As week 4 of the NFL draws to a close, the league is beginning to take shape, separating the contenders from the pretenders.
It was a mixed bag for the Aussies across the competition; some teams claimed massive wins, while others suffered unexpected losses.
Find out how all the Australian NFL players performed below.
The NFL had been waiting with bated breath for the arrival of punting prodigy Tory Taylor, and during the Bears’ win over the Rams this week he arrived in a massive way.
Win percent changes for the #Bears after each of Tory Taylor’s 5 punts, per ESPN:
+1.9%
+0.9%
-3.2%
+7.0%
+8.0%That’s a net gain of a 22.7% chance to win from his punts alone. He played a huge role in the win today. pic.twitter.com/3wLcOCToW0
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) September 29, 2024
Taylor had five punts for 277 total yards, including one 66-yard monster to pin Los Angeles on their own 10-yard line, and was crucial in helping the Bears stay undefeated at home so far this season.
The Eagles moved to 2-2 this week, after being taken down by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The highest-graded Eagles in Week 4 vs the Buccaneers:
🥇 Jordan Mailata – 79.9
🥈 Saquon Barkley – 76.8
🥉 Josh Sweat – 75.6
🏅 Dallas Goedert – 73.4
🏅 Brandon Graham – 71.4 pic.twitter.com/JdHCEitDcz— PFF PHI Eagles (@PFF_Eagles) September 30, 2024
Despite the loss, Mailata was his typical excellent self, once again claiming the highest PFF rating of any Philadelphia player, despite a few mistakes including one allowed sack.
As mentioned in the introduction, it seems that the Saints are proving to be more pretender than contender; after two red-hot weeks, New Orleans are now on a two-game skid, after losing by two points to the Falcons.
Hayball punted three times for 120 total yards, and his positioning was pristine, placing all three close to the 10-yard line.
Not a whole lot to do for Wishnowsky this week, as the 49ers cruised to victory over the Patriots.
The Aussie had three punts, collecting him 133 total yards, as his team took down New England by 17 points as they attempt to right the ship on their season.
After a shaky start, the Baltimore Ravens have proved they mean business, and they showed just how serious they are this week by obliterating the Buffalo Bills.
Watch Daniel Faalele. Played his ass off the last two weeks. Deserves a lot of credit. pic.twitter.com/V6FCLzJ1D0
— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) September 30, 2024
Faalele was impressive in the win; in a game that saw significant running yards from Derrick Henry, the Australian was instrumental in opening up a number of the lanes, and he and the offensive line also allowed zero pressures from the Buffalo defence.
Their efforts were so impressive that reigning MVP Lamar Jackson couldn’t help but shout them out during the post-game press conference.