Patience can be short in the NFL, but those who stay committed to long-term plans often get rewarded.
After an 0–2 start to the season, the Baltimore Ravens appear to have found their offensive identity with Derrick Henry leading the charge. Baltimore’s offense has looked unstoppable during a two-game winning streak against the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.
The Denver Broncos had plenty of patience for their defense after a rocky first season under Sean Payton and his coaching staff last year. Now the Broncos might be the best defensive unit in the league after shutting down the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in consecutive weeks.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, however, might be losing patience for coach Doug Pederson after his team dropped to 0–4 on the season. How about the Cleveland Browns with Deshaun Watson after another ugly offensive performance? The Browns have been very patient with him and don’t have much to show for it.
Here are our winners and losers from NFL Week 4.
Winners
Ravens’ offensive identity
Many were quick to assess the 2024 Ravens after their new bulldozer known as Derrick Henry crossed the end zone in Kansas City for the first touchdown of the NFL season. It was easy to say then that the Ravens will once again contend for a Super Bowl because of the addition of Henry, but it took time for them to truly incorporate Henry into the flow of the offense.
Henry wasn’t signed to take 30 carries per game, something coach John Harbaugh told reporters when the team had a slow start to the season.
The Ravens briefly looked good on the scripted opening drive vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in the regular-season opener. But what Henry and the Ravens did to the Buffalo Bills in Sunday night’s dominant 35–10 victory was a lot more impressive and impactful considering how far they’ve come after a few early-season struggles.
Baltimore (2–2) has found its offensive identity, with the abundance of options Lamar Jackson and Henry have created as teammates. Having a star running back—those still exist—is making the Ravens’ opponents reconsider giving them the underneath game in this era of defenses doing everything they can to take away downfield passing. In signing a 30-year-old running back who had 2,030 career carries before this season, Baltimore appears to have displayed some forward thinking. That might come off as a bit of an oxymoron for those who still believe run-heavy offenses can’t win in today’s football.
But Henry isn’t playing in an old-school predictable offense and constantly facing stacked boxes. He turned his 24 carries into 199 yards vs. the Bills and often saw wide lanes to burst through because linebackers are having a hard time guessing whether Jackson will keep the ball or give it to Henry.
Yes, teams leaning on running backs and quick passes to counter the Vic Fangio-inspired defenses is nothing new. But no team has done it with Jackson and Henry. Perhaps this creative two-man game can take the Ravens far this season, as long as the early issues of the first two weeks don’t come back to haunt them.
Washington Commanders and their fans
The debate of whether a rookie quarterback should play immediately or watch and learn likely won’t ever end because every situation is different, but there’s something special about a rookie quarterback quickly changing the fortunes of an NFL franchise.
It happened last year with C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. Now, it’s happening with Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders (3–1), who are leading the NFC East thanks to a three-game winning streak to end the first month of the season. That’s a welcome sight for long-tortured Washington fans, but the way Daniels has surged as the clear frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year is what truly makes this winning streak special.
Sure, the Commanders could lose the standings lead to the Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys over the course of the season. But they will probably stay in the mix for years to come because Daniels appears to be the real deal. He’s not just punishing teams with his athleticism. He’s hurting defenses from the pocket by completing his passes at an eye-popping rate of 82.1%. That’s Drew Brees–like accuracy, and Daniels is doing that while averaging 8.6 yards per passing attempt, fourth-best in the league.
Some will be hesitant to refer to Daniels as the real deal because of what happened to Robert Griffin III after his special rookie year ended with a severe injury that hindered his trajectory. But if injuries don’t get in the way, the Commanders might finally have their franchise quarterback, and the new decision-makers in Washington should be recognized for quickly building a successful environment for Daniels.
Broncos DC Vance Joseph
Many wanted Vance Joseph fired as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator after four games last season. Coach Sean Payton stood by Joseph and now the Broncos have the defense to thank for the back-to-back road upsets against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.
Payton wasn’t quick to react after a 70–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins last September. He remained patient, and it didn’t take long for Joseph to produce positive results. They’re now playing like a top-five unit this season, and it’s even more impressive considering that there might not be a Pro Bowler on this defense outside of shutdown cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain has received plenty of help from the emergence of cornerback Riley Moss and safeties Brandon Jones and P.J. Locke. Joseph could use a stud pass rusher, but Denver’s defensive linemen put plenty of pressure on Aaron Rodgers and Baker Mayfield the past two games.
Joe Flacco
The Indianapolis Colts were wise to add Joe Flacco in case Anthony Richardson dealt with more injuries this season.
The move paid off in Sunday’s 27–24 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers because Flacco relieved Richardson, who exited in the first quarter due to a hip injury. Flacco, a longtime nemesis of the Steelers, quickly displayed a connection with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. It was far from a perfect performance, but the experienced 39-year-old quarterback did enough to hold off the Steelers. Flacco went 16-of-26 for 168 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
It’s not ideal that Richardson, who only played four games as a rookie, continues to deal with injuries, but the Colts at least have peace of mind knowing Flacco can still run an offense and keep the team afloat if Richardson is forced to miss games
Losers
Kevin Stefanski
It’s not surprising at all that the Cleveland Browns didn’t bother offering Flacco a contract extension even though he drastically improved the offense and helped the team reach the playoffs last season.
The Browns probably said goodbye to Flacco, last year’s Comeback Player of the Year, because they didn’t want Deshaun Watson to look over his shoulder about possibly losing his starting job. They continue to give Watson countless opportunities to prove himself because they handed him a fully guaranteed contract of $230 million.
Watson’s latest poor performance occurred Sunday during an ugly 20–16 loss against a Las Vegas Raiders squad that didn’t have Maxx Crosby or Davante Adams.
Someone in the Browns organization needs to step up and say Watson should be benched. Maybe coach Kevin Stefanski is doing so behind closed doors because he’s had success with most Browns quarterbacks besides Watson. If no one is saying out loud what everyone is thinking, the Browns’ stubbornness to admit their mistakes might doom them this season.
The Carolina Panthers haven’t gotten much right in recent seasons, but even they knew it was time to bench Bryce Young, despite trading a boatload of draft picks and DJ Moore for the right to select him No. 1 in the 2023 draft. What the Panthers gave up was a lot more than the Browns’ billionaire owner losing millions of dollars for signing Watson.
The team is being held back by bad quarterback play and it seems no one in Cleveland wants to do anything about it.
Doug Pederson
Doug Pederson might be regretting his words after saying his coaches can’t go on the field and make plays while defending offensive coordinator Press Taylor following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 24–20 loss to the Houston Texans.
There’s nothing wrong with expecting more from players, but the Jaguars are 0–4 this season and have dropped nine of their past 10 games going back to last season when a late collapse cost them a playoff spot. Pederson is way past the point of being able to blame just the players amid this losing funk.
His words were a poor attempt to defend himself and the coaching staff while speculation about his job security continues to grow with each loss. Trevor Lawrence should have closed the game in Houston, but he’s not going anywhere after the team committed to him with a five-year, $275 million contract extension a few months ago. Time is running out on Pederson to fix the Jaguars, and playing the blame game won’t get him far.
Bills’ defense
The Bills were crushed against the Ravens largely because the defense couldn’t get a stop in the first half. They were constantly burned by Jackson in third-and-long situations.
It was one of those games that made you question whether coach Sean McDermott is the problem or the team simply needs more defensive talent. That was a common question last year when many key defensive players sustained long-term injuries. Buffalo desperately missed linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard during the Sunday Night Football matchup in Baltimore.
McDermott usually finds a way to adjust his scheme when injuries hit, but every now and then, he gets a dud performance from his defense. Now the short-handed Bills’ defense has to face the Texans and the Jets the next two weeks. This could show whether the Bills just beat up on losing teams during their 3–0 start to the season or their lack of talent could be an issue down the road.
Rams without Aaron Donald
The Los Angeles Rams managed to steal a win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, but then reality hit during a clunky loss vs. the Chicago Bears.
The Rams are 1–3 during their first season without Aaron Donald. The young, talented defensive front has applied consistent pressure, but they haven’t made many game-changing plays, something this team has desperately needed with a rash of injuries on the offensive side, including playing without wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua most of the season.
Perhaps it’s not fair for the Rams to ask rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske and second-year players Kobie Turner and Byron Young to quickly grow up to keep the team afloat. But they should have factored in injuries while building the rest of the defense. The Rams’ secondary continues to get burned downfield by wide receivers, and the linebackers are missing a playmaker after trading Ernest Jones IV to the Tennessee Titans right before the season.
And the subpar defense shouldn’t take most of the blame for the slow start. Coach Sean McVay made a few head-scratching decisions while his team was in the red zone against the Bears. He tends to go away from running back Kyren Williams and ask too much of Matthew Stafford.
Kyler Murray
There was some offseason hype for the Arizona Cardinals’ offense, especially from this writer. But the duo of Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn’t been as dynamic as many expected—in fact, it might be fair to say that Daniel Jones and Malik Nabers have had a better connection with the New York Giants during the first month of the season.
The Cardinals’ best performance was the Week 2 victory against the Rams, but as mentioned above, they haven’t been very good defensively. Outside of that game, Murray and his offense did very little against the Commanders and Detroit Lions, and had one good first half vs. the Bills to start the season.
Now the Cardinals (1–3) have to face the 49ers and Green Bay Packers on the road the next two weeks. This is an opportunity for Murray to show he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He tends to have long stretches of mediocre performances.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Week 4 Winners and Losers: Ravens, Commanders Hitting Their Offensive Strides.
