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A lot can change in a month in the NFL. Look no further than the NFC West.
Going into the season, the Rams were not only prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl, but were also seen as the clear-cut best team in the sport’s top division, lording over the defending-champion Seahawks and 49ers. Now four weeks into the year, the 49ers are undefeated, including a rousing 27–7 throttling of Los Angeles in Week 1, while Seattle is 3–1 and aiming to claim first place in a matchup between the two sides this weekend.
As for the Rams, they’re 2–2 and hosting the Bills. Already in chase mode.
Perhaps nothing has been more surprising than the play of the quarterbacks within the division. While Sam Darnold has battled a hip injury and missed most of two weeks, reigning MVP Matthew Stafford has struggled with six interceptions and ranks 17th in QBR (58.6). Meanwhile, Brock Purdy is thriving, with a league-high 11 touchdowns against one interception.
Elsewhere, the Buccaneers are faltering, but fans have a reason to keep watching, while a superstar receiver is nearing a potential return from a catastrophic knee injury. Plus, the Titans are 0–4, but their young talent provides hope in a tough year.
We start with the 49ers and their quarterback, who have the mojo of a title contender going into October.
Through four weeks, Brock Purdy is the NFL MVP
In Week 4, the 49ers walked off the field in Santa Clara as one of three unbeaten teams, handing the Broncos a 24–14 loss. For Purdy, it was his quietest game yet. He threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns with a 107.4 passing rating. Ho-hum.
At the season’s quarter mark, Purdy might not be the league’s best player. That title could go to Kenneth Walker III or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Still, in today’s world, in which the top quarterback typically wins MVP honors—no other position has won it since running back Adrian Peterson in 2012—those players are fighting for Offensive Player of the Year.
As for Purdy, he has been both spectacular and consistent in San Francisco.
Speaking with a team source, the 26-year-old has mastered the mundane portion of playing quarterback, giving him the tools to match his ever-aggressive mindset. The 49ers have seen an evolutionary leap in his process in his fifth season, with a better understanding of how to dissect coverages while varying his throw speeds depending on the pass call. Matched with a running game averaging 4.8 yards per carry (seventh in the NFL) and an offensive line that hasn’t allowed a sack, Purdy is playing at an MVP-caliber level.
Going into a key Week 5 meeting with the Seahawks, Purdy ranks atop the NFL leaderboard in almost every passing category, including yardage (12th), yards per attempt (third), touchdowns (tied for first), QBR (first) and QB rating (first). He’s also first in EPA per play (0.504) by a massive gap. The gap between Purdy and second-place Lamar Jackson matches the gap between Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, who is 11th.
In 2023, Purdy appeared headed for superstardom. He led San Francisco to the Super Bowl in his second year while finishing fourth in MVP balloting, throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. In 2024 and 2025, he threw 40 touchdowns with 22 interceptions but was limited to 24 games by injuries. He’s now on pace to amass 4,279 yards, 46 touchdowns and only four picks.
It’s early, but nobody has played better football than Purdy and the unbeaten 49ers.
Jalon Daniels provides intrigue in Bucs’ lost season
Daniels took the long road to his first NFL start. A three-star prospect from Lawndale High School (California), Daniels spent six years with the Jayhawks (49 games) before signing with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. Throughout the offseason and summer, he impressed enough to earn the backup job, beating out veteran Jake Browning.
Last week, Daniels was pressed into the starting role after Baker Mayfield dislocated his right thumb in the final moments of a Week 3 loss to the Vikings. In his starting debut Sunday, Daniels struggled, going 19-of-27 for 148 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 54 yards.
Still, Tampa Bay is plenty intrigued by the 23-year-old. In a conversation with an NFC scout asked to evaluate Daniels, the quarterback was given a sixth-round grade going into April. According to the source, Daniels’s playmaking stood out at the collegiate level, coupled with his ability to elevate an underwhelming team to a competitive one.
A four-year captain, Daniels led Kansas to two five-win seasons and a six-win campaign in his three seasons as a full-time starter. While that isn’t much on the surface, the Jayhawks have enjoyed that many victories only once since 2010.
With Mayfield expected to be sidelined for at least two more games, Daniels will get an extended look for Tampa Bay or as a trade chip. On Thursday night, the Bucs are at the Cowboys on national television. Daniels will face the league’s 30th-ranked defense.
After 10 years between high school and college, and fighting for every chance to play, Daniels will take center stage at Jerry World.
Titans are winless, but there’s plenty of hope in Nashville
The Titans haven’t won yet, but the reasons for belief are growing by the day.
This past offseason, general manager Mike Borgonzi began building in earnest around second-year quarterback Cam Ward, pairing him with new coach Robert Saleh and experienced offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. While the jury is out on how that triumvirate will eventually work out, Tennessee feels it nailed the draft.
While defensive end Keldric Faulk and right guard Fernando Carmona are building blocks with clear upside, first-round receiver Carnell Tate and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. could be long-term anchors on their respective sides of the ball.
According to a high-ranking team source, the Titans fell in love with their passion for football, a top front-office priority over the past two seasons as they rebuilt the culture. Tennessee also feels both are nowhere near their ceilings, with both being 20 years old in their final collegiate years.
In Tate’s case, everything is already translating. At Ohio State, his route running, ball skills, catch radius and hands were on display opposite Jeremiah Smith, leading to 51 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. At 6'2" and 192 pounds, Tate has stood out since OTAs and has carried that into the regular season. Through four weeks, he ranks 11th in receptions (22) and 15th in yardage (268), highlighted by a nine-catch, 145-yard effort against the Ravens.
As for Hill, the Titans believe he’s a perfect fit for Saleh’s 4–3 scheme with his length and speed, punctuated by his ability to hit. Coming out of Texas, Hill had 31.5 tackles for loss and 17 sacks, including an SEC-best 16.5 TFLs in 2024. During the predraft process, Hill ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at 6'2" and 238 pounds. So far, he leads the Titans with 42 tackles and two passes defensed.
The record isn’t good, but the building blocks are there in Nashville.
Tyreek Hill is nearing a return, if the league allows it
The last time we saw Tyreek Hill, he was being carted off the field in Miami Gardens with his left knee dislocated and multiple torn ligaments. After two surgeries and more than a year of rehab, Hill is now closing in on his return, provided the league allows it. Hill is currently involved in a civil assault and battery trial in Florida involving his wife.
Should Hill return, whether it’s to the much-rumored Chiefs or elsewhere, he could be the most impactful midseason addition in some time. At 32 years old, it’s an open question how healthy and effective Hill will be, but if he returns to anywhere near his old form, he’ll again be one of the most dynamic players in football.
“Once he catches the football, it's like a punt return,” said a veteran defensive coordinator, who fears Hill most when in space. “It’s not a nine route. It’s not a skinny post. It’s getting him across the middle, getting the ball to him quickly. With his abilities, you held your breath every time as a defensive coordinator when he touched the ball.”
Before getting injured, Hill put up first-ballot numbers with Kansas City and Miami. In 10 seasons, he was a five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler with six 1,000-yard seasons, including a league-best 1,799 yards in 2023. Should he return to the Chiefs, he’d be an old face among many. Despite not playing in Kansas City since the 2021 season, Hill would be reunited with coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
With Hill eyeing a November return, any signing would include a ramp-up period to get into football shape while continuing to strengthen his knee. From there, he’d need to be activated to the 53-man roster, then likely would be on a snap count for some time.
Still, when speaking to the DC, he says any team facing Hill would need to game-plan as though he’s the player we’ve known, giving the offense a distinct advantage.
If a few games prove otherwise, the signing and its impact will fizzle, but if Hill is even close to his pre-injury play, nobody available could tilt the championship chase more.
After two horrid weeks, the Colts and their defense have bounced back
Walking out of Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2, the Colts looked like a team going nowhere. Not only were they 0–2 after an overtime loss to the Chiefs, but they had allowed 1,029 yards and 74 points in losses to Baltimore and Kansas City.
While the losses were understandable given the opponents, the defensive performance was staggering. Under respected coordinator Lou Anarumo, Indianapolis was shredded by Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, allowing 706 passing yards and four touchdown passes.
However, the past two weeks have seen far better showings against lesser opponents in the Texans and Commanders. In the two wins against Houston then over Washington, Anarumo’s group gave up 540 yards and 30 points combined with five turnovers.
Speaking to a team source, much of the turnaround has been sparked by the veteran play and presence of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, along with second-year corner Justin Walley taking a considerable step forward. Buckner, 32, already has a team-leading three sacks, helping a revamped front seven round into form. Meanwhile, Walley has played 71% of the snaps and gives Indianapolis an underrated, solid tackler who can also blitz, as shown by his third-down sack of Commanders quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.
The source also pointed to the unit coming together despite youth and newness to the system. The Colts have a host of first-year contributors on that side, including edge rusher Arden Key, linebackers Bryce Boettcher and Akeem Davis-Gaither and rookie safety A.J. Haulcy. Only Laiatu Latu, Grover Stewart and Buckner have been defensive starters for Indianapolis since 2024.
After ranking 30th in EPA per play and per rush over the first two weeks (0.202; 0.098), those figures have jumped to sixth (-0.160; -0.246) on both fronts. Indy’s success rate allowed is also third in that span (34.7%) after being 28th (50.7%) in its two defeats.
With Jackson and Mahomes no longer on the schedule, look for the Colts to continue improving against the offensively challenged Steelers, Titans and Vikings coming up, with Minnesota and Tennessee ranking 31st and 32nd in yards, respectively.
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MATT VERDERAME
Matt Verderame is a national NFL staff writer for Sports Illustrated, writing features, columns and more. Before joining Sports Illustrated in March 2023, Verderame wrote for FanSided and SB Nation. He’s a proud husband to Stephanie and father of two girls, Maisy and Genevieve. In his spare time, Verderame is an avid collector of vintage baseball cards.
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