Analysis: Vikings, Ravens, Buccaneers and Commanders were up for the challenge in a prove-it week

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Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings were the biggest surprise in September. Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars were the top disappointment.

NFL teams spend the first month of the season establishing their identity. Some figure it out faster than others.

Week 4 was filled with prove-it opportunities for many across the league. The Vikings, Ravens, Buccaneers and Commanders were among the teams up for the challenge. The Jaguars, Eagles, Jets and Browns were on the opposite end of that.

After leading the Vikings to consecutive wins at home against San Francisco and Houston, Darnold threw three touchdown passes to help Minnesota build an early 28-point lead in a 31-29 road victory over Green Bay.

The Vikings, a consensus pick to finish last in the NFC North, are off to a 4-0 start and Darnold is playing like an MVP candidate. Coach Kevin O’Connell’s club is leading a tough a division but they’ve got a long way to go, especially after nearly blowing a big lead.

“Lot of things still to clean up,” O’Connell said. “Starts with me. We’ll make sure we keep refining this football team. … What happened today means absolutely nothing moving forward, other than we’ve gotta go back to work and continue to improve as a football team because I absolutely love this team.”

The Ravens made a statement in a prime-time matchup, routing previously unbeaten Buffalo 35-10 to even their record. Baltimore saved its season with a hard-fought win at Dallas last week and followed up with a convincing performance against Josh Allen and the Bills.

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are unstoppable when they both get going and the Ravens clearly aren’t finished. That 0-2 start is a memory now and they’ll be in the mix in a competitive AFC North.

A week after no-showing in a 26-7 home loss to Denver, the Buccaneers showed out in a 33-16 victory against Philadelphia that wasn’t as close as the final score.

Baker Mayfield picked apart the Eagles’ secondary and Tampa Bay’s defense dominated Jalen Hurts. The Buccaneers are 3-1 with two wins over 2023 playoff teams.

“We came out (with) a ‘hair on fire’ mentality,” Mayfield said. “Everybody was locked into what the plan was and that’s why we executed that quickly, but that needs to be the case every week.”

The Commanders, who lost their season opener in Tampa Bay, cruised to a 42-14 victory in Arizona to improve to 3-1. Rookie Jayden Daniels has been outstanding and Washington had no trouble playing on a short week six days after beating Cincinnati also on the road.

With Daniels leading a high-powered offense, the Commanders should compete for an NFC East title in a season that began with low expectations.

Jacksonville entered this year with championship aspirations but instead is off to an 0-4 start. The Jaguars blew a fourth-quarter lead and wasted several opportunities in a 24-20 loss at Houston.

Even though they’re a couple plays away from being 2-2, the reality is they face an uphill climb. Lawrence, who got a $275 million contract, has been inconsistent and criticism of coach Doug Pederson is intensifying.

“As coaches, we can’t go out there and make the plays, right?” Pederson said. “It’s a two-way street, so you guys can sit here and point the finger all you want, and that’s fine. Point it right at me. I can take it, OK? I can take it.”

The coach who replaced Pederson in Philadelphia also pointed the finger at himself after the Eagles (2-2) took a major step backward against the Buccaneers. They haven’t solved the problems that led to a late-season collapse and have now lost eight of 11 games since opening 10-1 last year.

Coach Nick Sirianni stressed improving the team’s fundamentals over the bye week. If not, his seat will only get hotter in a city where fans and media have been calling for his job since a playoff loss to the Buccaneers in January.

“We didn’t coach well enough and we didn’t play well enough – and that’s always going to start with me,” Sirianni said. “If we go out there, lay an egg, and we’re down 24-0, that’s going to start on me. I didn’t have the guys ready to start. But, our fundamentals weren’t what we needed it to be. We’ll make sure we’re working hard on that – (the) bye week is coming at a good time.”

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are heading to London on a sour note after a lackluster effort in a 10-9 loss at home to Denver. Greg Zuerlein missed a potential winning 50-yard field goal in the final minute but it shouldn’t have been that close.

Rodgers struggled on a rainy, sloppy field and the offense was out of synch. The road doesn’t get easier for the Jets (2-2). They face the Vikings next Sunday.

Deshaun Watson and the Browns fell short in a comeback bid at Las Vegas, losing 20-16 to fall to 1-3. A year after Joe Flacco led Cleveland to the playoffs, the Browns are back in a familiar spot at the bottom of the standings. Watson hasn’t resembled the player he was in Houston and he’s willing to accept the blame.

“We’re not doing enough. It starts with me,” Watson said.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl