There is no longer an official one-quarter mark of the NFL season now that the league operates with a 17-game schedule, but with four games in the books, the campaign is about 25% complete. That is a large enough sample size to begin to draw conclusions about teams, players and coaches, even if some of those takeaways will age poorly over the remaining three-fourths of the year. In some cases, it is not too early to write the book on a team's season.
For instance, the five winless teams can effectively wave goodbye to their postseason hopes because it will be nearly impossible to climb out of the deep trenches they dug themselves into over the season's first month. Even the Houston Texans, who entered the year as Super Bowl hopefuls, look like an afterthought in the race to the playoffs. The rest of the campaign will prove that some four-game starts are nothing more than hot streaks and cold stretches.
But for now, all we can run with is what we have seen in a month's worth of action. Let's separate overreactions from reality as the NFL's regular season reaches its quarter-way mark. The Kenneth Walker III signing might have been the most impactful free agency move of the offseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs are a completely different beast in 2026 than they were a year ago, and it all stems from the reintroduction of a prolific rushing attack. The $14.35 million the Chiefs are paying the reigning Super Bowl MVP suddenly looks like a steal, because Walker leads the NFL in rushing through four games with his 537 yards. That is 116 more than the second-most-prolific ballcarrier and last year's rushing title winner, James Cook.
Because the Chiefs boast the No. 3 rushing attack in the league, Patrick Mahomes does not have to shoulder an immense load with his arm as he did in years past. This not only helps him ease back into action following his ACL tear, but it should also aid in his career longevity. The passing offense is so much more impactful than it was one year ago, it was the only thing that worked.
Just look at Travis Kelce's resurgence this season as a top-tier receiving tight end. Kansas City needs help at wide receiver, but even with the depth concerns there, it is one of three undefeated teams and has the look of the same unstoppable force that won three Super Bowls in five years and went to two others since 2019. There was no more disappointing individual player in the first three weeks of the season than Drake Maye.
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