Welcome to the Riker Report, where I open up my game day files each week and share a quick-hitter observation or development from each of the eight NFL divisions. The season’s first wacky month finds the Minnesota Vikings at 4-0 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at 0-4, and the surprising results continued into Week 4. Let’s catch up with all the latest around the league in this week’s report.
AFC East: New York Jets crumble in upset home loss to the Denver Broncos
On their home turf, Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets lost to an opposing offense that recorded seven completions for negative seven yards in the first half of their game. Negative seven! Sure, the Broncos’ defense appears legit, and a Greg Zuerlein 50-yard field goal attempt at the final buzzer would have given the Jets an ugly win. But New York has a lot of soul-searching to do following the Jets’ first home loss of the season, and that starts with an offense that was one of the most hyped units in the league entering the season. From Rodgers, who completed 57.1 percent of his passes and rated 26 out of 31 qualified passers in Week 4 with a QBR of 31.6: “When your defense holds them to 10, you have to win 100 percent of the time. That’s on the offense, that’s on me.”
The Jets’ loss is a disappointing blow in New York’s attempt to take the leading spot in the AFC East — and to former Broncos head coach and current Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, certainly — but the division’s other three teams lost their respective Week 4 games by at least 17 points. What is more concerning is an offense that looks out of sorts even with its talented weapons in place, and a four-time MVP at quarterback who couldn’t get on the same page as his receivers when it mattered most and is now on the Jets’ injury report.
NFC East: Jayden Daniels asserts himself as the best rookie quarterback — and a top NFC passer
When was the last time Washington legitimately boasted one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL? Robert Griffin III won over D.C. in a sensational rookie season in 2012, but his tenure in Washington came crashing down not long after it started. Kirk Cousins might be the franchise’s best quarterback of the 21st century and has one playoff appearance to show for it. Before that, Joe Theismann and Doug Williams led Washington to the game’s biggest stages — back in the 1980s. So the hype that is surrounding No. 2 overall pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is considerable in the nation’s capital, and that excitement has built higher and higher in a start that has seen Daniels outduel Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Arizona’s Kyler Murray, while completing a historic 82.1 percent of his passes through three games. Daniels’ torrid play has catapulted the Commanders, who debuted a new head coach and quarterback this season, to first place in the NFC East, past the highly-touted Cowboys and Eagles.
I’ll be most intrigued to see how Daniels stacks up against his fellow NFC East gunslingers. Washington saves its remaining five divisional games for the back half of the schedule, and the path to the NFC East crown could very well require Daniels to outperform Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. Those teams also are suffering from dismal defensive performances, and Daniels and his Commanders look the part of a team that can inflict real damage on the division’s assumed contenders.
AFC North: Derrick Henry surges into rushing yardage lead with magnificent performance
Baltimore’s 35-10 home victory over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills was as encouraging a performance as any team enjoyed in Week 4. Baltimore’s defense came to play and held MVP candidate Josh Allen to 180 passing yards and no scores, while Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson tossed two touchdowns and added another in the ground game.
But the star of SNF had to be the Ravens’ premier offseason acquisition, running back Derrick Henry. The former Titan found a hole and torched the Bills for an 87-yard touchdown, the longest rushing touchdown in Ravens history, and hit 21.29 miles per hour on the dash — the fourth-fastest speed by a ball-carrier this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Not bad for a 30-year-old power back who has led the NFL in carries year after year. Henry finished the night with 199 yards on 24 carries and moved into first place on the season’s rushing yardage leaderboard, but the Ravens’ success in the rushing attack also reflected well on a new-look offensive line that appeared to be Baltimore’s biggest question mark in the season’s first week.
NFC North: Detroit Lions’ offense explodes on a national stage in MNF win
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff’s statline from Monday Night Football: a perfect 18-for-18, two touchdown passes, a pristine 95.1 QBR and — you’re not going to believe this — a receiving touchdown. It’s hard to draw up a more impressive start for the veteran quarterback than Goff’s showing against the Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit re-established itself in the top tier of the NFC in handing the Seahawks their first loss in a 42-29 beatdown. Goff played flawlessly in connecting with targets Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, while running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for three scores and looked like the best running back duo in the NFL. And that’s not mentioning the Lions’ offensive line, which has become a crucial part of their identity in head coach Dan Campbell’s rebuild. The Lions are the class of the NFC North, and they’ll have prime opportunities to prove it in their upcoming stretch: the Cowboys, 4-0 Vikings, Packers and Texans await.
AFC South: Joe Flacco wins yet another start in Indianapolis’ upset of the Steelers
As a young NFL fan, I never came around to Joe Flacco on the Ravens’ offense, but I’ll credit him on two points: he won road playoff games and he spearheaded the Ravens’ offense in some gritty battles between Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Steelers — the best rivalry in the sport. Now 39 years old and wearing the colors of Baltimore’s previous NFL team, the Colts, Flacco replaced the injured Anthony Richardson and did enough to lead Indianapolis to a win over one of the few remaining undefeated teams in Justin Fields’ Steelers. Flacco, the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year, threw two touchdowns in Indy’s 27-24 win and helped the Colts stay afloat in the mediocre AFC South. The Colts’ losses during the game might outweigh their victory, though. Running back Jonathan Taylor left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, while Richardson attempted just four passes before suffering an oblique injury. Both offensive playmakers will be necessary for the Colts to provide the Texans with divisional competition, even for a team that nearly made the playoffs last year with a backup quarterback and a wily veteran who accomplished that exact feat in 2023.
NFC South: Tampa Bay repeats NFC Wild Card upset with statement win over Philadelphia
What a strange homestand for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. First, a 26-7 shellacking at the hands of Bo Nix and the 0-2 Denver Broncos, followed by an equally lopsided game in Tampa Bay’s favor against a presumed Super Bowl contender. Baker Mayfield and his Buccaneers had their way with the Philadelphia Eagles in a 33-16 win, and while Philadelphia’s defense has been one of the league’s most embattled units over the past 12 months, Tampa Bay should feel great about its chances at an NFC South title. Mayfield recorded his first 300-yard passing game of the season and threw for two touchdowns, while the Bucs came within nine yards of doubling Philadelphia’s yardage total (final tally: 445 to 227). New Orleans has fallen back to earth after their brilliant start to the season, but the Buccaneers — and their offense especially — look legitimate and ready to contend this season.
AFC West: Could Davante Adams be headed out of Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is going through yet another turbulent and brutal fall, and the status of their best offensive player has become the most pressing question in a season full of them. The three-time first-team All-Pro selection has reportedly asked for a trade from the 2-2 Raiders, even though he is only in the third year of his five-year contract. His medical status is similarly concerning — Adams missed the Raiders’ 20-16 win over the Browns due to a hamstring injury.
The potential for an Adams trade should shake up what is typically a monotonous NFL trade deadline. He will likely be the most accomplished receiver on the market, but having base salaries over $35 million dollars in his age-34 and age-35 seasons should make contenders think twice about making a deal for the Raiders’ target. Adams’ lack of elite production and the draft compensation that Las Vegas could require in a trade also factor in and make a prospective trade a real gamble.
NFC West: Christian McCaffrey’s Madden curse for the ages worsens
Only true haters root for poor performances and injuries to befall top players, but I will say this — the debate about the existence of the Madden Curse was one of the best parts of football in the 21st century. For over a decade starting in 2001, the recipients of the prestigious Madden cover athlete selection endured the worst injury luck and uncharacteristic performance, to the point one of the NFL’s best running backs of all-time, LaDainian Tomlinson, declined the honor to avoid the damage. Look, Browns one-year wonder Peyton Hillis never looked like a lock for Canton and the Hall of Fame, but a selection reserved for the game’s elite shouldn’t have had such a spotty track record. But in recent years, Madden cover stars have posted their best seasons even after appearing on the cover, and Madden 25 athlete Christian McCaffrey appeared poised to continue the trend as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and consensus top fantasy football pick.
McCaffrey hasn’t played a down this season. Despite a recovery timeline that appeared primed to conclude in Week 1, McCaffrey’s injury situation with his Achilles injury has deteriorated, to the point his tendinitis has flared up in both of his legs. A season in which the electric running back expected to travel with his team has devolved into one in which McCaffrey is traveling out of the country to address his injuries, and returning to full strength this season seems like a remote possibility at this point. Backup Jordan Mason has been performing admirably in McCaffrey’s absence, but there’s no replacing No. 23. McCaffrey has been one of the most fun players to watch in the league over the past decade, and more than just 49er fans should be rooting for McCaffrey to return to game action in the near future. For now, though, his highlight reel runs will be restricted to the video game that bears his image.
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