Week 4 Game Notes

Bears over Panthers

• Where have you gone Mike Martz?  Jay Cutler attempted only 17 passes.
• How do you put up 34 points without a passing game?  Matt Forte was a beast, rumbling for 205 yards on the ground and adding another 23 through the air.  Also: see Devin Hester.
• When not playing under water, Cam Newton averages 409 passing yards per game.

Bengals over Bills

• The undefeated Bills are no more.  A team that grabbed everyone’s attention with historic comebacks, in this contest Buffalo couldn’t hold onto its own lead.
• Buffalo got after Andy Dalton, but the rookie never lost his composure and performed splendidly.

Titans over Browns

• With all the pub to the Bills and Lions, one of the season’s early surprises that’s gone under the radar are the now 3-1 Titans.
• Wily veteran Matt Hasselbeck should be among quarter-season MVP candidates.  His passer rating of 104.7 ranks fourth and his 8.7 yards-per-pass attempt rank third.
• Hasselbeck had to be the man in the Music City as superstar running back Chris Johnson has not played up to his hefty contract extension thus far.  Against Cleveland though, Johnson broke the 100-yard mark for the first time since last December.
• Colt McCoy attempted 61 passes.  I can’t wrap my head around that.

Texans over Steelers

• Super Bowl hangover usually affects the winners; Pittsburgh looks out of sorts in the season’s early going.  The offensive line’s a mess, which makes things much tougher for Ben Roethlisberger, who holds the ball and takes a fair share of sacks any way.
• This also is not the Steel Curtain defense we’re used to, as evidenced by Arian Foster’s 155 yards on the ground this week, Ray Rice’s 149 total yards Week 1, and even the Colts having success rushing a week ago.

Lions over Cowboys

• The Cowboys blow the largest lead in franchise history, and the Lions come back for the second-straight week and move to 4-0.
• How good is Calvin Johnson?  Wow.  I’d love to feel what he’s feeling right now: to have been on a team that was so bad for so long that's now all of a sudden great.

Saints over Jaguars

• I was worried this one might get out of hand, but Drew Brees’ two interceptions kept the scoring differential in check.  Saints win by less than two touchdowns.

Chiefs over Vikings

• Hey Minnesota, at least you didn’t give up another halftime lead.

49ers over Eagles

• In their current three-game losing skid, the Eagles have been outscored in the fourth quarter 36-0.
• Philadelphia is showing why great teams are built from the inside-out, not outside-in.  (Start with offensive and defensive lines, not wide receivers and cornerbacks.)  Even in the pocket Michael Vick is getting hit entirely too much, and the Eagles rank thirtieth in run defense.
• The Jim Harbaugh factor: Alex Smith has just one interception on the year.
• The 49ers have three wins, which amounts to a commanding lead in the NFC West over the 1-win Cardinals and Seahawks and the winless Rams.

Redskins over Rams

• Speaking of the Rams, no offensive line has been worse through four games, and that’s where I place the blame for an 0fer start.  Sam Bradford proved last year that even without great talent on the outside he can drive an offense, but that doesn’t mean anything when he faces pressure every single drop back.
• Another of the season’s early surprises: the Redskins are pretty much the only NFC East team trending upwards.  The Brian Orakpo-led defense stifles opposing offenses, and Rex Grossman produces just enough to pull out three victories in four games.

Giants over Cardinals

• Although the Giants are also 3-1, I don’t feel as good about them as I do Washington.  They have a tendency to fade in the second halves of seasons, their schedule gets much more difficult down the stretch, so many starters are injured on defense, and their win over Arizona was a complete fluke.  New York probably should stand at 2-2 right now.
• On the eventual game-deciding drive, Victor Cruz dropped the ball thinking he was down though never touched, and the Cardinals picked up what should have been a fumble—after which they could have iced the game—but the referees instead called Cruz down.  Eli Manning-to-Hakeem Nicks.  Touchdown.  Game over.  Giants win.

Falcons over Seahawks

• Atlanta jumped out to a big lead, and though they allowed Seattle back in it, the Seahawks’ best effort couldn’t bring them all the way back.
• If we weren’t sure before, we now know Julio Jones is the real deal: 11 catches for 127 yards.  Good game, rook.

Packers over Broncos

• Aaron Rodgers is the first player ever to pass for 400 yards, throw 4 touchdowns, and rush for another 2 in a single contest.  Too good.

Patriots over Raiders

• Wes Welker’s 616 receiving yards through the first four games are an NFL record previously held by another Patriot, Terry Glenn, who went for 544 yards over the first four games in 1999.
• R.I.P. Al Davis, you insane old man.

Chargers over Dolphins

• After dislocating his shoulder against San Diego, Chad Henne is done for the year.  Matt Moore will be the new starter.  Granted, this is not much of an accomplishment, but of all the Carolina quarterbacks that saw time last year, Moore played the best of the bunch.

Ravens over Jets

• I knew this game was going to be trouble when I heard Nick Mangold was out.  With the league’s most disruptive defensive lineman, Haloti Ngata, lining head up on a rookie center, Mark Sanchez was going to have a long night, and he certainly did.
• On New York’s first play from scrimmage, Ed Reed flies in and gets the strip sack fumble, which Jameel McClain returned for a touchdown.  That was the theme of the night as the Raven defense took back two more Sanchez turnovers for scores as well in a game that saw five total return touchdowns, an NFL record.

Buccaneers over Colts

• Can Peyton Manning win the MVP without even playing a game?  I cannot say the Colts would be 4-0 if they had Manning, but I positively guarantee they wouldn’t be 0-4.

--from @jeuneski