By Ted Nguyen, Dan Pompei and Jourdan Rodrigue
Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
Week 4’s early slate didn’t have quite the dramatics we saw a week earlier, but there were some extreme turnarounds. A week after shutting out the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers were blown out by the New England Patriots. A week after toppling one NFC North heavyweight, the Cleveland Browns were blown out by another, losing to the Detroit Lions 34-10. And a week after New York Giants fans were booing one starting quarterback, they were cheering for another: rookie Jaxson Dart.
NFL writers Ted Nguyen, Dan Pompei and Jourdan Rodrigue share their thoughts on a Week 4 in which some young quarterbacks impressed and others were stuck in neutral.
What are your initial impressions of Dart, who led the Giants to their first win of the season, an upset over the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers?
Nguyen: Dart was poised in his first start against a very difficult Jesse Minter-led defense. What stood out was that his athleticism translated to an NFL field, which isn’t always the case. His ability to be not only an effective runner but also a dangerous one will give him something to hang his hat on. Obviously, you want to see him speed up his process and take fewer sacks and hits in the pocket — he was sacked five times — but that’ll come with time. His playmaking ability gave New York a much-needed jolt. The Giants looked like they were playing with more urgency than they have all season. And offensive coordinator Mike Kafka did a good job of quickly putting together a nifty option package for Dart. Because of that, the Giants will at least have a floor.
Rodrigue: Yes, Dart gives the Giants another layer of threat on offense because he can run — and did so on New York’s opening possession for a 15-yard touchdown. Dart will absolutely face some growing pains as the season progresses, and not having star receiver Malik Nabers — who was carted off with what The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported is feared to be an ACL injury — would make his rookie development tougher. Still, he clearly brings juice to this group. Head coach Brian Daboll was as emotional as we’ve seen him after the game when he hugged Dart several times and slapped his pads. Daboll had to love the poise Dart showed late in the game when capitalizing on Dru Phillips’ interception and turning it into a touchdown. And we know Daboll, and the crowd, loved watching Dart’s particularly fearless (if sometimes dangerously so) style of play.
Pompei: Considering everything he had to overcome (a hamstring injury, a hit to the helmet that required a concussion check, and the loss of Nabers while facing one of football’s best defenses), Dart was not bad. On the biggest stage of his life, he had the self-composure and calm to take what the Chargers defense gave him and not lose the game. It was a first step in the right direction, and it left quite a bit of room and hope for growth.
More impressive: the Philadelphia Eagles for building a 21-point lead in their house of horrors in Tampa, or the chaotic Tampa Bay Buccaneers for rallying to give themselves a chance at the end? (The Eagles won 31-25.)
Rodrigue: I loved this game and the range of highs and lows we saw from both teams in each half. In the first half of a sweltering afternoon, Tampa coach Todd Bowles brought his signature heat against Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, blitzing the quarterback on 55 percent of his dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. Hurts was remarkable, going 8-of-9 for 59 yards against the blitz and 7-of-7 on non-blitzed dropbacks. He saw the field well, navigating inside and out of the pocket when he felt pressure.
The Eagles, as an offensive unit, had some fun, scoring two touchdowns off wrinkles to the tush push. In the second half, as Baker Mayfield and the Bucs surged, the Eagles couldn’t ice the game and suffered from the loss of tackle Lane Johnson to a shoulder injury. Hurts was 0-for-8 passing in the second half, and the game went from a blowout to an all-out fistfight in the fourth quarter because the Bucs just wouldn’t quit — embodied best by running back Bucky Irving, who lost a fumble but then helped his team back into it with a long touchdown catch. The resilience of both teams is striking, and I hope we see this matchup again in the postseason.
And how about the Eagles’ special teams unit again coming up with a massive scoring play? This week, it was Cameron Latu blocking Riley Dixon’s punt, and Sydney Brown returning it for a touchdown, which made things feel out of reach early. But we know better than that about any game involving the Bucs by now.
Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Eagles stayed undefeated with a win over Tampa Bay. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
Pompei: Both teams played as expected. The Bucs continued to show the grit and resilience that have defined them this season. But to be the team they think they can be, they need to be better. There is reason to believe they can become that team as the season unfolds, however. The Eagles, meanwhile, are playing as well as they have since last season. If they can sustain this level of play, we almost assuredly will see them in another parade on Benjamin Franklin Parkway early next year.
Nguyen: I’m going to take the easy way out and say both. I like that the Eagles continued the theme of last week, in which they came back from a double-digit hole against the Los Angeles Rams by being aggressive in the passing game. They had been ultra conservative in the season’s first two games, so it was good to see them put the ball in Hurts’ hands early on, which helped them build a lead. Against the Bucs, the Eagles had their highest cook rate (essentially, their pass rate in neutral situations) of the season. On the other hand, I also love the heart that Mayfield and the Bucs play with. They’re never out of games. Irving, who scored on a 72-yard pass play during the rally, is so hard to tackle in the fourth quarter, when defenses start to wear down. Obviously, they didn’t complete the comeback this time, but the Bucs won’t be playing the Eagles every week.
The Patriots had their best offensive performance in years in a 42-13 rout of the Panthers. What’s their ceiling this season?
Nguyen: To me, Drake Maye is well on his way to becoming an elite quarterback, but the ceiling for the offense isn’t very high because the offensive line is subpar. The Patriots played a terrible Panthers defensive line on Sunday, which gave you a glimpse of what they can be if they protect Maye. The second-year quarterback was only pressured on 16.7 percent of his dropbacks and sacked on 5.6 percent of his dropbacks, both by far the lowest rates of the season. It was good to see Stefon Diggs have his first 100-yard game as a Patriot. Coming off an ACL injury, the veteran had struggled to start the season. He can help this offense tremendously if he returns to form and becomes a No. 1-type receiver. Unfortunately, they’re going to have games in which Maye will be under intense pressure because of the line.
Rodrigue: Despite earlier scores (and a five-turnover disaster last week), the Patriots have been putting more and more pieces together each week, building reps and calluses the way “rebuilding” teams must do during a season with zero expectations. Sunday, they looked like the most complete version of themselves yet. (We should also ask whether last week’s standout Panthers defensive performance was the exception in Carolina or the rule — I know what I’d answer.) But this wasn’t just the level of their opponent — the Patriots seemed more functional in every phase, had a good plan to get Diggs involved and are giving emerging star rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson more chances each week (and he scored his first touchdown Sunday). Five offensive touchdowns and a neat 6.4 yards per play is a nice step for a team I don’t otherwise have high expectations for this season (and Patriots fans, that’s OK!).
Pompei: It’s not likely the Patriots will play many games like that. It was one of those days when a lot of things went right. There is potential for quarterback improvement, however. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Diggs are bringing out good things in Maye. The team is well-coached, competitive, and can stay in games. But there is a talent deficit between the Patriots and the better teams in the league. It was evident in their loss to the Steelers one week ago, and is likely to be evident in their game against the Bills next Sunday night.
After a 26-0 loss to the Texans, the Titans are 0-4, averaging less than 13 points a game and have more turnovers than touchdowns. How hot is Brian Callahan’s seat?
Pompei: Given the recent impetuous history of Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk and the fact that general manager Mike Borgonzi was hired one year into Callahan’s tenure, that seat might be pretty hot. But the Titans’ struggles should surprise no one. Usually, when a team plays a rookie quarterback, they cut the head coach some slack. It’s rare that a QB goes from a college campus to the pros and wins immediately. The Titans’ issues go beyond Cam Ward. And Callahan. It’s just a matter of who gets blamed and when.
Rodrigue: I would think about as hot as the visitors’ bench was in Tampa Bay on Sunday, because it’s not just that the rebuilding Titans are losing — they are already taking criticism for game-management decisions, and Callahan has given up play calling. That’s a rarity so early in the season, which is notable with a rookie quarterback, who the play caller must build a strong relationship with. Where there is some lenience, I’d imagine, is due to those words “rebuilding” and “rookie quarterback.” But when the GM and the head coach weren’t hired at the same time, you just never, ever know …
Nguyen: I’d imagine the pressure is intense. Callahan already handed off play calling to Bo Hardegree. The Titans had a brutal schedule to start the season, but getting shut out by the Texans is pretty embarrassing. The call to hand the ball off on a third-and-12 from midfield — while down six points midway through the third quarter — was just cowardly. The schedule gets a bit easier, but the team has to show some more fight and some improvement or Callahan’s seat will likely be scalding.
(Top photo of Jaxson Dart: Al Bello / Getty Images)
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