NFL gameday guide: The Super Bowl favourite is? Plus a Davante Adams storm, Bill Belichick watch and Derrick Henry heroics | NFL News

The NFL is one month into the 2024 season, with the Baltimore Ravens running riot, the Kansas City Chiefs facing questions and the San Francisco 49ers yet to get going. We look ahead to Week Five…

Editor’s note…

Way to go, Davante Adams. Look what you’ve gone and done to this utterly mundane, uneventful start to the 2024 NFL season?! I kid, I kid. The NFL knows no such thing as mundane.

Adams and his trade request with the Las Vegas Raiders has been the story of the week, the storm of the week, if you will. Such is the modern way of the world, it arrived after Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce had appeared to like an Instagram post suggesting his star wide receiver had played his final snaps for the team. Social media will get ya.

No less than seven teams have reportedly either inquired about Adams or represent an ideal landing spot for the three-time first-team All-Pro, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That includes a prospective reunion with Aaron Rodgers at the New York Jets. Meanwhile, football historians quietly rooting for a Kansas City Chiefs three-peat are waiting on Brett Veach to pull off some Simone Biles-calibre salary cap gymnastics and make a league-rocking splash for Adams in light of Rashee Rice’s knee injury. Patrick Mahomes to Davante Adams? Erm, yes please.

Four weeks into the season, it feels like a good point to assess the NFL landscape thus far. For one, passing yards are significantly down on average across the league, with teams currently averaging 201.2 passing yards per game – the fewest since 2003.

It is difficult to point the finger towards any one reason. More young quarterbacks are being thrown into the fold immediately, with rookies Caleb Williams and Bo Nix enduring slow starts – Jayden Daniels perhaps the glowing exception. Will Levis and Bryce Young also slumped among the worst-performing quarterbacks in the league over the opening month – the latter being benched for veteran Andy Dalton – while the Miami Dolphins have been without Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love has missed time with the Green Bay Packers. On top of that, the league continues to see a wave of two-high safety shells and umbrella coverages designed to stamp down on chunk plays. Something to monitor over the coming weeks.

The Baltimore Ravens could not care less. Since losing by a toe to the Chiefs and falling to the any-given-week Raiders, they have looked like the best and most complete team in football while torching the Dallas Cowboys and Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills behind their Derrick Henry-Lamar Jackson tandem of destruction. Henry already leads the league with 480 rushing yards and five touchdowns from 80 carries, posting 199 yards on the ground last time out against the Bills; he looks every bit the needle-mover the Ravens had hoped for in their bid to make their talent count come playoff time.

But while the Ravens gather pace, the league awaits a first meaningful statement from Joe Burrow following his return from injury at the start of the season. At his unflappable best, many would pit him in a group with Allen and Jackson as second only to Mahomes. His Cincinnati Bengals are 1-3 and yet to make a dent with one of the NFL’s most gifted offenses.

Mahomes and the Chiefs are a perfect 4-0 without being anywhere close to perfect as they enter a testing period following the loss of Rice, the Christian McCaffrey-less San Francisco 49ers have been blunted by injuries to star players – amplified by a recent reliance on No 3 receiver Jauan Jennings – the league is wondering whether Sam Darnold can maintain his staggering form with the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings, and Ben Johnson is just about starting to spin his magic with the awakening Detroit Lions.

Elsewhere, Mike McDaniel faces a rare spot of pressure amid Miami’s collapse since the loss of Tua, with Matt LaFleur’s success with Malik Willis in the absence of Love, Kevin O’Connell’s role in Darnold’s resurgence and Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen fending off the Pittsburgh Steelers behind Joe Flacco proving games and seasons should not have to be written off when starting quarterbacks fall. Of course, the Dolphins aren’t helped by one of the worst offensive lines in football. And with that is another significant reflection of Tua’s oft-questioned value to the Dolphins.

And of course there is the Cowboys, who never seem too far from chaos. Between blockbuster new deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and the lasting noise of their playoff collapse to the Packers, there is ever-present expectation on Mike McCarthy, whose shaky start comes with Bill Belichick waiting in the wings for his next NFL job. Doesn’t help that Jayden Daniels has decided to shake up the NFC East as one of the best quarterbacks in football.

Another early observation? The rookie receivers are stars. Malik Nabers is Daniel Jones’ dream elevator, Brian Thomas Jr is a solitary bright spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Marvin Harrison Jr is threatening to blow up under Drew Petzing and the understaffed Carolina Panthers have found something in Xavier Legette.

Oh, and the NFL is back in London for the next three weeks. Merry Christmas, UK fans.

To summarise, the Ravens might be the best, but not sure. The Chiefs are unbeaten, while off to their worst start on offense in the Mahomes era. The 49ers are still warming up, the Philadelphia Eagles defense is a mess and the Bills are still contenders but just got set alight by King Henry. Super Bowl favourite? Ask me again in three weeks.

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Neil Reynolds and Phoebe Schecter look ahead to the NFL’s Week Five fixtures and make their predictions…

Around the league

• NFL Network reported Tuesday that Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams has requested a trade, and that his preferred destination is the New York Jets, which would mean a reunion with former Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers.
• Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips announced he will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury suffered during Monday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.
• Buffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
• Houston Texans defensive lineman Dylan Horton returned to practice this week for the first time since last November having been diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Horton is in remission after completing his treatments.
• Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb was designated to return to practice having been sidelined since suffering a year-ending knee injury during Week Two of the 2023 season.
• Minnesota Vikings head coach announced they have opened the practice window for tight end T.J. Hockenson, who has been out since tearing his ACL against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.
• The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Terique Owens, son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, to their practice squad.

What to watch in Week Five

Sunday, 6pm – Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals: And here we were thinking Micah Parsons represented the NFL’s most notable modern-day beacon of a successful transition from off-ball linebacker to outright edge rusher. We see you, Kyle Van Noy! And we applaud you! Okay, so he may be no Micah Parsons, but the Ravens veteran has reinvented himself while playing at an absurd level through the opening four weeks of the season, racking up two sacks in each of his last three games; only four players have produced two sacks in four consecutive games since the sack became an official statistic in 1982. Van Noy now also has 15 sacks in 18 games since joining the team. Baltimore’s defense is yet to quite fully adjust to life without Mike Macdonald, but their two-time Super Bowl-winning linebacker has been a surprise focal point.

Striking a two-way balance seems to have been a long-time need for the Cincinnati Bengals offense, which took strides towards achieving as much in Week Four as Chase Brown and Zack Moss ignited the ground game with 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns (both courtesy of Brown) from 13 carries between them. Their next test comes against a Ravens defense ranked first against the run, having just limited the Buffalo Bills to 81 rushing yards.

Sunday, 9.05pm – Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers: Drew Petzing occupies one of the most fun-filled jobs in the NFL as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, the off-script heroics and cannon arm of Kyler Murray at his disposal alongside standout rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. His task is overseeing the growth of their rapport; the pair has teased fireworks – most notably in Harrison’s 130-yard, two-touchdown game against the Los Angeles Rams – while still evidently in the process of synching up the timing of route breaks and Murray’s release and placement. Harrison, the fourth overall pick at the Draft, has 15 catches from 28 targets for 243 yards and four touchdowns so far this season.

The 49ers meanwhile continue to monitor the health of linebacker Fred Warner after the minor ankle injury he picked up against the New England Patriots in Week Four. No defender in the league is playing better football than Warner, who has two interceptions – including a pick-six – a sack and three forced fumbles in four games this season. He is the prototypical modern-day do-everything inside linebacker.

Sunday Night Football, 1.20am – Dallas Cowboys @ Pittsburgh Steelers: Storied franchises meet in Sunday Night Football, with the Cowboys and Steelers having faced each other in more Super Bowls than any other teams in league history. With that said, Dallas will travel to Pittsburgh for the first time in eight years this weekend. But the billing of two great pass rushers trading game-wrecking blows may yet be put on hold, with Micah Parsons having been nursing an ankle injury as the Cowboys prepare to face TJ Watt. Dallas, who have been preparing as if Parsons will not be available, are also without DeMarcus Lawrence, in turn heightening the pressure on second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith following his career-best game against the New York Giants.

Steelers quarterback Justin Fields enters the game 77 of 109 (70.6 per cent) for 830 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, having also rushed for 145 yards and three scores from 38 carries amid Pittsburgh’s 3-1 start to the campaign. It comes as no surprise that Pittsburgh have been one of the teams to enquire about trade-seeking Davante Adams, with the early stages of the season highlighting the need to provide support for George Pickens in Pittsburgh’s aerial attack. Pickens leads the Steelers with 20 catches from 29 targets for, though it could be the ground game – injury-permitting – that proves Pittsburgh’s friend against a Cowboys defense ranked 27th against the run.

Monday Night Football, 1.15am – Kansas City Chiefs @ New Orleans Saints: Just how devastating is the loss of Rashee Rice? And just how big a role will Xavier Worthy be expected to play? The Kansas City Chiefs are about to face some pressing questions as they resume their Super Bowl three-peat mission without star receiver Rice, who suffered a serious knee injury during last weekend’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Rice leads the Chiefs with 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns from the second-largest target share in the NFL, his absence potentially meaning a heightened role for rookie speedster Worthy, whose vertical-heavy route-tree may now incorporate more crossing and yards-after-catch responsibilities. A soon-to-be 35-year-old Kelce is meanwhile once again as important as he ever has been having largely played a secondary role to Rice over the opening month.

It may be a perfect time for the New Orleans Saints to take on the unbeaten Super Bowl champions as they look to respond to back-to-back defeats following their lightning start to the campaign. For all that has been said of Klint Kubiak’s pyro-enthused offense, it is hard not to keep your eyes on a Saints secondary never too far from the action. Cornerback Alontae Taylor had 3.5 sacks on the year (three of which came in one game), Paulson Adebo has 32 tackles (second among all corners) as well as a tied-league-most seven pass defenses and two interceptions, while safety Tyrann Mathieu, whose instincts haven’t really lost a beat, is up to three pass defenses, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Adebo in particular has been at the heart of the drama; he endured a mixed outing against the Atlanta Falcons in coverage against Drake London and with a costly pass interference penalty, but has continued his rise as one of the league’s most disruptive players at the catch point.

Who said what?

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill on trade speculation: “I’m just focused on right here and right now. We’ve got a beautiful team here and I want to be a part of it. We’ve got a great situation here. My family loves it, I enjoy it, the weather’s great, the fans are great. So, we’ve got a beautiful situation here, man. Obviously, my parents always taught me to control the controllables. I only can control so much. With that being said, we all know the NFL is a business. Whatever happens, happens. Moving forward, I would love to be here. I love being here. I love the guys.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the possibility of playing in new international markets: “Yes. We’re already looking at several markets. We do have a lot of markets that are interested in the game, but we have to go do the work because one of the things that we do, particularly with Brazil – it was a key factor for us — you want the teams to feel like it was not disruptive to the season.”

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ahead of Cincinnati’s clash with the Ravens: “You’ve got to be aggressive out the gate. You can’t let the game come to you because your possessions are going to be so limited. I’m gonna have to play damn near perfect. That’s how I’m preparing, so it’s an exciting opportunity.”

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson amid his team’s 0-4 start: “I would know. I talk to those guys every day. I see them every day. And no, I have not lost the locker room. I think these guys have done everything I’ve asked. They continue to play and practice hard and battle. And it’s a good group – the right leaders in there. They know – they know what we need to do. They’re not making excuses for it. I’m not making excuses. We’ve just got to go do it.”

Jets receiver Garrett Wilson: “I don’t think we do a lot of different stuff, to be honest. When I watch football on Sundays and I see a lot of teams who mix it up and stuff like that. I don’t feel like we do that. I think we know our identity. It’s just about going out and executing it or figuring out if it’s going to work. I don’t think we’re trying a lot of different things.”

The stats

• Texans wide receiver Nico Collins leads the NFL with 489 receiving yards, with his closest rival being Giants rookie Malik Nabers with 389. Collins is on record pace with a chance to break Calvin Johnson’s NFL record of 1,964 yards in 2012
• Ravens running back Derrick Henry needs just 18 rushing yards and a scrimmage touchdown on Sunday to become the fifth player in history with at least 10,000 rushing yards and 100 scrimmage touchdowns in his first 125 games
• Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby has recorded a sack in eight of his last nine games against the Broncos as Las Vegas take on Denver this weekend
• Jordan Mason’s 447 rushing yards are the second-most through the first four games of the season in 49ers history, behind only Christian McCaffrey
• The Dolphins are the only team in the NFL that has not led in a game through the opening four weeks

Essential reading

Do Mahomes and the Chiefs have a problem?

Are the Super Bowl champions good? Is the NFL’s best quarterback still the best? Is one of the league’s only two remaining undefeated teams a contender? Strange questions, and strange times for the Kansas City Chiefs. More of which are to come.

Andy Reid’s back-to-back defending champions are a perfect 4-0 to start the season in their mission to achieve the impossible by becoming the first team ever to win three successive Super Bowls. And yet, something doesn’t sit right.

Sky Sports NFL editor Cam Hogwood explores Kansas City’s start to the season as they adjust to the loss of Rashee Rice…

NFL London 2024 games: All you need to know

The wait is over and the 2024 NFL London games are here! Here is your quick guide to one of the biggest months on the UK sporting calendar…

A star-studded cast of Aaron Rodgers, Justin Jefferson, Caleb Williams and Trevor Lawrence will cross the pond as the league continues its dramatic start to the 2024 campaign in the capital at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Read all you need to know about the 2024 NFL London games…

Watch the Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals from 6pm live on Sky Sports NFL this Sunday, followed by the Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers from 9.05pm; the Kansas City Chiefs face the New Orleans Saints in Monday Night Football; Also stream with NOW.