Analysis of Week 4 in the NFL

Game Recaps

Lions 24 Bears 48

What the final score fails to show is that the Lions were actually competitive in this game. Chicago woke up in the second half, and although Jay Cutler wasn’t incredible, it was the Bears’ running game that saved them. Going into the bye week, this win was a huge confidence booster, and will hopefully be exactly what the Bears need to keep their season on track. The Lions are a different story. After a string of close-but-no-cigar losses and one streak-breaking win, they lost Matthew Stafford and quite possibly their competitive drive.
Game Ball: Matt Forte had 12 reception for 121 yards and one touchdown rushing, but 2 receptions for 19 yards.

Bengals 23 Browns 20

We can’t say it was pretty, but Cincinnati pulled out another close win. Surprisingly, this one went to overtime, but Carson Palmer showed just how resilient he is. The Bengals are hard to defend when Palmer passes – he threw passes to eight different defenders, who pretty much evenly split 230 yards. The Browns are still a train wreck at the end of week four, but they could have pulled this one off if they had a better quality quarterback.
Game Ball: Chad OchoCinco had three receptions for 24 yards and two touchdowns and kept his mouth shut.

Seahawks 17 Colts 34

Any misconceptions Seattle fans had that Seneca Wallace could keep up with Peyton Manning were blown away by the Colts. Wallace did have flashes of brilliance, but two costly fumbles really hurt his game. Indianapolis continues to show that they have one of the most powerful offenses in the league – Manning threw to five receivers for over fifty yards each. If the Colts can get their running game up, they’d be unstoppable.
Game Ball: Robert Mathis was a one man wrecking crew, with three sacks and two forced fumbles on only six tackles.

Giants 27 Chiefs 16

With the exception of the Cowboys, the first five weeks of New York’s schedule is pretty light, so it’s not surprising that they are 4-0. Eli Manning aired the ball out much like his big brother, but he looked impressive seeing who he was playing. The Chiefs continue to struggle, and Matt Cassel is proving to be a less-than-worthy starter. If Cassel can’t get some fire in his play then the Chiefs are going to suffer.
Game Ball: Steve Smith had 11 receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns, top among receivers this week.

Ravens 21 Patriots 27

The scary thing for the league is that the Patriots are starting to shake off that rust. When Tom Brady wants to win, and Bill Belichick wants to win, it’s hard to stop them. Even with Ray Rice’s hundred-yard game, Baltimore couldn’t win. It was an AFC powerhouse match up, and with all of the smack talk both teams traded, we’ll be happy to see a playoff rematch.
Game Ball: Ray Rice rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

Buccaneers 13 Redskin 16

Could anyone pick a more inconsequential game? Jason Campbell against Josh Johnson yielded a battle of quarterbacks with rating under 75. Washington came out with the win, but something tells us there will be more drama to deal with in the weeks to come. With three picks and a fumble, Campbell is close to losing his starting spot, and coach Jim Zorn will continue to call his job in to question with every loss.
Game Ball: For lack of any other person to point out, Aqib Talib has three interceptions on the day.

Tennessee 17 Jaguars 37

In their last two games, the Jaguars have looked impressive. Even quarterback David Gerrard stepped it up his performance, going 27 fr 37 with 323 yards and three touchdowns. The Titans continue to struggle, and with their current streak and Kerry Collins’ insufficiencies, we are wondering when we could see Vince Young on the field. Tennessee needs to keep their composure as a team – 68 yards in penalties will never help you win.
Game Ball: Mike Sims-Walker, a relatively unknown receiver, who had seven receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Raiders 6 Texans 29

Houston is always going to be that “coulda, shoulda, woulda” team. One wee they blow our minds, the next they come out flat. Week four was their time, but if we are being honest its not too hard to make JaMarcus Russell look bad. Oakland continues to play well on defense; Russell constantly keeps them from being competitive. However inconsistent, the Texans, with Matt Schaub and star defensive rookie Brian Cushing, could be great with just a little more time.
Game Ball: Steve Slaton went 65 yards on 21 carries for a touchdowns, but two receptions for 24 yards and another touchdown.

Jets 10 Saints 24

The Jets defense did everything right, but it was New Orleans defense who surprised people. Their aggressiveness exposed Mark Sanchez as an inexperienced rookie. In fact, it got so bad that they started directly snapping the ball to Leon Washington and Thomas Jones. Drew Brees didn’t play especially well, but the defense scored enough points to make the Jets back down. While they shut down the offense, Rex Ryan’s prized defense didn’t get to Brees at all. At the end of the day, it was just further proof that Mark Sanchez still has a lot to learn.
Game Ball: The New Orleans defense had one interception returned for a touchdown, on fumble recovered for a touchdown, and four sacks.

Bills 10 Dolphins 38

We knew the Bills had problems, but we didn’t know they were this bad. Miami was at a crossroads, but Chad Henne got the job done and Ronnie Brown continued to be a “factor back” (thank you Merril Hodge). What was more surprising was how inept Trent Edwards looked. His three interceptions allowed Miami to dominate the entire game. We can only thank God that Terrell Owens got the chance to catch a ball, because it spared us the post-game meltdown.
Game Ball: Ronnie Brown was the game changer here, with 20 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

Rams 0 49ers 35

Not that we expected the Rams to be all that competitive, but it shoed San Fran’s new discipline not to let up for the entire 60 minutes. St. Louis is 0-4 0, an may be the only team that is completely helpless. Shaun Hill is doing very well and not getting much attention for it, and with a receiving core that includes Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan, and Isaac Bruce, the 49ers more than made up for the loss of Frank Gore.
Game Ball: Patrick Willis, who had 2.5 sack, one interception returned for a touchdown, and three tackles for losses.

Cowboys 10 Broncos 17

If someone told us a week go that Denver, with all of their drama in the off-season, would be 4-0, we may not have believed you. Leaving out how Tony Romo has completely let down his team, this was a whole team effort for Denver. One of the most controversial moves Josh McDaniels made in February was getting Brian Dawkins, who was “too old” and “too much of a liability”. Now who’s laughing?
Game Ball: Champ Bailey is one of those pivotal players you would have to see to understand. He had eight tackles and an interception, but off the stat sheet, he made two plays that quelled the Cowboys comeback.

Chargers 28 Steelers 38

Just when you think there is a problem, Mike Tomlin yells a little and all is right in the world. The Steelers looked great against San Diego, and Ben Roethlisburger was back to form, and everyone has jumped back on the bandwagon. What’s better is that James Harrison had his first multi-sack game. San Diego’s game just wasn’t there – they had only 16 rushing yards as a team – and in a clash of the 2004 draftees, Phillip Rivers lost big time. With the offensive numbers Pittsburgh put up, one has to ask… if Tomlin didn’t bench Rashard Mendenhall, would the Steelers have lost last week?
Game Ball: Mendenhall led all rushers this week with 29 carries for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Vikings Packers

There haven’t been too many Monday Night Football games that weren’t exciting, but – even when it was out of reach – this game was a nailbiter. Brett Favre and the Vikings dominated, and if you were watching, even you wanted revenge against the Packers.  The commentators said it once or twice, but it is true that Aaron Rodgers would be a lot better if they beefed up his offensive line and protection, and he played well tnight with the exception of one interception. Either way, the Vikings stole the show. The defense, led by linebacker Jared Allen, ripped their way into Green Bay, taking an interception, and eight total sacks. What is more impressive is that Favre led this offense almost all by himself, with little help from Adrian Peterson, who the Pack shut down all night. One last note – playing at Lambeau, with their home crowd, is definately going to take this match up to another level.
Game Ball: It has to be a tie. Brett Favre went 24 for 31 with 271 yards and three touchdowns, Even thought he was at home, he was incredibly calm in his first game against the Packers. Now, he is the only quarterback in history to beat each team in the league, including the one he played for for eleven years. Our other player of the game is Jared Allen, who pretty  much ran the Minnesota defense and got at Aaron Rodgers like no one else could. Allen had one forced fumble and 4.5 sacks. Since the stat was invented, no one has had that many sacks in an MNF game.

 Week 4 Wrap Up:

- Injury Report: After leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a “bruised heel”, Eli Manning’s doctors have diagnosed him with planter fasciitis. The team has allowed him to practice and is expecting him to play in Week 5… The Eagles have missed Donovan McNabb for two weeks due to a rib injury, but is practicing and expected to play against the Bucs next Sunday… Raiders’ running back Darren McFadden is reportedly getting surgery for torn cartilage in his knee, and will be out 2-4 weeks… Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford dislocated his knee in the fourth quarter of the Lions’ loss Sunday. MRIs will be taken Tuesday to confirm the damage but he is listed currently as day to day… The Colts can expect defensive end Dwight Freeney and left tackle Charlie Johnson to play next week, says team reports… And there has been a small outbreak of the Swine Flu in the Houston Texans’ locker room.
- Cleveland receiver Braylon Edwards allegedly was involved in  a bar fight with one of LeBron James’ close friends on Sunday night. We hardly think an 0-4 season is grounds for a celebration.
- After a couple of questionable calls during the end of the Patriots/Ravens game, some of the Ravens are wondering if maybe Tom Brady is getting extra protection. Says coach John Harbaugh: “I know Joe got hit six times hard, and there was one call. Tom Brady didn’t get hit five times. We wanted him to be hit more than he was, but when he did it was called. That goes to the credibility of the whole thing.”
- The Jets may have been one of the league’s top defenses, but they’re about to get one stronger. Linebacker Calvin Pace is set to return for Week 5 from a four game suspension for use of performance enhancing drugs.
- Sources say Michael Crabtree and his agent will reopen contract talks with the 49ers. In related news, no one cares.

And th UDU Game Ball goes to…

We’re going to do this a little different this week. Brett Favre needs the game ball, simply because this may be one of the best games he’s played. No two minute comeback, no last-second hail marys… he was just the better quarterback. He was flawless, going 24 for 31 with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Even in the end, Favre didn’t rub this in someone’s face or bash the Packers, he just won with grace.

However, the best play of the week is going to go to Brandon Marshall, who befuddled the Dallas defense and scored this amazing touchdown. He gets bonus points for keeping his mouth shut and being a team player.