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The Monday Morning Mashup, NFL Week 4: Baltimore Beats Buffalo, Washington Can Win the NFC East, and Minnesota Stays Undefeated

by Shawn Syed|September 30, 2024

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Welcome to The Monday Morning Mashup! In this column, I will share all of the things from NFL Sunday that I think are worth your time. It may be good things, it may be bad things, it may be plays or play calls or players, but it will all be rooted in my love for this beautiful, ugly, fascinating, frustrating game we call football.

Jump to:

First Things First: The Ravens Rumble by the Bills

If you only remember one thing from this Sunday, this is what it should be.

After a 3-0 start to the season and two strong AFC opponents coming up on the schedule, the Buffalo Bills were in a position to plant their flag on the top of AFC mountain. Derrick Henry proceeded to ruin the Bills’ hot start as he avalanched through the defense on the way to 199 yards and an 87-yard touchdown on the first offensive play for the Ravens.

The Buffalo Bills love to play light nickel personnel with two linebackers and five defensive backs on the field and the Ravens handled it with a healthy dose of Henry, Patrick Ricard, and enough heavy personnel to leave two high safeties in shambles.

The Bills defense has played above its talent so far this year but met its match with Lamar Jackson extending plays in the pocket and adding on in the run game. Jackson did not have to throw into any tight windows, but the bigger story was the Ravens defense looking and feeling like it should:

The Ravens defense held Josh Allen to the second lowest dropback success rate of his career and created pressure on almost half of his dropbacks. Allen did make numerous great throws into tight windows on vertical routes, but it only led to 10 points in a game that was controlled by Baltimore. Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr deserves credit here for some front creativity as this unit looks to match the excellent pass rush production from last season.

After a rocky 0-2 start to the season, the Ravens are squarely back in the AFC race that has the Chiefs facing another injury, the Bills dealing with questions about their defense after this loss, and the Texans continuing to struggle running the ball.

The Matter Meter

How much does what we saw on Sunday actually matter?

It Definitely Matters: The Washington Commanders can win the NFC East.

The NFC East is a cornucopia of problems. The Giants struggled on down the field passes on Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys run defense still has a lot to prove and the offense is searching for more pass catchers. The Eagles were run right out of the stadium on Sunday. Then we have the new fun team, the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders, like their NFC East brethren, are far from a perfect team. They are led by a rookie quarterback and an offensive coordinator that is looking to change his reputation while the team has roster holes that will take time to fill. That quarterback, 2024 second overall pick Jayden Daniels, is the driving force behind Commanders excitement so far this season and for good reason.

Daniels faced questions throughout the pre-draft process about his ability to avoid sacks, throw over the middle of the field, get through his progressions in the pass game, and avoid Looney Tunes style hits. Daniels handed out multiple answers on the way to a 42-14 win in Arizona:

While it is very early in Daniels career, he has already put together a strong highlight reel and delivered one of the signature plays of the entire season. Overreacting to the small sample size may be hasty, but we will learn even more about this Commanders unit as three of the next four defenses they will see are the Browns, Ravens, and Bears. To this point, the offense is making life easier on the pass blockers, the spacing of routes is helping Daniels, and Kliff Kingsbury’s run game is working.

The Commanders defense also deserves credit in this win as they stymied a Cardinals offense that has struggled in consecutive weeks. Dorance Armstrong generated pressure, Frankie Luvu forced a fumble, and the Commanders held the Cardinals to 4/11 on third downs. The defense will need to build on this win as they provided little resistance outside of the red zone against the Bengals last week and could stumble over the next few weeks.

Even with a defense that has more to prove and a tough schedule ahead, Washington is a legitimate threat to win the NFC East because of how the rest of the division is playing. The Commanders should not be afraid of the Eagles defense that they will see in November:

After I took a victory lap with Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense halting the Saints last week, the Buccaneers walloped the birds. Baker Mayfield was able to make every pass he wanted to and had the second fastest average time to throw of his career. That low time to throw froze an already struggling pass rush and is another sign that this Eagles secondary is in trouble, particularly in the slot. The Eagles defense tallied up more missed tackles and frustrating plays as they head into a much-needed bye week at 2-2. Without the ability to rush the passer or cover receivers for long enough to create issues, my Fangio victory lap was short-lived, much like the Eagles total time of possession on offense.

I am less than excited to watch back the Eagles offensive film from this week. It is a tough evaluation as stars Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith were all out on Sunday. Still, the Buccaneers generated pressure on almost half of Jalen Hurts dropbacks including a disheartening strip sack and an all too familiar negative feeling for a team trying to avoid the same fate as last season.

I Think it Matters: The Vikings won a game that was almost a bit close.

The Minnesota Vikings have been dominant this year. They have been so dominant that they have only trailed for three and a half minutes of game time this season, which came all the way back in the first quarter of their season opener against the Giants.

With that type of play to this point, the Vikings entered Week 4 with natural questions about how things would look when the game was not falling in their favor. We did not find anything out about that through three quarters of the Vikings 31-29 win over the Packers as the Vikings scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions and forced interceptions on two of the Packers first four drives.

A quick 28-0 lead almost resulted in the game being moved off my Sunday quad box as Jordan Addison returned in a big way with a touchdown on a double move and a jet sweep. Sam Darnold did have ups and downs on the day as he threw an interception, a second was dropped, and he was strip sacked as the Packers stormed back into the game.

On a need to score drive after five straight possessions without a point, the Vikings marched down the field for a field goal to push the game to 31-22. The drive is by no means a full answer and Minesota has yet to truly play from behind, but it was an encouraging sign for a still undefeated team.

The Packers scored after a muffed punt and the Darnold strip sack, which gives me less reason to worry about the Vikings defense that held strong for most of the game. Overall, the Vikings win was bigger than the box score indicated, even though the Packers missed two field goals. I am excited for the next time these two teams play each other, but October 20th is circled on my calendar when the Lions head to Minnesota.

It is Going to Matter Later: Rashee Rice was injured in the Chiefs win over the Chargers.

The most impactful play in the Chiefs win over the Chargers was a Patrick Mahomes interception. After the ball sailed over Travis Kelce and into the arms of Kristian Fulton, Rashee Rice and Patrick Mahomes both went to go make a play. Rice forced a fumble, Mahomes went to make a tackle, and an unfortunate collision ended up in a knee injury that could sideline Rice for the entire season. Tests will confirm the extent of the injury, but this could be the end of a very strong second season for Rashee Rice.

Rice was starting to get some of the Travis Kelce type routes working into space and was a feature of the offense from game one. With Rice out, Xavier Worthy’s role will continue to expand, and Travis Kelce should expect more targets after getting back on track against the Chargers.

A lot of what Kansas City does in September is forgotten when they are working towards February. This injury, though, could force the Chiefs to make a trade for a receiver or test the absolute limits of what a Patrick Mahomes wide receiver room could look like.

And the Nominees Are…

Here are the ballots for some very real, very important awards. Cast your fvote and let your voice be heard.

Best Weird Game of the Week Where I Didn’t get to Learn as Much as I Would Have Liked to
1. The Broncos beat the Jets 10-9 after Bo Nix threw for 60 yards. S I X T Y! In the GAME!

The Broncos-Jets game was not easy on the eyes for a few reasons. First, it was a muggy rain game. While we are on the weather, I would love if all games were played in domes. I want to be clear that I recognize the unique beauty of snow games. I had fun playing games in the rain, and I get why fans enjoy it.

Still, I don’t love when the weather impacts the quality of play on the field, even if that particular issue was not widespread here. I know, I know, teams need to be built to win in different ways. The defenses in this game were built to stop everything as the Broncos defense continued heating things up with a defensive line that is showing off.

This game feels like a bit of a sign for the Jets offensive line that is dealing with an injury, but a lot of credit should go to this Broncos defense. Aaron Rodgers was able to make some quality throws and move outside the pocket again, but the Jets lost on a last second missed field goal after their defense held Bo Nix to 60 passing yards in the whole game.

2. Joe Flacco’s Colts beat the Steelers 27-24

Anthony Richardson started the Colts game against the Steelers with a pretty pass to Michael Pittman on the way to a touchdown drive. The second Colts drive was also a touchdown against an impressive Steelers defense, but Richardson injured his hip, returned to the game, was injured again, and then made way for Joe Flacco:

While I am very happy for Joe Flacco, it is just the worst that Anthony Richardson was injured in this game. All I want is more Anthony Richardson reps. The highs are SO high, the potential is in outer space, and we have seen some of those throws through the stratosphere this year. I will also admit that the lows are below the ground when you watch some of the incompletions, but the start of this game felt like Richardson was in rhythm. Now we will forget those few plays and have to consider the annoying injury prone discussion and maybe lose out on some Richardson games where more experience can be his best friend.

3. A Triple Double for the Saints

In the last two weeks, the Saints defense has let up two touchdowns and has two losses. The Saints let up ZERO offensive touchdowns to the Atlanta Falcons in a game that had a muffed punt recovered in the end zone, a pick six, and a game winning 58-yard field goal. New Orleans now is back to Earth after dominating the first two games of the season and is being rewarded with a game in Arrowhead on Monday Night Football. The Saints should be competitive in the NFC South through the season, but their offense will need to get back on track to match the production of their defense.

Best Performance During a Highly Improbable Play
1. Josh Allen, Actual Rocket Arm, Buffalo Bills

I do not fully understand how this happened, how the human body produces like this, and how this actually worked. Josh Allen escaped the pocket, looked in five different directions and launched a ball that I was 100% sure would be intercepted. Instead, it feathered into Khalil Shakir’s hands and will be a great highlight in an effort that came up short on Baltimore’s big day.

2. Ja’Marr Chase, Bowling Ball, Cincinnati Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase joined Josh Allen in the “that doesn’t make sense” category as he treated the entire Panthers defense like cardboard. Chase’s play strength is just so impressive. It is very hard to take him down with one tackler and the Bengals rely on his yards after the catch to supercharge this offense.

The Bengals were able to enter the winner’s circle for the first time this season, though Andy Dalton provided an early scare. There is little in the way of the Bengals offense ending the season as an elite unit. The defense needs to do their part as this team looks to do the improbable and climb to the playoffs after starting 0-3.

3. Fred Warner, Best Defensive Player in the League, San Francisco 49ers

There was no shortage of wild plays in the 49ers win over the Patriots. The 49ers survived another game without Christian McCaffery as Jauan Jennings and Jordan Mason continued their run as playmakers in San Francisco. Brock Purdy’s advanced numbers looked better than his counting stats, and he is continuing to grow as a passer, even with an interception in this game.

Now that the 49ers offense talk is out of the way, let’s talk about Fred Warner’s pick six. Some pick sixes happen when a defensive back jumps a route and has a running start on the way to the end zone. Some pick sixes have insane returns. It is exceedingly rare that the intercepting defender catches the ball in the air, lands with their back on the ground, gets up, and then goes ahead and scores six points.

Warner is taking covering the middle of the field to another level and makes at least one ridiculous play per game. Whatever issues the team is facing, Fred Warner has full on regression immunity.

Best Special Teams Storyline
1. The Kickers (and Punters!) are Too Good

The NFL has a kicking problem, in a good way. 50-yard field goals feel like guaranteed points and punters flip the field in an instant. Kicker quality can encourage coaches to be conservative as field goal range expands but also leads to amazing plays:

We did see a game winning kick missed in East Rutherford today, but we also saw a 63-yard field goal (we will see a 70-yard field goal eventually!) and a punt from Tory Taylor that increased the Bears win probability by seven percentage points. I have been lucky enough to watch Tory Taylor punt in person at some Iowa games I was unlucky enough to be at. The cheering from fans was decibels above the groans for the offense. Taylor is a welcome addition to the football kicking club that only is getting better.

2. The Sun is Too Strong

The early slate had four muffed punts that happened too close to each other. Only two of the four punts really had some annoying sun since and the other two took place in domes, which brings me back to my earlier discussion on playing all games indoors. I know Bill Belichick is angry at this as kicking the ball into the sun is a tactical advantage, but think of the retinas!

The Vikings and Eagles both had backup returners on the field, and the Eagles thought they had earned a penalty before it was called back since a return team player pushed a coverage player into the returner. The unfortunate truth of these plays is a team cannot advance a recovered muffed punt.

I think this rule is distinctly unfun. Technically possession has never changed hands through the muff, so the punting team is actually downing the ball. If the return team gains possession and then fumbles, that is a different story. We should change this rule because we need more special teams touchdowns and should give the recovering player a bigger chance to celebrate.

3. Dynamic Kickoffs Aren’t Dynamic

I tried my best not to enter this season with delusions of grandeur surrounding the new kickoff. After watching a season of XFL kickoffs and a few weeks of the new NFL kickoff, there really is no reason for me to continue by beloved Kickoff Corner column. There are some teams that aim to force returns and gain hidden yards by holding returners behind the 30-yard touchback line (and maybe I will watch and chart all of those kickoff reps, only time will tell).

Overall, the kickoff has felt disappointing, and the league may look for some adjustments to increase the kickoff return rate. They could change the touchback line to the 35-yard line, but that feels improbable as it would be seen as too large of an advantage for the offense. They could also move the kicker back or move both the coverage and return units five yards closer to the return team’s end zone to make it harder to kick a touchback or artificially deflate the average starting field position.

Regardless, I am glad the NFL tried something new, and I hope they continue to tweak the rule instead of scrapping it.

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