Every NFL season produces a new batch of surprises, especially in the early going. There’s always a huge difference between what teams are on paper and what happens when they hit the field, and this year is no exception.
Start with the AFC. We know who the Chiefs are, and the Ravens are who they set out to be when they added Derek Henry to the offensive mix. The rest of the field is a bit of a muddle as usual, but here are some surprises that especially stand out.
The Chargers defense is surprisingly tough so far
The Harbaugh/Herbert marriage is off to a bit of a rough start, but this isn’t the Charger defense we’re used to seeing. They’ve yet to allow more than 16 points so far, and while that number isn’t sustainable, their next four games are against the Cardinals, Saints, Browns and Titans.
After that Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson come to town, but that soft stretch in LA’s schedule should put them in solid contention for a playoff berth. Challenging Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs is another matter entirely, but we shouldn’t exactly be surprised by this defensive development.
Harbaugh did help build that monster 49ers defense back when he was coaching San Francisco, and we knew his initial focus would be on dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. New DC Jesse Minter deserves the victory laps he’s taken recently, too.
Buffalo’s offense has weathered the post-Stefon Diggs storm
It isn’t always pretty, but the Bills offense seems to have landed on its feet after parting ways with both Diggs and Gabe Davis. The first few games featured Josh Allen supplying most of the offense on his own, but James Cook is a much better fit than Devin Singletary was in the lead back role, and adding Amari Cooper was a solid pickup, too.
The rest of the division is a mess, so the Bills should win the AFC East going away. Having a home playoff game would make things a lot easier for Allen and company, and that should be Buffalo’s goal going forward.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are genuine NFL bottom feeders again
The Jags won their get-right game against New England to go 1-1 in the UK, but no one who’s been watching their games could possibly mistake that for a real NFL resurgence. Jacksonville let the Patriots run out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, and while they did right the ship to eventually win in a route, the way they’re playing doesn’t inspire confidence.
Several questionable coaching decisions by Doug Pederson kept this a one-score game when it should have been salted away, and now the Jags get to play a series of “prove it” games. The next month will feature contests against Green Bay, Minnesota and Detroit, and a divisional game against Houston after that will tell us a lot more about who Jacksonville truly as we head into the second half of the season.
The Dolphins are in disarray
Tua Tagovailoa returns to the field for Week 8, but is that really good news? Miami’s entire season was predicated on Tua being able to avoid taking big hits, but that went out the window quickly and completely. Moreover, the lack of a viable backup QB going into the season looks more than a little irresponsible in the rear view.
Even worse, it feels like Mike McDaniel has been doing some passive-aggressive manipulation behind the scenes to get Tua back on the field, which is beyond irresponsible. We’ve already seen what happens to Tagovailoa when he takes big hits, and we know for sure now that he’s not going to be able to avoid them. His next concussion feels like an inevitable train wreck waiting to happen, and no one in Miami seems willing to step up and save Tua from himself.