NFL First Month: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

We’re a quarter of the way through the 2023 season and things are starting to become more clear around the league. There is still a lot of ball left to play and there will be a lot of changes around the league but let's look into the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly through the NFL’s first 4 weeks.

The Good:

The Buffalo Bills Team

After Week 1 the talking heads were calling the Bills frauds after losing to the Jets after Rodgers went down and Josh Allen had a bad game. Since then the Bills have outscored their opponents 123 to 33. We knew the Bills offense would be elite but there were some concerns about their defense and they have stepped up to those concerned. Buffalo leads the NFL with 8 INTs and are tied for first with 16 sacks. Like every team health will be a major key for this team moving forward but the Bills should be viewed as a top 2 favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. I would like to see some moves at the trade deadline to bolster up that secondary and maybe some pass rush depth could put Buffalo over the top.

The Miami Dolphins Offense

Any team who can put up 70 points in an NFL game should be viewed as elite. The Dolphins offense is as fast as any team I’ve seen in my lifetime and Mike McDaniel’s play design is putting this team in great spots to get these track stars in space. Tyreek is again having an All-Pro Season and they haven’t even gotten Waddle going yet. De’Von Achane is quickly becoming a go-to option as he’s averaging 10.4 yards per touch and already has 6 total TDs on the year. The early season schedule has been quite light for Miami but coming up they still play Dallas, Philly, Buffalo, Jets Defense twice, and Kansas City. The offense is so elite and should be playing in a primetime slot every week.

Brock Purdy is Actually Good

Brock Purdy is on pace to never lose a regular season game. The 2022 Mr. Irrelevant is 9-0 in the regular season and 11-1 in total (also… he would have beat the Eagles if he didn’t get hurt). I get the people who don’t think Purdy is legit because of the 49ers defense and the weapons on offense but we’ve seen how different (and better) the offense is with Purdy than it is with Jimmy G and Trey Lance. Purdy is a smart QB who knows where Shanahan wants the ball and knows what the smart play is during any time. He just went 20/21 for 283 against Arizona. That’s a 95.4 Completion percentage which brings his season stats up to 5 passing TDs, 2 rushing TDs, 0 INTs, and 72.3 Completion Percentage and a 4-0 record. I am a 49ers hater for life but Brock Purdy is perfect for what the San Francisco 49ers need and he is a Legit NFL QB who is the key for the 49ers Super Bowl chances.

These Aren’t Your Fathers Detroit Lions

The Lions were terrible for my entire life it seemed and it's nice to finally see a team come back from the depths of hell to become a real contender. In the NFC North that lost Aaron Rodgers, that has the Bears, and the fraudulent Vikings the Lions are taking advantage of the misfortunes of those around them. The Lions’ core is exciting and full of potential with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Aidan Hutchinson, Peneii Sewell and more. Dan Campbell is a true bros bro that happens to be the one who turned the Lions around. They are a complete football team who can do everything needed to win a game against any team in the NFL. It’s a good time to be a Lions fan and as an Amon-Ra St. Brown super fan I have officially jumped on the bandwagon of one of the most exciting teams in football.

The Eagles Are Good Enough.

The 2022 Eagles were killing teams and looked like they were untouchable for most of that season en-route to the Super Bowl. This season the Eagles look a little more vulnerable but are still 4-0. Nick Sirianni has the boys playing some solid football and are doing enough to keep themselves in good positions to win games late. Jalen Hurts is still an elite QB but he’s taken a step back in both the passing and rushing portions of his game. The Eagles D has been dealing with some injuries but they are so deep that they just bring up the next guy. I don’t think they are the top dogs in the NFL but with the Eagles taking a step back but still being 4-0 is still dangerous for the rest of the league.

The Bad:

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are 1-3 and they just beat the 0-3 Carolina Panthers. The Vikings won 11 one score games in 2022 and are already 0-3 in such games this season. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson are on historic paces but their defense has been atrocious and has been as inconsistent as any team in the league. At 1-3 the Vikings are most likely done for the year and will be out of playoff contention soon but Justin Jefferson is still a major star and it's sad that he’s handcuffed to Kirk Cousins and this defense. The Vikings are probably going down the road of being bad for a while.

Kenny Pickett, Matt Canada, and the Pittsburgh Steelers

I know Kenny Pickett has looked bad (terrible) this season but I still don’t know if we can write him off with how bad Matt Canada and the offense play calling has been. Canada has put Pickett in a position to fail seemingly every time they have the ball. The Steelers O- line has played better and they have some solid weapons in The Muth, George Pickens, Jaylen Warren and Diontae Johnson when he gets healthy. Once The Steelers fire Canada they will be a better team with some more efficiency and fluidity to the offensive side of the ball.

Saints Offense

After last season the Saints were one of those teams that fans thought were a QB away. Through 4 weeks they are still a QB away. Derek Carr has some great weapons around him and he has 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The two players with TDs so far are Rashid Shaheed and Jimmy Graham. With weapons like Chris Olave, Micheal Thomas, Jamaal Williams, Juwan Johnson and, heck, even Taysom Hill the Saints should have more than 2 TDs from their QB. If this team wasn’t in the lowly NFC South there would be more talk about the Saints potentially being done but their defense is still good and could carry that offense to at least a late season playoff chase.

The Ugly:

The New York Jets Post Aaron Rodgers Achilles Tear

I want to start off by saying that the Jets would obviously be a different team if Rodgers was healthy but injuries happen and now we’re forced to watch Zach Wilson play with a budding star in Garrett Wilson and an elite defense every week. I really do feel bad for Robert Saleh having to deal with this again because he’s actually a good Head Coach who deserves to have a good team with this elite defense. Zach Wilson is not a starting QB in the NFL and the Jets season is tanked because of it.

Chicago Bears

The Bears suck. Justin Fields doesn’t look good enough to be a top starter and Matt Eberflus might get fired before the season ends. This team had so much hype around it and they have disappointed so far. For Bears fans it’ll be a tough season but there is some silver lining here as the Bears currently hold the first 2 picks in the NFL Draft with them owning the Panthers Pick from the Bryce Young trade. Outside of Betting and Fantasy Football there is no reason to watch the Bears play football.

Joe Burrow

What the hell happened to Joe Burrow? Is the calf injury worse than they are telling us? The Bengals are 1-3 and it's mostly because the offense can’t move the ball and Burrow is looking terrible. Cincinnati is 32nd in points per game with 12.3 and without the Burrow of old there is no way they can dig themselves out of this hole. Hopefully they can come out of this season without any major injuries and be ready for 2024.

Denver Broncos

There are so many things wrong with the Denver Broncos. Russell Wilson is washed and it seems like Payton is ready to move on from him, the defense gave up 70 points to the Dolphins and Sean Payton looks like he can’t win anything without Drew Brees. The Broncos are one of those teams who should blow it up and build again. They beat the Bears last week and it seems like there won’t be many wins after this one.

Photo: Scott Strazzante/ The Chronicle