Believe it or not, five weeks of the NFL season are already in the books. Everything seems to be getting back to normal: Brady’s back, the Browns cannot find a QB and my fantasy team is awful.
Overall, the league has had a lot of parity thus far, with few teams making strong early impressions and many getting off to mediocre starts.
Let’s examine four teams off to unexpected starts: two teams with surprising success early on one that can keep winning and one that will eventually collapse; and two teams with unanticipated sluggish starts, one that will pull itself together and one that will continue to struggle.
First up is the team that has shocked the football world with the most dominant start in the NFL: the undefeated Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings won the NFC North last year. However, they experienced one of the most heartbreaking losses in NFL history to end the season when Blair Walsh missed a potentially game-winning field goal attempt in the Wild Card Round against Seattle.
With Green Bay stretching its streak of six consecutive years with a playoff appearance into this season, the Vikings had a lot of work to do to repeat as division champions. As if the challenge weren’t already burdensome enough, the Vikings unexpectedly lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a season-ending ACL injury just before the season start and running back Adrian Peterson to a knee injury in Week Two.
So the Vikings did what little they could do, bringing in NFL Draft-bust Sam Bradford to take the reins at QB and setting up a two-man backfield with mundane running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon.
And what do you know, the Vikings are sitting happily at 5-0, with wide receiver Stefon Diggs and tight end Kyle Rudolph emerging as Bradford’s two favorite targets. Minnesota’s offense has not been especially dominant, but what separates it from the rest of the league is its ability to hold on to the football. The Vikings have just one turnover whilst the defense — led by defensive end Everson Griffen, safety Harrison Smith and defensive tackle Linval Joseph — has come up with twelve turnovers to support the offense.
Reminiscent of the defending-champion Broncos, the Vikings have an offense that is playing consistent football, keeping the score close so the robust defense can do its job.
While the Vikings are capable of sustaining their strong start, the NFC East-leading Cowboys should not be expected to continue playing elite football throughout the remainder of the season. First and foremost, as sports television personality Stephen A. Smith loves to say, the Cowboys are “an accident waiting to happen.” This statement was most recently validated by wide receiver Dez Bryant’s suspicious injury and defensive end Randy Gregory’s substance abuse-related suspension.
Furthermore, look to the quarterback position, where there will inevitably be turmoil surrounding rookie Dak Prescott and veteran Tony Romo.
Prescott has played extraordinarily well and is one of the primary reasons the Cowboys have been so strong. However, Romo will likely replace Prescott once he returns from injury, even if Prescott keeps performing. It is never a good idea to take the ball away from a quarterback with the hot hand, especially when his replacement is someone who has had little success in big games throughout his career.
Questions persist even if Prescott does remain as starter, as two focal points of the offense, Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, are just rookies. While the Cowboys seem to have a bright future, this duo simply does not have the experience to carry the Cowboys to the playoffs in a division that always goes right down to the wire.
Meanwhile, on defense, the Cowboys have performed well against mediocre offenses, including Washington, Chicago and San Francisco. Look for Green Bay to serve as a harsh reality check for the Cowboys next Sunday, when the two teams square off at Lambeau Field.
A team off to a disappointing start has been the Kansas City Chiefs. Expect to see improvement, however, as the season progresses. A 2-2 record through four games is not deserving of panic, but the Chiefs have certainly underwhelmed after last season. The offense has constantly stumbled through games, in large part due to Alex Smith’s subpar play at quarterback. On defense, Kansas City’s lone dominant game was in Week Three against the Jets.
While absolutely lit up by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers in Week Four, the Chiefs do have several reasons to be optimistic. Starting running back Jamaal Charles finally looks to be healthy and will serve as a focal point of the offense going forward, which should drastically open up the passing game. In addition, Smith’s two favorite targets, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and tight end Travis Kelce, have played adequately so far.
On defense, cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Eric Berry lead the charge for a unit that can be one of the league’s best if it plays up to its potential. Look for the Chiefs, to make a statement against the up-and-coming Raiders in Oakland next week.
Unlike the Chiefs, the Carolina Panthers should not be expected to overcome their slow start. The Panthers are suffering a hangover following their remarkable regular season and Super Bowl appearance last year. With three losses to the Broncos, the Vikings and the Falcons are seemingly tolerable, there is no doubt that the Panthers simply do not posses the same talent as year.
Reigning MVP Cam Newton has not been the same, due to both the ineptitude of his offensive line and the large number of rushes that he attempts as a dual-threat QB. Newton has gotten pummeled play after play. He is currently recovering from a concussion, but is likely to return for Carolina’s next game. However, a complete change in the offensive system makes it hard to imagine Newton does not continue to take a vicious beating.
Running back Jonathan Stewart—who was another one of the highlights of the offense last season—has been sidelined with a lingering hamstring injury in recent week. Stewart’s replacements, Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker, have given the team little evidence that they can effectively run the football.
The defense has also not played up to the level it did in 2015, no doubt in part due to cornerback Josh Norman’s departure in free agency. Carolina’s schedule does not get much easier down the line, so it is safe to say that they will slump through the season and have a hard time getting to 8-8. It is hard to count out a team that recently showed so much success, but there is little reason to believe that the Panthers will rekindle their 2015 magic anytime this season.
The Vikings, Cowboys, Chiefs and Panthers are all going in directions that few could have predicted prior to the season. It will be interesting to see which teams continue to exceed expectations and which continue to disappoint.
