NFL trend watch: a perfect kicker and worries for the 49ers | NFL

The trend is increasing

Younghoe Koo

In a golden season for kickers, one shoe rules all. The power shoe welded to Younghoe Koo's instep provides the Falcons with an all-time record. After four games, Koo is perfect, having made all nine of his field goal attempts and all six of his extra points. What about Washington's Austin Siebert? A pretender. As perfect as the kicker may be, he has played one less game and has yet to make a field goal of 50 yards or more, while Koo has scored three times, including the 58-yard walk-off shot that led the Saints to victory on Sunday case brought. That this rise came after he was kicked out of the NFL following his struggles with the Chargers makes it all the sweeter. Long live the king.

Washington commanders

After their team suffered a hard-fought but tough loss to the Buccaneers in the season opener, fans in Washington may have felt that this year was going to be like many others before it. What a difference three weeks, three wins and three more outstanding games from rookie quarterback/Cheshire Cat Jayden Daniels make. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is building a devastating attack that relies on his rookie's running talent and slowly unlocking the passing game. After too many seasons in the wilderness, the Commanders are emerging as the dominant force in the NFC East.

Kingsbury's approach to running the ball is to be commended. He forgoes a bell cow back and instead shares the load between four impressive rushers: This means he has the highest scoring unit in the league with 10 touchdowns. It says a lot about the talent of Daniels and Brian Robinson Jr. when your third-string rusher Austin Ekeler was the league's touchdown leader just two seasons ago. It says even more about the quality of coaching and blocking when his replacement, Jeremy McNichols, steps in against the Cardinals and steals the show with two scores and a brutal average of 8.5 yards per carry on just eight attempts. Sharing the hard load feels like real progress for a team that ruined its 2012 postseason by having its quarterback, Robert Griffin III, play through serious injuries.

And conveniently, barring an injury, Daniels is a sure-fire player who can follow in Griffin's footsteps as Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Commanders' schedule also looks good, with just one road game at Baltimore in Week 6 rounding out a five-game series with the Browns, Panthers, Bears and Giants. If this phase develops positively, they should have a chance at their first playoff win since the 2005 season.

Downtrend

San Francisco 49ers

Fred Warner was on a mission on Sunday. The linebacker led a heated pregame meeting, urging his 49ers teammates to spark a fresh start with a victory over the stilted New England Patriots. But talk is cheap, while 45-yard pick-sixes are slightly more valuable. Warner's gravity-defying grab for a spacewalk and the score was an important reminder that the 49ers are still a dominant force.

Until Warner injured his ankle and was unable to return to the game in the second half. The injury bug has hit the Bay Area again, although fortunately Warner should be back this week. The front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year wasn't the only pillar to fall, however, as defensive tackle Jordan Elliott left with a knee injury.

Most problematically, the Niners' offense remains hamstrung by the long-term absence of Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk appears intent on providing excitement. San Francisco handed the receiver a $120 million deal, but he continues to sulk. In the last episode, he argued with Kyle Shanahan because he wore the wrong shorts to practice on Friday. In contrast to Warner, the receiver barely followed up on his tirade of abuse: He only had two catches in the win over New England. This team is in winning mode with Brock Purdy likely getting a big new contract, so they need stars like Aiyuk to play a key role. Warner should dominate the Arizona Cardinals' offense this Sunday, but he needs his opponents to be able to match his performance. The linebacker won't go it alone: ​​The 49ers have a massive schedule starting in Week 6 with Seattle, Kansas City, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Green Bay and Buffalo.

Vic Fangio

The veteran defensive coordinator has had great success throughout his career. That pedigree is likely why Philadelphia brought him in to replace Matt Patricia, who was partly responsible for the Eagles' late collapse last season. But the Eagles are still toothless on defense with Fangio. In Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay, they missed more than 12 tackles as Baker Mayfield torched their soft coverage with 347 yards and two touchdowns.

In the past, Fangio has relied on showing identical shell coverages while switching to zone coverage to confuse opposing quarterbacks. But that predictable play allowed Mayfield to carve up Philadelphia in his usual swashbuckling style. Fangio faces the difficult task of reviving the failing Eagles.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence has lost nine straight starts and his nightmare shows no end. The former No. 1 overall pick is struggling as he continues to miss easy throws – not scoring a key touchdown at the one-yard line in the Jags' loss to the Texans on Sunday would be a major disappointment for a QB deep furrow. But the playing performance was also poor. A big adjustment needs to take place in Jacksonville to avoid having the worst record in the NFL this season. London fans will be thrilled to have to endure this rubbish when the team makes its journey across the Atlantic later this month.