The first four weeks of the NFL season are now complete, and with that comes a four-game snapshot of each team’s 2023 outlook. Through the first month, there have been teams who have met expectations, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, and others who have not, such as the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions.
The Detroit Lions have surprised many fans and have become one of the best stories of the NFL season. But should that be a surprise? After starting last season with a 1-6 record, Detroit won seven of their final nine games, creating real optimism surrounding the team this season.
The Lions continued their recent winning ways by shocking the Kansas City Chiefs on the opening night of the season, where the Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory. Now the Lions have a record of 3-1, and after their 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers they have full control of the NFC North.
Detroit is one of 12 teams who have never won a Super Bowl, and one of four who have yet to make an appearance in the Big Game. Under third-year head coach Dan Campbell, these Lions are hoping to change that and erase the losing narrative surrounding the franchise.
The Dallas Cowboys are another team attempting to squash negative narratives around their team. Since winning three Super Bowls in the 1990s, Dallas has not made it to a Conference Championship game.
Dallas started strong, winning their first two games by a combined score of 70-10. However, as the Cowboys have done in recent years, they slipped. Dallas fell to the Arizona Cardinals, giving the Cardinals their first win of the year. Even though the Cowboys are coming off a week four 38-3 thumping of the New England Patriots, there are still doubts that need to be addressed.
The Cowboys’ next game is in San Francisco, where they will play the 49ers. San Francisco has eliminated Dallas from the playoffs the last two seasons, making this week’s Sunday Night matchup a good measuring point for the Cowboys. Week five’s game could tell the Cowboys and their fans if this season will be different or not.
One of the most surprising records through week four belongs to the Cincinnati Bengals, and not in a good way. Two years ago, the Bengals represented the American Football Conference (AFC) in the Super Bowl. Now they have a 1-3 record, finding themselves in a deep hole.
In theory, Cincinnati has the quarterback to dig them out. Joe Burrow recently signed a five-year $275 million extension to become the highest-paid player in league history. However, Burrow has been hindered by a nagging calf injury, and the results have not been pretty. Burrow has the fifth worst quarterback rating (QBR) in the league, and the Bengals have only managed 49 total points through four games (12.25 pts/gm).
Joe Burrow getting healthy and playing better is the key to Cincinnati turning this season around. However, through the first four games, this team seems to be a far cry from the Bengals that shocked the world in 2021.
One team who is not surprising anyone are the Kansas City Chiefs. After falling to the Lions in the season opener, the defending champions have rattled off three in a row. At 3-1, they have sole possession of the AFC West, a division they have won seven years in a row.
The Chiefs are led by their quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is currently fifth in the league in passing touchdowns. Mahomes is the reigning League and Super Bowl MVP, the first player to win both awards in the same season since Kurt Warner did it in 1999. Most people thought the Chiefs would be just fine, and they were right.
The NFL is a whirlwind of a season that is not close to being over. Teams who start strong fall off down the stretch, and vice versa — the Lions being a perfect example. However, looking at the quarter mark in the season still provides a good snapshot of how good teams actually are. It creates cause for hope and reason for despair for fans across the country, but however you may feel as a fan, it is time to turn the page and watch the next week of the season unfold.
