Falcons over 49ers
A: -The 49ers probably outplayed the Falcons, but again didn't put a full game of smart football together. Alex Smith threw two really inopportune picks, and Nate Clements made the unforgiveable play of the year when he fumbled the ball after picking off Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter.
-The Falcons emerge victorious and are 3-1. Despite the unspectacular win, they are tied with the Saints for first in the NFC South after four games.
E: -This is a sucky way to go 0-4. Clements gets the pick that would have sealed the Niners' first win, only to fumble it away thirty yards down the field. Nate, just go down.
Ravens over Steelers
A: -The Ravens break their bad luck streak at Heinz Field with a nice win. Still, even with Charlie Batch at QB, the Steelers easily could have won this game and run their record to 4-0. As it is, they are 3-1 and now get back one of the league's very best players in Ben Roethlisberger.
E: -Joe Cool showed his moxie and Batch showed why he hasn't started a game in fifty years. A win against the Buccaneers is not a good benchmark when facing the Ravens' defense a week later.
Browns over Bengals
A: -The Browns have played competitive, close games all year and finally are able to finish one out.
-The Bengals have been a little bit up and down to start the season, seemingly playing below their potential. Terrell Owens had a huge day though with 10 grabs, 220 yards, and a touchdown.
E: -A trendy preseason playoff pick, the Bengals have not looked all that impressive coming out of the gate. The offense stalled out early in New England but got on track after they got behind and had to throw the ball every down, they couldn't generate a touchdown against the Ravens, they were able to advantage of team with a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start in Carolina, and then they had a repeat performance of the New England game against the lowly Browns this Sunday.
-The Browns still suck. Who is Peyton Hillis and why are teams with supposedly good defenses (Baltimore and Cincinnati) letting him run like he's Jerome Bettis?
Broncos over Titans
A: -Kyle Orton is playing great football with a quarterback rating right around a hundred and averaging well over 300 yards per game.
-Denver and Tennessee are enigmatic teams at 2-2; I can't read them just yet.
E: -The Titans weren't overwhelmed by the sheer number of turnovers like what happened against Pittsburgh, but some costly turnovers derailed their chances of beating Denver. I am looking especially at Marc Mariani's inability to handle the kickoff following a late Denver touchdown. Trailing 23-20 at that point, that fumble erased any hope of Vince Young leading a drive down the field to tie or win the game.
Saints over Panthers
A: -The Panthers drop to 0-4 despite playing a lot of close games. Jimmy Clausen looked like a rookie QB, and the Panthers are certainly not opening up the playbook for him.
-The Saints have struggled throughout this year, but are 3-1 and are finding their rhythm.
E: -Maybe you can call it Super Bowl hangover, but the Saints have not been as impressive as they were a year ago. Facing a vastly inferior opponent at home, a defending Super Bowl Champion should crush the Carolina Panthers. Domination was not the story here or in any of the Saints' games so far. They beat Minnesota by five points, San Francisco by three, lost to Atlanta, and then beat Carolina by only two. Had just a handful of plays gone the other way, New Orleans could very easily be 0-4. As strange as that sounds, it is not an exaggeration.
Packers over Lions
A: -Judging by the first half, it looked as though the Packers were going to roll to an easy victory, but the Lions then started really attacking the Green Bay secondary and found lots of success.
-The Packers ultimately held on for the win—that's the bottom line—but they will need to play better going forward. The Packers travel to the Redskins, and then get the Dolphins and Vikings at home, at the Jets, home to the Cowboys, then at the Vikings and Falcons. Strap it up tight Green Bay.
E: -It was closer than it should have been, but the Lions' road losing streak marches on. With the defeat in Lambeau, Detroit has now lost twenty-three straight road games.
Rams over Seahawks
A: -Seattle has two nice home wins and two bad road losses. I think that trend is indicative of the greater trend happening in the league this year. There are a lot of middling teams and home field can make a huge difference.
-The Rams have to be thrilled as they have already surpassed last year's win total. With another excellent performance from Sam Bradford, this team has found its quarterback-of-the-future and must now focus on surrounding him with talent.
E: -Through the first four weeks of the season, the best quarterback in the NFC West has been…rookie Sam Bradford. Who will win this division? And what record will they have? The mediocrity is stunning.
Jets over Bills
A: -If the 49ers are the most disorganized team in the league, the Bills are the least talented.
-The Jets played excellently. LaDanian Tomlinson had a renaissance game going for 133 yards on the ground. On top of that, Santonio Holmes, Calvin Pace, and Darelle Revis will be back in uniform when the Jets play next: Monday night against Randy Moss' Minnesota Vikings.
E: -Here's another no brainer. Of the four NFL teams that still don't have a win, the Bills have the best shot at going 0-16.
Texans over Raiders
A: -It's nice to see the Texans jump out to 3-1. They are a talented bunch and you just get the feeling that a good start is all they need to develop confidence and live up to their potential as an elite team. Arian Foster is on pace to rush for 2,100 yards.
-For the Raiders, another 1-3 start to a season is not what they had in mind. Bruce Gradkowski is a solid player, but he certainly is not good enough to overcome shoddy protection and a lack of playmakers on the outside.
E: -Leading the league in rushing, Foster has really emerged as a top-flight NFL running back. Derrick Ward also had a nice game in this one running the ball. Perhaps after failing as the featured back in Tampa, he can become part of a great one-two punch in Houston like he was on the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl team.
Jaguars over Colts
A: -Peyton Manning was incredible again. He is on pace to throw for 5,460 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions with a 70% completion rate. Yet the Colts are 2-2, tied with the Titans and Jaguars in the AFC South. If Manning is this good and the Colts still aren't winning their games, they will be in trouble.
-For the Jags, great win, and what a kick by Josh Scobee.
E: -Talented safeties keep dropping for the Colts, first Bob Sanders and then his replacement Melvin Bullitt. That did not work in their favor playing a division game on the road.
-I'm sure Jacksonville looked at the Texans-Colts game film real close preparing for this matchup, and they executed, running all over the Colts' defense. And let's hear it for Josh Scobee Doobie Doo's 59-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
Redskins over Eagles
A: -The Eagles are dealt a tough break, losing Michael Vick for who knows how long. Kevin Kolb looked just OK in replacement.
-Donovan McNabb was not good but still managed a win.
E: -This game lost all of its energy after Vick got knocked out. The Eagles refused to take any chances with Kolb, which does not bode well moving forward, and the Redskins didn't make much headway either. With no team yet looking dominant, the NFC East remains wide open.
Chargers over Cardinals
A: -Derek Anderson is god awful. The Cardinals may be the worst 2-2 team in league history.
-The Chargers get an easy win, but with their potential, need to duplicate this type of performance each week.
E: -After another poor showing from Derek Anderson, the Max Hall era begins now. See my note on the Rams-Seahawks game.
Giants over Bears
A: -If the Giants' defense can play like that more often, they can win the NFC East.
-On the flip side, the Bears may be who we thought they were. Many people think Chicago's hot start was an aberration, but I will hold off on judgment because they didn't have Jay Cutler the whole way. Cutler was concussed out of the game after being sacked nine times in the first half; 76-year-old Todd Collins relieved him in the second.
E: -The Bears' offensive line may be the worst in football. Even a quarterback as talented as Cutler will have trouble making plays when he gets sacked nine times in a half. This was a primary cause for Cutler's struggles last season too.
Patriots over Dolphins
A: -Any time you allow 3 non-offensive touchdowns, you are going to lose. The Pats and Jets lead the division, and after starting 2-0, the Dolphins find themselves in third place in the AFC East.
E: -Special teams were the name of the game for New England with a blocked punt and touchdowns on both a blocked field goal and a kickoff return. The defense got in on the scoring act too as Patrick Chung ran back a Chad Henne interception for a score.
-The top three AFC East teams have all played each other this year and the early pecking order goes as Jets (2-0), then Patriots (1-1), then Dolphins (0-2). And just so I don't leave out the Buffalo fans, all three teams have beaten the Bills too.
A: -The 49ers probably outplayed the Falcons, but again didn't put a full game of smart football together. Alex Smith threw two really inopportune picks, and Nate Clements made the unforgiveable play of the year when he fumbled the ball after picking off Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter.
-The Falcons emerge victorious and are 3-1. Despite the unspectacular win, they are tied with the Saints for first in the NFC South after four games.
E: -This is a sucky way to go 0-4. Clements gets the pick that would have sealed the Niners' first win, only to fumble it away thirty yards down the field. Nate, just go down.
Ravens over Steelers
A: -The Ravens break their bad luck streak at Heinz Field with a nice win. Still, even with Charlie Batch at QB, the Steelers easily could have won this game and run their record to 4-0. As it is, they are 3-1 and now get back one of the league's very best players in Ben Roethlisberger.
E: -Joe Cool showed his moxie and Batch showed why he hasn't started a game in fifty years. A win against the Buccaneers is not a good benchmark when facing the Ravens' defense a week later.
Browns over Bengals
A: -The Browns have played competitive, close games all year and finally are able to finish one out.
-The Bengals have been a little bit up and down to start the season, seemingly playing below their potential. Terrell Owens had a huge day though with 10 grabs, 220 yards, and a touchdown.
E: -A trendy preseason playoff pick, the Bengals have not looked all that impressive coming out of the gate. The offense stalled out early in New England but got on track after they got behind and had to throw the ball every down, they couldn't generate a touchdown against the Ravens, they were able to advantage of team with a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start in Carolina, and then they had a repeat performance of the New England game against the lowly Browns this Sunday.
-The Browns still suck. Who is Peyton Hillis and why are teams with supposedly good defenses (Baltimore and Cincinnati) letting him run like he's Jerome Bettis?
Broncos over Titans
A: -Kyle Orton is playing great football with a quarterback rating right around a hundred and averaging well over 300 yards per game.
-Denver and Tennessee are enigmatic teams at 2-2; I can't read them just yet.
E: -The Titans weren't overwhelmed by the sheer number of turnovers like what happened against Pittsburgh, but some costly turnovers derailed their chances of beating Denver. I am looking especially at Marc Mariani's inability to handle the kickoff following a late Denver touchdown. Trailing 23-20 at that point, that fumble erased any hope of Vince Young leading a drive down the field to tie or win the game.
Saints over Panthers
A: -The Panthers drop to 0-4 despite playing a lot of close games. Jimmy Clausen looked like a rookie QB, and the Panthers are certainly not opening up the playbook for him.
-The Saints have struggled throughout this year, but are 3-1 and are finding their rhythm.
E: -Maybe you can call it Super Bowl hangover, but the Saints have not been as impressive as they were a year ago. Facing a vastly inferior opponent at home, a defending Super Bowl Champion should crush the Carolina Panthers. Domination was not the story here or in any of the Saints' games so far. They beat Minnesota by five points, San Francisco by three, lost to Atlanta, and then beat Carolina by only two. Had just a handful of plays gone the other way, New Orleans could very easily be 0-4. As strange as that sounds, it is not an exaggeration.
Packers over Lions
A: -Judging by the first half, it looked as though the Packers were going to roll to an easy victory, but the Lions then started really attacking the Green Bay secondary and found lots of success.
-The Packers ultimately held on for the win—that's the bottom line—but they will need to play better going forward. The Packers travel to the Redskins, and then get the Dolphins and Vikings at home, at the Jets, home to the Cowboys, then at the Vikings and Falcons. Strap it up tight Green Bay.
E: -It was closer than it should have been, but the Lions' road losing streak marches on. With the defeat in Lambeau, Detroit has now lost twenty-three straight road games.
Rams over Seahawks
A: -Seattle has two nice home wins and two bad road losses. I think that trend is indicative of the greater trend happening in the league this year. There are a lot of middling teams and home field can make a huge difference.
-The Rams have to be thrilled as they have already surpassed last year's win total. With another excellent performance from Sam Bradford, this team has found its quarterback-of-the-future and must now focus on surrounding him with talent.
E: -Through the first four weeks of the season, the best quarterback in the NFC West has been…rookie Sam Bradford. Who will win this division? And what record will they have? The mediocrity is stunning.
Jets over Bills
A: -If the 49ers are the most disorganized team in the league, the Bills are the least talented.
-The Jets played excellently. LaDanian Tomlinson had a renaissance game going for 133 yards on the ground. On top of that, Santonio Holmes, Calvin Pace, and Darelle Revis will be back in uniform when the Jets play next: Monday night against Randy Moss' Minnesota Vikings.
E: -Here's another no brainer. Of the four NFL teams that still don't have a win, the Bills have the best shot at going 0-16.
Texans over Raiders
A: -It's nice to see the Texans jump out to 3-1. They are a talented bunch and you just get the feeling that a good start is all they need to develop confidence and live up to their potential as an elite team. Arian Foster is on pace to rush for 2,100 yards.
-For the Raiders, another 1-3 start to a season is not what they had in mind. Bruce Gradkowski is a solid player, but he certainly is not good enough to overcome shoddy protection and a lack of playmakers on the outside.
E: -Leading the league in rushing, Foster has really emerged as a top-flight NFL running back. Derrick Ward also had a nice game in this one running the ball. Perhaps after failing as the featured back in Tampa, he can become part of a great one-two punch in Houston like he was on the Giants' 2007 Super Bowl team.
Jaguars over Colts
A: -Peyton Manning was incredible again. He is on pace to throw for 5,460 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions with a 70% completion rate. Yet the Colts are 2-2, tied with the Titans and Jaguars in the AFC South. If Manning is this good and the Colts still aren't winning their games, they will be in trouble.
-For the Jags, great win, and what a kick by Josh Scobee.
E: -Talented safeties keep dropping for the Colts, first Bob Sanders and then his replacement Melvin Bullitt. That did not work in their favor playing a division game on the road.
-I'm sure Jacksonville looked at the Texans-Colts game film real close preparing for this matchup, and they executed, running all over the Colts' defense. And let's hear it for Josh Scobee Doobie Doo's 59-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired.
Redskins over Eagles
A: -The Eagles are dealt a tough break, losing Michael Vick for who knows how long. Kevin Kolb looked just OK in replacement.
-Donovan McNabb was not good but still managed a win.
E: -This game lost all of its energy after Vick got knocked out. The Eagles refused to take any chances with Kolb, which does not bode well moving forward, and the Redskins didn't make much headway either. With no team yet looking dominant, the NFC East remains wide open.
Chargers over Cardinals
A: -Derek Anderson is god awful. The Cardinals may be the worst 2-2 team in league history.
-The Chargers get an easy win, but with their potential, need to duplicate this type of performance each week.
E: -After another poor showing from Derek Anderson, the Max Hall era begins now. See my note on the Rams-Seahawks game.
Giants over Bears
A: -If the Giants' defense can play like that more often, they can win the NFC East.
-On the flip side, the Bears may be who we thought they were. Many people think Chicago's hot start was an aberration, but I will hold off on judgment because they didn't have Jay Cutler the whole way. Cutler was concussed out of the game after being sacked nine times in the first half; 76-year-old Todd Collins relieved him in the second.
E: -The Bears' offensive line may be the worst in football. Even a quarterback as talented as Cutler will have trouble making plays when he gets sacked nine times in a half. This was a primary cause for Cutler's struggles last season too.
Patriots over Dolphins
A: -Any time you allow 3 non-offensive touchdowns, you are going to lose. The Pats and Jets lead the division, and after starting 2-0, the Dolphins find themselves in third place in the AFC East.
E: -Special teams were the name of the game for New England with a blocked punt and touchdowns on both a blocked field goal and a kickoff return. The defense got in on the scoring act too as Patrick Chung ran back a Chad Henne interception for a score.
-The top three AFC East teams have all played each other this year and the early pecking order goes as Jets (2-0), then Patriots (1-1), then Dolphins (0-2). And just so I don't leave out the Buffalo fans, all three teams have beaten the Bills too.
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