Vikings looking for a title? The first coach to be fired? Would the Browns trade Deshaun Watson?

There are already 30 games decided by one point (eight points or less) in 2024, the most in a Week 3 in NFL history. The undefeated Steelers and Seahawks certainly win close ones, while the Vikings just blow teams away.

Heading into Week 4, FOX Sports’ NFL experts offer their take on those three teams and several other topics, including which winless teams are in real trouble, what the Browns can do with struggling quarterback Deshaun Watson, and which coach a future coach. the first one was fired.

Let’s get started.

Buying or selling: The The Vikings are they legitimate Super Bowl contenders?

I love the Vikings. Like … I really, really like the Vikings. A lot, maybe, because it’s hard to trust a team with Sam Darnold at quarterback. He has always been brilliant. And anyway, we’re all still waiting for his triple split game, aren’t we? For now, I’m going to trust my eyes and say he’s the perfect player for this offense, which will only get better as TJ Hockenson (ACL) and Jordan Addison (ankle) return to the lineup.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings have a defensive line coach, Brian Flores, who has figured out how to slow down some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Neither Brock Purdy nor CJ Stroud could figure out what to do with Minnesota’s defensive front. Daniel Jones was a complete disaster. There is no quantifiable reason to doubt the Vikings — except for those with a pre-existing bias toward Darnold. But I look beyond that. I say they are arguing. – Henry McKenna

It starts at the top of Minnesota. Head coach Kevin O’Connell created a tradition of sustained winning for the Vikings, carried over from his time as a player with the Patriots under Bill Belichick and as an assistant coach under Sean McVay with the Rams. The Vikings have a defensive coordinator on the heater in Brian Flores, the best receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson and a linebacker who finally plays his way in Sam Darnold. Minnesota’s 3-0 start isn’t bad. The Vikings are real — outscoring teams by an average of 18 points per game — and should play meaningful games in December and January. – Eric D. Williams

Which of these groups is struggling – The Bengalis, Cowboys, Jaguars, 49ers – in legal trouble?

Oh, the Jags. There is a lot wrong there with 0-3. Two of the three teams they lost to were 1-2. They are 30th in scoring offense, 28th in scoring defense. Already without corner Tyson Campbell, they are now without linebacker Foye Oluokun for several weeks. Trevor Lawrence has two touchdowns in three games. They still get the Titans and Colts twice, but if they don’t show anything against the Texans this week, it will be a very deep hole for them to climb out of in 2024. – Greg Auman

Definitely the Jags. They seem to have no answers and confidence seems to be waning during the week. An 0-4 start is very possible, with a tie against the surging Texans in Houston coming up this week. The injury bug did nothing for the Jags, either. Senior linebacker Tyson Campbell (hamstring) is on injured reserve, while other top starters like Evan Engram (hamstring) and linebacker Foye Oluokun (plantar fasciitis) are also sidelined. – Ben Arthur

The Bengals shouldn’t be 0-3, which is usually a death knell for a team. Only one team since 2000 has made the playoffs after starting with that record. Cincy has Joe Burrow. It has Ja’Marr Chase. Featuring Tee Higgins. There’s Trey Hendrickson. Those are the closet players in the top positions. But the Bengals have two major problems: 1) an owner who won’t pay the price needed to fill out a playoff-caliber depth chart and 2) a coach who is clearly limited in his abilities but also because of existing financial problems. . Thus, the Bengals spent the prime years of Burrow’s career. I wouldn’t be surprised if he never wins a Super Bowl with Cincinnati – jumps ship in a few years and wins somewhere else (like Matthew Stafford did, from Detroit to the Rams). – Henry McKenna

Deshaun Watson enters Week 4 with the lowest QBR among starting QBs. What is Kevin Stefanski doing with the Browns and Watson?

Nothing. There is nothing they can do as he is in the third year of that ridiculous, fully guaranteed, five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns. He’s locked up on their roster for the next three seasons and, due to the magnitude of their mysterious commitment, they should let him play. They’re not going to have someone who costs them that much money on the bench, or in the injury zone, or not on the roster – even if some of those options would be better, given the way he’s playing right now. Right now he is bad.

All they can do is cross their fingers and hope he returns to at least the level he played in six games last season. Yes, in a perfect world where money and cap space don’t matter, they’ll sit him and give his copy, Jameis Winston, a shot. But that is not the world we live in. The Browns need to justify this contract. They can’t let it be the anchor that drags the franchise down until 2027 (though it’s still possible). They have to realize that the talent that Watson undoubtedly had is still there, somewhere. In other words, to use a cliché, they have made their bed. Now they have to sleep on it, even if it means the franchise will take a very long time, without rest. – Ralph Vacchiano

Replace him. Put him on IR. Do whatever you have to do. But move him off the top of the depth chart. Because of his contract, the Browns cannot cut him. They can’t even sell him. If he continues his play at this (shocking) level, Watson’s contract will go down as the worst in NFL history. The trade to get him, in which Cleveland gave up three first-round picks to Houston, may go down as the worst trade in NFL history.

The Browns have James Winston. While Winston is more or less a Gardner Minshew clone (all stats and no game management), the Browns have no choice but to see what Winston can do. And obviously, they should pass the blame on to Winston todaybecause that might set him up for success with the game plan, rather than benching Watson in the middle of the game and throwing Winston in with limited preparation. – Henry McKenna

I Instruments and the Seahawks are undefeated so far mostly because of their defense. Which team has the most and how far can they ride to secure it?

It has to be Pittsburgh. It’s hard to fathom how the Steelers defense has been dominant. To say it’s the best defense in the NFL is an understatement.

• No. 1 in scoring defense: A touchdown better than the NFL’s best last season.
• No. 1 in total defense: Allowing 230 yards/game. Two years ago, no one was below 300.
• Number 1 third down: Allows 22%. No less than 29% last year.
• Number 1 in the red zone: Allowing a ridiculous 17% TDs. The best in the NFL was 37% in 2023.

If the Steelers can sustain anything close to that on defense and match it with a mediocre offense, they will be able to make a lot of playoff appearances. Remember when Steelers fans were worried about Cleveland? Or Cincinnati? – Greg Auman

It’s tough, because Mike Tomlin might be the second best coach in the NFL right now behind Andy Reid. But I think, on paper, the Seahawks are a very dangerous team. It’s just that their first-year coach, Mike Macdonald, is unproven. But I’m going to take a risk and put my faith in the Seahawks. And it’s not really because of the defense, because the Steelers and Seahawks are almost equally strong in that category. No, I’ll take Seattle on offense. Geno Smith is actually getting better in the same way we saw Stafford mature mentally in his career. Smith has a strong offensive line and exceptional pass catchers. Seattle has the complete package for peace. – Henry McKenna

Even if Mike Tomlin never had a losing season, I’ll take Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks here. Seattle returned to the formula that won the franchise under Pete Carroll: Play tough defense, run the rock and take care of the ball. I’ll take Seattle over Pittsburgh because the Seahawks have a better quarterback in Geno Smith and a chance to create an explosive offense with DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett in the position. – Eric D. Williams

Which coaching seat is the hottest after three weeks and who will be the first to be fired?

There may be two different answers to those questions. I think the hottest seat in the NFL is Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy’s, and it will be rocking if Dallas loses to the Giants on Thursday night. He is in the final year of his contract, coaching the best team in the league, coming off three consecutive 12-5 seasons, and Super Bowl expectations. It is a tragedy that his team is 1-2 and it will be incomprehensible if it falls to 1-3. But Jerry Jones is historically, painfully patient, despite his reputation. There’s almost no way he’s going to fire McCarthy in the middle of the season (even if he’s ready to replace defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer on the spot).

The guy who might have been fired is actually in Jacksonville, where Doug Pederson’s team is 0-3 and Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback who should have been an NFL player, has turned into a long-haired version. Daniel Jones. Pederson also worked for impulsive owner Shad Khan, who has fired coaches twice during the offseason (both in December) and has shown he is willing to make big, bold moves. One thing on Pederson’s side: There’s almost no obvious replacement for his staff. But a few more losses, and don’t be shocked if Khan gets upset and Bill Belichick at least gets a call. – Ralph Vacchiano

I would say Doug Pederson. Before training camp, owner Shad Khan said this is the best Jaguars team the franchise has ever assembled. But through three weeks, the Jags are one of three winless teams in the NFL. They look as lost as they did in their collapse last season. Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the offense going back to year 3 is a Pederson coaching offense. – Ben Arthur

Doug Pederson in Jacksonville is the easy answer, but I’ll go with Matt Eberflus here. In Chicago, this season is all about getting Caleb Williams to play effective football as a rookie, and so far the No. 1 pick. 1 got off to a bad start. Part of that is due to a shaky offensive line defense, but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron did nothing for Williams. Chicago needs to simplify things on offense so that Williams can play aggressively in the passing game, and ultimately his improvement falls on the shoulders of Eberflus. If Williams continues to struggle, the Bears may want to pull the trigger early and jump into the head coaching program next season. – Eric D. Williams

The following authors contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)

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