Four weeks of the NFL season are in the books, and more questions continue to be raised. Will the Cleveland Browns bench Deshaun Watson? Should Washington Commanders fans make their reservations for Super Bowl LIX right now? And who will be the first head coach to get fired?
As I do every week, I will address some of the questions around the league I believe need answering, and also bring attention to some things we should be talking about more. Let's begin with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation.
What should the Steelers do at QB?
Russell Wilson will soon ramp up activities with his injured calf, but Justin Fields is set to make his fifth consecutive start. When will coach Mike Tomlin made an official decision on a starter? That's probably coming soon, but it shouldn't be a tough choice.
I was confused when the Steelers made the decision to sign Wilson and then trade for Fields. You sign a veteran whose lackluster play led a franchise to take on an NFL-record dead-cap hit, and then followed that up by trading for a young borderline starter with upside -- both on one-year deals. Were the Steelers trying to create a quarterback controversy?
The Steelers wanted to enter the regular season with Wilson under center, but his calf had other plans. Because of that lingering injury, Fields got the green light to be QB1, and through four weeks I think it's fair to say he's taken advantage of his opportunity.
The Steelers offense isn't putting up big numbers, but Pittsburgh is 3-1 while Fields is averaging a career-high 207.5 passing yards per game, and he's thrown three touchdowns compared to one interception with three more scores coming on the ground. He has completed 70.6% of his passes through four games, and his best completion percentage in a season is 61.4%. Fields is clearly improving as a quarterback. Why would you take a 25-year-old out from under center at this point?
I always believed Fields should have been QB1 in Pittsburgh, but now, it must remain this way. Why? Let me explain.
It would be a mistake to put in a rusty 35-year-old who has clearly lost some of his mobility behind an offensive line that is now down FOUR starters. Isaac Seumalo hasn't yet played due to a pectoral strain, James Daniels just went down with a torn Achilles on Sunday, center Nate Herbig is out for the year due to a torn rotator cuff and Troy Fautanu is on injured reserve with a knee injury. Wilson unfortunately isn't the same playmaker he was with the Seattle Seahawks. He used to be a quarterback who could escape the pocket and make plays downfield. Now, just stepping up in the pocket is a chore.
Fields' mobility was always viewed as a plus -- especially in an offense led by Arthur Smith -- but now that mobility is required. You saw how poorly the Steelers offensive line performed on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Inserting a less-agile quarterback into the mix, who hasn't even spent much time taking reps in this new offense, doesn't sound like a good idea.
Where does Jayden Daniels rank among QBs right now?
I'm sure many were skeptical on Jayden Daniels being able to build on his coming-out party vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. After completing a rookie record 91% of his passes with two touchdowns on the road in prime time, what did he have in store for the Arizona Cardinals on a short week?
It was another upset victory by a score of 42-14, where the rookie completed 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception to go along with 47 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
The No. 2 overall pick is the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes in back-to-back games (min. 15 attempts). Daniels has the highest completion percentage in a four-game span (82.1%) within a season since 1970, ahead of 2008 Peyton Manning (MVP), 2007 Tom Brady (MVP) and 2013 Peyton Manning (MVP).
Daniels has already tied the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in his first four career games with four, and is the second rookie quarterback over the last 35 seasons to lead a team to 38+ points scored in back-to-back games. He's also the second player in NFL history to complete 75% of his passes and rush for 200 yards in a month. The other was Lamar Jackson in November 2019, the year he won MVP. You get the gist, Daniels is historically good. But my favorite stat is that the Commanders have had just two drives (not counting kneeldowns) over the past THREE GAMES that did not result in points. From Weeks 2-3, every drive Washington had resulted in points. In Week 4, seven of nine possessions went for points.
Daniels is clearly getting better and better, but where does he rank right now among quarterbacks? If you want to go off of passer rating, he ranks third (107.4). Looking at QBR, Daniels is tied for fourth (73.3). His 8.5 yards per attempt are tied for third, and his 0.9% interception percentage is tied for fifth. Obviously he ranks first in completion percentage (82.1%). Again, this is a rookie who has made just four NFL starts. What's the ceiling for him look like?
It's difficult for a young quarterback to insert themselves into the top 10 conversation when it comes to active quarterbacks, but Daniels can do that. In fact, he's playing like a top five quarterback right now. What he's accomplished from an efficiency standpoint and shown as an athletic playmaker is pretty astounding.
The defense you should be talking about
The Denver Broncos defeated Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Sunday, 10-9. The only way this game came up in your group chat is if someone was making fun of the fact that Bo Nix threw for -7 yards in the first half, but we should be talking about this Broncos defense more.
Denver has now scored two straight upset victories, defeating Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 19 points in Week 3, and then the Jets on Sunday. This Broncos defense hasn't allowed more than 13 points in three straight weeks. By my count, this defense has forced 19 punts, three turnovers, recorded three fourth-down stands, saw one missed field goal, five made field goals and just two touchdowns over the last three games. Vance Joseph's unit currently ranks No. 2 in yards allowed per game (256.5), and third in points allowed per game (13.8). Sean Payton has never had a top three scoring defense in his career.
So why is Denver having success? Well, some names casual football fans probably aren't aware of have been playing incredibly well. Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen are getting pressure on the quarterback, Riley Moss is a feisty cornerback who I guarantee wants to win his one-on-one more than you do, Ja'Quan McMillian is a great slot, P.J. Locke had double-digit tackles and the game-clinching sack last week and new safety Brandon Jones is already having a career year.
The Broncos are dialing up pressure on quarterbacks, and it's working. Denver has the highest blitz rate (49.7%) and third-highest pressure rate (40.7%) in the NFL this season. The Broncos also have the highest sack rate in the NFL (11.8%) after ranking 20th in 2023 (6.8%). Only the Minnesota Vikings have recorded more sacks than the Broncos this season. It wasn't long ago when Broncos fans didn't want to allow coach Joseph back on the team plane after his defense gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins. Now, he's leading the most underrated unit in the entire NFL.
Broncos games this season are averaging a combined 29.3 points per game, and 522.5 total yards per game. Both rank fewest in the NFL. Expect that trend to continue, as their next two games come against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers, who both rank in the bottom 10 offensively. Keep betting those Unders!