By: Josh Dubow
Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have their offenses clicking at an impressive rate.
Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks and Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers have scored at least 30 points in every game so far this season, a feat that bodes well based on history.
Since 1990, only nine teams before this season had scored at least 30 points in each of their first four games. Seven of those nine teams made it to the Super Bowl, but only Washington won it all in the 1991 season. The other two made the playoffs.
The Rams in 2018, Broncos in 2013 and Patriots in 2011 are the last three teams to do it and they all ended the season as runners-up.
The scoring has been up significantly throughout the league with eight teams averaging at least 30 points, the most ever through four weeks.
Overall, the 51.3 combined points per game so far this season are the highest through four weeks in the Super Bowl era, topping the 48.1 from the 2018 season. Only the 1962 AFL (52.1 ppg) and the 1961 AFL (52.0) had higher scoring starts to a season.
GO DEEP: Tom Brady is completing more deep balls than ever, even at age 43. Brady is taking well to coach Bruce Arians’ offense in Tampa Bay that stresses the deep ball much more than it was in New England.
Brady is tied for the league lead with 12 completions on passes that traveled at least 20 yards downfield, according to SportRadar. His previous high through four games since air yards began being tracked in 2006 were the 10 he had in 2011 and ’17.
But Brady might not have the most impressive transformation when it comes to deep balls. Thanks in part to the addition of Stefan Diggs in Buffalo, Josh Allen has completed 11 of his 16 deep throws (68.8%) so far this season, with Diggs grabbing four of them.
Allen had only 10 deep completions combined in the past two seasons, converting on just 22.7% of them.
COMEBACKS KIDS: Brady’s Buccaneers overcame a 24-7 deficit last week to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 38-31.
Big comebacks are becoming a regular occurrence in the NFL so far this season. At least one team has overcome a deficit of at least 16 points to win every week this season, the first time that has happened in NFL history.
Chicago and Washington did it in Week 1, Dallas in Week 2, the Bears again in Week 3 and the Bucs last week. The five big comebacks match the total from all of last season.
TURNAROUND TEAMS: Six teams that missed the playoffs in 2019 already have won three games this season, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 3-0. The other teams are all 3-1: Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, the Rams and Tampa Bay.
Since 1990, at least four teams each season have made the playoffs after missing out the previous year.
QUICK HOOK: The Texans fired coach Bill O’Brien after just four games. That’s just the sixth time a coach has been fired that early in the season and first since Miami cut ties with Joe Philbin in 2015.
The others were Dennis Allen (2014), Lane Kiffin (2007) and Mike Shanahan (1989) with the Raiders, and Scott Linehan with the 2008 Rams.
The only one of those teams not to finish with a losing record was the Raiders in 1989. Art Shell went 7-5 after taking over that season to help Los Angeles finish 8-8.
PERFECTION: San Francisco All-Pro tight end George Kittle caught all 15 passes thrown his way in last week’s loss to Philadelphia, becoming the only receiver or tight end to catch all of his targets on that many passes since at least 2009.
Baltimore punter Sam Koch completed a 15-yard pass to Miles Boykin to improve to 7 for 7 passing in his career. That’s the most passes without an incompletion in NFL history.
*Courtesy Associated Press
