Most shocking NFL developments at season’s quarter mark

After four games the 2016 NFL season is officially at the quarter mark. And there have been some stunning developments thus far.

Top Super Bowl picks are at the bottom of the standings, while teams nobody gave a chance look like legitimate contenders.

A rookie who wasn’t even supposed to start is now undefeated, a team that was destined to lose is the temporary king of the hill and an unknown player has been one of the league’s best at rushing the passer.

These are just a few of the most shocking NFL developments at the quarter mark of the 2016 NFL season.

Panthers starving without any teeth

It’s always tough for teams that lose the Super Bowl to return to the top of the mountain. With that in mind, some amount of regression was to be expected from the Carolina Panthers this year after they lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

But what we’ve witnessed so far from Cam Newton and Co. is nothing short of a debacle.

At 1-3 on the season, and their only win coming against the hapless 1-3 San Francisco 49ers, the Panthers are reeling.

Newton is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a shot to the head in Week 4 while diving into the end zone. He’s been savaged this season playing behind an offensive line that has provided about as much protection as a spaceship made out of paper mache.

Carolina’s offense has chewed up plenty of yardage, and the Panthers are scoring points, too. But with a minus-three turnover ratio, they are not playing winning football.

Part of the reason is that the Panthers are struggling on defense this year. Heck, even the 49ers were able to score 27 points in Week 2.

Granted, Carolina did a serviceable job keeping the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings from running up the score in Weeks 1 and 3. But the Atlanta Falcons exposed the Panthers on Sunday with a thrashing unlike anything we’ve seen in a long, long time.

Matt Ryan passed for 503 yards and four touchdowns, and Julio Jones went for 300 and a touchdown on 12 catches. The duo set a record in the process against a defense that was one of the NFL’s most feared just one year ago.

It’s just been a stunning fall from grace. Meanwhile, Josh Norman is just sipping on some tea from afar.

Carson Wentz has the Eagles soaring 

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a rookie quarterback do what Wentz is doing right now for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philly went into its Week 4 bye undefeated, having won each of its first three games by significant margins. As such, the Eagles have the widest margin of victory in the NFL at plus-65.

It was one thing to see Wentz and Co. turning the screws on NFL bottom feeders like Cleveland and Chicago, but when the Eagles tore into the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 like a prime cut of Grade A beef, we knew this was no fluke.

The rookie out of South Dakota State has been flawless so far in 2016. Completing 64.7 percent of his passes, Wentz is averaging 250 yards per game and has five touchdown strikes compared to no interceptions.

If not for Philadelphia receivers having a severe case of the dropsies, those numbers would be even better.

Most NFL analysts expected the Eagles to be competent, if not dangerous, on defense. The front seven features dynamic talent, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme fits the personnel to a T.

Combining this defense with an offense that has been blowing opposing defenses out of the water has given the Eagles quite a potent recipe for success.

The season is long. By no means are we ready to crown the Eagles as NFC East champs. But what we have seen has been both impressive and surprising.

Cardinals have clipped wings

The Arizona Cardinals were a sexy pick by many to take the next step and finally get back to the Super Bowl this year.

After all, Carson Palmer was magnificent last year until he imploded in the playoffs. The Cardinals feature as dangerous an offensive arsenal as any team in the NFL. And the defense, one of the best in the NFL last year, was upgraded when general manager Steve Keim traded for pass rusher Chandler Jones.

Aside from a complete meltdown against the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, the defense has generally lived up to its end of the bargain.

It took a missed field goal by Chandler Catanzaro for the New England Patriots to win in Week 1. Tampa Bay was shut down to the tune of seven points in Week 3. And the Los Angeles Rams scored just 17 points in a winning cause Sunday in the desert.

The big issue for Arizona has been its offense, which has been inept the past two weeks. In particular, quarterback play has made it impossible for the Cardinals to succeed on the offensive side of the ball.

Between Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, the Cardinals have six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Five of those six touchdowns game in the first two weeks of the season, and all seven of the interceptions occurred the past two weekends.

Suddenly, the team that was supposed to own the NFC is looking at a 1-3 start, tied for the worst record in the NFC and last place in the NFC West.

Rams king of the NFC West mountain

It’s hard to know if the Los Angeles Rams are for real or if they have just gotten really lucky so far this year.

Since getting roasted by the 1-3 49ers in Week 1 at Levi’s, Los Angeles has rattled off three narrow wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seattle Seahawks and Cardinals.

Tampa Bay is a train wreck, Seattle went into Los Angeles featuring a gimpy Russell Wilson and we’ve already addressed Arizona’s failings.

So are the Rams better than we thought they were or were the Seahawks and Cardinals just really having bad days?

The one thing that is troubling with this team is that Case Keenum remains a terrible quarterback, the offense has no receivers and Todd Gurley is going nowhere, fast, which we’ll address in a while.

What nobody can argue about is that the newly relocated Rams are in first place in the NFC West — something nobody saw coming when the season began.

Colts contending for title of NFL’s worst

The Indianapolis Colts weren’t exactly on our radar as a championship team, but we sure didn’t expect them to be contending for the No. 1 overall pick next year.

Yet that’s exactly what it looks like right now.

It was hard watching Andrew Luck get hammered on a repeated basis against a Jaguars defense that had previously showed little in the way of a consistent pass rush Sunday morning in London.

After enduring six sacks in Week 4, Luck became the most-sacked quarterback this year through four games (15). He’s on pace to be sacked 60 times this year. Yet despite all that pressure he has remained remarkably mistake-free, throwing eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

Though he still does some head-scratching things, Luck isn’t the problem.

It’s the rest of the roster.

The offensive line is (obviously) a disaster area. Sure, Luck has receivers that can make plays. But it’s hard to get them the ball when defenders are in your face almost as soon as you receive the ball (watch here).

Defensively, the Colts might as well be holding a sign that says, “Score touchdowns here!” The only teams that have allowed more points per game this year are the New Orleans Saints and Buccaneers.

Injuries have played a part in the team’s struggles, but that’s something every franchise deals with, every year. Indy’s roster just isn’t strong at all. And the players that are on the roster aren’t being coached very well.

Vikings keep raiding, despite fallen heroes

What the Minnesota Vikings are doing right now without Teddy Bridgewater and Adrian Peterson is like imagining the original Vikings made it to Greenland without Eric the Red and North America without Leif Erikson.

Undefeated now at the quarter mark after handily taking out the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Minnesota hasn’t skipped a beat.

Sam Bradford is playing the best football of his career, and Jerick McKinnon is playing much better than Peterson before he injured his knee. The offense is playing well enough to win, not turning the ball over with a nice mix of run and pass.

But the biggest reason Minnesota has been blowing through its opponents is that Mike Zimmer’s defense is savage. Allowing just 12.5 points per game, racking up 15 sacks, forcing 11 turnovers and scoring two touchdowns, this unit has played out of its mind.

If the offense can continue to evolve with Bradford learning more and more of Norv Turner’s playbook, and if the defense continues to shut offenses down, Minnesota will be a postseason dynamo.

Texans roping in wins, despite some serious issues

It’s pretty remarkable that Houston is sitting pretty at 3-1 on the season, despite being outscored by four points so far — a fate they share with the Rams. Of course, the shutout loss to the Patriots in Week 3 made this possible.

Even with a winning record, this team is by no means a well-oiled machine.

High-priced free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler hasn’t been sharp. In two of the three wins, he’s been very shaky. On the season, he’s passed for five touchdowns and six interceptions.

While it’s too soon to bury him as a bust for sure, he’s sure playing like it right now. Instead of Osweiler elevating the offense like he was supposed to do, he’s become a liability at times.

Another big disappointment is the productivity of running back Lamar Miller. He’s averaging 3.8 yards per carry and has yet to score a touchdown. He has also yet to break off  any runs longer than 15 yards.

The one big positive development has been the emergence of Will Fuller. The rookie out of Notre Dame has done some amazing things already, catching 19 passes for 323 yards, two touchdowns and returning a punt 67 yards for a score against the Tennessee Titans last week.

But since Osweiler came on board, DeAndre Hopkins, the man who catches pretty much everything thrown his way, has seen his numbers dwindle.

Defensively, the Texans have been decent. But it’s going to be fascinating to see what happens going forward without J.J. Watt, who is out for the year with a back injury. Despite an absolutely horrid game by quarterback Marcus Mariota, the Titans gave the Titans a run for their money on Sunday.

So while the Texans are comfortably in first place in the AFC South — the sweaty armpit of the NFL — this team isn’t exactly scaring anyone right now.

Jets offense running on fumes 

Loaded on defense, with an offense that features skill players capable of making big plays every time they touch the ball, the New York Jets were supposed to be better than they are now.

But things are the way they are. And right now the Jets stink on offense.

The main reason for this is that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been bad — like, on-pace-for-40-interceptions bad.

With just four touchdowns and an astonishing 10 interceptions, it’s safe to say last year’s Fitzmagic has devolved into a Fitztacular abomination.

Jets fans looking for a change at quarterback will be disappointed. Head coach Todd Bowles isn’t looking to bench Fitzpatrick, saying “Ryan’s fine” on Monday (more on that astounding comment here).

Another big disappointment has been the play of veteran back Matt Forte. He’s averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and has been only mildly effective in the passing game. The only saving grace here is that Forte has rushed for three touchdowns.

In total, New York’s offense has scored just seven touchdowns, which isn’t nearly enough to overcome 10 turnovers.

Unknown pass rusher Kerry Hyder roaring for Lions

It’s hardly shocking that Von Miller leads the NFL with 5.5 sacks at the quarter mark. What is remarkable is that Detroit Lions pass rusher, Kerry Hyder, is right behind him with five sacks.

“Who is this man, and where did he come from?”

That’s probably the question you are asking yourself unless you’re a Lions fan.

Originally an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech in 2014, Hyder was a relative nobody until this season. He was signed to the Jets practice squad that year after being cut.

He then was picked up by the Lions and put on their practice squad last year.

But like we’ve seen so often, hard work and determination led to a chance at glory. After a three-sack performance in the Lions’ final preseason game this past summer, he made it onto the Lions’ active roster to start the season.

It’s safe to say Hyder is making the most of his opportunity. With at least one sack in each of his first four games, he is quickly on his way to becoming a household name.

Todd Gurley has nowhere to run

Not much has changed for the Rams offensively from last year to now. The team still has essentially the same offensive personnel that was present during Gurley’s phenomenal rookie campaign.

Last year, despite missing three games, Gurley finished the season with the third-most rushing yards in the NFL, averaged 4.8 yards per carry and was tied for fifth with 10 touchdowns.

But this year? This year Gurley has had no room to roam.

Averaging just 2.8 yards per carry with a long run of just 16 yards, Gurley has tallied just 216 yards on the ground. And it’s not like he isn’t getting his chances to make plays, averaging 20.5 carries per game.

It’s been an extremely frustrating campaign thus far for the second-year back. He has been used to getting his own way throughout his entire football career, but it’s nothing but tough sledding right now.