Week 4 of the NFL regular season is approaching. Here are this week’s Tuesday notes… • Three weeks is nothing, and September results may mislead you. But seventh-year Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen put on a performance Monday night that should earn him MVP consideration, and it’s merely a continuation of what he’s been doing this month. Allen was 23-of-30 for 263 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite only throwing the ball twice in the second half, when Buffalo led 34-3. Allen connected with ten different receivers, including four touchdowns. The quarterback’s ability to go off-schedule, generate shots off scramble plays, and pick up chunks of yardage with his legs served as a sidecar to Allen’s pocket passer, which may have been the scariest aspect of the entire situation.
Now, to be clear, Allen never intended to make this about Stefon Diggs’ leaving. But it’s impossible not to perceive the 28-year-old as a point guard playing in a way he’s never done before, without having to feed a genuine No. 1 receiver. Bills fans notice it as well, and it gives them hope that Allen’s journey is just getting started. It also reminds me of a conversation he and I had shortly before the season began. I asked him how he expected opponents to approach him differently without Diggs.
His response predicted what we’ve seen in the last three weeks. “What I do think we have is versatility,” Allen added. “I’m not sure what defences will focus on in our offence. Are they going to focus on the run game? Are they going to take select men into the receiver room and try to lock them up? We have a lot of various stuff. So starting each advancement with a different individual, I believe, will be quite advantageous to us.” It’s undeniably true. And with Allen transitioning from little brother to big brother in the locker room–with Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse, and Diggs gone–the timing of his next steps as a leader has coincided perfectly with these leaps he’s taking as a quarterback. I’d also agree with the Buffalo people.
I believe we are only at the beginning of this process. • Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has subtly shifted his position. We told you right before Tomlin named Russell Wilson the Steelers’ starter on August 28, that Justin Fields had closed the gap to the point where a sizable number of individuals in the room thought Tomlin should go with him
. Wilson then hurt his calf, so Fields started in his place. Since then, as we highlighted in The MMQB Takeaways, he’s improved week by week and led the club to 3-0. Now? Listen to Tomlin explain why he doesn’t just give Fields the position on a permanent basis. To provide context, the statement came after Tomlin stated that Wilson’s injury situation had not changed and that he would likely be limited in Wednesday’s practice and monitored subsequently. “Because there’s no need to,” Tomlin added. “I explained to you the variables of the week. … When Russ gets to an appropriate level of health, and I have a decision to make, I’ll make it.” That in no way promises anything to Wilson.
My interpretation would be that this situation is now wide open, or even moving in Fields’ favour, but Tomlin isn’t going to make a decision until he has to. Which is wise since it allows him more time to acquire information. For what it’s worth, many people there have seen enough. • In addition to Monday’s story, in which we discussed the growth of the Minnesota Vikings’ defence under coordinator Brian Flores, I’d say Minnesota feels right now, at least internally, like a tougher, more rugged team than it has since Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah arrived in 2022.
The numbers back it up. The Vikings outrushed the New York Giants 111-74 in Week 1, the San Francisco 49ers 146-102 the previous week, and the Houston Texans 118-38 this week. But there’s also this small nuance that I’m sure they take delight in after Sunday’s outcome. Over the years, there has been evidence that playing for Kyle Shanahan’s Niners would leave an impression. In other words, San Francisco is so physical that an opponent would struggle the following week, as the game had taken its toll. O’Connell, of course, was on the opposing side of the Niners-Rams rivalry for two years, while Adofo-Mensah was there during the Niners’ development. This time, at least on the surface, it appears that the Vikings dealt the most serious blows.
Minnesota defeated the Texans 34-7 in Week 3, while the Niners were outlasted by the Rams 27-24. This is another evidence of how the Twin Cities team’s vision has come together. • Jayden Daniels’ amazing (for a rookie quarterback, at least) performance on Monday night has, and should continue to spark, a lot of hope in Washington. However, as I see it, this is not a flash. Speaking with members of the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, two teams who practiced against the Washington Commanders during training camp, it was evident that Daniels left an impression on everyone who saw him play this summer.
They noticed his composure and ease of movement, as well as his overall appearance. That, I believe, speaks to the amount of experience he gained in college. Daniels, like Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr., started multiple seasons for two major collegiate programs in two strong conferences. So he got to see a lot, run a lot of things, and play against a lot of defences, which helped him build a library of football knowledge in his head.
Bottom line: He appears to be fully prepared, and he is. Why I don’t believe Ja’Marr Chase is a concern for the Cincinnati Bengals. But, if I were them, I’d make a strong push to sign Chase now. Against Washington, the standout receiver caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He is and has been a top-five receiver in football, deserving of top-tier compensation. That is not going to change, and his price will only increase the longer the Bengals wait. Instead of standing on principle, the Bengals should make him the highest-paid receiver in the league right now, giving the locker room some good news as they try to turn around their season. •
Miami’s strategy this season has been to prioritize Tua Tagovailoa’s health, and putting him on injured reserve, which will keep him out until at least Week 8, was the appropriate decision to relieve burden on everyone in the short term. With that established, the results he receives from independent neurologists this week will likely be critical in determining whether, how, and when he will return to football. “The plan hasn’t changed,” coach Mike McDaniel stated Tuesday. “It has been executed. I don’t report on who my sources are, but they should contact me. “I have the real information.” (But I believe even he would admit that he still needs more.) • I expect Jordan Love to make a push to play this week.
The Green Bay Packers’ staff sought to keep him available to play in Week 2 following his MCL sprain, and they did the same last week until it was time to decide who would travel. Did they believe he’d play? No, yet they still want him to show that he can defend himself. But I believe he has a shot to play against the Vikings this week, and he will be returning to a club that has run for 449 yards in his last two games, despite defences knowing what’s coming. • We are praying for Brett Favre’s family. It goes without saying that Favre’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease is extremely bad news, and the condition itself has become all too common among former athletes.
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