Three Winners, Three Losers: 2024 NFL Season First Quarter Review

 

Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept 22, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium, in Minneapolis, MN. (Getty Images)

The second month of the 2024 NFL season is officially underway! With that being said, I think it would be a great time to stop and take a more in-depth look at the league with October arriving.

So far this season, many unforeseen developments have taken place. From Sam Darnold leading the Minnesota Vikings to a surprise 4-0 start, to Jayden Daniels getting off to one of the greatest starts we've ever seen from a rookie quarterback, and the Jacksonville Jaguars suddenly turning into one of the worst teams in the NFL, it's safe to say that the term "Any Given Sunday" has proven true once again in 2024.

With that being said, let's take a look at three winners and three losers from the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL season, beginning with none other than the team that currently looks like the best squad in the NFC.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept 29, 2024, at Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, WI. The Vikings won, 31-29. (Jeff Hanisch/Imagn Images)

The Minnesota Vikings were not expected to be contenders in the NFC coming into the season. With the team losing Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency, many people expected the Vikings to finish in last place in a very competitive NFC North division.

However, through the month of the season, the Vikings have looked like the best team in the NFL, as they currently rank fourth in both points scored per game (29.0), and points allowed per game (14.8). The aforementioned Sam Darnold has gone from looking like a complete bust to looking like one of the best quarterbacks in football over the span of four weeks, as he currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (11) and passer rating (118.9). With the help of Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones, the best wide receiver in football by the name of Justin Jefferson (who routinely makes absurd catches like this), a solid offensive line, and an elite head coach in Kevin O'Connell, Darnold has enjoyed an incredible season under center thus far and if it continues, it will be fascinating to see what the organization decides to do at the quarterback position moving forward, as J.J. McCarthy (who they selected with the 11th overall pick in this year's draft) returns from a season-ending injury he suffered during the preseason.

Additionally, with the help of innovative defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Minnesota's defence (which lacks high-end talent) has played at a very high level in 2024 so far. It'll be interesting to see if that continues in the coming weeks, as their next two games are against a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, and a very talented Detroit Lions offence. And they did struggle a bit late last week against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, giving up 22 second-half points (although they also forced two turnovers in the 4th quarter to help seal the deal). It's obviously very early in the season in a rapidly evolving league, but so far, this team looks like the real deal.

First-Quarter Grade: A+

Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Monday, Sept 23, 2024, at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY. The Jaguars lost, 47-10. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

This has been one of the most shocking developments of the early stages of the 2024 NFL season, as the Jaguars have gotten off to a very slow start to the season; for the first time since 2021 (the infamous Urban Meyer year that also coincided with quarterback Trevor Lawrence's rookie campaign), the Jags are 0-4 to start a season.

Speaking of Lawrence, his level of play has been very inconsistent over the last two seasons. The former first-overall pick has lost each of his last nine starts and so far this season, Lawrence has completed just 53.3 percent of his passes. His issues with accuracy and precision have especially come back to bite the Jaguars in got-to-have-it situations, as the team has converted only 43 percent of their red zone opportunities into touchdowns, which ranks 26th in the NFL.

As I previously mentioned when I was talking about the Vikings, the NFL is a rapidly evolving, ever-changing league. Coming into Week 13 of last season, the Jaguars were sitting pretty with an 8-3 record, first in the AFC South, and tied for first in the entire AFC. The team had a legit chance of securing home-field advantage through the AFC playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Instead, ever since they lost that week's "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Jags have not looked the same, going 1-9 in their 10 games combining the last five games of the 2023 season and the first four games of this year. It's definitely not all on him, but if head coach Doug Pederson can't help his team begin to pile up wins (and pile them up quickly), it wouldn't be surprising if he doesn't last the whole season as the Jaguars' lead man.

First-Quarter Grade: F

Winner: Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders drops back to pass during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept 8, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, FL. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)

For the first time since 2011, the Washington Commanders have amassed a record of over .500 through the first four games of a season. And the person who is most responsible for their hot start to the 2024 season is none other than rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The second-overall pick from this year's draft, Daniels has played at an extremely high level throughout his first four games in the NFL.

For starters, Daniels is currently completing 82.1% of his passes, the best in any four-game stretch in NFL history. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has done a brilliant job of designing a great offensive scheme that perfectly suits Daniels' style of play, a scheme that includes a multitude of run-pass options (RPOs), quick passes near the line to scrimmage to mitigate the Commanders' below average offensive line, and max protect "shot" plays (i.e. plays that feature only one receiver running a route while all of the other skill position players block) down the field. And as a result, the Commanders' offence has been a buzzsaw in 2024 so far, ranking sixth in total offence while also ranking third in points scored per game (30.3).

Washington's defence hasn't been great this season (27th in total defence through the first four games), but if Daniels and the offence can continue to light it up and the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles (more on them later) continue to struggle to play at a consistently high level, the Commanders will have a legit chance of winning the NFC East for just the fourth time in the last 13 seasons.

First-Quarter Grade: A

Loser: Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson #4 of the Cleveland Browns gets sacked by Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept 8, 2023, at Huntington Bank Field, in Cleveland, OH. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

For the last handful of years, the Cleveland Browns have had a very talented roster across the board. From acquiring players such as Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper on offence, as well as Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward on defence, the Browns front office certainly deserves their fair share of credit for drafting and developing talent as well as utilizing trades and free agency to build a very solid team from top to bottom. However, it has become abundantly clear that there is a trade that general manager Andrew Barry shouldn't have made; the Deshaun Watson trade. 

From both an on and off-the-field standpoint, the Watson trade has become an absolute disaster for the Browns. Here's a look at Watson's stats with the team ever since he got traded to Cleveland back in 2022:

59.3% completion percentage, 2,944 passing yards, 6.05 yards per attempt, 18 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 79.5 passer rating in 16 games.

Making things worse for the Browns is that not only is Watson failing to perform up to the standard of his contract (the Browns signed Watson to a five-year, $230 million contract right after they traded for him two years ago), but in addition to that, the quarterback that they traded to clear up enough money to trade for and lock up Watson to that hefty contract, Baker Mayfield, has played very well over the last two seasons. Mayfield helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the NFC South and a playoff game in 2023, and he has led the Bucs to a great 3-1 start in 2024 too. Here's a look at Mayfield's stats over the last two seasons:

67.4% completion percentage, 5,028 passing yards, 7.35 yards per attempt, 36 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 100.7 passer rating in 21 games.

Furthermore, even if the Browns wanted to end the Watson experiment right now, they really can't. If the Browns released Watson today, they would have a dead cap (dead cap meaning the charge to the salary cap for a team that is paying a player who is no longer on the roster) hit of $119.9 million, along with a 2025 dead cap hit of $80.7 million, which would effectively cripple any ideas for improving the team moving forward. So for now, the Browns are stuck with Watson, with nobody else to blame but themselves.

First-Quarter Grade: D+

Winner: Brandon Beane

Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills talks with Bills general manager Brandon Beane after a practice, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at the ADPro Sports Training House, in Orchard Park, NY. (Mark Konezny-USA TODAY SPORTS)

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane deserves a lot of credit right now for what he's managed to do with this team. Coming into the season, many people thought the Bills were going to fall off, with the team choosing to let go of multiple veteran players that had been with the team for several years, such as All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, All-Pro safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, and starting center Mitch Morse during the offseason. It was clear that Beane was making a concentrated effort to build a younger, more athletic team around All-Pro, do-it-all quarterback Josh Allen. And so far, that strategy has worked like a charm.

Through the first four games of the 2024 NFL season, the Bills sit atop the AFC East with a 3-1 record. The offence has been very effective, as they currently rank second in points scored per game (30.5). Even with the loss of Diggs, Allen has continued to play like one of the top two quarterbacks in the NFL, completing 69.3% of his passes for 814 yards, while also scoring nine total touchdowns (seven passing, two rushing). Additionally, Allen has managed to avoid making mistakes. After throwing a career-high 18 interceptions last season, Allen has thrown zero interceptions so far this season, making it the first time in his career that he has gone four games without throwing a pick. It's been clear that the "everybody eats" offence has worked pretty well so far for the Bills and the fans have Beane to thank for it.

Buffalo did suffer a blowout loss to the Ravens last week, in a game where they only scored 10 points. And yes, they've only played four games, so it's not set in stone that their new-look offence will continue to light up the scoreboard every week. But with Allen leading the way, I think the Bills' offence will be looked at as one of the best in the NFL when the season comes to an end.

First-Quarter Grade: A-

Loser: Nick Sirianni

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on from the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept 29, 2024, at Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, FL. The Buccaneers won, 33-16. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)

Don't get me wrong; not all is bad right now in the City of Brotherly Love. The Eagles are currently sitting at 2-2, tied for second place in the NFC East. And considering the injuries that they've dealt with on the offensive side of the ball (both of their star wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, as well as their All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson all missed last week's game against the Buccaneers), they've definitely fought to stay competitive in what is shaping up to be a very competitive playoff race in the NFC this season.

However, at the same time, this is a very talented team that just can't seem to get out of their own way. The inconsistencies are maddening; at times, it looks like the Eagles can beat any team in the league; at others, they'll go out and spot a team 24 points in the first half. And for that, a lot of the blame for the inconsistencies that this team has shown this season has to go on head coach Nick Sirianni.

After the Eagles' loss last week to the Buccaneers, Sirianni told reporters that his team didn't start off the game well and that he "didn't coach well enough". It's good to see that Sirianni took accountability for his team playing poorly, but it also serves as a reminder of the team's struggles since Week 13 of last season. After starting the 2023 season with a 10-1 record, the Eagles have gone just 3-8 in their last 11 games, scoring just 19.8 points per game while simultaneously giving up 28.2 points per game.

With all that being said, I think it's a really good thing that the Eagles have a bye week this week. That should definitely serve them well and help some of their injured star players to get back up to speed. Furthermore, their first four opponents after the bye week have a combined record of 3-13, meaning that Sirianni's squad has a solid chance of catching fire in the coming weeks. However, if they don't, it's safe to say that Sirianni (who already entered the season on the hot seat after 2023's late-season collapse) could see his job security evaporate as the season progresses.

First-Quarter Grade: C