The Minnesota Vikings lead the field after an unpredictable first month of the NFL season

On Thursday night, the Cowboys suffered two major injuries on defense – Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence – and face a series of games against the Steelers, Lions and 49ers. The Seahawks are the only other undefeated team in the NFC, but they have played without Tua Tagovailoa against the Broncos, Patriots and Miami Dolphins. Their best test comes Monday night against the Detroit Lions, who already have a loss to the Bucs. The Bucs, whose Baker Mayfield may be the only quarterback who fully appreciates Darnold’s resurgence because it so closely resembles his own, beat the listless Philadelphia Eagles 33-16. The Eagles enter the bye week at 2-2, and while their struggling wide receiver room (DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown both missed Sunday’s game) can use the week off, the bye will be filled with questions about whether the Eagles are truly shaken by what undone them last season, whether Jalen Hurts can stop turning the ball over (he’s already committed six turnovers this season) and why a supremely talented roster Despite it didn’t score a point in the first quarter this season, making it the only NFL team to be blanked in this manner. Hurts said the Eagles are still trying to figure out their own identity.

“I clearly didn’t do enough,” Hurts told reporters after Sunday’s loss. “You can point fingers everywhere, but it’s all mine. I touch the ball on every play. I’m proud of that.”

After overhauling the coaching staff and actively improving the squad, the Eagles’ mistakes are unexpected. But the only team that can take on the Vikings in a lucky surprise is the Washington Commanders, who lead the NFC East at 3-1 after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 42-14 on the road, just six days after beating the Bengals defeated in Cincinnati. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is the early front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, although the Commanders are likely to be more than a vehicle for a handful of individual awards, if not this season then next.

However, thanks to the work O’Connell did with Darnold that made O’Connell a leading contender for Coach of the Year honors, the Vikings have already arrived. It’s hard to imagine teams like the 49ers and Lions not at least putting pressure on the Vikings, who find themselves in an enviable position. They are being chased and so far they are dealing with it better than the quarterbacks in Flores’ sights.