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Analysis: Vikings, Ravens, Buccaneers and Commanders faced the challenge in a trial week

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

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

NFL teams spend the first month of the season establishing their identity. Some notice it quicker than others.

Week 4 was full of opportunities for many across the league to prove it. Teams that rose to the challenge included the Vikings, Ravens, Buccaneers and Commanders. At the other end were the Jaguars, Eagles, Jets and Browns.

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

The Vikings, a consensus last-place finish 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 are leading a difficult league but still have a long way to go, especially after almost blowing a big lead.

“A lot of things still need to be cleaned up,” O’Connell said. “Starts with me. We will make sure we continue to improve this football team. … What happened today means absolutely nothing for the future except that we need to get 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, defeating previously undefeated Buffalo 35-10, tying their record. Baltimore saved its season with a hard-fought win in Dallas last week and then put on 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 done yet. The 0-2 start is now a memory and they will be in contention in a highly competitive AFC North.

A week after not playing in a 26-7 home loss to Denver, the Buccaneers performed well in a 33-16 win over Philadelphia that wasn’t quite as close as the final score.

Baker Mayfield dismantled 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. “Everyone was committed to the plan and that’s why we implemented it so quickly, but it has to be like this every week.”

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

With Daniels leading a potent offense, the Commanders should contend for the NFC East title in a season that began with low expectations.

Jacksonville started this year with championship aspirations, but instead got off to an 0-4 start. The Jaguars blew a lead in the fourth quarter and missed several opportunities in a 24-20 loss to Houston.

Even though they are just a few games away from a 2-2 draw, the reality is that they have an uphill climb ahead of them. Lawrence, who received a $275 million contract, has been inconsistent and criticism of coach Doug Pederson is mounting.

“As coaches, we can’t go out and make the plays, right?” Pederson said. “It’s a two-way street, so you can sit here and point whatever you want and that’s fine. Point it directly at me. I can take it, okay? 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 backwards against the Buccaneers. They haven’t solved the problems that led to a season-ending collapse and have now lost eight of 11 games since opening 10-1 last year.

Coach Nick Sirianni emphasized that the team’s fundamentals should be improved during the bye week. If not, his spot will only get hotter in a city where fans and media have been clamoring for his job since a playoff loss to the Buccaneers in January.

“We didn’t practice well enough and we didn’t play well enough – and it always starts with me,” Sirianni said. “If we go out there, lay an egg and are down 24-0, that will be a burden for me. I didn’t have the guys ready to go. But our basic requirements were not what we needed. We’ll make sure we work hard on it – the bye week comes at a good time.”

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets travel to London in a sour mood after a lackluster performance in a 10-9 home loss to Denver. Greg Zuerlein missed a potentially game-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 sync. The road doesn’t get any easier for the Jets (2-2). Next Sunday they face the Vikings.

Deshaun Watson and the Browns failed in a comeback in Las Vegas, falling to 1-3, 20-16. A year after Joe Flacco led Cleveland to the playoffs, the Browns are back in a familiar spot at the bottom of the table. Watson no longer resembled the player he was in Houston, and he’s willing to take the blame.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this article