NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Is Matt Eberflus coaching for his job tonight?  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has his eyes on President Kevin Warren:

Bears coach Matt Eberflus has a record of 3-18 as a head coach, with 14 straight losses.

Tonight, it could be 3-19 — and consecutive loss No. 15. Some wonder whether that will result in an end of the Eberflus experiment in Chicago.

While it’s likely that we’ve seen enough to know that Eberflus is the latest successful coordinator who could not succeed in the next highest job (some do, some don’t), there’s an important angle to remember when considering the possibility of sending Eberflus packing five weeks into the 2023 season. The coaching staff has no obvious candidate to take over as the interim head coach of the team.

Here’s the staff. There’s no former head coach. There’s no past or imminent future head-coaching candidate on the list.

Of course, the Colts proved last year that ownership can go off the board, if it wants. Jim Irsay brought in Jeff Saturday. The Bears could, in theory, hire anyone to take over — if they decide to move on from Eberflus with 12 games left in 2023.

Team president Kevin Warren, who arrived after the hiring of Eberflus and G.M. Ryan Poles, likely will have plenty of say over the question of whether the coach goes and who the interim coach would be. At this point, the best move could be to just ride out the season and make decisions once the season ends.

Given how it has started for Bears fans, it can’t end soon enough.

Much attention has been focused on floundering QB JUSTIN FIELDS and the offense.

But Eberflus is a defensive coach – and his side of the ball has been even more catastrophic.

 A tweet from Bill Zimmerman:

@BillTZimmerman

In the 14-game stretch where Bears defense allowed 25+ points in every game, they’ve averaged allowing 33.4 PPG.

If the Chiefs defense gave up 33 points in 14 straight games, the Chiefs would be 2-12.

The Bears offense is literally in a can’t win situation.

And this:

@BillTZimmerman

Heard a quote from a very well-respected analyst today off the record so I’ll withhold the name:

“If Bears have the number 1 pick, there’s literally nothing Justin Fields can do in terms of performance the rest of the season that would prevent them from drafting Caleb Williams.”

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

Mike Sando’s gang of anonymous coaches takes a look at Brian Daboll and QB DANIEL JONES:

1. Daniel Jones’ limitations stand out to coaches.

Jones would look better if the Giants’ offensive line were not so weak, if running back Saquon Barkley were healthy, if the team had better wide receivers and if the Giants had faced fewer top defenses to this point.

“I wouldn’t want to be playing quarterback for the Giants right now,” one offensive coach said.

Still, coaches who have watched Jones this season do not see evidence the Giants have faith in their quarterback to operate more than a basic offense. They see a quarterback who limits the Giants’ options more than he expands them.

“It’s very noticeable how little they make him play like an NFL quarterback,” a defensive coach said. “He has the easiest reads and the easiest concepts, and still he does not throw the ball accurately. He doesn’t throw to the correct leverage, doesn’t throw the receivers open, just doesn’t do it. I’m giving you zero opinions. This is all the tape shows.”

This coach cited example after example of misplaced balls even on completed passes.

A completed swing pass to a wide-open Barkley that the running back had to catch between his ankles in the closing minutes at Arizona was one such play.

The placement of a completed pass to Parris Campbell late in the second quarter against San Francisco that prevented the receiver from getting out of bounds to stop the clock was another.

When Jones connected with rookie Jalin Hyatt for a 31-yard gain in the late going against the Cardinals, it was a huge play, but the ball placement brought the defensive back into position for a near breakup.

“The guy is open — just lay it up to him,” the defensive coach said of the pass to Hyatt. “He makes it a competitive jump-ball situation.”

The pick-six interception Jones threw against Seattle, which precipitated Daboll’s sideline tablet toss, was among the obvious missteps.

On another pick-six, this one against Dallas, Jones targeted Barkley on a third-and-19 play in the first quarter. The Cowboys had a cornerback positioned in cloud coverage to smash into Barkley the moment Barkley caught the ball. That’s what happened, sending the ball high into the air, where it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

The Saints were held out of the end zone by the Buccaneers.  QB DEREK CARR says that shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Saints running back Alvin Kamara said the team needs to have some “tough conversations” about its offense after last Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, but head coach Dennis Allen stonewalled any questions about coaching changes at this point in the season.

Quarterback Derek Carr doesn’t think it’s a personnel issue either. The Saints have scored four offensive touchdowns in four games, but Carr said he’s confident the team is going to find better footing because of the quality of the people they have on the roster.

“We have the right kind of people in the room,” Carr said, via the team’s website. “We have people that know what they’re doing, we have people that want to do it right and they can do it right. We want to get back on track just as bad as everybody wants us to. We know what we’re capable of. The best thing is, we just go out there and try to prove it again this Sunday. Make the corrections from what we’ve talked about, make our adjustments and things like that. But we have the right people, that’s for sure.”

It’s understandable that the Saints aren’t ready to make big changes to coaching or personnel after four games, particularly because running back Alvin Kamara missed three of them and Carr missed half of Week Three with a shoulder injury. The longer the unit fails to score points, though, the harder it will be to say that it’s just a matter of an adjustment here or there to get things on the right track in New Orleans.

NFC WEST

SEATTLE

S JAMAL ADAMS was strident in his belief that he was not concussed and took it out verbally on the doctors.  The NFL is pondering discipline.  ESPN.com:

The NFL is considering discipline against Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams for his actions toward an independent concussion doctor appointed by the NFL and NFLPA following his sideline evaluation in Monday night’s game, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday.

Adams, who was making his season debut against the New York Giants on Monday, was injured on the ninth play of the game when he took a knee to his helmet while trying to bring down a scrambling Daniel Jones. He stayed down on the field for a moment, then appeared wobbly while trying to stand up. He continued to appear unstable as he walked off the field with the help of a team staffer on each side.

A few minutes later, during a wild scene on the Seahawks’ sideline, Adams emerged from the medical tent and became livid, yelling at one of the NFL’s unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants while being held back by the team’s head athletic trainer and two members of the Seahawks’ security staff.

“By the time they got all the assessments done, he couldn’t play,” Carroll said when asked about Adams’ frustration. “Somebody said something that wasn’t with us. It was somebody else that he might have responded to. I’m not sure about that.”

Adams still appeared heated while being led off the field. He briefly stopped to exchange words with an apparent heckler, then high-fived a Seahawks fan wearing a No. 33 Adams jersey before disappearing into the tunnel.

On Wednesday, Adams apologized to the doctor, saying he “did everything right” and thanking him for his actions.

Heading into Monday, Adams had missed 28 of a possible 53 regular-season games because of injury since the Seahawks acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the New York Jets in 2020.

This point from Brett Kollman:

@BrettKollmann

Why would Jamal Adams get fined for erratic behavior after suffering a TBI? Erratic behavior is literally one of the symptoms of a TBI.

It’s like fining a dude who sprained his ankle for having a limp.

AFC WEST

DENVER

Marshawn Lynch politely reinforces the notion that QB RUSSELL WILSON goes his own way in the locker room and off the field. Chris Bengel of CBSSports.com:

Marshawn Lynch has always been very outspoken when it comes to his NFL career. However, in a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Lynch didn’t have a ton to say regarding former teammate Russell Wilson.

While describing their relationship as teammates, Lynch admitted that Wilson was “just a quarterback” to him.

“I wouldn’t be the right person to speak on their relationship because I didn’t f–k with them,” Lynch said. “… I didn’t f–k with Pete (Carroll), and then, I mean, Russ was just a quarterback for me.”

When it comes to the off-the-field relationship between Lynch and Wilson, Lynch stated he knows that bringing it up unearths the memories of Wilson being intercepted at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX. That infamous decision ended up costing the Seattle Seahawks a Super Bowl as New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler picked off Wilson after he jumped the pass at the goal line.

Lynch also alluded to the fact that he and Wilson never had a close relationship.

“I respect Russell as a player and as a teammate. … Anything that I say is gonna come off as malice or as if I’m a hater. … I’ll take Russell, and I’ll put him right there at quarterback, and I’ll rock with him, because I have done that,” Lynch added. “But as far as anything else… No, there’s no, you can’t pick up the phone and call ol’ boy or nothing.”

KANSAS CITY

QB PATRICK MAHOMES loves the consistency of RB ISIAH PACHECO.

Though they have a 3-1 record, the Chiefs have gotten off to a somewhat rocky start offensively this season as the club has committed multiple turnovers in each of the last three games.

But second-year running back Isiah Pacheco has been one of Kansas City’s bright spots.

In last Sunday’s win over the Jets, Pacheco rushed for 115 yards — including a 48-yard touchdown — and caught three passes for 43 yards.

A seventh-round pick out of Rutgers, Pacheco emerged as a key offensive weapon last year and has kept up the pace in 2023.

“That’s what makes this team so great, and it’s a great job by [G.M.] Brett Veach and coach [Andy] Reid of bringing in great players,” Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference. “Even when I’m not playing my best, we have guys like Isiah who can dominate the run game.

“We have offensive linemen that can block the run game, defense that can play great defense throughout the first four games of the year, and so it’s not all on my shoulders to go out there and win the football game.”

Mahomes added that he can rely on Pacheco and the attitude sometimes becomes, “‘Man, just give this man the football and let him go.’”

“He accepted the challenge, and that’s what makes this team great,” Mahomes said. “It’s not just me, it’s everybody. I think we are all finally seeing that as the season goes along.”

While some young players can struggle with maintaining a level of performance, Mahomes said that’s certainly not the case with Pacheco.

“If I’ve ever seen a young guy be consistent, it’s that guy,” Mahomes said. “I mean you have to calm him down because he wants to go as hard as he can every single play, and that’s what the great ones do. I don’t know if y’all saw but he scored a touchdown, but I don’t know if his feet ever landed in the touchdown, he like jumped all the way.

“That’s his energy every single day. Just as much in the locker room, the meeting room and on the practice field and game days, so I don’t think we have to worry about him being consistent.”

– – –

TE TRAVIS KELCE is the first to admit that the attention paid his burgeoning relationship with Taylor Swift is overblown even as the winds of publicity remain unabated from the NFL Office.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com on the growing conspiracy theories:

The NFL has fully embraced the Taylor Swift phenomenon. The man who is responsible for the NFL’s Taylor Swift phenomenon would prefer that the NFL back off, a bit.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was asked this week on the New Heights podcast by his brother, Jason, whether the NFL is overdoing the Taylor Swift angle.

“I think it’s fun when they show who all is at the game,” Travis Kelce said, via Variety.com. “I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you’re watching. But at the same time, they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure . . . especially my situation. I think they’re trying to have fun with it.”

Travis Kelce also said that celebrities attending football games “aren’t there to be thrown on the TV.” (It’s odd that Travis doesn’t know how celebrity works, given that he is one.)

Amazingly, the league defended itself. By sending a statement to People.com.

“We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what’s happening in and around our games, as well as culturally,” the league said, regarding the full embrace of Swiftmania on the NFL’s X/Twitter and Instagram bios. “The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport. The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives, including our Toy Story Funday Football alt-cast, the international games and more.”

The problem with the NFL’s decision to lean into the Swift dynamic is that it has caused some to think the league has a bias for the Chiefs, that the story is better if the Chiefs keep winning. True or not, that’s what people will believe when the league wraps its arms around the moment — and when the Chiefs’ opponent is on the wrong end of multiple questionable calls and non-calls.

That’s the real problem. By leaning into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, some will think the league is leaning onto the scales, in favor of Kelce’s team.

At all times, the NFL must remain neutral — and the NFL must appear to be neutral. The league’s handling of the Swift situation has undermined the appearance of neutrality.

LAS VEGAS

WR DAVANTE ADAMS is now willing to remain in Vegas – not because of QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO, but due to what he sees in rookie QB AIDAN O’CONNELL.  Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com:

Star wideout Davante Adams is a big name fans of teams not called the Las Vegas Raiders are hopeful could be on the move in the near future as Sin City’s ball club continues to drop games. However, according to a recent report, that’s wishful thinking.

Per ESPN, Adams has been set on playing in Las Vegas long-term. It’s something he envisioned doing when he was traded from the Green Bay Packers last offseason. Interestingly enough, Adams is also reportedly a believer in rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who had an incredibly impressive preseason.

O’Connell started for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo this past weekend and completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards and one interception while also rushing for a touchdown in the 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Adams has voiced his frustration multiple times since joining the Raiders in 2022. After all, Vegas is 7-14 since the start of last year, and the franchise moved on from Adam’s friend and college quarterback Derek Carr this offseason. In May, Adams admitted he doesn’t see “eye-to-eye” with the front office and that he’s, “going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible.”

Adams, who is 30 years old, said after a loss this season that he doesn’t have “time to wait around,” via Vegas Sports Today. He’s said the Raiders have potential and good players on the roster, but that they have to figure out how to play together. While it’s been tough sledding, Adams isn’t looking for the door.

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

QB JOE BURROW says his calf is healing, even as he stresses it each Sunday. Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

The Cincinnati Bengals have the least productive offense in the NFL.

It’s a stunning revelation through the first four weeks of the season that can be attributed in significant part to Joe Burrow’s lingering calf injury. But the Bengals quarterback said Wednesday that he’s optimistic about Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, and he’s feeling better than he has all season following Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.

“It’s the best I’ve felt after a game, so I’m optimistic,” Burrow told reporters.

When asked to clarify what felt better, he attributed that assessment to his improved mobility.

Burrow said after a Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams that the injury has impacted his mechanics and his ability to get velocity on this throws. That has played out on the field in the form of a passing offense that has been limited almost entirely to short, quick passes that don’t travel more than 10 yards through the air. The trademark downfield plays that made the Bengals offense one of the league’s best the past two seasons are largely missing, and All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase has seen his upside dramatically capped.

The result is a passing offense that ranks 31st in the league, with 182 yards per game, and an overall offense that ranks dead last (252 yards per game). Burrow is averaging 4.8 yards per attempt, well below his career rate of 7.4. He posted a dismal 2.6 yards per attempt in Sunday’s 27-3 loss to the Titans. It was the second time in four games that the Bengals failed to produce a touchdown after their 24-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” Burrow said Wednesday. “It’s been a tough couple of weeks, that’s for sure. We’re gonna get through it. We’re gonna get through it. We’ve got tough, resilient guys in there. We’ve got mentally tough guys that have been through a lot.”

Burrow injured his calf in training camp and didn’t participate in the preseason. The Bengals faced a choice in Week 1 of whether to start Burrow or sit him to let him heal. Chase expressed his desire in August for Burrow to sit until he was healthy.

“I 100% mean that,” Chase said before Week 1. “I just want him to be 100% healthy to play. I don’t want him rushing nothing. I don’t want people in his ear telling him to play a certain time. I just want him to be healthy. That’s not me telling him to play this certain game.”

The Bengals instead played Burrow and have a 1-3 start to show for it. Burrow, meanwhile has shown little sign of progress from his injury as Cincinnati’s offense has sputtered. With each loss comes more pressure to pick up a win to avoid falling out of the playoff race. That equates to more pressure to play Burrow on his injured calf.

It’s a difficult spot for Burrow and the Bengals as long as he remains hobbled. After playing the Cardinals on Sunday, they face the Seahawks in Week 6. Then, mercifully, comes a bye week. The Bengals can ill afford a loss in either of their upcoming games.

PITTSBURGH

Assuming Coach Mike Tomlin still wants to start him, QB KENNY PICKETT proclaims himself good to go on Sunday. Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

Kenny Pickett doesn’t expect to miss any more time with the bone bruise in his left knee.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback practiced with a brace on his knee Wednesday and told reporters that he’s planning to play this week against the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’ll be ready to go by Sunday,” Pickett told reporters.

Pickett added that he’s feeling “good, good” and that he doesn’t know if he’ll wear the brace during the game.

Pickett injured his knee on a sack in the third quarter of Sunday’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. He had trouble putting weight on his injured leg, prompting concerns that the injury was more serious. Mitchell Trubisky finished the game in his absence.

Pickett has struggled to move the Steelers offense in his second NFL season. Through the first four weeks of the season, he’s completed 60.6% of his passes for 200.8 yards per game with four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Steelers rank 29th in the NFL in yards (263) and 25th in points (15.5) per game.

They’re tied in second place in the AFC North with the Cleveland Browns at 2-2. They have a chance to take control of the division Sunday against the 3-1 Ravens.

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

It sounds like RB JONATHAN TAYLOR has had a change of heart – perhaps after seeing the emerging stardom of his new QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON.

Stephen Holder of ESPN.com had this tweet:

@HolderStephen

There’s been a significant shift in the rocky relationship between Jonathan Taylor and the Colts. What’s unclear is what it means for the long term. But, for now, the change has been dramatic, I’m told.

This longer story from Holder:

Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor, eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list as of Monday, will resume practicing with the team Wednesday and could play as soon as Sunday’s game against the Titans, coach Shane Steichen said.

Taylor has been on the reserve-PUP list since Week 1, prohibiting him from playing or practicing with the Colts for the first four weeks of the season. Taylor can practice and be evaluated by the Colts for up to 21 days before he is required to be activated to the 53-man roster.

Steichen said he had a productive conversation with Taylor, who has been in a bitter dispute with the team over the lack of a contract extension and had previously demanded a trade.

“He’s super excited to be back with his teammates, and I look forward to having him,” Steichen said.

When asked whether there was a chance Taylor could play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, Steichen said, “Could be, yes.”

Taylor hasn’t played or practiced with the Colts since Dec. 17, when he reinjured his right ankle and was placed on injured reserve. He was sidelined during the Colts’ offseason program and complained of lingering pain in his ankle when he reported to training camp in July.

Taylor has been working out with the team’s rehab staff ever since, and those workouts have intensified of late.

“He’s in good shape,” Steichen said. “Conditioning-wise, obviously putting on the pads and practicing is a different deal. I know it’s been a long time since he’s played football, so we’ll see how practice goes this week, see where he is at physically from putting the pads on, and we’ll go from there.”

The significant level of acrimony between the parties in recent months — Taylor had previously been asked to leave the facility after his morning rehab sessions and has not attended any of the team’s home or road games — cast doubt on whether things could be rectified. But Steichen expressed optimism on that front.

“The conversations I’ve had with him have been great through this whole deal,” Steichen said. “I’ll keep those private, but he’s in a good spot, obviously. I had a conversation with him the other day, talked to him today. He’s excited to get back with his teammates.”

Taylor never rescinded his trade request and is still miffed at the team’s resistance to extending his contract, which expires after the current season. Whether the door remains open to either outcome — a new deal or a trade — remains unclear. Taylor has not addressed reporters since June, when he first indicated he was unhappy about his contract status.

But the Colts appear to be operating like a team that expects the 2021 rushing leader to back in the lineup soon, sharing the backfield with promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson.

“He’s been working his tail off with the rehab process,” Steichen said of Taylor. “He’s feeling good.” He added, “We’ll see where he’s at. If he feels good, then we’ll rotate him in.”

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

EDGE VON MILLER tells the Jaguars not to hit QB JOSH ALLEN near the Bills sideline.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Raiders defensive lineman Jerry Tillery was ejected on Sunday for a late hit on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Von Miller has put out a warning to any opposing defensive players tempted to hit Bills quarterback Josh Allen that late.

Miller praised Herbert’s teammates for rushing to his defense, and Miller said that if anyone hits Allen that late, Miller himself will probably get ejected because of the way he’d react.

“Justin Herbert was late hit on the sideline and the whole team came to his defense,” Miller said on his VonCast podcast. “If that was a receiver, it might be different. If that was a running back it might be different. But a quarterback, that’s just ridiculous to go over and hit the guy like that. You can’t do stuff like that on the sideline. If that was Tom Brady, they would have suspended him. To see the whole team come to his defense, that’s what you’re supposed to do. If someone hits Josh Allen like that, I’m getting kicked out of the game. I’m not gonna let none of that fly, man.”

THIS AND THAT

MVP AND OTHER AWARDS CANDIDATES

Earlier this week, we had the Vegas odds for MVP (Bills QB JOSH ALLEN leading the way) and other awards.  Here are the thoughts of ESPN deep thinker Bill Barnwell (hint – Allen isn’t in his top 3).  As usual with Barnwell it is hugely long, so we have edited for the lesser awards:

Somehow, we’re already four weeks into the NFL season. For me, that means one thing: quarter-season awards. I’m always excited to encapsulate the first month and pick my favorites in six categories: Coach of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and league MVP.

We’re only four weeks in, of course, which makes this a wonky exercise (and there are now 17 regular-season games, anyway). It’s difficult for players to truly separate from the competition over four games, so there’s usually way more candidates who garner real consideration for each trophy. That leads to results that will look funny in hindsight, like last season, when Devin Lloyd was my pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year after the first month of the season. Lloyd struggled afterward and was benched down the stretch in November and December. Good start to the season, though!

These awards are strictly for what a player has accomplished over the first four games. I might mention what they did last season — or discuss what they need to do to win the award at the end of the season when the actual voting takes place — but I’m considering how a player performed over only the past month in evaluating who should win here.

I’ll begin with our lone coaching award before working through the players:

Coach of the Year

This was a much tougher award to hand out than it seemed at first glance. I put together a short list and had a quarter of the league’s coaches seemingly deserving consideration. The template for responses to this column starts with “What about” or “Forgot about”; I’ll get a lot of these here. Dan Campbell? Nick Sirianni? Sean McDermott? John Harbaugh? There are too many doing impressive work.

I narrowed my list down to three and found there was a common thread: As recently as two years ago, they were all on the same staff.

3. DeMeco Ryans, Texans

I believe there were people who expected the Texans to win two games all season. Instead, Ryans, in his first season as a head coach, has them at 2-2 after the first month, with two wins over teams that had winning records last season. In the four-way tie at 2-2 in the AFC South, Houston has the best point differential (plus-17) in the division.

We’ll talk about rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud later, but Ryans has almost immediately turned around this defense, which ranks 15th in DVOA through four games.

There’s still a lot of work to be done in Houston, and some rebuilding teams get off to a hot start and quickly fade. (Think about the 2022 Bears, who began 2-1 and then have gone 1-17 since.) With Stroud playing well and the Texans likely to get healthier as offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and others return to the lineup, chances are they should get better as the season goes along, not worse.

2. Mike McDaniel, Dolphins

You’ve watched the offense, right? Even with a bit of a chastening in the Week 4 blowout loss to the Bills, McDaniel’s offense is still the biggest on-field story of the season

McDaniel’s ability to make his offensive stars sparkle is truly special.

1. Kyle Shanahan, 49ers

The second-best offense in the league belongs to San Francisco, which has quietly started the season with four 30-plus point games. That has happened just 17 times in league history. The first team to do it was the 1948 49ers; through all those great offenses in the 1980s and 1990s, the Niners never managed to start their season with four straight 30-pointers before this season.

Of course, that Shanahan is doing it with an inexperienced seventh-round pick has almost been collectively internalized by now. This isn’t normal! Brock Purdy has returned from his right elbow injury and looked again like a seasoned veteran. Buoyed by Christian McCaffrey and the offense, San Francisco has trailed for a total of 105 seconds so far. The competition hasn’t been as tough as the Cowboys team the 49ers will face in Week 5, but great teams blow out mediocre opponents.

What puts Shanahan over the top is how well his team is doing, even after losing so many coaches and front office executives over the past two seasons. In addition to losing the other two coaches in this top three, he lost another offensive voice this season when Ryans brought Bobby Slowik to Houston to serve as his offensive coordinator. Even with those coaches excelling elsewhere, the 49ers haven’t skipped a beat.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Here we go again. How can I not have Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon in my top three after what he did against the Giants? Witherspoon was wildly impressive in his “Monday Night Football” debut, serving as a physical force around the line of scrimmage before producing a pick-12 from his own goal line. That was also comfortably his best game so far, though.

3. Brian Branch, DB, Lions   Pick: No. 45

Like Witherspoon, Branch managed a pick-six in his debut on national television, taking Chiefs wideout Kadarius Toney’s drop to the house for a 50-yard score and swinging Week 1 back toward the Lions. He has had to come out in and out of games for stretches with minor ailments, but his range and physicality have made an immediate impact in the Detroit secondary.

2. Jalen Carter, DT, Eagles         Pick: No. 9

Replacing Javon Hargrave wasn’t supposed to be this easy. When Carter dropped to the the ninth pick, the Eagles were happy to trade up and pounce. He has fit right in with the league’s deepest pass rush. He already has 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles through four games while looking like an immediately disruptive force at tackle for new defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

1. Christian Gonzalez, CB, Patriots                   Pick: No. 17

It’s a shame Gonzalez will likely fall off this list at midseason after he dislocated his right shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. He had been an immediate star before his injury, and the Patriots’ defense sorely missed him after he was sidelined.

Most rookie cornerbacks struggle. Others are hid as much as possible. Gonzalez wasn’t one-on-one in man coverage against top receivers like peak Darrelle Revis was, but it’s telling that Bill Belichick had no qualms about using Gonzalez as the primary cornerback against the opposing team’s top wide receiver each week this season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

There is a clear top three here, and it doesn’t include the guy who had a 203-yard game in his second NFL appearance. Miami running back De’Von Achane has six touchdowns in his past two games and has been a revelation for the Dolphins, but there’s impossibly stiff competition for this category.

Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, Ravens wideout Zay Flowers and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson would be candidates to win this award in some seasons; here, they’re not even close to being considered. This has been a special start for the offensive class of 2023, and it’s going to be a fun battle to watch as the season progresses.

3. Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons                 Pick: No. 8

As another sign of how ridiculous the top three have been, Robinson has lived up to pre-draft and preseason expectations and still comes in third. Through four games, he has been the focal point of the Atlanta offense. He has run for a team-high 318 yards and is second on the team in receiving yards with 134, trailing — serenity now — blocking tight end Jonnu Smith (179).

It’s hard to be bad while averaging 6.0 yards per carry, but advanced metrics love Robinson even more than the traditional ones.

A running back with Robinson’s ability to stay on schedule and his sort of elite explosiveness and ankle-breaking agility in tight quarters? So far, so good.

2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans                            Pick: No. 2

Stroud already looks like a far more experienced quarterback for the surprising Texans. Their three former first-round picks up front (Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green and Tytus Howard) have combined to make just one appearance out of 12 possible starts so far, but you wouldn’t know it from watching Stroud.

It’s a shame, too, because Stroud would be even more impressive with better offensive line play. When those starting offensive linemen get back into the lineup, he should be even better.

1. Puka Nacua, WR, Rams                            Pick: No. 177

A rookie quarterback playing league-average football is almost always going to be Offensive Rookie of the Year for the first quarter of the season. Stroud ranks second here because what Nacua has done might not have many parallels in recent history. We’ve seen receivers put together spectacular starts to their careers, but it has usually been from first-round picks such as Justin Jefferson (2020) and Randy Moss (1998). Anquan Boldin immediately emerged as a special talent — he had 464 yards in his first four games in 2003 — but he was a second-round pick.

Fifth-round picks like Nacua are more likely to be cut than start in Week 1. Thirteen fifth-round picks in NFL history finished their rookie season with more than 500 receiving yards. Nacua has 501 receiving yards in his first four games. While acknowledging that we play in an era with inflated receiving statistics, no wideout — not Jefferson, not Moss, not anybody else — has managed to hit 500 yards in their first four games.

When Kupp originally went down before the season with his hamstring injury, it seemed like the Rams would be hopeless on offense. Now, with Kupp set to return, it seems like they have one of the league’s best one-two punches at wide receiver. Nacua has emerged as a superstar overnight.

Defensive Player of the Year

This has basically become the “Best Pass-Rusher” award in recent years, as 11 of the past 12 winners are players who get after the quarterback. I usually want to find players who don’t do that to mention in this space because it’s more fun to congratulate greatness in all the ways defenders can be great, but the top pass-rushers are just too dominant this season.

Matt Milano has been incredible at linebacker for the Bills, and safety Jessie Bates is all over the place as a playmaker and tackler for the Falcons, but if you were starting a defense and going solely off what you saw from the first month of the season, your first seven or eight picks might be defensive linemen. That’s with reigning Best Pass-Rusher Alive championship belt holder Nick Bosa getting off to a slow start (one sack) for the 49ers after his summer holdout.

The last cut here was Aidan Hutchinson, who has leveled up for the Lions and has been a consistent pocket-wrecker from the edge for Detroit. He doesn’t have a great pass rush win rate by ESPN’s measures, but he ranks second in quarterback pressures, which hints toward how he has been able to keep himself in plays and eventually impact the quarterback, even when he doesn’t win immediately at the line.

You could rank Hutchinson and the three guys below in just about any order from Nos. 1 to 4 through four games, and I wouldn’t be able to protest. The margins here are impossibly fine.

3. Myles Garrett, DE, Browns

Garrett might be this season’s most dominant pass-rusher when he’s at his best. He has inspired two of the best All-22 clips from the first month of the season

Garrett has been the best player on a Browns defense that looks like a top-five unit under new coordinator Jim Schwartz.

2. T.J. Watt, OLB, Steelers

Even amid a frustrating 2-2 start to the season for the Steelers, Watt continues to play at a superstar level. He is tied for the league lead in both sacks and quarterback knockdowns. Pittsburgh might very well be 0-4 without him

By some measures, Watt has been the league’s most productive pass-rusher. He would be a reasonable pick for this award. The more I looked into the data, though, the case became even clearer for the guy just ahead of him.

1. Micah Parsons, OLB, Cowboys

By the most common measures, Parsons is not the NFL’s No. 1 pass-rusher. He has four sacks and eight knockdowns, which is impressive, but Watt and Garrett are ahead of him in both categories. Parsons also sat out the entire fourth quarter of the Week 1 blowout win over the Giants as either an acknowledgment of the dismal weather conditions and game situation or as a noble peace offering to quarterback Daniel Jones.

Parsons instead leads the NFL in a number of other categories. He’s No. 1 in initial pressures (29) despite rushing the quarterback only 91 times. That results in a ridiculous pressure rate of nearly 32%. Watt is at 19.3% so far, while Garrett is at 20.4%. Second in the NFL, actually, is Texans rookie Will Anderson Jr. at just over 29%.

ESPN’s pass rush win rate also ranks Parsons atop the leaderboard, suggesting he’s winning more battles at the line of scrimmage than any other edge rusher

Again: You could pick Parsons, Watt, Garrett or Hutchinson, and I wouldn’t blink. In terms of the most devastating defender in the league, though, Parsons is the choice.

Offensive Player of the Year

The NFL has evolved in such a way that the Offensive Player of the Year award doesn’t make any sense. No defensive player has won MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, and unless someone challenges the 30-sack barrier, it won’t happen again anytime soon. The MVP award almost always goes to a quarterback, who is quite obviously an offensive player. Occasionally, the league gives the Most Valuable Player award to a quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year to a running back or receiver, as was the case when Justin Jefferson won OPOY last season. That makes no sense.

When I do these columns every year, I just codify the difference. MVP is for quarterbacks unless someone else plays at a truly transcendent level. Offensive Player of the Year is for the best running back, wide receiver, tight end or offensive lineman.

3. Puka Nacua, WR, Rams

Puka Nacua! Seriously, he’s off to an unbelievable start.

2. Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins

Hill averaged 3.33 yards per route run in 2022, which is nearly unprecedented over a full season. It’s tough for players to sustain that sort of efficiency, so it seemed likely Hill would take a small step backward.

Instead, Hill has taken … another big step forward. He’s averaging 4.16 yards per route run, which is actually the second-best mark in the NFL. No. 1 is San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk, whose 4.85 yards per route run is the best mark we’ve seen for any first month since 2007, topping a guy who had a pretty memorable campaign that season in Randy Moss. The difference between Hill and Aiyuk is that the 49ers standout has missed a game and run just 66 routes all season. Hill is up to 113, and that number would be even higher if the Dolphins hadn’t lifted him from that 70-20 blowout of the Broncos.

Most downfield threats can be efficient on a per-target basis, but they don’t see the ball often enough to attract huge volume and be as spectacular on a per-route basis. Hill has been targeted on more than 35% of his routes, which means he gets the ball about as often as Davante Adams or Travis Kelce. What he can do with the ball in his hands, of course, is one of one.

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers

The McCaffrey renaissance is too much to deny for the top spot. After missing the better part of two seasons because of injuries and getting off to a decent start with the Panthers last season, he joined the 49ers last October and has become the focal point of the league’s most consistently dominant offense.

McCaffrey leads the NFL in rushes with 80, but he’s still averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. He ranks third in rush yards over expectation (RYOE), has generated eight more first downs than anyone else and leads the league in touchdowns (seven). He’s doing this in an offense in which backups Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason have averaged 3.3 yards per carry. Coach Kyle Shanahan makes life easier for his running backs, but McCaffrey is doing much more than profiting from a great scheme and playcaller.

And, of course, there’s what McCaffrey adds as a receiver. He hasn’t been as spectacularly efficient as his Carolina days, but he has 18 catches for 141 yards. He’s averaging 1.72 yards per route run. He has basically been as productive in the passing game as George Kittle and has also been the best running back in football. No other non-quarterback can match his ability to drive offense in multiple ways.

If we’re going to play the projection game, McCaffrey is on pace for 1,950 rushing yards, 599 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns from scrimmage. If he keeps that up and challenges the 2,000-rushing yard barrier, he will have to be in the MVP discussion. He’s playing the same way LaDainian Tomlinson did when the Chargers legend won MVP in 2006.

Most Valuable Player

McCaffrey is not in the MVP discussion here for reasons you’ll read about in a moment. While the less notable awards have plenty of candidates, MVP is one in which the top of the field is settled right now. There’s a top tier with McCaffrey and maybe five quarterback candidates. The top two candidates from 2022, Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, haven’t hit those same lofty heights, and others have managed to top them this season.

The difficult thing in gauging the quarterback class is there really has been only one quarterback who has had a great game in all four weeks. The other top candidates have each had one game that was either disappointing and/or damaging to their team’s chances of winning.

One of those sorts of games keeps the current betting favorite out of the top three. Buffalo’s Josh Allen has been the league’s best quarterback over the past three weeks, leading the NFL in QBR while throwing for 812 yards with seven touchdowns. Crucially, he has only had one interception over that span. Still, I can’t throw away what Allen did against the Jets, when he turned the ball over four times and kept Zach Wilson & Co. in the contest long enough for their special teams to score in overtime. One awful game out of 17 isn’t a big deal, and if Allen continues to excel, the rough debut will fade away. One in four, though, is a different story.

Lamar Jackson also comes up just short. The Ravens quarterback has looked great at times during his team’s 3-1 start, which has come without key players such as left tackle Ronnie Stanley, wideout Odell Beckham Jr., running back J.K. Dobbins and tight end Mark Andrews on the field for stretches of time. He is completing a whopping 74.3% of his passes, up nearly 11 points from his career average, while still maintaining an above-average 7.6 yards per pass attempt.

Jackson also has fumbled a league-high six times, which isn’t great. Quarterbacks can get the blame for fumbles that come on bad snaps, but five of his six have come on strip sacks or scrambles. While Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa has five fumbles, as an example, four of them have been on bad snaps.

Jackson, the unanimous league MVP in 2019, is still contributing as a runner, with a 101-yard game against the Colts and four touchdowns over the past two games, but he has just 23 rush yards over expectation (RYOE) on 41 carries. Even as recently as last season, his 292 RYOE was the second-best mark in the NFL and came on a mere 112 attempts. He has made exciting strides as a passer and is definitely an MVP candidate, but the three players ahead of him have been more dominant at their best.

3. Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers

Just ignore what happens on fourth-and-short. Playing without running back Austin Ekeler for most of the first month and center Corey Linsley and wideout Mike Williams during Sunday’s win over the Raiders, Herbert has continued to produce.

Herbert has just one turnover in four games, an interception in the third quarter against Vegas. He has fumbled once. He ranks second in completion percentage over expected (CPOE) behind Allen while throwing more than 15% of his passes 20 or more yards downfield, which is the second-highest rate behind Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill. He also has scored three rushing touchdowns, including two sneaks and a 12-yard scramble in Week 4.

Herbert has been a one-man wrecking crew in the red zone. His 95.3 QBR there is the third-best mark in football among quarterbacks who have started all four games. Inside the 20, he is 14-of-22 for 73 yards with six passing touchdowns and no picks. Add in those three rushing scores and I’m not sure anybody has been more ruthless in scoring range.

Herbert is throwing deeper more often, as expected after the arrival of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but that’s probably the area where he can still stand to improve if he wants to win MVP. His 86.4 QBR on passes traveling 20 yards or more in the air ranks 16th. He has attempted more deep throws than anybody else, but he has completed 39.1% of those passes. His 5% CPOE on those passes ranks 19th.

We know Herbert can be a devastating downfield passer, but if he can pull that off without Williams — who’s out for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee — that might be the last barrier remaining for Herbert as a passer. The other big roadblock is the guy in Kansas City. Mahomes might not win MVP this season, but the award winner in real life almost always comes from a division winner. The last time a league MVP didn’t finish the season with his team in first place was 2012, when Adrian Peterson carried the Vikings to the wild-card round. If the Chargers can somehow topple the Chiefs, Herbert might have his best shot of taking home hardware.

2. Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers

I don’t think it’s possible to have McCaffrey and Purdy in the top three for MVP balloting, but one of them has to be in the mix given how consistent and dominant the 49ers have been on offense. I’ve already made the argument for McCaffrey as Offensive Player of the Year and would have no qualms about anybody picking him as the best MVP candidate on the roster as well.

What I keep coming back to with Purdy, though, is how much of our opinion has been formed by how he entered the league. Since Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant and the third choice for the 49ers at quarterback, it’s easy to write him off as a product of his surroundings, a passer blessed to fall into a lineup with McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, and to throw for the league’s best playcaller in Kyle Shanahan. And obviously, there’s nobody arguing against the idea Purdy is in a great situation.

Purdy has now started 12 games between the regular season and postseason, though. One of them ended when his right elbow exploded. The other 11 have been 49ers wins. Jimmy Garoppolo & Co. weren’t winning 100% of the time. Purdy’s numbers are superior to what Garoppolo was doing in San Francisco. He has outplayed Trey Lance, Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard and all of the other various quarterbacks the Niners have had in the Shanahan era. And while they didn’t have McCaffrey, Josh Johnson did play in the NFC Championship Game, and he wasn’t able to recreate what Purdy has done or come close.

The scary thing for people doubting Purdy is he has taken a significant leap forward through four games this season. His completion percentage (72.3%) has jumped five points. He’s averaging a full yard more per throw (9.1). His success rate as a passer is up from 50% to 57.1%. After throwing for first downs on just under 39% of his attempts last season, he is north of 48% this season, which is the best mark in football. He also has yet to throw an interception this season, one of just three four-game starters to avoid throwing a pick alongside C.J. Stroud and Joshua Dobbs.

Purdy has gotten away with a couple of dropped picks, and he has fumbled four times, losing one. Interceptions are inevitably going to start popping up. The only real hole you can poke in his performance, relative to other quarterbacks, is he just hasn’t needed to throw often. He’s averaging 28 pass attempts per game, while Herbert’s up at 36.3 and our No. 1 passer is at 34.

Given that Purdy is leading the league in QBR and adjusted yards per attempt and has had the 49ers in position for double-digit leads in the fourth quarter of each of their first four games, should we be blaming him for killing off games before the final few drives? He’s tied for 32nd in passes thrown in the fourth quarter because the job has been done, not because the 49ers don’t want him to throw. Even with some sort of Shanahan/McCaffrey discount, Purdy has been one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins

Tagovailoa’s worst game was his most recent, so there will probably be some recency bias arguing against him being the best player in football. I don’t think it’s a clear and obvious choice after that game against the Bills, but the heights Tagovailoa hit over his first three games more than overcome a middling performance against a great defense.

Even with the Bills game included, Tagovailoa is averaging 8.9 yards per dropback. Purdy is the only other quarterback above 7.4, and he’s still a full half-yard short of Tagovailoa. Going back through 2007, that’s the 13th-best mark through the first four weeks of a season. Just ahead of Tagovailoa are two of the three best passing seasons of this century: Tom Brady in 2007 and Peyton Manning in 2013.

In concert with the speed Tagovailoa has at receiver, he has been able to process and deliver accurate passes faster than anybody else. His average pass attempt thrown under 2.5 seconds gains 8.8 yards. The league average on those throws is 6.0 yards per pass, and no other signal-caller is averaging even 8.0 yards per throw.

Purdy and Tagovailoa also stand ahead of the pack when it comes to Pro Football Reference’s version of success rate. According to PFR, Tagovailoa’s 58.2% success rate on dropbacks is the best in football. Purdy ranks second at 57.1%, and Allen’s way back in third at 53.5%. The Bills standout is closer to Mahomes in 11th place than he is to Tagovailoa in first.

Are there holes you can poke in Tagovailoa’s MVP case? Sure. He has thrown three interceptions, which is more than you typically expect from the league MVP in four games. He has been middling on deep passes, as his 40.5 QBR there ranks 27th. Of course, in the 11- to 20-yard range, he has thrown for a league-high 492 yards, posted a 14.4% CPOE and averaged 13.3 yards per attempt. While seeing the Tagovailoa who torched teams downfield in 2022 and led the league in deep QBR would be a pleasant return, it isn’t as if he is getting by on screens, either.

In a season without a perfect candidate, Tagovailoa is the best choice through four weeks. Compared to someone like Allen, his highs have been higher and his lows haven’t been as low. He has been more spectacular than Herbert and been more essential to his team than Purdy. What I said about Herbert and Mahomes, though, also applies to Tagovailoa and Allen. The MVP probably needs to win its division to claim the real award at the end of the season, and Tagovailoa already is down the tiebreaker to Allen and the Bills. When Buffalo makes its visit to Miami in Week 18, that game might end up deciding both the AFC East and the MVP race.