Each week, we’ll offer up the very best of the NFL for a given week, kind of like the fantasy football team you wished you had.
We’ll pick one quarterback, two running backs, two receivers and a tight end – OK, this is sounding a lot like a super-hindsight fantasy football team – as a way to look back on the weekend that was.
We have a familiar face that stood out at wide receiver, and another return performer at running back. Let’s break it down.
QB Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Can it really be 48 games since the last time Mahomes had four or more touchdown passes and no interceptions?
It seems like there’s an AFC playoff preview every week, and Ravens vs. Chiefs was definitely one. Mahomes showed the Chiefs are better than their record would show, getting them back to 2-2 with 270 yards and touchdown passes to four players.
Mahomes’ four touchdown passes were more than his first games combined. I’m not saying they’re the old Chiefs, but they’re still dangerous.
Patrick Mahomes looked like his old self on Sunday in a big win over the Ravens. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
RB Ashton Jeanty, Raiders
This is what Las Vegas expected when it drafted Jeanty No. 8 overall — 138 yards rushing and three total touchdowns, although it all came in a close loss to the Bears.
Jeanty had a 64-yard touchdown run and caught two short scoring passes. He had more total offense (155 yards) Sunday than in his first three games combined, and three times as many touchdowns.
If the Raiders can just get Geno Smith to stop throwing interceptions, they could have a fun team this season.
RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons
Is Robinson the best all-purpose back in the league? He ran for 75 yards and a touchdown Sunday and had another 106 yards receiving, giving him 181 yards from scrimmage.
Robinson is now the NFL leader there with 584 yards in four games, ahead of the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (530) and on pace for 2,482 yards of total offense over a 17-game season. The NFL season record is 2,509, set by Chris Johnson in 2009. Something to watch …
WR Puka Nacua, Rams
It’s not just Nacua getting 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown, it’s doing that on 15 targets – that’s an 87% catch rate, which is amazing when the opponent knows you’re getting the ball as often as does.
Nacua has had a prolific start to the season. His 42 catches are 11 more than any other player in the league, and his 503 yards are 101 more than anyone else. That puts him on pace for all kinds of record-breaking – 178 catches for 2,138 receiving yards. We’ll say he needs more than one touchdown, but hey, that’s something to improve upon.
“Can somebody tell me how you cover Puka Nacua?!” in Rams win over Colts
Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston break down the Los Angeles Rams 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
WR George Pickens, Cowboys
Pickens has four touchdowns in his first four games with Dallas, including two in Sunday night’s game against Green Bay to go along with eight catches for 134 yards. It’s just the second multi-touchdown game of his four-year career, and the second-most yards he’s had.
Pickens is yet to have more than five touchdowns in a season, so this is the kind of production that the Cowboys were hoping for when they traded three draft picks to the Steelers. Each score only helps his market value as one of the best free agents available next spring, when he’ll command $25 million or more per year.
TE Dallas Goedert, Eagles
Can two touchdowns get you on the list if both were … underhand throws? Goedert had two goal-line scores out of tush push variations – a sideways sling from Jalen Hurts and then a traditional shovel pass in the Eagles’ 31-23 win over the Bucs. Goedert already has three scores this season, and that matches his most in any season since 2021.
Honorable mention here goes to rookie Tyler Warren, who caught five passes for 70 yards and somehow managed a rushing touchdown in a cameo as a fullback.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
What did you think of this story?
recommended
Get more from the National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Read the full article here
