Monday 2 October 2017 13:49, UK
It never works out exactly, but we're pretty much at the quarter mark of the 2017 regular season with 28 of the 32 teams having played four of their 16 games.
And there is a lot to get our teeth into after the season's opening month, which sees the Los Angeles Rams looking great, and the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots… not so much!
Here are six storylines that have caught my eye so far this season...
McVay working wonders in LA
I met and interviewed Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay in California in the summer and came away very impressed with the new 31-year-old boss of the NFC West team.
He is a bright, energetic, confident and very intelligent young man who has made an instant impact with the Rams, as evidenced by their 35-30 win over the favoured Cowboys in Dallas. The Rams are not quite all the way there on offense yet and had to settle for field goals seven times in Texas - but they are racking up points at an impressive rate this season with an average of 35.5 points per game.
Jared Goff has made huge strides at quarterback, the offensive line is much better with Andrew Whitworth at left tackle, Todd Gurley is back in the fold at running back and Cooper Kupp is a fun, young receiver worth watching in years to come. But the true star of the show so far, for me, has to be McVay.
Fortress Foxboro?
The New England Patriots were so impenetrable at home for so many years that we should have re-named Gillette Stadium to Fortress Foxboro. That is not the case any longer for the defending champs, who lost heavily at home to Kansas City in Week One, needed a Tom Brady miracle to see off Houston in Week Three before falling again - 33-30 to the Carolina Panthers - this Sunday.
Brady is playing off the charts on the offensive side of the ball but it is Bill Belichick's defence that is letting this team down time and again. They just don't seem to have the talent in their front seven defenders and perhaps spent too much offseason time and cash trying to load up Brady's offense for one last Super Bowl run.
It turns out that side of the ball will always be fine as long as Brady is at the helm, so maybe Belichick got it wrong in a big way by not addressing his defence.
DeShaun shines
When he was chosen by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, quarterback DeShaun Watson was described as the most pro-ready passer coming out of the college ranks. It would be hard to argue with that following his dynamic start to life in the big leagues.
Watson had a day that might still be deemed a career performances in five or 10 years time as he hit on 25 of 34 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns, while adding a score on the ground in a club record 57-14 hammering of the Tennessee Titans.
With a strong and accurate arm, as well as the ability to evade pressure and pick up yards on the ground, Watson is an exciting prospect indeed. Sunday night saw him become the first rookie quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for four scores and run for another in the same game.
Buffalo lead the East
The surprise leaders of the AFC East division at the quarter mark of the season are the Buffalo Bills, who are 3-1 under new head coach Sean McDermott.
The first-year head coach made his name as a defensive play-caller with the Panthers and it shows as his Bills, who are light on wide receiver playmakers, are leaning heavily on their defence. That was the case on Sunday night as Buffalo pulled off a shock 23-17 win against the Falcons in Atlanta.
Under former head coach Rex Ryan, the Bills talked a good game but rarely backed it up. McDermott is the polar opposite and insists his team does its talking on the field. So far, that is proving to be the better approach.
Broncos flex defensive muscle
The Denver Broncos have always boasted one of best pass defences in the NFL with their 'No Fly Zone' defensive backfield. But their ability to stop the run is one of the major reasons why they have won three of their first four in 2017.
In defeating the Oakland Raiders 16-10, the NFL's top-ranked defence shut down powerhouse rusher Marshawn Lynch. In four games this season, Denver have held Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy and Lynch to a combined 95 rushing yards on 50 carries.
That is why the Broncos can have a season-low 298 yards on offense and still win a massive game in the division against the Raiders. On current form, this Broncos team is playoff-bound on the back of a sturdy D.
McAdoo running out of time?
It's probably a bit too early for a head coach firing, but New York Giants boss Ben McAdoo must be shifting uncomfortably in an ever-warming seat. His Giants were a playoff team a year ago but are ready to be declared dead and buried at 0-4.
The first two weeks were bad enough for Giants fans because they were never at the races, but it might be even worse over the past fortnight because it is the hope that can kill you.
The Giants have been beaten by walk-off field goals as time has expired to lose to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay. Those won't be recorded as nice efforts or moral victories. A loss is a loss in the ultra-competitive NFL and Big Blue are undoubtedly the biggest disappointment of this 2017 campaign so far.
