I think it's fair to say that the Baltimore Ravens have re-discovered the formula they believe can carry them all the way to Super Bowl glory in New Orleans in February. And even those this team is only 2-2, few would argue against them being considered genuine title contenders after their Sunday Night Football demolition of the Buffalo Bills.
The Ravens dominated from their first offensive snap – an 87-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry – and rumbled to a conference-shaking 35-10 win over the previously-undefeated Bills.
In their last two games – wins against Dallas and Buffalo – Baltimore have rushed for 545 yards and three touchdowns. Henry has twice topped 150 rushing yards, running a total of 49 times for 350 yards and a touchdown. He also scored through the air against the Bills as he racked up 209 scrimmage yards.
The ground attack is not just a way of moving the football in Baltimore, it's a way of life. And everybody has to buy in. On Lamar Jackson's third quarter touchdown run from nine yards out, there was some excellent blocking downfield from wide receiver Zay Flowers and tight end Isaiah Likely. The passing game targets in Baltimore have to be much more than passing game targets.
By establishing the ground attack in such dominant fashion, the Ravens allowed Lamar to complete very makeable throws – wide receiver screens to Flowers, little roll outs to Justice Hill and Henry. Rarely did he need to push the ball downfield. His longest throw of the night went for 26 yards.
There could come a time when that more aggressive approach needs to be adopted, but that would mean the Ravens have fallen away from their game plan. Their plan is very much to pound the rock, get creative in the short passing game, moving defenders around with play-actions and misdirections; and play aggressively on defense.
It has worked for the past two weeks and we are now seeing the full impact of the Henry signing. There was much excitement when he inked a free agent deal in the off-season and it's clear to see why. He boasts power, strength and, still has breakaway speed; as evidenced on his tone-setting opening run.
And then everything else comes off the all-star running back. The offense has taken shape in Baltimore and it spells bad news for defenders across the league.
P.S. Henry could easily be in the ensuing 'Who's Hot' section, but I've given him more than enough flowers already and he would be my undoubted Player of the Week. So, let's move on and have a look at some others who are trending in the right direction.
Who's Hot…
Jayden Daniels… The Washington Commanders are 3-1 and their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is a big reason for the early-season success. Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes in a Week 3 Monday Night Football win over Cincinnati. On Sunday, he was hugely efficient once again as he hit on 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown. He added 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Through four games, Daniels has completed 82.1 percent of his throws – an NFL record at this stage of any season, beating the mark of some guy called Tom Brady (79.2 percent), who had a pretty good run with the New England Patriots. We talk all the time about putting rookie quarterbacks in the right situation and this feels like a good one for Daniels. He is led by a player-friendly head coach in Dan Quinn, has a good offensive line in front of him and a more-than-solid running game. In Sunday's 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Washington ran the football 37 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns. That's going to help any young passer, especially one as exciting and talented as Daniels.
Baker Mayfield… Tampa Bay's quarterback Baker Mayfield had an indirect back and forth with his predecessor on Sunday. Comments were aired in which Mayfield effectively said Bucs players were enjoying having fun now and from the FOX television booth, Brady shot back that it was better to win Super Bowls and the NFL was not "day care!" That aside, Baker performed brilliantly with Brady looking on as he threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a rushing score. He was the driving force in a 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Baker may do things differently than Tom Terrific, but it's working. And all at the end of a week where Hurricane Helene slammed Florida and Mayfield, among many others, was forced to evacuate his home.
Kansas City's defense… Not for the first time in recent years, the Chiefs got bogged down offensively for a long period of time. But Steve Spagnuolo's defensive unit allows Kansas City to take their time putting points on the board. KC trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 10-0 and those points conceded came off turnovers, so a large portion of blame can go to the offense there. But Spags kept the heat on Justin Herbert throughout the game, dialling up blitzes that have become his trademark at key times. And giant defensive lineman Chris Jones took over just when the Chiefs needed him most. We so often think about the blitzes and the pass coverages when thinking of Spagnuolo and his defenses. But Kansas City came into the game knowing that the Chargers, undr Jim Harbaugh, love to run the football. Los Angeles gained just 55 yards on the ground and didn't score a point for the final 41 minutes of the game.
Who's Not…
The Jacksonville Jaguars… It was always going to be a challenging start to the season as Jacksonville opened against four playoff teams from a year ago in Miami, Cleveland, Buffalo and Houston. But to be 0-4 feels really demoralising and seriously damaging. For the third time this year, the Jags lost a close one as they fell 24-20 to the Houston Texans with the winning touchdown coming from Dare Ogunbowale with just 18 seconds remaining. The Jags spoke a lot in the summer about finishing and finding ways to win. They had the Texans on the ropes up 20-17 in the fourth quarter and facing a fourth and goal inside the five. But an ill-advised quarterback draw from Trevor Lawrence was slammed shut, presenting Houston with an opportunity to win the game. Jags head coach Doug Pederson has now seen his team lose nine of their last 10 dating back to last season and he surprisingly said: "As coaches, we can't go out there and make plays. It's a two-way street." I'm all for players being held accountable, but those sound like the words of an under-pressure coach and one in danger of losing his locker room.
The New York Jets' offense… A little bit of recent NFL history first… and some context. When he took over the head coach job of the Denver Broncos in 2023, Sean Payton said that his predecessor, Nathaniel Hackett, did one of the worst coaching jobs in football history. Hackett is now offensive coordinator of the Jets and his offense laid an egg in a 10-9 home loss to Payton's Broncos. So, Hackett hardly made Payton eat his words. New York had far too many self-inflicted penalties and Aaron Rodgers really struggled in poor weather conditions. The future Hall of Famer looked seriously annoyed after the game that saw the Jets rack up just 248 yards of offense and three field goals. Denver gained just 188 yards on offense but won the game. That has to be a source of great frustration for a Jets team that now heads to London to take on the Minnesota Vikings.
The Fast Five…
- Here we go with another great comeback story. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson left his team's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a first half hip injury. Enter 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, who is now in his 17th season at the age of 39. This is why the Flacco signing was so shrewd – he threw for 168 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 27-24 win that evened up the Colts' record at 2-2. At the time of writing, Richardson's injury status is still unknown, but I have a feeling this team is in very good hands with Flacco at the helm.
- It got a little bit sketchy down the stretch, but Sam Darnold was mostly excellent as the Minnesota Vikings improved to 4-0 with a 31-29 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Darnold had three touchdown passes and just four incompletions in a dominant first half display as the Vikings opened up a 28-0 lead on the road. His back-shoulder scoring strike to Justin Jefferson was one of the best throws you will see in the league this season. Darnold has a very good team around him and it appears that his feel-good story and the Vikings' playoff charge is going to run on and on.
- Patrick Mahomes entered Sunday's game – which was his 100th NFL start – averaging 220 passing yards per contest with five touchdowns, four interceptions and a rating of 89.9. Pretty pedestrian numbers by his high standards. It was more of the same in Sunday's win over the Chargers as Mahomes threw for 245 yards, one touchdown, one pick and a rating of 89.0. But the three-time Super Bowl champion won't care. He will be concerned to lose another weapon with Rashee Rice likely done for the year with a torn ACL, but all Mahomes is worried about is being 4-0 and his Chiefs continuing to find ways to get the job done. It's far from pretty, but KC are winning.
- The Cleveland Browns fell to 1-3 on Sunday and given they were a playoff team a year ago, they have to be one of the more disappointing squads in this young NFL season. In Week 4, they lost 20-16 to a Las Vegas Raiders side missing its two best players in wide receiver Davante Adams and edger rusher Maxx Crosby. Yet, the Raiders still won by rushing for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Deshaun Watson threw for just 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception. That kind of non-descript showing is becoming far too much of a thing for the Browns. Would a move to Jameis Winston be all that bad?
- Chicago Bears fans would have been pleased with Sunday's 24-18 win over the Los Angeles Rams, evening up their record at 2-2. But what would have excited them the most was the second half touchdown strike delivered from Caleb Williams to a pretty-well-covered D.J. Moore at the back of the end zone. That was a big-time throw which shows that, given time and the right situation, the sky is the limit for Chicago's rookie quarterback.
Fact of the Week
Brock Purdy threw for 288 yards and one touchdown in San Francisco's 30-13 win over the New England Patriots, giving him a career passer rating of 112.6 as a starting quarterback. That is the highest mark in a quarterback's first 25 starts since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Final Thought…
We're a month into the 2024 NFL season and teams should be finding themselves by now. But do we have a clear idea of the front runners in the race to reach Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans in the New Year? Buffalo looked great for three weeks then had their doors blown off by Baltimore, Kansas City have yet to hit top form and even the red-hot Ravens are only 2-2 after a slow start. In the NFC, is it still the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers who are the team to beat? Or are we really believing in the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks or Detroit Lions? There is a lot of football to be played but it's fair to say this race to the Super Bowl feels as wide open as ever. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
