We’re a quarter of the way through the season already! Here’s what we learnt in Week 4 of the NFL.
The Chiefs have turned it around
After losing 14 games last season and finishing last in the NFL standings, the Chiefs under Andy Reid are now 4-0, becoming the second team in NFL history to achieve the feat (1980 Lions).
It seems that Reid was the missing piece in a team that had six Pro Bowl players in 2012, and the Chiefs’ upcoming games (Weeks 11 and 13) against the undefeated Broncos should be great spectacles.
E.J. Manuel is for real
As the only first round quarterback selected this year, Manuel had high expectations for this season. He’s started 2-2 with the Buffalo Bills, including a win this week over the Superbowl champion Baltimore Ravens.
That’s the first time a rookie quarterback has been able to defeat a reigning champion in September. Through four games, his quarterback rating is 80.2, with five touchdowns and three picks.
There are running backs, and then there’s AP
Adrian Peterson came alive in London this week against the Steelers, rushing for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings back, who came just nine yards short of the rushing record last season, has been fairly quiet over the first three weeks but showed up with a 60-yard touchdown on Sunday.
That makes 12 touchdowns of 60 yards or more in his carry – the most in NFL history. AP currently has 421 yards, which puts him second in the league behind LeSean McCoy.
There’s a new elite tight end on the block
Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron scored once on Sunday to total five touchdowns, which makes him the third tight end ever to have five touchdowns in September (others are Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham).
Cameron exploded last week with three touchdowns against the Vikings, including the game winner. Another ex-basketball player, Cameron is set to join the tight end star ranks and challenge Gronk, Graham and Gonzalez for number one status.
Titans’ streak coming to an end?
Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker sustained a right hip injury against the Jets on Sunday. The seriousness of the injury has not yet been divulged, but Locker was taken to the hospital immediately after the injury in the third quarter.
The Titans went on to win the game and go to 3-1, and even more impressively, become the second team in NFL history to play the first four games without a turnover.
Locker is a big part of that success. He’s ranked fifth in the league in quarterback rating (over 100 attempts) – better than names like Tom Brady and Matt Ryan.
Nigel Wakeley
Roar Guru
Might have to wait until next year now to tell, after tearing his LCL!
Nigel Wakeley
Roar Guru
Yeah that was insane, pretty sure he used all the Madden buttons haha
Jay
Guest
did you see Dexter McCluster punt return.... Amazing! Glad to see the Chiefs doing well with Alex Smith
mushi
Roar Guru
On EJ Manuel it might be worth noting that his rating (a contender for one of the most irrelevant statistics in sport i mean how can we take seriously a rating that says fumbling the ball in the end zone and giving up the 7 whilst on offense is a better outcome than an incomplete pass) is 25th in a 32 team league. His total QBR (not perfect by any means but I'll take it over the "traditional" rating) is likewise 25th in the league and less than 40 out of 100. They say in general he is marginally better than the average back up kicking around the league. I'm going to wait until he's at least an average QB in this league before saying he's arrived.