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Since 2000, Washington has had 27 different starting quarterbacks. Only two (Jason Campbell and Kirk Cousins) started entire consecutive seasons.
So yes, plans for a statue might be underway after rookie Jayden Daniels just posted the highest completion percentage (82.1) across any four games in NFL history, besting even 2008 Peyton Manning and 2007 Tom Brady. Your Week 4 brief:
Week 4 Risers 📈: Vikings continue to shine
The Vikings. Minnesota entered the preseason with an expected win total of 6.5, per BetMGM. An 0-8 start looked like a possibility, given their brutal early-season schedule.
Instead, the Vikings are aiming for 8-0 and then some. Yesterday in Green Bay, they added to the list of Super Bowl contenders they’ve beaten (with Houston and San Francisco also on that list). Justin Jefferson sets the tone (with alien-like plays), while Aaron Jones averages 5 yards per carry. It’s all up in Minnesota.
The Ravens. As The Athletic’s Zak Keefer writes in his Week 4 learnings, “Baltimore’s 35-10 dismantling of the previously unbeaten Bills served as a reminder: this team’s not going anywhere.” It was old-school Ravens football, with 271 rushing yards and a dominant defensive performance.
The smoke from Tom Brady. After Baker Mayfield suggested players in Tampa Bay had been stressed with Brady around, the GOAT fired back while broadcasting Mayfield’s game:
“I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings … This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to Disneyland with my kids.”
Those 3-1 Buccaneers. Their quarterback relieved plenty of stress during a 33-16 win against the Eagles, as Mayfield finished with 347 passing yards and three touchdowns. This team is legit on both sides of the football.
The 2-2 Broncos defense. Despite Bo Nix failing to complete a pass beyond the line of scrimmage in the first half, Denver beat the Jets 10-9 in East Rutherford. The credit goes to Vance Joseph’s defense, which recorded five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Its pressure can come from anywhere. In the secondary, Patrick Surtain & Co. are allowing the NFL’s third-lowest yards per pass.
Written-off quarterbacks. Darnold is 4-0. Geno Smith is 3-0 (with a big game tonight in Detroit). Mayfield and Justin Fields are 3-1. Andy Dalton (1-1) has brought hope to Carolina. Gardner Minshew is 2-2. Malik Willis is 2-0. Suddenly, Joe Flacco is 1-0. Each had been discarded at one time or another, but in 2024, they are a combined 16-4. Hope for Bryce Young?
Week 4 fallers 📉
Trevor Lawrence. Speaking of hope, it arrived in Jacksonville when they landed the No. 1 pick in 2021. It’s been slowly fading since. Lawrence has won just 38 percent of his games, while his career EPA ties with Aidan O’Connell (and Darnold!) for 44th among QBs since 2021. These Jags are 0-4 for the second time since that draft. Reminder: Three months ago, Lawrence signed a $200M guaranteed deal.
The rest of the NFC East. Even better news for Washington. In The Athletic’s Week 4 takeaways, Saad Yousuf sums it up well:
“Dating back to last season, the [2-2] Eagles look like an utter mess. The [2-2] Cowboys have been blown out twice at home and are dealing with injuries to arguably their two best defensive players (Micah Parsons has a sprained ankle and DeMarcus Lawrence could be heading to injured reserve). The [1-3] Giants continue to be a non-factor.”
The 4-0 Chiefs. Falling despite winning again? Well, their perfect start has been anything but. Winning each game by one score, they’ve scored fewer points than the 1-3 Bengals and allowed more than the 2-2 Saints. Now, it looks likely star sophomore Rashee Rice is out for the season (Dianna tells me the team is preparing for news of an ACL tear), joining offseason acquisition Marquise Brown. RB Isiah Pacheco is out, too. 4-0 should feel better than this.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Licht’s Bucs send a few messages
Yesterday, the Buccaneers rolled over the Eagles by using quick, high-percentage passes, storming out to an early lead. Even the 33-16 final score doesn’t do the Bucs’ dominance justice.
After the game, their GM, Jason Licht, sent a message by posting The Athletic’s front-office rankings (as voted on by NFL execs and coaches) to social media.
In those rankings, the Eagles received plenty of support while the Bucs did not appear in the top-10. Licht’s Bucs, though, are 6-1 against Howie Roseman’s Eagles.
(Fun note: The two worked together in the Eagles’ front office in the 2000s. Roseman, who is accomplished when it comes to finding the right fits for his roster, has a similarly strong track record when it comes to romantic scouting: He introduced Licht to the latter’s wife, Blair.)
Back to you, Jacob.
Week 4 Stats: Seriously, Daniels has been incredible
“Stats are for losers,” said Falcons HC Raheem Morris, when asked about Kyle Pitts in his postgame media session. He’s right. Pitts’ stats (zero yards, zero catches) are why I lost in my fantasy football league. Better stats from Week 4:
0.42 EPA per play: One year after the No. 2 pick (C.J. Stroud) outshone No. 1 Bryce Young, No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels has been even better. In the past 20 years, his historic start ranks behind only 2007 Tom Brady’s in QB EPA — and this is the start of Daniels’ career.
23 scores to 19 incompletions: Through four games, Daniels’ Commanders have more scoring drives (23) than incomplete passes (19), per NFL Network’s Jack Andrade. Sheesh, Kliff Kingsbury.
78 pounds: The weight difference between Derrick Henry and 165-pound, 4.21-40 Xavier Worthy, who both topped 21.2 MPH on their fastest runs yesterday. Worthy is fast. Henry is superhuman.
+14.6 percent: The net increase in winning odds that the 2-2 Bears got from punter Tory Taylor’s five punts, which included this 66-yard bomb. Taylor — whom Caleb Williams infamously texted, “Hey, you’re not going to punt too much this year” — played a pivotal role in their 24-18 win over the 1-3 Rams, as did D’Andre Swift (165 total yards).
Tonight’s Doubleheader
Tonight’s schedule, with links to full game previews. One is a must-watch. The other seems likely to disappoint. I’ll let you guess:
- 0-3 Titans at 1-2 Dolphins, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN: Preview.
- 3-0 Seahawks at 2-1 Lions, 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC: Preview.
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