Every Sunday, three at The AthleticNFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
What’s real and what’s fake in the NFL? It’s still pretty early, but through four games some surprise teams are starting to emerge while others who should be rolling are struggling.
The NFC East standings are a good illustration of the chaotic and unpredictable start to this season. The New York Giants (3-1) are alone in first place while the Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) and Dallas Cowboys (2-2) have had up-and-down starts.
In the AFC, the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) are off to a strong start and look like the team that climbed to the division title last season.
NFL writers Jeff Howe, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on Sunday’s games and identify the opponents and pretenders so far.
The Eagles blew a winnable game at home against the Los Angeles Rams by going scoreless in the second half. Are the Eagles pretending?
Howe: The Eagles are looking at what they often look like early in the season — and on other occasions, for the rest of the season — as they figure out the best recipe to win games. It’s rarely good. They have the ability to play up and down their competition, and each game seems to age the average Philly fan by about a decade. Right now, I tend to think the Eagles are a level below as an opponent, but it’s too early to assume they won’t get hot. This was a recipe before.
Top Plays from the Rams @ Eagles
Nguyen: I didn’t put the Eagles in the contender category before the season because there were so many question marks on their offense and it was worse than I thought it would be. I thought they could be a playoff team if their defense was dominant. They’ve been fine but they’re not the top 3 unit I envisioned and they could be dealing with some significant injuries after Sunday. They can’t run the ball with efficiency. With Saquon Barkley, they could hit explosive shots here or there, but he left the game early with a hamstring injury. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was without wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert on Sunday, but he didn’t feel comfortable in this offense. Maybe that will improve later in the season as they get healthy, but he won’t be the quarterback he never was. And that’s not to say Hurts hasn’t been good. He’s a Super Bowl winning quarterback, but as his rushing ability becomes less of a threat, he needs to evolve and we haven’t seen enough growth yet. There are a lot of issues with this Eagles team and injuries could completely derail things.
Pompeii: Calling them pretenders would be an overreach, but calling them the team they should be is also an overreach. That doesn’t mean they can’t still be the team they’re supposed to be. However, it can’t be denied that they didn’t get into the kind of groove they wanted to get into. No one likes to hear about injuries, but the Eagles were without four of their best offensive players for most of the game, as Lane Johnson, Goedert and Smith were inactive, and Barkley had two carries before leaving the game. A healthier Eagles team would be a better team. It’s a long time, and no one should write off Philadelphia with a 2-2 record.
The Cowboys got a late win against the Houston Texans thanks to heroics from CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. Are the Cowboys a contender even with a shaky defense?
Howe: Given the past 30 years, I’d be reluctant to call the Cowboys contenders after splitting their first four games. Plus, as much as I still want to believe the Texans are better than their record suggests, it’s easy to poke holes in the Cowboys’ two wins — beat the Commanders when Jayden Daniels went down at halftime and the winless Texans. The Cowboys are capable of hanging with anyone thanks to their explosive offense, but their defense will have to prove more to believe they are capable of making a playoff run.
Top Plays from the Colts @ Commanders
Nguyen: The Texans offense hasn’t lived up to the preseason hype but they are a talented unit with game-wreckers. Prescott carved them. This is the best offense in football. The defense is terrible, but they have the potential to improve, especially with the Joey Porter Jr. trade. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker comes from the Vic Fangio tree and defenses usually improve in that system as the season goes on. The Cowboys are also leaning on several young players to play key roles. Caleb Downs and the young players will continue to get better. I’d like to see some defensive improvement before saying they’re a contender.
Pompeii: Their defense must improve. On paper, this is a pretty solid unit, but on the field the Cowboys defense doesn’t always play that way. The return of DeMarvion Overshown would help, Downs could step up, and it would be a surprise if the addition of Porter Jr. had no impact. The other factor in their defense is that they have a 34-year-old defensive coordinator who is in his first role. Parker has the potential to game plan better and call better plays as the season goes on. And Dallas’ impressive offense can cover up some defensive shortcomings. They’re better than their record suggests, and every bit a contender.
The Jaguars picked up another impressive win with a 22-17 road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Should they be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender?
Howe: Absolutely. The Jaguars are one of a select few teams that should feel good about their opening month, both in performance and DNA. Head coach Liam Coen has implemented a strong point with the team in training camp about managing the inevitable challenges, whether it’s in a single game or a longer stretch of the season, and the Jags have already shown their resilience. They played one bad half of football this season — succumbing to a Broncos second-half surge in Denver — but responded by thoroughly dismantling the Patriots and pulling off an impressive victory in Cincinnati against a Bengals team with their numbers. The Jags’ Week 1 blowout of the Browns looks even more impressive.
Top Plays from Jaguars @ Bengals
Nguyen: The Jaguars are the most complete team in the league. They have one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL, they can run the ball when they need to, and their defense is elite (third best points allowed per drive). Their offense wasn’t at its best Sunday but their defense stepped up and took advantage of a Bengals offense without Ja’Marr Chase. Also, they have Cam Little, who holds the record for longest field goal. They can win in so many different game scripts. Now, they shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with 13 penalties for 125 yards, but they got the job done. Travis Hunter looked terrific at corner Sunday — perhaps his best game yet. If Hunter ends up at the corner most draftniks think he can’t, this team is as complete as any in the league. Why should they not be considered contenders?
Pompeii: Super Bowl opponents don’t come out in October. They appear in December. But from all the evidence on the table after a month of play, the Jaguars belong in the upper echelon of NFL teams. Their only loss was to the Denver Broncos, another team in the same tier. Their winning formula — good quarterback play backed by a consistent running game, and a defense that gets the ball back — is the kind of formula that gets teams to the Super Bowl. But for the Jaguars to stay in the tier, they need to tighten up their passing defense, which gave up 428 yards to Joe Burrow on Sunday and is giving up an average of 284 yards per game. And they won’t make it to the Super Bowl if they keep committing 13 penalties a game like they did against the Bengals.
The Giants lead the NFC East despite losing their starting quarterback for the season. Are they serious contenders to win their division?
Howe: The Giants are the only team in the division that should be happy with their record, which speaks to the inconsistency in the NFC East, but they will level off when the schedule gets tougher next season. So far they have been playing good enough complementary football against bad teams. It’s a good start that appears to be heading in a better direction with coach John Harbaugh, but I’d be surprised if the Giants are a serious factor after Thanksgiving.
Top Plays from the Cardinals @ Giants
Nguyen: Nope. I don’t think they are serious opponents with Jaxson Dart. They also lost their best defensive player in Brian Burns as well. Jameis Winston is always boom or bust. This week, he boomed but it was against the Arizona Cardinals. I think once JJ McCarthy learns the playbook he will get a shot to play and they will see if they can develop him to be Dart’s backup. For Harbaugh, it’s important to show a downtrodden franchise some proof of concept and we’ve already seen that. Their defense looks solid and the offense has an identity. I don’t think they have enough, especially at quarterback, to be considered contenders. The NFC East is down and they beat the Cowboys in Week 1, but that was on Dart and I think the Cowboys will continue to get better as their young defenders gain more experience.
Pompeii: The general suspicion was that the Giants would crash due to their injuries and the modest expectations most had for them coming into the season. But we can’t deny that they’re a resourceful team that finds ways to overcome adversity and win games — and who’s to say that can’t continue? Credit must go to Harbaugh for instilling more confidence in the Giants than they probably had any right to before they started winning games people thought they were going to lose. Some will knock them for the quality of opponents they beat, but their victory over the Cowboys cannot be dismissed. Their real tests will come to end the season when they play the 49ers, Seahawks, Browns, Lions, Cowboys and Eagles.