constructive 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 go and into protection. That’s simpler stated than finished, 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 groups, 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. (Yet one more thought 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 flexibility to crank the dials with their go rush and Darnold’s sheer capacity to get the ball to Jefferson. That’s been a profitable formulation and it stays as much as different groups to step up and sluggish it down.

Geno Smith

He’s simply been a pleasure to observe. I’ve written about it somewhat 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.

NFL quarter pole surprises

Chargers’ basic competency

Outdoors the Chiefs, who nonetheless get the honorary title, the Chargers haven’t precisely performed a assassin’s row of offenses to begin the season. However they’re getting the job finished 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 search out their means with some play-action chunk performs and on runs late, however the Chargers didn’t make it simple on them. They usually did it with their personnel taking part in inside themselves in protection, as effectively.

I nonetheless have points with a number 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 a very good run recreation right here, particularly if the offensive line can return to full well being. Quentin Johnston is taking part in the most effective 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 stunned that Jim Harbaugh has been in a position to 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 by 4 weeks of the season.

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

It certain seems just like the Commanders’ offensive baseline might be excessive this yr. They will 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 verticality, 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 basic Air Raid idea often called Y-Cross to fellow rookie Luke McCaffrey.

The run recreation seems diverse and actual, with the Commanders’ capacity to get to a full menu of runs out of no-huddle seems being a weapon in opposition to defenses which might be used to dictating in opposition to offenses as of late. Brian Robinson has seemed nice on the huge assortment of run ideas, in a position to run between the tackles together 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 lots of good 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 by the primary 4 weeks of the season, which is a credit score to his velocity, the lanes he finds and the Commanders’ offensive line doing a pleasant job with checking out go safety. An environment friendly thrower who can create explosive performs on third down together with his legs goes to be an absolute headache for defensive coordinators. Ask Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen how third down went in Week 2 in opposition to the Commanders. (Spoiler: Washington transformed 50% of them, and most groups hover effectively under that quantity.)

The protection, particularly the adventures the unit likes to take whereas overlaying the go, is a distinct story. Prepare for loads of high-scoring affairs involving the soccer crew in Washington this season. (I wished to make a shootout/Washington Bullets joke right here.)

Browns’ basic blah

This offense isn’t 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 alternative degree. The protection has misplaced its spark from final yr’s efficiency that decimated overmatched quarterbacks and offensive strains. This has dissatisfied me after how briskly and ferocious they had been throughout lengthy stretches of 2023.

The Browns would possibly carry the combat to the high-flying Commanders offense this weekend, however proper now they appear 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 crew 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 has 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 frontrunner for Defensive Participant of the 12 months 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 powerful 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 present sit fourth in success price allowed and first in explosive performs allowed. That is wildly spectacular on condition that the Broncos lead the NFL in blitz price at a hysterical 45.5%.

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