Optimism rules the day at the start of every NFL season. The player who struggled last year will surely turn it around, the aging veteran won't lose a step or wind up injured and that first-round rookie will solve many problems.

Then reality sets in.

With four games in the books, the honeymoon phase for some players and coaches is over. Even teams off to an ideal start have at least one player, position group, coach or unit they're disappointed in.

Based on what was expected at the beginning of the season, here's each team's biggest disappointment so far.

Arizona Cardinals: HC Kliff Kingsbury

It starts at the top for the Arizona Cardinals. The team is 2-2, but it hasn't been pretty.

The Cardinals have gone into the locker room down at halftime every week. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury acknowledged the slow starts were an issue after their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, telling reporters:

“That’s something we’ve got to figure out. It’s been slow starts in all three phases this week, unfortunately, but that’s got to be an emphasis to get started faster on offense, get in a groove and get moving so we can get into some of our tempo stuff. Coaches and players, we’ve got to figure that out this week.”

The way an offense starts can be directly tied to preparation. Every staff works to script the first drive, and every contest begins with a neutral game script. Yet, the Cardinals offense seems to sputter out of the gate on a weekly basis.

Kyler Murray showed frustration in the fourth quarter as he rallied the Cards to a 26-16 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

That tension will only grow if the Cardinals don't get off to better starts. They've been able to recover against two one-win teams in the Raiders and Panthers. It won't be easy to do that against better teams.

Atlanta Falcons: TE Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts is the highest-drafted tight end in history. That comes with massive expectations.

He hasn't even come close to meeting those this year after he debuted with 68 receptions for 1,026 yards on a struggling offense in 2021.

Head coach Arthur Smith has had to defend his usage of the gifted tight end this season.

"The ball will find him," Smith told reporters after Pitts saw just three targets in a Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. "He's going to break out here again, and we're going to win because of it."

We are still waiting to see that breakout game. He did show signs of life with five catches for 87 yards against the Seattle Seahawks the following week but was mostly invisible once again with one catch for 25 yards on four targets against the Cleveland Browns.

At the beginning of the season, it would have been easier to believe Pitts had 150 receiving yards in one game than 150 in the first four combined.

Baltimore Ravens: 2nd-Half Defense

The second-half collapses for the Baltimore Ravens defense have been too severe and dramatic to put on just one player.

The unit is responsible for the biggest and fourth-biggest blown leads in franchise history, per Nick Veronica of News 4 Buffalo, the first being the 35-14 lead they blew against the Miami Dolphins. They gave up four touchdown passes to Tua Tagovailoa in the fourth quarter alone in that 42-38 loss.

Their inability to close out games crept up again in the 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. They were ahead 20-3 at one point and mostly did a good job of slowing down Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

But they gave up a touchdown right at the end of the half, the offense stalled and the defense couldn't hold up its end of the bargain.

According to NFL Research, Allen was 0-7 when behind 17 points in a game. The Ravens defense became the first to give up that kind of comeback against the Bills quarterback.

Lamar Jackson and the offense will have to continue to give them chances to win games. The defense has to be able to protect a lead.

Buffalo Bills: TE Dawson Knox

The Buffalo Bills are 3-1, with the only loss coming in a game in which they outgained the Miami Dolphins 497 yards to 212. So it's hard to find much for them to be disappointed in.

However, Dawson Knox has struggled to get going. Last year, he was a key figure in the passing game, especially in the red zone. Only Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry and Pat Freiermuth had more touchdowns among tight ends inside the 20 last season.

Four games into 2022, Knox is still searching for his first touchdown.

The Bills offense is deep with targets for Josh Allen, so it's understandable that his stat line is uninspiring. However, if there's an area the Bills have been closer to league average, it's in the red zone.

The Bills are 10th in the league in red-zone touchdown percentage. A reemergence of Knox as a red-zone weapon would help make that number elite.

Carolina Panthers: QB Baker Mayfield

Trading for Baker Mayfield was supposed to at least be an upgrade over Sam Darnold.

The divisive quarterback has had his ups and downs throughout his career, but his inability to elevate the talent around him has been apparent with the Carolina Panthers. He hasn't topped 200 yards in a game since Week 1 against Cleveland, has yet to throw more than one touchdown pass in a contest and completed less than half of his passes in the team's only win.

Head coach Matt Rhule wasn't shy about placing some of the blame on his new quarterback.

"Some of it falls on Baker in terms of his feet and being on time and taking some throws when they are there," Rhule told reporters. "But the wideout play has to really improve this week. We need to play better at that position."

Rhule is a close runner-up. There seems to be no progression for this team under his watch, and it moved to 1-26 under him when the opposing offense scores at least 17 points, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Then again, Panthers fans' hopes could not have been that high for Rhule heading into this year.

Chicago Bears: QB Justin Fields

Justin Fields' placement on this list is more of a culmination of organizational mistakes, but at some point, the quarterback has to show improvement.

The Chicago Bears have not done a great job of protecting their young quarterback. Next Gen Stats noted he was pressured on 50 percent of his dropbacks in Week 4 alone.

But Fields' struggles go beyond that. As Steven Ruiz of The Ringer noted in his latest QB rankings heading into Week 4:

"Throwing with anticipation is a prerequisite for playing quarterback in the NFL, and Fields has to see a receiver running wide open to even consider sending the ball his way. The Bears receivers aren’t running wide open too often, obviously. And on the rare occasion Fields does get a pass off, it’s typically off target."

The numbers back up Ruiz's assertion. Through three weeks, Fields had the third-worst completion percentage over expected, per Next Gen Stats, and he held on to the ball for an average of 3.1 seconds, a bottom-four mark.

Fields has the occasional flash of brilliance. He uncorked a beautiful deep ball to Darnell Mooney in Week 4, but those flashes need to come more often if Fields is going to convince this regime he's the quarterback of the future.

Cincinnati Bengals: OT La'el Collins

Much was made of the Cincinnati Bengals' attempts to reconstruct the offensive line that struggled to protect Joe Burrow in his first two NFL seasons.

The additions of Alex Cappa and Ted Karras gave them two reliable veterans on the interior, and signing La'el Collins after the Dallas Cowboys released him was supposed to secure one of the two vital tackle spots.

Through four weeks, it looks like the Cowboys may have been ahead of the curve when they dropped the 29-year-old.

According to Sports Info Solutions, Collins has six blown blocks, has incurred three penalties and has conceded two sacks.

Collins played against the Dolphins and the offensive line only allowed one sack, so there's signs that things could improve. However, the veteran tackle also made his first appearance on the injury report with a back ailment.

Collins missed all of 2020 with a hip injury and missed five games in 2021. He hasn't missed any time in 2022 yet, but there's a possibility more disappointment is coming given the back situation.

Cleveland Browns: DC Joe Woods

The ingredients are there for the Cleveland Browns to field a good defense. Yet, they haven't done so through four weeks. A number of players should shoulder some blame, but it comes down to the coach in charge of utilizing those talents.

Myles Garrett (shoulder) and Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) were out in Week 4, which would be tough for anyone to overcome, but the Browns are 28th in ESPN's defensive efficiency.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods has had two-plus seasons to install his schemes and coverages. Yet, the Browns have routinely experienced blown coverages and given up big plays such as the 42-yarder to Olamide Zaccheaus in Week 4 when they had the Falcons pinned deep in their own territory.

The success of the Falcons run game was an even bigger indictment on Woods and the defense. Atlanta rolled up over 200 yards on the ground at 5.8 yards per carry.

With Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Browns' only path to victory is to lean on Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and the run game while playing great defense.

The offense is maximizing the tools it has. The defense is not.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Jalen Tolbert

It might be unfair to call a third-round rookie "disappointing" four weeks into his career, but Jalen Tolbert has not been able to make the most out of what was a good situation.

In theory, the South Alabama product was set up for a successful start. Michael Gallup didn't return from his torn ACL until Week 4, and James Washington hurt his foot in training camp and still hasn't made his debut.

The Cowboys spent a Day 2 pick on the receiver after trading Amari Cooper and letting Cedrick Wilson Jr. walk in free agency. It made sense to expect that he would contribute immediately.

Instead, he's been a non-factor. He has just one catch for four yards and was a healthy scratch in Week 4.

There's still plenty of time for Tolbert to have an impact during his rookie season, but he has fallen below the expectations his situation created.

Denver Broncos: HC Nathaniel Hackett

When the Denver Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett and traded for Russell Wilson during the offseason, the expectation was that the duo would propel the offense to new heights.

Thus far, it's been a failure to launch.

In Week 4, the Broncos scored a season high in points in a 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the first win of the season for their AFC West rivals. Not only has Hackett not found a way to score with Wilson at quarterback and an arsenal of skill players that included Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams (who's now out for the year with a knee injury) and Jerry Jeudy, he's also struggled with game management to the point they had to hire a specialist to help him.

Wilson hasn't looked great either, but he at least showed signs of being his former self. He was nearly perfect in the first half of the Raiders' loss and delivered a signature deep ball to KJ Hamler.

The 2-2 Broncos don't look anything like the team they were expected to be. Wilson has at least shown he can still be what the Broncos thought they were getting. Hackett has not.

Detroit Lions: CB Amani Oruwariye

The Detroit Lions defense is off to a terrible start. The Lions and their opponents have scored a combined 281 points, a record for the first four games of a season, per NFL Research.

That can't all be pinned on one guy, but Amani Oruwariye is the most disappointing culprit.

He was one of the most pleasant surprises on a hapless Lions team last season. He had six interceptions and 11 passes defended, good for third and 25th in the league, respectively.

However, the ball production hasn't been there this year. He has no interceptions and just two passes defended. Without the big plays, he has been a liability.

He has incurred the second-most penalties in the league, and the miscues have factored into the worst grade of all cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus.

The Lions are giving up 35.3 points per game. Oruwariye's transformation from stud to absolute dud is the epitome of a disappointing development.

Green Bay Packers: WR Christian Watson

Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt were the Green Bay Packers' first-round picks this year, but Christian Watson carried the expectations of a first-rounder after the draft. With the Packers trading up to get the North Dakota State receiver in the second round, Watson was expected to play a big role in the offense from Week 1.

Instead, he has been a minor player in an attack that is still trying to find its footing.

The rookie has played 40 percent of the snaps through three games, missing the team's Week 3 contest with a hamstring injury.

Watson has only seen 10 targets, and he's come down with just six of them for 51 yards. When the Packers drafted him, he projected as a deep threat capable of taking the top off a defense.

His most impressive play came on a 15-yard jet sweep that resulted in his first touchdown. It's a sign of hope in an otherwise lackluster start for the 6'4", 208-pound wideout.

Houston Texans: Run Defense

The Houston Texans were one of the worst teams at stopping the run in 2021. Despite a head coaching change, a batch of additions up front and another year for players such as Jonathan Greenard to develop, they still can't stop the run.

The Texans have allowed a whopping 5.1 yards per carry through four games, and teams have taken advantage. Only the Bears have had to defend more rushing attempts.

Not only do the Texans look lost in their run fits at times, but they also lead the league in missed tackles.

Houston's pass rush is much-improved. The unit has 11 sacks and has found ways to get pressure on the quarterback.

But if the Texans can't find a way to start forcing teams to throw the ball more, it won't matter much.

Indianapolis Colts: RB Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor elevated himself to superstar status in 2021. The second-year back amassed 2,171 yards from scrimmage and was fourth in the league in rushing yards over expectation per attempt.

While the few players ahead of him were small-sample-size darlings, Taylor shouldered a huge share of the workload and remained one of the league's most efficient backs.

This year, he's posting negative rushing yards over expectation (-0.2) even though he's facing eight or more in the box on only 8.6 percent of his carries.

Taylor's work as a receiver has been disappointing as well. He is averaging just 2.8 yards per target after averaging over seven in each of his first two seasons. He's come down with nine of his 16 targets for 44 yards.

With quarterback Matt Ryan running the offense, there was supposed to be a newfound consistency. Instead, the Colts are 1-2-1 and haven't scored more than 20 points in a game.

To pile on to the slow start, Taylor suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and is questionable for Thursday Night Football against the Denver Broncos.

Jacksonville Jaguars: RB Travis Etienne Jr.

The highly anticipated debut of Travis Etienne Jr. as a Jacksonville Jaguar has not been the coronation some expected.

Etienne missed all of his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Meanwhile, running back Najee Harris—who was selected one pick before Etienne—put up a stellar debut campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That only created greater expectations for the Clemson product. It was easy to envision his rapport with fellow Clemson alumni Trevor Lawrence carrying over in Jacksonville and making Etienne an instant star.

Instead, it's been a slow start for the second-year back. He's lagged behind James Robinson both in opportunities and efficiency. He's only received 34 carries in four weeks, rushing for 144 yards.

The biggest disappointment might be his receiving. He has seen just 11 targets, turning in eight catches for 81 yards.

Former cornerback Jamal Agnew has had a bigger impact in the passing game, catching two touchdowns in Week 4.

Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Frank Clark

Frank Clark is 29 years old and coming off three consecutive Pro Bowls. The Chiefs did a lot to make sure he was surrounded by more talent coming off the edge this season. They drafted George Karlaftis and signed Carlos Dunlap.

However, Clark has become the weak link in the pass rush.

Chris Jones is still the most dangerous threat, as he's arguably the league's best inside pass-rusher not named Aaron Donald. He already has two sacks and leads the team with 10 pressures.

Dunlap and Karlaftis are second and third. The veteran and the rookie have taken advantage of their snaps.

Meanwhile, Clark has been barely visible in the pass rush while playing 69 percent of the defensive snaps. He has just six pressures and one sack while earning a PFF grade that has him ranked 100th out of 107 edge-rushers.

Las Vegas Raiders: Edge Chandler Jones

The Las Vegas Raiders handed Chandler Jones a three-year, $51 million contract this past offseason. Nearly a quarter of the way into the season, it's looking like one of the worst signings of this free-agency cycle.

Jones has been nearly nonexistent while lining up across from Maxx Crosby.

The counting stats are bad. He has eight total tackles, no sacks and just one tackle for loss. But the advanced stats don't do him any favors either.

Seth Walder of ESPN graphed the league's edge-rushers by double-team rate and pass-rush win rate. Jones is stuck in the lower left quadrant. That means he isn't getting double-teamed often and still isn't winning his pass-rush reps consistently.

The Raiders are 31st in sacks with five. Crosby has four, and cornerback Nate Hobbs has the other. The Raiders desperately need Jones to earn some of that contract.

Los Angeles Chargers: The Defense

The Los Angeles Chargers' most disappointing development has been horrible injury luck. Quarterback Justin Herbert is playing through a rib injury, offensive tackle Rashawn Slater could be out for the year because of a biceps setback and edge-rusher Joey Bosa is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks with a groin injury.

Those are just the major ones.

But those are things that can't be helped. The most disappointing on-field product has been a defense that doesn't seem to have improved much from last year.

Brandon Staley is supposed to be a defensive-minded coach, and that side of the ball has once again been bad. The Chargers are 30th in scoring defense, 31st in yards allowed per rush and 21st in opponent third-down conversions.

Even when they looked better against Houston in Week 4, they gave up big plays. With the team up 21-0 in the first half, L.A. surrendered a 75-yard touchdown run to Dameon Pierce. A 58-yard connection to Nico Collins set up a touchdown to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

“I think we still have a lot to improve on, a lot to work on obviously because we let them come back, which we shouldn’t have at all. So there’s obviously some things that we gotta fix," defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day said after the game.

Giving Staley another year to mold the unit and adding high-profile reinforcements in Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson were supposed to elevate things. Instead, the defense looks unable to support the offense once again.

Los Angeles Rams: The Offensive Line

The Los Angeles Rams' attack doesn't look much like the offense that won the Super Bowl last year, and it doesn't take long to figure out what's wrong with the unit.

It isn't that the Rams are missing Odell Beckham Jr. It isn't even that Matthew Stafford has regressed. It isn't that Sean McVay has forgotten how to call an offense.

It's the simple fact that the offensive line has taken a huge step back. The Rams' 24-9 drubbing on Monday Night Football at the hands of the 49ers served as a perfect example. While the 49ers kept Jimmy Garoppolo relatively clean all night, Stafford absorbed seven sacks and five hits.

The blockers up front weren't all that helpful in the run game either. The team had 3.2 yards per carry, with an 11-yard run from Brandon Powell serving as the best of the evening.

Andrew Whitworth's value to the team last season has never been more apparent. According to PFF, Joe Noteboom, his replacement at left tackle, gave up three sacks and 10 total pressures against the 49ers by himself on Monday night.

Stafford has already been sacked 16 times this season. It's hard to envision them turning things around without exponential growth on the offensive line.

Miami Dolphins: The Running Game

Mike McDaniel has done a lot of good things in his debut season as a head coach with the Miami Dolphins. Fixing their broken run game is not one of them.

Coming from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, McDaniel carried the expectation he'd assemble some semblance of a running game. They even signed Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, giving them two good fits with his wide zone tendencies.

Instead, the Dolphins are once again one of the league's worst rushing teams. The Edmonds-Mostert tandem has combined for just 232 yards on the ground through four games.

Miami's passing game has been enough to carry it to a 3-1 start. But with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion issues, there will be games the team has to run the ball to win, and it doesn't look like it can.

Minnesota Vikings: Red-Zone Execution

Between the 20-yard lines, the Minnesota Vikings are a good team. They sit at 3-1 after a riveting win in London over the New Orleans Saints.

The offense is 15th in scoring and 16th in yards per play. The defense is 12th in points allowed per game and 26th in yards per play.

But once the ball crosses the 20—on offense or defense—things get sketchy.

The Vikings have not been able to turn red-zone trips into touchdowns. Their 46.7 TD rate inside the 20-yard line is 25th in the league. Adam Thielen was a red-zone menace last season with seven touchdowns on 13 targets. This year he has just one on six targets.

On defense, the Vikings have been short on stops. They are 27th in touchdown rate inside the 20, giving up six points on 72.7 percent of their trips.

Their last two wins have come by a combined seven points. If they don't figure out a way to execute in the red zone better on both sides of the ball, they will find themselves on the other side of future one-score games.

New England Patriots: TE Hunter Henry

Hunter Henry is the second-highest-paid player on the New England Patriots.

It's an astounding fact considering just how bad he has been. The 27-year-old carries a PFF grade of 45.8, which ranks 64th among the 67 qualifying tight ends.

Henry has always been suspect as a run-blocker, but it's the lack of receiving production that is disappointing and a bit baffling. He has just five catches for 41 yards on nine targets this season.

Last year, he was third on the team in receptions (50) and yards (603) while being Mac Jones' biggest touchdown threat with nine.

While carrying a cap hit of $15 million, he has ghosted the Patriots passing game. With Jones out because of an ankle injury and the Patriots turning to rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe after an injury to backup Brian Hoyer last week, Henry should've been a stabilizing force.

Instead, the Patriots are left wondering if he's going to rebound from a horrendous start.

New Orleans Saints: RB Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara averaged just 3.7 yards per carry and saw his receiving production fall to career lows with 47 catches and 439 yards last year. But a healthier offensive line and quarterback situation lined up nicely for a bounce-back from the 27-year-old.

Fast-forward to Week 5, and Kamara has not looked like the same explosive back while missing two games. He had 24 carries for 100 yards, but the most concerning aspect is his lack of production as a pass-catcher.

He has reeled in just five of his 11 targets for 19 yards, putting him on pace for an even worse season.

The injuries continue to be a concern too. He was a surprise inactive in Week 4 with a rib injury. He also missed the Week 2 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the same ailment.

With the Saints having to rely on a hampered Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton to operate the passing game, Kamara needs to be a game-changing back. He hasn't been.

New York Giants: WRs Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney

When the New York Giants chose Brian Daboll to replace head coach Joe Judge, there was hope he could fix some of the mistakes made by the previous regime.

Specifically, there was optimism the former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator could maximize the talents of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney.

The franchise has made serious investments in both receivers. For Golladay, it's a massive financial commitment. The team signed him to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2021, only for Golladay to lay an egg for Judge's Giants. He had just 37 catches for 521 yards with no touchdowns despite leading the team with 76 targets.

So far Daboll's best decision regarding Golladay might be simply not letting his salary command playing time. He has seen just six targets, bringing in two of them for 22 yards.

Toney is on his rookie contract but came with the opportunity cost of a first-round draft pick. After flashing potential as a rookie, he has been a non-factor even with Daboll orchestrating the offense. He has just two catches on three targets, has missed two games because of injury and reportedly isn't a favorite of the coaching staff, per Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.

New Yorks Jets: The Offensive Line

This one really isn't the New York Jets' fault, but the offensive line is a serious issue heading into Week 5.

There were reasons to be excited about the group before the season started. Veteran George Fant was expected to man the left tackle spot, Mekhi Becton was switching to right tackle in Year 2, and they handed Laken Tomlinson a three-year, $40 million contract to play left guard. Alijah Vera-Tucker was coming back at right guard after a strong rookie season.

Then they lost Becton for the year with a knee injury and were forced to place Fant on injured reserve because of a knee setback. They signed Duane Brown, but he was promptly put on the IR with a shoulder injury.

The addition of Tomlinson hasn't helped much. His 40.5 PFF grade is 65th of 71 eligible guards.

Alijah Vera-Tucker remains a bright spot. He played left tackle in Week 4 and allowed just three pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF.

According to ESPN's advanced stats, the Jets O-line is 22nd in pass-block win rate and 14th in run-block win rate.

Philadelphia Eagles: Special Teams

It's hard to find anything the Philadelphia Eagles have to be disappointed in. Four weeks into the season, the Eagles are the only remaining undefeated team in the league.

The offense is among the NFL's best. The defense has been stellar since a rough start to the season against a Detroit Lions offense that has turned out to be good.

The only things about the Eagles that have been truly average (or even below average) are the special teams. The Eagles rank No. 4 in ESPN's offensive efficiency and No. 1 in defensive efficiency but are just 22nd when it comes to special teams.

The special teams metric attempts to measure the impact on scoring margin.

The Eagles are 30th in yards per kickoff return and 25th yards per punt return. Britain Covey is not an electric return man and already has a muffed punt.

It won't be a huge issue from week to week, but it is the lone spot of mediocrity for a team that has been elite in just about every facet of the game.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Run Game

There were no realistic expectations that quarterback Mitch Trubisky or even Kenny Pickett would light it up in 2022. The fact that Trubisky had to be benched in Week 4 for Pickett shouldn't be surprising.

Nor should the fact that Pickett struggled behind the Steelers offensive line, which has offered 2.4 seconds of pocket time.

There was cause for hope because of the run game, though. Najee Harris compiled 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while running behind last year's offensive line. The run game should theoretically be better in 2022.

The addition of James Daniels at guard and another year for young players such as Dan Moore Jr., Chukwuma Okorafor and Kevin Dotson to improve should at least help the Steelers have a real ground game.

Instead, Harris is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and the Steelers are in the bottom third of the league in yards per carry.

Regardless of who starts at quarterback the rest of the season, the Steelers have to get Harris going if they want to get out of last place in the AFC North.

San Francisco 49ers: QB Jimmy Garoppolo

This has more to do with the fact that the San Francisco 49ers have been forced to once again turn the offense over to Jimmy Garoppolo, which means the team has a ceiling.

Jimmy G is a competent quarterback. There's no arguing with his ability to manage an offense and put the team in a good position to win under optimal conditions.

For example, he had a fine game against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, completing 16 of 27 passing attempts for 239 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. However, those numbers were posted against a Rams pass rush that registered just one quarterback hit.

As Bill Barnwell of ESPN noted, Garoppolo also had the highest percentage of yards that came after the catch in Week 4 with 73.1.

In other words, Garoppolo is a good point guard who can distribute the ball to his playmakers. But when it's his turn to make plays and win when the defense has good coverage, it's hard for him to do so.

That was the version we saw in Week 3 when the Niners put up just 10 points against the Denver Broncos in prime time.

It's a lesson San Francisco has already learned but is forced to endure again because of its inability to trade him this offseason paired with a season-ending injury for Trey Lance.

Seattle Seahawks: Edge Darrell Taylor

The Seattle Seahawks defense is a young unit. Uchenna Nwosu, Jordyn Brooks, Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant are 25 years or younger and are playing big roles on the defense.

Darrell Taylor is another one in that group but is on his way to playing himself out of his role.

There was reason to believe Taylor could have been a breakout candidate. Last season he logged 35 pressures, per Sports Info Solutions, and 6.5 sacks while only playing 42.9 percent of the snaps.

It stood to reason that Taylor could be even more effective if given a larger role. As it turns out, that was a faulty assumption. He has just one sack this season despite logging 65.6 percent of the snaps.

Taylor has been lost as a run defender, earning a PFF grade of 37.5 and losing his starting spot to Darryl Johnson in Week 4.

Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Johnson suffered a "significant" foot injury that will likely force them to continue to play Taylor, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Offense Without Bruce Arians

There were a lot of reasons to believe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense would be just fine without Bruce Arians on the sideline.

The head coach might have been gone, but offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich remained. Leonard Fournette was back, Tom Brady came out of a brief retirement and the Bucs added Russell Gage and Julio Jones to a loaded group of receivers.

It's hard to pin down exactly why the Bucs have fallen well short of expectations. The offensive line has had to deal with the loss of left tackle Donovan Smith (elbow) early in the season while breaking in new faces on the interior in Luke Goedeke, Robert Hainsey and Shaq Mason.

They also didn't have Brady for a 10-day stretch in August as he took a leave of absence to spend time with family.

Add in the fact that Jones, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans have each missed at least one game due to injuries and a suspension and there are lots of things you can blame for a disappointing offense.

Regardless, the unit has not been good. It averaged just 17 points in the first three games. A 31-point outing against the Chiefs in a 41-31 loss pumped up those numbers a bit, but the Bucs scored one of those touchdowns with 3:30 left in the game with the score already 41-24.

The Bucs need to get healthy and in sync on offense if they are going to contend in the NFC.

Tennessee Titans: WR Treylon Burks

Treylon Burks probably faced unfair expectations heading into his rookie season. That's what happens when you are on the other end of a trade that involves a player such as A.J. Brown.

The Titans' decision to trade Brown has been a controversial one given his production in Philadelphia. However, the deal's ultimate success for the Titans will depend on what Burks does in his rookie contract.

He has four years to prove the franchise made the right move, but he has work to do.

Through four games, Burks has 129 receiving yards on just 16 targets in a Titans offense that isn't exactly teeming with promising receiver options.

Unfortunately, Burks has been diagnosed with turf toe and will "miss some time," per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

When compared with some of the other first-round rookie receivers such as Chris Olave, Drake London and Garrett Wilson, it's easy for Titans fans to feel a little let down by their young receiver.

Washington Commanders: QB Carson Wentz

Nobody was expecting Carson Wentz to be an MVP or even return to his 2017 Pro Bowl form. All Wentz needed to do to be a success with the Washington Commanders was play like he did with the Indianapolis Colts last season when he had a passer rating of 94.6 and a QBR of 54.7.

Those numbers would have been the best for a Washington starting quarterback of more than four games since Kirk Cousins left the franchise after the 2017 season.

They also would have given the young, talented group of Commanders receivers—which includes Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson—the best chance to develop.

Through four games, Wentz is doing none of those things. His 35.7 QBR is 25th in the league. He leads the NFL with 17 sacks taken and has tossed five interceptions already.

Obviously the offensive line bears some of the responsibility for the sacks. But Wentz is not delivering the ball on time either, and the offense has sputtered with just 18 points over the last two games.

In other words, he's not stabilizing the attack and is potentially causing foundational pieces of this offense important experience in their developmental process.

Statistics via Pro Football Reference, Next Gen Stats and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.