The Lions keep showing signs that they’re actually a good football team, but have fallen short in big moments. This is a team that is two plays away from starting 4-0, and they came so close to knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. They probably would have if they hadn’t fallen victim to multiple key turnovers. The Lions have played a tough schedule and come away in good shape, though they should’ve really beaten Arizona. They have two key division games coming up after their bye week which could well set up a playoff chase.
The Green Bay offense hasn’t clicked yet, but they’re 3-1, and that’s really what matters. As disappointing as they were against the Philadelphia Eagles, they came close to winning that game, and they’ve made things look pretty straightforward against both Minnesota and Denver. It stands to reason that Aaron Rodgers is going to get better as he becomes more comfortable with Matt LaFleur’s new offense, so there is definitely upside here.
The offensive line is still suspect despite the addition of Laremy Tunsil, and that’s a big worry for Deshaun Watson and the Texans. That may be a key reason for Houston’s odd offensive struggles, as they have been poor against both Jacksonville and Carolina. A win over the Chargers was good, and they were somewhat unlucky to lose to the Saints, so the Texans can play with the big boys. Consistency and getting it done against inferior teams are two big factors they have to sort out.
Considering the preseason Andrew Luck saga, the Colts have done pretty well to make it to 2-2. They took the Chargers to overtime in the season opener, but their loss against the Raiders counts as a disappointing one. Still, Jacoby Brissett looks competent enough to hold down the quarterback position. The defense needs to get better in terms of point prevention if they’re going to get anywhere, but the ingredients are there.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) — B-
The Jaguars have their quarterback, and perhaps surprisingly, it’s not Nick Foles. It’s emergent rookie Gardner Minshew, who has led the team to two wins in three starts. It’s still hard to tell what to make of this team, as their defense can go from lockdown to leaky in what seems like no time at all. Minshew also has yet to be tested against a top-class defense. Until then, they’re a question mark, but there are reasons to be excited here.
Patrick Mahomes is definitely not a one-season wonder, and the fact that he still won one of his worst NFL games yet in Week 4 is extremely encouraging. It doesn’t look like anyone will be stopping them in the AFC West this season, and a big year looks to be ahead of them. The lingering question mark is their defense, which has still looked weak at times despite a lot of offseason work being put into it. If it can get a bit sturdier, there’s no reason they can’t win the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) — B-
It’s tough to make sense of the Chargers. They’ve been absolutely crushed by injuries, which means they’re being graded on a curve, but they’ve covered for the absences quite capably. Still, they’re 2-2, though they were somewhat unlucky to lose to the Lions largely because of the absence of kicker Michael Badgley. If the Chargers can get healthy, there’s a chance they go on a real tear and cause some problems in the AFC — and they’ll be tougher now that they have Melvin Gordon back.
The Rams were in great shape and off to a 3-0 start before giving up 55 points at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game in which quarterback Jared Goff essentially lapsed into a turnover machine. It was enough to give everyone pause and raise the unanswered questions about this team: are they good enough defensively, and is Goff really good enough to be an elite franchise quarterback? We still don’t know. The Rams are good, but we’re still trying to figure out how good. The start to their season, however, is perfectly fine.
The Dolphins are really bad and everyone knows it. They’re tanking, and it’s so obvious that the league is openly looking into it. They’re not going to get better. They’re going to trade veterans and hoard draft picks and hope to hit on something next April. Until then, this isn’t a team worth paying attention to, and they’re just going to keep losing. There are a few potentially winnable games on their schedule, but not many.
The Vikings can win when they don’t need to lean too hard on Kirk Cousins and their passing game. If they do, they’re in trouble. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. Cousins continues to be mediocre, and the defense can be hit-or-miss. This might end up being a team that hovers around .500, able to take care of bad teams but struggling against the league’s elite. Considering the hope and investment they put in Cousins, that’s not good enough.
