The Debrief Week 4 Handing out first-quarter awards

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The Debrief, Week 4: Handing out first-quarter awards Published: Oct 02, 2017 at 01:52 PM Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host Quarterbacks aren't defining this NFL campaign -- because they've spent it on the ground. Welcome to the season of the sack. In this first-quarter-awards edition of "The Debrief," there are too many early Defensive Player of the Year candidates to name. I'd start with and , but the surplus of pa s rushers having dominant starts is overwhelming, , , , , and among them. With apologies to Mr. Newton, the best two Camerons this season have been and . Newton's volatile start to the season -- before throwing for 316 yards and posting four total scores , Newton posted 189 yards per game and a 2:4 TD-to-INT ratio -- is emblematic of the struggles of many big-name quarterbacks this season, which is one reason the way-too-early MVP race is so muddy. ( , somehow playing better than ever on a flawed team, would get my vote over running back .) While the league searches for stability and health in its star quarterbacks, the generational pa s-rushing stars, including , and some of the names above, have proven more reliable and awe-inspiring. They have helped inflate sack totals to 5.05 per game this season, the second-most in 20 years, leaving quarterbacks to look up for a helping hand. The Futile Delay of Progre s Award: John Fox, Bears, Bill O'Brien, Texans Fox and O'Brien spent the offseason minimizing expectations for their rookie quarterbacks, artificially boosting the potential staying power of the in-house veteran quarterback options. Fox's decision Monday to with the was a recognition of the rookie's thrilling preseason, 's poor decision-making and perhaps Fox's coaching mortality. In his 16th straight seasons as an NFL head coach, Fox likely needs a rookie quarterback savior to keep his streak going in Chicago. While the ' wideout group is the weakest in the NFC, Trubisky has a strong offensive line, a stronger running game and a promising defense to support him. Other rookie quarterbacks have survived with le s. One such rookie quarterback: Houston's , who has transformed the ' organization and John Lackey Jersey potentially the AFC playoff picture despite a thin receiver group and thinner offensive line. Coach Bill O'Brien's decision to start in Week 1 before looks even stranger after Watson's sensational start (64.9 percent completion rate, 811 pa sing yards, a TD-to-INT ratio of 7:4 and a 2-1 record -- to his NFL career. It's a reminder for O'Brien that a quarterback's performance after a week of game-planning can be dramatically different than a small sample size in a preseason game. It's also a reminder for writers (ahem) that evaluating rookie quarterbacks from afar in August is as fruitle s as teams starting the season with a veteran quarterback who is just killing time before the future arrives. The Worst Injury Week of the Season: Week 4 Watching and suffer injuries on the same Sunday again was eerie, conjuring memories of a season ago. It appears that Mariota's hamstring injury may not even cost him a game, but Carr will be and po sibly longer with a transverse proce s fracture in his back. Tony Romo mi sed only one week with a similar injury in 2014, which is good news for a 2-2 team that is already falling behind in the AFC West race. The and wouldn't survive for long with and at quarterback, respectively. Unfortunately, the injuries to running back ( ) and his fellow rookie, starting running back ( ), will take longer to recover from. Seattle can turn to experienced backups and , but it's a shame to see Carson's crazy rise from seventh-round sleeper end so quickly. Cook was in the mix for Offensive Rookie of the Year and brought a big-play element to the offense that backup can't come close to matching. The downer of a week for injuries was fittingly capped Monday night when cornerback . Norman is undergoing evaluation, coach Jay Gruden said, and it's not clear how much time he'll mi s. The Jekyll and Hyde Award: Jaguars defense, Raiders offense Jacksonville to the , to the . The held Baltimore in London, then somehow to the fighting Elijah McGuires -- also known as the -- in MetLife Stadium. From the team's boffo cornerback duo to the emergence of linebacker , there's a lot to love about this defense. But a shutdown unit would show up every week. Two weeks is a trend for the struggling Oakland offense, which was long before Carr was injured. No. 1 receiver continued his nightmare season with only 9 yards on eight targets, complete with his weekly drop. Denver had three sacks and five tackles for lo s and held the to 24 rushing yards. That's not good enough for the highest-paid offensive line in the league, and it's twice in a row they were pushed around. Speaking of which ... Identity Change Award: Broncos After ranking 28th against the run last season, the have given up a total of 95 rushing yards combined on 50 carries to , , and . executive John Elway's strong offseason starts with the team's and extends to key additions like nose tackle . to free up playing time for ultra-athletic safety , who sealed with , is the type of unsentimental decision that keeps teams ahead of the curve. While the ' run defense grows stout, the running attack on offense has flourished. The have jumped from 27th to because of new pieces like rookie left tackle and free-agent pickups (guard) and (running back). This is a transformed team with a tougher foundation, built better than it was a year ago to withstand the rigors of an NFL season. The Up-For-Grabs Division Award: NFC South The best division in football for quarterbacks is bidding to be the best division overall, with a 9-4 record against non-division opponents. The , and Bucs all have some warts, but they also all have enough firepower to win in any given week. In the AFC South, a 2-2 record is good enough for first place, with the , and all sitting at .500. In the NFC South, having a 2-2 record puts the alone in the cellar. The New Balance Award: Steelers Much attention has been paid to the relatively sluggish start of the offense. More attention should be paid to the team's . Defensive end is playing the best football of his excellent career, and the return of fellow end made a huge difference . Rookie outside linebacker was a steal late in the first round and the team is more talented at cornerback than it Addison Russell Jersey has been in a decade. It's worth noting Pittsburgh has faced a soft slate of opposing offenses, but this is a mostly young, that should only improve throughout the season. Perhaps and friends that explosive if the defense remains at this level. (Honorable mention in this category goes to the 3-1 , and .) The Preseason Means Nothing Award: Tyrod Taylor, Bills No NFL team was dragged more in the preseason than the , a squad that couldn't move the ball on offense and after trading away wideout , cornerback and linebacker in August. Now they are 3-1 with in football. takes home the hardware after averaging 3.4 yards per attempt and compiling a 27.9 pa ser rating in a preseason that inspired fans to pine for rookie fifth-round pick as a Week 1 starter. Four weeks later, now that the games that matter have started, Taylor is averaging 7.5 yards per attempt with a 100.7 pa ser rating and at least two or three jaw-dropping throws a week. ( gets honorable mention for this award after he looked the least ready of the "Big Four" rookie quarterbacks in August.) OK, the Preseason Sometimes Matters Award: Joe Flacco, Ravens It turns out Flacco, who , could have used some practice time in August behind a makeshift offensive line and a rotating gang of running backs. After back-to-back down seasons, Flacco has literally hit bottom. No quarterback has a lower net-yards-per-attempt mark this season. There are no easy solutions for Flacco or coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, and there's only so many times head coach John Harbaugh can fire a coordinator in the middle of the season. Comeback Players of the Year: Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Rams It's amazing what a scheme change can do. Only rookie has gained more yards from scrimmage than Gurley, with the third-year Ram's receiving ability unlocked by coach Sean McVay. Gurley is undeniably running with greater energy, fighting through tackles in a way that didn't happen a year ago. He has been given more space, more talented teammates to distract attention and more . The amazing part of Goff's turnaround is how little he's asked to do some weeks. Playing carefully against Dallas and barely using his wideouts, Goff made smart decisions throwing up the seams. He kept the off balance with a varying use of tempo that indicates he's comfortable in the offense. McVay has helped him do the rest, setting him up with the third-lowest percentage of "tight-window throws," (through its top evangelist, Matt Harmon). Compare that to a year ago, when Goff threw into tight coverage at the third-highest rate in the league. Comeback Players the First Quarter: Saints defense In one short month, the ' defense has already Billy Williams Jersey been praised, filleted and written off. But a funny thing happened after all those "Same ol' Saints" articles from two weeks ago. New Orleans has given up 13 points over the last two weeks combined, including in London. Yes, the opponents have i sues. But this was a defense that couldn't slow down the weakest of opponents in the past. New Orleans defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has experimented with a four-safety lineup on key third downs, which resulted in a pair of sacks of . Cornerback has the makings of a star, and the secondary depth overall is enviable. All ever needed was an average defense, and this group has a chance. The Numbers Don't Lie Award: Patriots defense I wish the NFL Films cameras wired Bill Belichick around season like . Behind closed doors, Belichick has to be saltier than a bag of pretzels in the ocean. Fixing this defense is perhaps his greatest challenge since . The are giving up 60 more yards per game . After ranking No. 1 in points allowed last season, New England has surrendered more points . A lack of pa s-rush talent up front and consistent breakdowns in communication in the secondary have plagued the defense four straight weeks. I expect Belichick to make improvements, but the copyright of talent the last few seasons is hard to ignore, with , , , and Rob Ninkovich among the departed. The Curse Award: Chargers, Giants I was among those banging the drum for the as a playoff team, seduced by all that offensive talent on paper for one final time. I apologize. A similarly popular pick: the , ticketed by for the . The two teams will face off in MetLife Stadium with a combined record of 0-8. The le son, as always: No one knows anything in the NFL ahead of time. Here's to whatever stunners the second quarter of this season brings. 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