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The 2024 NFL season has certainly gotten off to a weird start, even weirder than usual by the NFL’s standards. Defenses have been getting the best of offenses, a rookie quarterback in Washington (Jayden Daniels) is quickly becoming a star, and of course the Vikings with Sam Darnold are the only 4-0 team in the NFC.
We all saw that last one coming, right?
The Kansas City Chiefs were the only other team to start 4-0 in September, but it’s not like they have played their best football as they pursue the three-peat this year. The Chiefs have tied the NFL record by winning 7 straight games by 1-to-7 points.
But it is a long season with many twists and turns to come. We have highlighted the 5 must-watch NFL games in October.
Note that none of our first 4 games are in prime time either, which just goes to show how difficult it is to plan an NFL schedule in this unpredictable league. That’s why the NFL is our favorite soap opera.
Week 6: Washington Commanders at Baltimore Ravens (10/13/2024)
The Baltimore Ravens came into this season with the highest of expectations after hosting the AFC Championship Game as the No. 1 seed last year. The Washington Commanders were an afterthought with a brand-new coaching staff with Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and they drafted quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick.
The Commanders were not expected to do much this season, but their 3-1 start has been jaw dropping given how efficient the offense has been with a rookie quarterback at the helm.
Daniels has been nothing short of amazing as he has completed 82.1% of his passes, the highest mark in any 4-game span in NFL history, and it’s only his first 4 games. He’s not just dinking and dunking either as he is moving the chains with the highest success rate and EPA in the league, and the Commanders are the most efficient offense, ranked No. 1 in both yards and points per drive.
Record-Breaking Scoring Streak
At one point this season, Daniels led the Commanders on 16 straight scoring drives when you exclude kneeldowns, which is the longest-known streak by a quarterback in NFL history.
Daniels is already a better-than-even favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, but it should be a fun matchup when he faces Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Baltimore in Week 6.
Ravens Rocky Start and Comeback
The Ravens got off to a bad 0-2 start as Derrick Henry looked old in Kansas City in Week 1, and the team blew a late 10-point lead at home to Gardner Minshew and the Raiders in Week 2. But in getting back to basics, the Ravens just ran through Dallas and Buffalo to get back to .500, looking like a Super Bowl contender again.
Henry has looked fantastic as he had an 87-yard touchdown run to start the Buffalo game, and he finished with 199 rushing yards. He could be a frontrunner at top-rated sportsbooks for Offensive Player of the Year very soon and is eyeing another rushing title.
The Ravens no longer look like the No. 1 defense they had last season, but they held a hot Buffalo team to 10 points last week. They’ll get a great test from the Commanders’ hot offense.
Let’s also remember that Lamar Jackson is 21-1 against the NFC in his career, so Daniels outdueling him in Baltimore would be a tip in the rookie’s cap as he starts to build his own MVP case.
Week 7: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (10/20/2024)
The Detroit Lions were favored to repeat as division champions in the NFC North this year. The Minnesota Vikings were the only NFC North team projected to finish with a losing record, and they lost quarterback Kirk Cousins and edge rusher Danielle Hunter, replacing them with rookies in the draft.
Darnold’s Historic Start
One of those rookies, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, had season-ending surgery after just one preseason game too. That guaranteed Sam Darnold was going to be the team’s quarterback all year, and no one could have imagined the start he’s had to the 2024 NFL season.
Darnold is the only quarterback this century to start 4-0 with his new team while throwing multiple touchdown passes in each game. He leads the NFL with 11 touchdown passes and a 118.9 passer rating. Darnold could be a viable MVP candidate for your NFL picks this year, something no one should have predicted.
The Minnesota defense, coordinated by Brian Flores, has also been very impressive after frustrating Brock Purdy (49ers), C.J. Stroud (Texans), and Jordan Love (Packers) in consecutive weeks. That’s 3 Super Bowl contenders.
Lions’ Slow Start
The Lions still look like a Super Bowl contender, though Jared Goff had a slow start to this season with the passing game. Maybe Monday night will turn it around for him, because Goff set an NFL record by completing all 18 of his passes against Seattle, the only 100% completion percentage game in NFL history by a quarterback and team (min. 11 passes). Goff even caught a touchdown from Amon-Ra St. Brown on a trick play.
Detroit’s offense still looks very formidable, and Aidan Hutchinson is a favorite for Defensive Player of the Year as he had 4.5 sacks against Tampa Bay and is dominating the league in pass pressures. Detroit’s defense looks improved over last year’s unit that struggled.
But who could have imagined that when these teams meet in Week 7, the Vikings could be in 1st place? It should be quite the battle with many points expected, but don’t count out that Minnesota defense from making the difference.
Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers (10/20/2024)
The late afternoon game to watch in Week 7 is the Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers. Both still look formidable and are at the top of the odds for winning the Super Bowl this year, but both teams have also taken some injury hits so far.
The Chiefs lost Hollywood Brown, their new acquisition at wide receiver, before the season even started. Running back Isiah Pacheco will be out for about 2 months, and last week, Patrick Mahomes dove into Rashee Rice’s knee by accident, and he’ll miss at least the next 4 games, including this big one. The Chiefs are lucky it’s not season-ending for Rice, and at this point, we can’t rule out that it isn’t. Very peculiar situation brewing there.
But the Chiefs won’t get a pity party from the 49ers. They’ve yet to see star running back Christian McCaffrey as he’s gone to Germany for a 2nd opinion about his Achilles tendinitis, which isn’t a good sign. They have been without their 1st-round pick, wideout Ricky Pearsall, after he was shot in a robbery attempt before Week 1. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel have also missed some time to injury already.
But Brock Purdy is playing at a high level again despite the missing pieces around him. He’s arguably been playing much better than Patrick Mahomes, who seems to throw a bad interception every week this season as the offense just looks off still for the Chiefs despite the addition of speedy wideout Xavier Worthy. It looks like a 35-year-old Travis Kelce will still have to carry the load in Kansas City with Rice out.
A Crucial Game
These teams have played some classic Super Bowls, but this game is huge for the 49ers just to get over the mental block of being unable to beat Mahomes, who they are 0-4 against dating back to 2018. They had a crack at him at home in the 2022 season too, and after leading 10-0 early, they still found a way to give up 44 points.
There has only been a single Super Bowl rematch in back-to-back years in NFL history when the Cowboys and Bills met in 1992 and 1993 with Dallas winning both times. That’s why it is hard to say this will be a Super Bowl LIX preview even if the current odds favor both teams despite their injuries and play so far.
But it could be a great game, and it is definitely an important hurdle for the 49ers to overcome.
Week 8: Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks (10/27/2024)
Moving onto Week 8, there is a late-afternoon clash in Seattle with the Seahawks and Bills, who both started 3-0 before falling in Week 4.
Geno Smith and Josh Allen have been 2 of the best quarterbacks this season as they adjust to their new surroundings with the Seahawks going with a new coaching staff and the Bills going without Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis as their top receivers.
The Seahawks looked good defensively under new coach Mike Macdonald, but the competition certainly helped as they faced Denver rookie Bo Nix in his NFL debut, Jacoby Brissett behind a poor offensive line in New England, and Skylar Thompson for the Dolphins after Tua Tagovailoa was out with a concussion.
When Seattle played a real offense in Detroit last week, the defense was lit up for 42 points and allowed 100% pass completions, a single-game record in NFL history. Alas, the Seahawks were very injured on defense, so hopefully by the time they get to Week 8, they’ll have reinforcements to deal with Buffalo.
The Bills had a great 3-0 start, and after demolishing the Jaguars on a Monday night, many were already saying Josh Allen will win his first MVP and this just might be his and Buffalo’s year.
The problem there is the Bills only defeated a bad Arizona team that was close to beating them in the closing seconds in Week 1, a terrible performance by a Miami team in Week 2, and Trevor Lawrence has lost 9 straight starts for the Jaguars.
Once faced with a real opponent like Baltimore, the Bills folded on both sides of the ball in a 35-10 loss, their biggest loss in years by margin of defeat. Suddenly, it is fair to question if an offense that is leaning on Khali Shakir to be the No. 1 receiver has enough to deal with elite competition. The rest of the offense is looking for rookie Keon Coleman to be productive, and then a combo of James Cook and Dalton Kincaid at running back and tight end.
The Path Ahead
But the Seahawks have a shot to surprise people in the NFC West, especially if they can find a way to get a win over the 49ers in Week 6. The Bills are still looking like the best team in the AFC East, but that offense is going to have to show up in the bigger games this year.
This should be a fun one with the way Geno can sling it to his skill players, and Allen is always fun to watch.
Week 9: Houston Texans at New York Jets (10/31/2024)
The final game of October is also the 1st game of Week 9 as the Houston Texans travel to take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
It was in New York last year when quarterback C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion that kept him out for a few weeks. It was also the game where DeMeco Ryans’ defense was embarrassed by Zach Wilson in a 30-6 loss, so we’ll see if the Jets just have Houston’s number or not.
Stroud Shines, Jets Struggle
Stroud has certainly played more like an MVP candidate than Aaron Rodgers has this last month. The Jets (2-2) have gotten off to a slow start with only the 24-3 win over the lowly Patriots looking like a dominant defensive performance combined with a great quarterback game from Rodgers.
But all that goodwill quickly was erased in an ugly 10-9 loss at home to the Broncos in a rainy game last week. Now there are rumors about in-fighting with Rodgers and the coaches, and everyone is linking the Jets to trading for Davante Adams from the Raiders to reunite the receiver with Rodgers.
The Texans already made a big trade for a wideout earlier this year when they acquired Stefon Diggs from Buffalo. He has played well, but Nico Collins is still the clear No. 1 option in that offense. The Texans have played well in their 3-1 start, but they haven’t quite dominated to the level of what you’d like to see from a young team on the rise.
But there are plenty of weeks left to get there, and we know there’s that crucial part in the schedule around Christmas time when the Texans will face the Chiefs and Ravens.
Before we get there, let’s just enjoy the rest of October and all these big games to come.
