5 surprise NFL contenders through Week 4
By Ethan Lee
It’s still early in the season, but several teams are overachieving and could cause some chaos once the NFL playoffs arrive.
Four weeks have come and gone and there’s been plenty of surprises across the NFL. While it’s not a shock to see teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills find their way to plenty of wins, there are some other teams that have had unexpected levels of success early on this season.
It’s early and there is plenty of time for things to change between now and the playoffs, but there are several teams that have gotten off to solid starts. Some teams even look like they could make things interesting once the playoffs actually arrive.
Here are five teams who have unexpectedly become contenders after the first four weeks of the season:
No. 5: The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a solid start in 2021
The first few weeks of the 2021 season have been kind to Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders. They’re getting set to play Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers, a game the Raiders can’t afford to overlook, but so far they’re unbeaten at 3-0. All in all, that’s a great start for Gruden and his team.
Quarterback Derek Carr has been sharp and playing relatively error free football. He’s thrown for 1,203 yards (the fifth best total in the NFL) and is currently averaging 401 passing yards per game, a category he leads the league in. Because of how good Carr has been, the Las Vegas Raiders are averaging 30 points per game, which is currently good for sixth-best in the NFL.
To go along with Carr’s efficient and phenomenal passing, the Raiders have benefitted from a defense and rushing attack that have been good enough for Las Vegas to continue winning. Looking at the defense, the Raiders are giving up 24 points per game (16th in the NFL), but they’re holding foes to 266.75 total yards per game.
The Raiders will need to play sharper football consistently as they’ve committed 23 penalties for 206 yards so far this season.
But, that said, this bunch keeps winning. Las Vegas’ three wins have come against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Miami. While the Steelers and Dolphins are having issues this year, the Ravens are a good team and could theoretically be a Super Bowl contender.