As former NFL Super Bowl winning scout, Bryan Broaddus says, the NFL is a strange lady. What he means by this is that most times the season doesn’t go the way everyone expects it to.
If it was that easy, the majority Super Bowl pick would win the championship every season, and we can all stop debating who would be there. Why bother placing bets? Why bother watching the games? The answer is simple: the unpredictability of the NFL is one of its most beautiful traits.
Not knowing which teams will unexpectedly lose (or win) is one of the most exciting parts of being a fan. Parity in the NFL is at an all-time high, and the 2024 season has already given us a list of random surprises. The Cowboys find themselves on this list, and not for a good reason.
Today, I want to take a peek around the league and just point out surprising facts that have stood out to me through the first four weeks. Each team has played four games except the participants of the Monday Night Football double-header: Tennessee, Miami, Seattle, and Detroit.
The Undefeateds
This section is reserved for the teams who have unexpectedly completed the first quarter of the season without a loss. The Kansas City Chiefs are the only team left off of this list because a 4-0 record with Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback isn’t a surprise at all.
Notable teams who lost their undefeated status in week 3 include the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Could the first team on this list join them after Monday Night Football?
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks, led by veteran QB Geno Smith, are sitting pretty at 3-0 headed into a Monday Night Football matchup with the Detroit Lions. The train may be coming to a halt when they face Dan Campbell’s bunch.
Seattle’s victims this season have a combined record of 4-7, and they’ve faced a rookie-led Broncos team, won a close game versus the Patriots, and beat a Tua-less Dolphins team.
The 12th man won’t be present in Detroit, and the Seahawks undefeated party might be coming to an end.
Minnesota Vikings
The only other team besides the Chiefs guaranteed a perfect record until week 5 is the Minnesota Vikings. Powered by a resurgent Sam Darnold, the Vikings sit atop the NFC with a 4-0 record.
Unlike the Seahawks, the Vikings’ wins are over legitimate contenders. Kevin O’Connell’s bunch has taken down the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and the Green Bay Packers, along with a dominant win over the New York Giants.
They’ve also managed to do this with star TE TJ Hockenson sidelined with injury. Minnesota has shocked us all early on.
Surprise Division Leaders
This section is reserved for teams who aren’t undefeated, but who are still unexpectedly leading their respective divisions.
Washington Commanders
The NFC East might be back in 2024 as the NFC Least because who in the world expected the Commanders, led by rookie QB Jayden Daniels, would be in first place through four games?
We can make all the jokes we want to, but Daniels, a Heisman winner, has brought his talent to the NFL and is playing some good football for new HC Dan Quinn. Washington started slow with a loss to Tampa Bay in the opener, but since have gone on a three-game win streak.
Led by Daniels, the Commanders have put up 21, 38, and 42 points since that opening week loss. This included wins over the Bengals and Cardinals. Don’t look now, but the NFC East champion might not be the Cowboys or the Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Another surprise division leader is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals and Ravens have disappointed and sit at 1-3 and 2-2 for the season, respectively.
Pittsburgh has used stout defense and solid, yet unspectacular play from their offense. Russell Wilson has still not suited up as a Steeler as he continues to deal with a nagging calf injury. Justin Fields has stepped in amicably.
Fields leads the Steelers’ offense in both passing and rushing yards, and although he isn’t playing to the level of a first round pick, he is doing enough to rack up victories.
Pittsburgh will host the Cowboys in week 5.
Random Surprises
This section is reserved for miscellaneous observations across the NFL.
Cowboys’ Home Record
The Dallas Cowboys are 2-2 on the season after dispatching the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football last week. Their record isn’t a shocker, but when you consider where the losses occurred, it might raise your eyebrows.
Mike McCarthy’s bunch was undefeated at home last season until the meltdown in the Wildcard round versus the Green Bay Packers. Their home dominance was expected to continue this offseason, but instead, they have been dominated in two outings.
First, the New Orleans Saints thrashed them by the score of 44-19. Then, the Baltimore Ravens strolled in and rushed for 274 yards in a 28-25 victory. Don’t let the final score fool you. Baltimore was winning 28-6 at the start of the 4th quarter.
We all knew an undefeated streak at home wouldn’t last, but it’s not the losses themselves that matter so much. It’s the manner of defeat. Dallas was pounded into the turf in both these losses.
They better whip themselves into shape because relying solely on road victories won’t get teams very far in today’s NFL.
Trouble in San Francisco
San Francisco 49ers players sending postcards to family members across the country had better use a stamp in the shape of the Red Cross. The 49ers are one of the most banged up teams in the league, and it has contributed to their two losses.
Kyle Shanahan’s team has Super Bowl aspirations, but they will need to overcome a rash of injuries to even make the playoffs. Expected to be one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, they have already lost DT Javon Hargrave for the season with RB Christian McCaffrey not too far behind.
Injuries to WR Deebo Samuel, TE George Kittle, and LB Fred Warner also have the fanbase panicking. Shanahan is a great coach. They will get healthy and be okay, and probably just in time to face the Cowboys in week 8.
Rainy Days in Jacksonville
What’s up with the Jacksonville Jaguars? They have a freshly paid quarterback, and if we are using Dak Prescott’s logic, Trevor Lawrence’s money should be enough of a motivator for him to mask all the deficiencies the Jaguars have.
These deficiencies can be of the defensive or special teams variety, even though Lawrence doesn’t play on that side of the ball. Sorry, those are just the rules.
HC Doug Pederson might lose his job if the Jaguars don’t get into the win column starting next week at home versus the banged up Indianapolis Colts.