Five [Opfer’s Take]aways from NFL Week 4

5. There’s a first for everything

A week after the NFL saw a final score of 41-39 for the first time in NFL history (Rams over Niners), two more finals made the list in week 4. The Texans thrashed the Titans 57-14, while the Seahawks demolished the Colts 46-18. Both finals are the first time the NFL has ever finished games with those scores. Through the first four weeks, the NFL has finished with three final scores never seen before. If anything, it speaks to the unpredictably weird start to the season.

Fun Fact: There are still 404 final scores that have yet to be reached (SBNation).  

4. Surprising Sean’s!

Two first year head coaches have their teams turning heads through the first quarter of the season.

In 2016, the Bills finished 3^rd in the AFC East, suffered yet another losing season (12^th out of the last 13 seasons) and fired their head coach. In 2017, under new coach Sean McDermott, the Bills are currently 3-1 and first in the AFC East. They’re doing it thanks in large part to their defense. While the offense ranks 29^th, Buffalo leads the league in scoring defense (13.5 points/game), ranks 10^th in total yards allowed, and has surrendered just one touchdown pass. Their recipe has been enough to knock off the defending NFC Champions on the road (Atlanta), and the formidable Denver Broncos (both wins are the only losses the Falcons and Broncos have suffered). The Bills haven’t made the playoffs in 17 seasons, but after a quarter of the season, McDermott and Co. have the Bills Mafia thinking… Playoffs? (Insert Jim Mora playoffs rant).

Meanwhile, the Rams also had a rough campaign a season ago. Likewise, they finished 3^rd in their division (4-12) losing 11 of their last 12 games, and fired their nut of a head coach (Jeff Fisher). Under new coach Sean McVay – the youngest head coach in modern NFL history (31) – the Rams are thriving at 3-1. He has revitalized the careers of second year QB Jared Goff and third year RB Todd Gurley, as the Rams lead the league in scoring (35.5 points/game) and are 5^th in total yards per game. The troubling sign is the defense, as they’ve allowed a staggering 4.9 yards per carry (29^th) and a league-worst seven rushing touchdowns. It's like they've flipped their script from a season ago when they were last in total offense but fielded a top-10 defense. For now, it's working, but DC Wade Phillips has to make adjustments in order for this team to have long-term success. The offense may not be sustainable through an entire 16 games either, but for the first time in years, McVay has Los Angeles on the rise with an exciting crop of young talent. 

Fun Fact: The Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003 (13 seasons), also the last time they made the playoffs.   

3. Wearing off the rust

Cam Newton’s shoulder. Le’Veon Bell’s holdout. Both erased the rust and concerns with big performances on Sunday.

Just when it looked like Cam was on the decline, he delivered in the clutch (SBNation).

A week after one of his worst outings, Newton returned to his vintage MVP form going 22-of-29, for 316 yards, 3 TD’s, an INT, while rushing for 44 and another score. Oh, and he led the Panthers to a game-winning drive to defeat the defending Superbowl champs on their own turf. The scary thing? Carolina is 3-1. If Newton returns to form, this could be a contender brewing in the NFC.

Through the first two weeks, Bell was slowly ingrained back into the Steelers offense. He was barely effective showing rust from his holdout, carrying the ball 25 times for 92 yards (3.68/carry) and no touchdowns. On Sunday against division rival Baltimore, Bell rushed for 144 yards and two scores on 35 carries! 35 carries! That’s unheard of in today’s game. He also added 4 receptions for 42 yards. It’s safe to say the Steelers bell cow is back. That’s not a good sign for opposing defenses.  

Fun Fact: On Sunday, Cam Newton became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 50 career touchdowns.  

2. Mile High Defense

Is any team more under-the-radar than the Denver Broncos? Many experts picked this team to finish last in the AFC West. Through the first quarter of the season, the Broncos are using a similar formula to the one that won a title just two seasons ago – run the football and lean on a great defense. Denver ranks 3^rd in rushing offense (143 yards/game) while the defense ranks in the top 10 in just about every statistical category, most notably giving up just 50.8 rushing yards/game (next closest is Philly at 70.8), allowing just 2.4 yards/carry! They’ve held Ezekiel Elliott to 8 yards (9 att.), LeSean McCoy to 21 (14 att.), Marshawn Lynch to 12 (9 att.), and Melvin Gordon to 54 (18 att.). First year head coach Vance Joseph has the defense dominating like the days of old, and if it continues, a title contender could be renewed.

1. The Missing Link

Since they entered the league as an expansion team in 2002, the Houston Texans have had trouble finding a franchise signal caller. In three seasons under head coach Bill O’Brien, the Texans have started eight different quarterbacks – the most in the league in that span (yes, even more than the Browns). Enter 2017, and Houston may have struck gold in finally finding the piece to put the puzzle all together. Drafted number 12 overall in April’s draft, DeShaun Watson is quickly becoming a rising star, leading the Texans to two wins as the starter and nearly knocking off the defending champions in their own building. On Sunday, Watson was nearly flawless, going 25-of-34, for 283 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while adding 24 yards and a score on the ground. He led Houston to touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, in route to scoring 57 points, the most in a single game in franchise history. It’s still early, but Watson is looking more and more like a franchise quarterback and the missing link in making the Texans legitimate contenders. 

Watson has Houston on the rise with a big showdown vs. KC on deck (ESPN.com)

Fun Fact: DeShaun Watson became the first rookie quarterback since 1961 (Fran Tarkenton) to throw for more than 250 yards, four TD passes and rush for a TD in a game.