Shocking NFL stats and unbelievable trends from first quarter of 2019

Every season is unique, but the 2019 NFL season feels out there. With a quarter of games in the books, which shocking stats and trends are real?

At the quarter-turn of the 2019 NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFC (record-wise), the Miami Dolphins continue on pace to be the worst team in league history, and the entirety of the AFC South remains tied for both first place and last place.

Besides those odd outcomes thus far, Week 4 threw a few wrenches into what we thought we knew. We thought the Green Bay Packers looked elite until they fell at home on a short week. We thought the Tennessee Titans weren’t to be taken seriously until they won in Atlanta by 14 points.

Some thought the Buffalo Bills were phony until they nearly toppled the New England Patriots and held Tom Brady to one of the worst passing days of the week. The Kansas City Chiefs were considered the best of the best and the Detroit Lions were nothing of the sort until the latter came within seconds of taking down the former.

Shall we go on? The slew of shocking stats and unbelievable outcomes seems never-ending at the quarter mark of the season. Which NFL trends are real and which will evaporate with the coming winter?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the NFL 2019 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

We thought the Oakland Raiders stunk. They won on the road against a playoff contender in Week 4. We thought the New York Giants were washed. They look rejuvenated behind Daniel Jones. The Carolina Panthers’ season seemed over without Cam Newton. They now look better than they did with him. And then there’s everything and whatever happened when Tampa Bay traveled to Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.

That’s a solid list of at least nine franchise-changing storylines in one weekend of games. Even for the NFL, that feels excessive. So which changing tides do we actually believe in? In other words, which new arc that has developed after a quarter of the season feels real, despite it feeling false just a week ago? I’ll start.

The Titans’ win stuck out to me. I was ready to drop them to the basement of the division, but this was an impressive road victory. It hurts that they are already 0-2 in the South, but their two wins are of high quality indeed.

The Lions also impressed me. All of a sudden, the offense can hang, and this squad has two wins (nearly three) against potential playoff teams. That Week 1 tie is the only blemish on their early resume.

It is so easy to see the difference with the New York Giants. We addressed this last week. The team feels different. It doesn’t mean they will win much going forward. The defense should still get decimated against a competent opponent, but Jones has added something and now Golden Tate returns for Week 5.

The last Week 4 outcome that made me rethink everything was the Rams’ loss. Los Angeles should still be a title contender out of the NFC, but it is mistake-prone. That is undeniable. Against a potent offense (which Tampa Bay sometimes is), that will be its downfall. It’s a major flaw that needs to be corrected moving forward.

Dan Salem:

Kansas City versus Detroit was probably the best game of week 4, yet it spoke more to the Lions than anything. Everyone knows the Chiefs have a great offense, yet Detroit slowed them down enough to nearly win. The Lions probably should have won, but the result is not changing. We also knew that Kansas City had a weak defense, but wow did Detroit run at will on them. Matthew Stafford was playing hurt, yet he marched the Lions up and down the field. Detroit is for real.

I was also thoroughly disappointed in the Baltimore Ravens defense. They let Cleveland run all over them, and I don’t think the Browns are significantly better than average right now.

What happened to the Lamar Jackson of the past three weeks? Baltimore was playing at home, which makes the way they lost even more egregious. Perhaps Cleveland is, in fact, coming into its own, but I’m not buying it just yet. I am worried about the Ravens’ viability, let alone their ability to win the division.

I feel similarly uneasy about the Houston Texans. They lost to a team playing its backup quarterback, at home no less. I understand your praise for Carolina. They are a decent team that is starting to look good. But the Panthers minus Cam Newton should have been an easy win for a playoff team.

Houston is not that right now and is easily behind its division foes, as both Jacksonville and Tennessee are getting better with victories. That being said, I believe both Denver and Atlanta are bad football teams. But the victory counts just the same, no matter the opponent.

New England is the final team that stood out to me this week. Against one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Patriots still ground out a victory. Sure, they knocked Josh Allen from the football game. But winning with defense is the mark of a champion.

Does any team in the AFC look competent enough to beat these Patriots? Kansas City can’t play enough defense still. Who else is left? I come back to the Bills and their defense — if they survive.