Answering NFL’s biggest questions ahead of Week 5: Steelers QB dilemma; this defense is flying under the radar |Max Sporty|

Four weeks from the NFL season is in the books, and more questions continue to arise. Will the Cleveland Browns bench Deshaun Watson? Should Washington Commanders fans make their reservations for Super Bowl LIX now? And who will be the first head coach to be fired?

As I do every week, I’ll address some of the questions around the league that I believe need answering, as well as point out some things we should talk about more. Let’s start with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation.

What should the Steelers do at QB?

Russell Wilson will soon step up activities with his injured calf, but Justin Fields is poised to make his fifth consecutive start. When will coach Mike Tomlin make an official decision on a starter? That will likely come soon, but it shouldn’t be a difficult choice.

I was confused when the Steelers made the decision to sign Wilson and then trade for Fields. You sign a veteran whose lackluster play led a franchise to accept an NFL-record shutout, and then follow that by trading a young borderline starter for upside — both on one-year deals. Were the Steelers trying to create a quarterback controversy?

The Steelers wanted to enter the regular season with Wilson under center, but his calf had other plans. Because of that lingering injury, Fields was given the green light to be QB1, and through four weeks I think it’s fair to say he’s made the most of his opportunity.

The Steelers offense isn’t putting up big numbers, but Pittsburgh is 3-1 while Fields is averaging a career-high 207.5 passing yards per game, and he’s thrown three touchdowns compared to one interception with three more scores coming on the ground. He has completed 70.6% of his passes through four games, and his best completion percentage in a season is 61.4%. Fields is clearly improving as a quarterback. Why would you take out a 25-year-old center at this point?

I’ve always believed that Fields should be QB1 in Pittsburgh, but now it has to stay that way. Why? Let me explain.

It would be a mistake to insert a rusty 35-year-old who has clearly lost some of his mobility behind an offensive line that is now down FOUR starters. Isaac Seumalo has yet to play due to a chest strain, James Daniels just went down with a torn Achilles on Sunday, center Nate Herbig is out for the year with a torn rotator cuff and Troy Fautanu is on injured reserve with a knee injury. . Wilson is unfortunately not the same playmaker he was with the Seattle Seahawks. He used to be a quarterback who could escape the pocket and make plays downfield. Now, just stepping into the pocket is a chore.

Fields’ mobility has always been seen as a plus — especially in an offense led by Arthur Smith — but now that mobility is in demand. You saw how bad the Steelers offensive line performed on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Throwing a less skilled quarterback into the mix who hasn’t even spent much time taking reps in this new offense doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Where does Jayden Daniels rank among QBs right now?

I’m sure many were skeptical about Jayden Daniels being able to build on his breakout performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. After completing a rookie record 91% of his passes with two touchdowns on the road in prime time, what did he provide for the Arizona Cardinals on short a week?

It was another upset win by a score of 42-14, with the rookie completing 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception to go along with 47 rushing yards and another score on the ground.

The #2 overall pick is the first quarterback in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes in back-to-back games (min. 15 attempts). Daniels has the highest completion percentage in a four-game span (82.1%) within a season since 1970, ahead of 2008 Peyton Manning (MVP), 2007 Tom Brady (MVP) and 2013 Peyton Manning (MVP).

Daniels already tied the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in his first four career games with four, and is the second rookie quarterback in the last 35 seasons to lead a team to 38+ points scored in back-to-back games. He is also the second player in NFL history to complete 75% of his passes and rush for 200 yards in a month. The other was Lamar Jackson in November 2019, the year he won MVP. You see, Daniels is historically good. But my favorite stat is that the Commanders have only had two drives (not counting knees) over the past THREE GAMES that didn’t result in points. From Weeks 2-3, every Washington drive resulted in points. In Week 4, seven of nine possessions went for points.

Daniels is clearly improving, but where is he doing rank right now among quarterbacks? If you want to go off of passer rating, he’s third (107.4). Looking at QBR, Daniels is tied for fourth (73.3). His 8.5 yards per attempt is tied for third, and his 0.9% interception percentage is tied for fifth. Obviously he ranks first in completion percentage (82.1%). Again, this is a rookie who only made four NFL begins What is the ceiling for him?

It’s hard for a young quarterback to insert himself into the top 10 conversation when it comes to active quarterbacks, but Daniels can do it. In fact, he plays like a top five quarterback now. What he has accomplished in terms of efficiency and shown as an athletic playmaker is quite astounding.

The defense you should be talking about

The Denver Broncos defeated Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets on Sunday, 10-9. The only way this game came up in your group chat is if someone made fun of the fact that Bo Nix pitched for -7 yards in the first halfbut we should talk about this Broncos defense more.

Denver has now won two straight upsets, defeating Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 19 points in Week 3, and then the Jets on Sunday. This Broncos defense has not allowed more than 13 points in three straight weeks. By my count, this defense has forced 19 punts, three turnovers, recorded three fourth-down stops, seen one missed field goal, made five field goals and just two touchdowns over the last three games. Vance Joseph’s squad currently ranks #2 in yards allowed per game (256.5), and third in points allowed per game (13.8). Sean Payton has never had a top three scoring defense in his career.

So why is Denver having success? Well, some names that casual soccer fans probably aren’t aware of played incredibly well. Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen pressure the quarterback, Riley Moss is a hot cornerback who I guarantee wants to win his one-on-one more than you, Ja’Quan McMillian is a great slot, PJ Locke had double figures. tackles and the game-clinching sack last week and new safety Brandon Jones is already having a career year.

The Broncos are putting pressure on quarterbacks, and it’s working. Denver has the highest rush rate (49.7%) and the third highest pressure rate (40.7%) in the NFL this season. The Broncos also have the highest sack percentage in the NFL (11.8%) after ranking 20th in 2023 (6.8%). Only the Minnesota Vikings have recorded more sacks than the Broncos this season. It wasn’t long ago when Broncos fans didn’t want to allow coach Joseph back on the team plane after his defense gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins. Now, he leads the most underrated unit in the entire NFL.

Broncos games this season are averaging a combined 29.3 points per game, and 522.5 total yards per game. Both rank fewest in the NFL. Expect that trend to continue as their next two games come against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers, who both rank in the bottom 10 offensively. Keep betting those Unders!