Two Minute Drill: NFL 1st Quarter is Over, What to Look for Now?

With the NFL just finishing up Week 4 this past weekend, some teams have started to emerge as favorites while others have already stamped themselves as disappointments.

The Bills and Lions continue to roll after Week 4. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs get back on track in a dominant win against the Ravens. The New York Giants have a glimmer of hope in sight with Rookie QB Jaxson Dart getting his first career win. Right as the 1st quarter of the season was wrapping up, we had an epic tie get stamped onto the Packers and Cowboys’ records.

The undefeated Bills look like the clear favorites to make it to Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 60, but other teams also look to contend, like the Lions, defending champion Eagles, Buccaneers, Chargers, and Rams.

Other teams, such as the Ravens, Texans, Bengals, Dolphins, 49ers, and Vikings, are still working to get on track. All these teams were considered favorites for their divisions, but are struggling right now due to poor play and injuries.

Injuries have started to pile up for some teams, making it harder for them to find their identity as a team early on to gain an advantage. The Ravens, 49ers, and the Vikings have all had to deal with a number of injuries early on. Some of them keep fighting, while others can barely stay afloat. Dolphins and Giants star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Malik Nabers were among some of the most recent big names to suffer a season-ending injury.

Despite the Giants losing their star receiver, they achieved their first win of the season this past weekend, upsetting the Chargers in a close game. Jaxson Dart was the big story of this game as in his first career start, the rookie finished with two total touchdowns and 165 total yards. He had a lot of help from the Giants’ defense as they accumulated a total of 20 pressures against Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense. I think the Giants are certainly a team to look out for in the next few weeks, despite their rough schedule, as Dart and Cam Skattebo have lit a fire in the locker room.​

Other young teams that have played well to start out the season are the Bears, Falcons, Patriots, and Jaguars. The Bears are on a two-game winning streak, beating the Cowboys and the Raiders. Led by Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, and new head coach Ben Johnson, they look to keep racking up the wins and experience as a group despite the injuries they have had to deal with, mainly on the defensive side of the ball.

The Falcons’ young team, led by offensive weapons Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Michael Penix Jr, has struggled to find its identity but has had some good quality wins, beating the Vikings in week 2 and the Jayden Daniels-less Commanders. The Falcons have been inconsistent but good. If they can find their groove, certainly be a dangerous team in the weak NFC.

The Jaguars, under new head coach Liam Cohen, have started out 3-1 on the season, getting solid wins against the 49ers last week, along with the Texans and Panthers earlier in the season. Their defense has been tremendous and a big reason why they can continue to fight against good teams in the future.

The Patriots have struggled to find a solid system to run for their team ever since former QB Tom Brady left the team in early 2020. This past offseason, they decided to hire former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who led Tennessee to the playoffs in his tenure. That, alongside the number 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, quarterback Drake Maye, they have started to find an identity for themselves as a young team.

You were able to see it in their statement win last weekend versus another young team in Carolina, beating the Panthers 42-13. They are 2-2 so far on the season, with Maye proving himself to possibly be a top-15 quarterback in just his second season in the league.

The 1st quarter of the season is wrapped up, but there are still 3 quarters left to play and possibly some overtime–for the teams that end up making the playoffs. There is still plenty of time for teams to emerge as top teams for the season, but the clock is still ticking until Super Bowl 60.