National Football League

NFL Week 4 Primer: Vikings Best Team in League?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Entering NFL Week 4, the Purple Gang is turning its opponents black and blue, there’s still hope for the league’s winless, and it is status quo in the AFC.

We are three weeks into the 2016 NFL season and only five teams have yet to lose a game. With some of the matchups on the docket, though, NFL Week 4 could see one of that quintet get a blemish on their record.

Things are getting interesting but you really can’t wait until the weekend?

You have come to the right place.

Each week we’ll drop a little early knowledge on the next round of games a few days in advance.

On Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals clash in the Queen City in a battle of 1-2 teams. Which club is getting back to the .500 mark? We’ll find out all of this and more at the start of NFL Week 4 and all the way through the end on Monday Night Football.

On to the rest of the Week 4 primer!

Sep 25, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis (58) dives for the tackle on Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

NFC’s Top Team?

So what about the Minnesota Vikings? It’s kind of interesting to note that the two teams that reached the NFC title game a year ago, the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, each find themselves sporting 1-2 records. A year ago, Ron Rivera and Bruce Arians led clubs that set franchise records for regular-season victories in a season and won division titles. The duo has already combined for four losses, as many as they had in 2015.

More from NFL Spin Zone

The only other undefeated team in the NFC other than Mike Zimmer’s Vikings are the Philadelphia Eagles, who have been pretty impressive on both sides of the football. But we lean toward the Purple Gang here, despite the fact that veteran running back Adrian Peterson is not available these days. And thanks to that old standby known as defense, we give a slight edge to Zimmer and company.

Dating back to Week 14 of last season and including that bitter 10-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs, the Vikings have limited seven straight opponents to 17 points or less—prevailing in six of those outings. They have a test coming up on Monday night at home against Eli Manning and the Giants’ potent offense. But Ben McAdoo’s club will have to deal with a club that has already totaled nine takeaways and 15 sacks during its 3-0 start. Good luck.

Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) reacts after a play in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank Field. Baltimore Ravens won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Not Impossible

Fear not, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints. There have been five occasions in NFL history in which a team has overcome a 0-3 start to reach the postseason. Of course, it also hasn’t happened since 1998 when the Buffalo Bills pulled it off. The team rallied behind quarterback Doug Flutie that year and wound up losing to the Dolphins in the playoffs.

As for the other four occasions, it began with the 1981 New York Jets, who would finish the season 10-5-1 and grab a wild card berth, losing at home to the Bills at Shea Stadium.

The next year the NFL was reduced to a nine-game season due to a players’ strike. There would be a Super Bowl tournament with 16 teams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still managed to grab a postseason berth with a 5-4 record despite a 0-3 start. There were also the 1995 Detroit Lions, who dropped their first three games and still wound up getting to the playoffs. Of course, it ended ugly that year in the City of Brotherly Love with a 58-37 loss in the wild card round.

But it’s the 1992 San Diego Chargers who take the cake. Bobby Ross’ team would lose its first four games and went on an 11-1 tear to actually win the AFC West. Then they shut out Marty Schottenheimer’s Chiefs, 17-0, in the first round before bowing to the Dolphins one week later.  There’s always hope. And as former Saints’ head coach Jim Mora pointed out this week, the season isn’t over after a 0-3 start.

Sep 22, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks long the sidelines before their game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Collision Course?

Don’t look now, but the only three teams in the AFC that are 3-0 are the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. What’s interesting is that these franchises have won three of the last four Super Bowls.

The nay-sayers take issue with John Harbaugh’s club based on the record of their three opponents to date. The Buffalo Bills (1-2), Cleveland Browns (0-3) and Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) are a combined 1-8 and Baltimore has won each game by six points or less.

So what? You play who you play. This Sunday, the Ravens host the 2-1 Oakland Raiders. Obviously, that’s a club with a winning record. If Baltimore wins, the Silver and Black will be 2-2 and, well, let the skepticism continue. It’s amazing what you can do the numbers when you want to. Call these Ravens resilient so far.

There’s far less suspicion surrounding the Patriots and Broncos, both sporting different quarterbacks from last season (for now, in the case of New England). The Pats have head coach Bill Belichick and he is living up to his reputation as one of the best ever to do his job. Dating back to a year ago and including the 2015 postseason, Denver has won eight straight games with three different starting (Brock Osweiler, Peyton Manning and Trevor Siemian) and that potent defense.

Different strokes for different folks. The Ravens, Patriots and Broncos are all unbeaten and all feature Super Bowl winning coaches. All three will be hearing from one another by season’s end.

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League