The first three weeks of the NFL season are already in the rearview, and October is here. That means the margin for error is getting thin fast, and every team in the league is about to find out what it really is.
With Week 4 set to open the new month, it’s a good time to sort through the current NFC division leaders and stack them from worst to best. The sample size is small, sure, but the early evidence is enough to draw a few clear lines.
- Carolina Panthers, NFC South
The Panthers are the lone division leader in the NFL with a losing record as October begins, which feels pretty on-brand for the NFC South.
There have been flashes of what Carolina can be on offense, and that side of the ball has the kind of upside that can look electric when it’s clicking. The problem is what sits on the other side of the ball.
And right now, that’s a real issue. Carolina is already short on defensive pieces, and now it will be without both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, its starting cornerback duo, for the next month because of injuries. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has his work cut out for him, especially with the Falcons and Saints both showing early signs of life on offense.
You don’t get to line up against Cooper Rush and Jack Strand every week, fellas.
- Philadelphia Eagles, NFC East
The Eagles are still sitting on top of the NFC East, but they are not exactly turning heads while doing it.
This is the kind of team that comes with résumé points, and plenty of them, but the current product has been hard to trust. The offense has been flat.
The defense just got lit up by Case Keenum and the Bears. At this point, there’s no reason to lean on blind faith and assume everything will snap into place.
They’ve earned the right to be taken seriously. They just haven’t looked serious lately.
The Eagles no longer have that unstoppable feel.
- Minnesota Vikings, NFC North
The Vikings are doing something oddly extreme through three weeks: their defense has been crushing opponents while the offense has barely needed to show up.
That’s a strange balance, but it’s working. Minnesota may have the most dominant defense in football right now, yet the offense has struggled to do much at all near the goal line.
In fact, over the last two games, the Vikings have run only one snap in the red zone. After getting some help from the defense in Week 1, they’ve had just one play inside the 20 over the last two weeks combined, along with one successful field goal attempt.
Still, the defense is carrying a ton of weight here and making life miserable for opposing offenses. Minnesota has found a way to win even when the offense isn’t generating much pressure on its own.
- San Francisco 49ers, NFC West
Right now, the 49ers look like the most complete team in the league.
They’re sitting first in just about every major offensive category, and their defense ranks third in scoring defense. That’s the kind of across-the-board production that separates a hot start from something more imposing.
There are caveats, of course. The 49ers have faced the Cardinals and Dolphins, and the Rams didn’t even arrive in Australia until the day before the season opener. But none of that erases what San Francisco has done so far: it has controlled games and handled business.
Week 4 should offer a better measuring stick, with the Broncos coming to town after back-to-back comeback wins.
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Estimes workout gives Minnesota another Broncos-linked roster question to monitor, especially as the Vikings keep an eye on the kind of backfield move that can quietly matter when injuries pile up. Delarrin Turner-Yell also had a tryout with New Orleans, and a number of other former Broncos have been moving through recent signings and auditions around the league, but the Vikings next decision on Estime is the one worth watching most closely. [Read more 🡒]
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Vikings Win Streak Is Hiding A Bigger Kevin OConnell Problem
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The issues only look bigger in the wake of Justin Jeffersons absence, since Minnesota has struggled to generate anything consistent without its top target. The most recent game brought the Vikings lowest offensive success rate in 20 seasons, and the club now sits last in the league in total yards per game, leaving OConnell with a much tougher problem than the win-loss column suggests. [Read more 🡒]