Upon further review: 5 takeaways from the NFL's 1st month
The 2024 NFL season has already offered its fair share of thrills, surprises, and disappointments.
Here are our top takeaways from the regular season's first four weeks.
Henry, Ravens find their stride
The Ravens seemingly found their stride during the team's dominant win over the Bills this past weekend, which featured Derrick Henry's 199-yard rushing performance.
Baltimore struggled to find the sweet spot for Henry to open the season, but the three-time All-Pro is back to his dominant self. Henry has forced 26 missed tackles on rushes this year, which ranks second in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. Henry also leads all rushers with 200 yards before contact and plus-185 rushing yards over expected this season. He’s identifying and hitting holes with force; Henry's rushed for 10 or more yards on 12.5% of his carries, his highest rate since 2020, per Next Gen Stats.
The 30-year-old hasn't lost a step either, reaching 21.29 mph on his 87-yard rushing touchdown Sunday, which tied the fourth-fastest speed by a ball carrier in 2024. Through four games, Henry has six touchdowns, which is half of what he finished with in his final Titans season.
Meanwhile, quarterback Lamar Jackson's completion percentage (66.7%) has rebounded after some struggles in the first two weeks, and he hasn't thrown an interception since Week 2. Perhaps more impressively, Jackson hasn't needed to go overboard as a thrower in the team's two victories over Dallas and Buffalo, combining for just 338 passing yards over the past two weeks. The offensive formula may differ week-to-week, but the 1-2 punch of Henry and Jackson should remain a factor in Baltimore.
The Ravens lost by one possession in both their early-season defeats to the Chiefs and Raiders, sparking early doom across Baltimore. All things considered, though, the Ravens should feel confident at 2-2 with a big divisional road game at Cincinnati on tap this weekend.
Tension rises in Jacksonville
On the eve of training camp, Jaguars owner Shad Khan expressed utmost confidence in this year's team. He labeled it the best Jaguars squad ever assembled and added, "Winning now is the expectation."
Sitting in the gutter as the NFL's only team without a victory, the 0-4 Jaguars have fallen well short of Khad's expectations and there are legitimate concerns brewing for coach Doug Pederson and Co.
One source familiar with Khan's thinking said the owner has considered the team's tough early schedule as a factor against making any major changes. Jacksonville faced four 2023 playoff teams to begin the season, including three games on the road and one against a Bills team coming off 10 days' rest.
Jacksonville's schedule eases up over the next few weeks, although it has back-to-back games in London against Chicago and New England in Weeks 6-7. First, the Jaguars host the banged-up Colts on Sunday. Multiple league sources predict mass changes could hit Jacksonville if the Jaguars are unable to save face over the next three weeks.
The Jaguars lack physicality and have displayed poor IQ on both sides of the ball. Jacksonville has produced a league-low one takeaway, and is one of three teams with zero interceptions. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has fallen completely off the rails: he's 1-9 over his last 10 starts, and is completing a career-low 53.2% of his passes this season. Lawrence's mechanics are notably "all over the place," as described by one NFL evaluator, and his struggles have affected the entire offense. The Jaguars rank 30th in third-down conversion rate and 26th in red-zone scoring.
Pederson's produced an 18-20 record in his tenure, including back-to-back 9-8 finishes in 2022 and 2023. The former Super Bowl champion has dealt with QB controversy before in his past handling of Philadelphia QBs Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Jalen Hurts, but Pederson's current hurdles with Lawrence's struggles are starting to feel insurmountable.
Only one team in NFL history - the 1992 San Diego Chargers - started the season 0-4 and made the playoffs.
Flores, Darnold early MVPs
Minnesota (4-0) stands alone as the No. 1 team in the NFC following Seattle's loss to Detroit on Monday. The Vikings' resume is impressive, with wins over San Francisco, Green Bay, and Houston - a trio of teams widely viewed as Super Bowl contenders.
Sam Darnold is the first QB in the Super Bowl era to start 4-0 while recording two or more passing touchdowns in each game, according to NFL.com. He's also the first QB in franchise history to post a passer rating of at least 100 in each of the team's first four games.
Darnold's resurgence has put the 27-year-old in the early MVP conversation. He leads the league in passing touchdowns (11) and rating (118.9), while his 68.9% completion rate is seven percentage points above his previous career high in 2019.
The Vikings are also thriving defensively under coordinator Brian Flores.
Flores' exotic pre-snap looks and blitz packages have confused opposing QBs. The unit's latest victim, Green Bay's Jordan Love, had a minus-5.3% completion rate over expectation against Minnesota's blitz in Week 4, according to Next Gen Stats. Two of Love's three interceptions occurred against the blitz. Minnesota is tied with Green Bay for most interceptions (eight), and the Vikings rank second in total takeaways (10). Coach Kevin O'Connell is now 21-0 when the Vikings finish with a neutral or positive turnover margin.
"That turnover differential (plus-3) says it all," one NFC executive said. "Darnold is a nice story, but B-Flo is the real MVP. Those guys trust his calls and the (pre-snap) looks he gives, all that movement around the line of scrimmage, how he calls his personnel in and out of blitz schemes, his trust to leave the top level open. Flo is dialing up the perfect formula and (O'Connell) knows exactly how he wants to operate with extra chances."
Commanders a threat in NFC East
The stats produced by Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick in April's draft, are jaw-dropping. Last year's Heisman Trophy winner has led Washington to a surprising 3-1 start with his impressive pocket presence and decision-making.
Daniels has thrown for 897 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and he's added 218 rushing yards on 46 carries with four rushing TDs. Daniels' 82.1% completion rate is a new NFL high through a rookie QB's first four games. He also ranks first in the league in play-success rate (57.7%), which measures progress toward a first down.
After eating seven sacks over the first two weeks, Daniels was sacked only twice in Washington's Week 3 win over the Bengals, and he wasn't sacked at all in Week 4's win over the Cardinals. Daniels became the first NFL QB to complete at least 85% of his passes in two consecutive games. The 23-year-old has only two turnover-worthy plays, tied for second fewest in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn recently praised Daniels for his work habits. The rookie's schedule features a 5:45 a.m. arrival at the team facility for extra film sessions, according to his teammates and coaches.
Considering Philadelphia's and Dallas' early struggles, Washington has a legitimate chance to win the NFC East - especially if Daniels continues to roll. He'll face tough defensive fronts in Cleveland and Baltimore over the next two weeks.
Chiefs, 49ers win despite injuries
Injuries have affected virtually every NFL team, but particularly last season's Super Bowl rivals.
Even after the Chiefs lost offensive playmakers Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown, and Isiah Pacheco to serious long-term injuries in consecutive weeks, Kansas City's still 4-0.
With all the key offensive absences, Patrick Mahomes hasn't quite looked like his elite self. Mahomes currently ranks 18th in passer rating (89.7), 13th in completion percentage (68.6%), 11th in yards per game (226), and he owns PFF's 12th-best QB grade. Mahomes' five interceptions are second behind Anthony Richardson's seven.
Although Mahomes is generally struggling, he's still reminded us why he's one of the best under center. With the Chiefs' comeback victory against the Chargers, Mahomes improved to 13-12 in games Kansas City has trailed by 10 or more points; he's the only QB with a winning record when trailing by 10-plus since at least 1950, according to Next Gen Stats.
Tight end Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 89 yards against the Chargers, is off to one of the slowest starts of his career. Kelce's yet to find the end zone after he posted only five touchdowns in 2023, down from his career-high 12 in 2022.
Yet the Chiefs have still willed their way to a perfect record, despite the offensive inefficiencies.
The same can't be said for San Francisco, which lost to the Vikings and Rams. Although the Niners are 2-2, there are reasons for optimism thanks to Brock Purdy's consistent performance.
San Francisco's top three offensive playmakers - running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and tight end George Kittle - have all missed time this season because of injury. McCaffrey, last year's Offensive Player of the Year, has yet to play, with reports surfacing Monday that he has Achilles tendinitis in both of his legs.
Despite San Francisco's Week 3 loss to the Rams, Purdy's outing stood out, as he unlocked a new weapon in wide receiver Jauan Jennings (career-high 175 receiving yards on 11 catches with three touchdowns). Running back Jordan Mason has also shined in McCaffrey's absence. Regardless of who takes the field, Purdy keeps producing at a high clip.
Purdy threw for 288 yards with one touchdown and one interception during Sunday's win over New England to improve his overall record to 19-6 as the team's starter. He now owns the highest completion percentage (69.1%), highest passer rating (112.6), most passing touchdowns (47), and most passing yards (6,508) through a QB's first 25 career starts in franchise history.
The other common denominator for both teams is dominant defense.
The Chiefs are allowing only 18 points per game, while the Niners check in at 20.5. The litany of injuries are concerning, but elite teams will continue to find ways to win behind strong coaching and veteran leadership at important positions.
Ultimately, all that matters for Kansas City and San Francisco - franchises that share six combined Super Bowl appearances since 2020 - is their ability to stay afloat until competitive football in January.
Josh Tolentino is theScore's lead NFL writer.