We’re about a quarter of the way through the NFL season (times flies, I know), and it seems like no team has yet to really make itself stand out from the rest. Only two undefeated teams remain, but they can both thank their Week Four byes for that. Without further ado, here’s the recap of all Week Four’s matchups:
New York Giants 45 at Washington Redskins 14: Eli Manning looked like his brother on Thursday Night. Manning finished 28 of 39 for 300 yards, five total touchdowns, and one interception that should have been called a touchdown if the NFL’s scoring rules made sense. Manning was nearly flawless in all aspects of the game and had his way with the Redskins defense whenever he wanted to. Kirk Cousins on the other hand reminded the league that he’s really not that good, finishing with four really ugly picks in the second half.
Carolina Panthers 10 at Baltimore Ravens 38: Steve Smith promised everyone blood and guts, but he kept his cool and let his game speak for him. Smith finished with seven receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens absolute rout of the Panthers. Cam Newton did nothing for four quarters, finishing with only 197 yards and a touchdown. Newton is clearly still not 100 percent out on the field, and he looks reluctant to run and limps around when he does.
Miami Dolphins 38 at Oakland Raiders 14: London may have been stuck with the NFL’s worst, but at least they got to see some scoring. We really didn’t learn anything about either team in this game. The Raiders are absolutely horrible, and the Dolphins aren’t that bad. Ryan Tannehill looked pretty good, but he was playing the Raiders. Dennis Allen is out of Oakland, so maybe they can at least win a game this season.
Green Bay Packers 38 at Chicago Bears 17: This game was fantastic up until halftime. In the second half, however, Jay Cutler looked terrible throwing two picks and managing only 83 yards. Aaron Rodgers on the other hand silenced his critics by finishing with 302 yards and four touchdowns to bring the Packers back to 2-2 after their disappointing start. This is the kind of game the Bears could have definitely won this game if they had kept Josh McCown around.
Buffalo Bills 17 at Houston Texans 23: The Texans and Bills were both 2-1 heading into this matchup. The Texans are now 3-1. That’s right, Houston is only one win away from doubling their win total from 2013. Ryan Fitzpatrick hasn’t improved at all, but the rest of the team has been able to pick up the slack. E.J. Manuel had a horrible performance for the second week in a row finishing 21 of 44 for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In fact, Manuel’s performance was so bad that Doug Marrone has announced Kyle Orton will be replacing him as the starting quarterback for Week Five.
Tennessee Titans 17 at Indianapolis Colts 41: The Colts absolutely gave it to the Titans. The Colts prepared a game plan that included reverses, surprise onside kicks, and pretty much everything else. The Colts were 1-2 heading into this game, and they were serious about returning to .500. Andrew Luck finished with four (nearly five) touchdowns and 393 yards. Trent Richardson was, once again, out run by Ahmad Bradshaw. Delanie Walker was the only stand out for Tennessee, finishing with 84 yards and a touchdown.
Detroit Lions 24 at New York Jets 17: Calvin Johnson only had two receptions for 12 yards, and the Lions won. What. The Lions just may be for real this season. For the first time in years, the Lions have been winning close games consistently. The Lions used all their weapons to secure the victory, but they also got some help from Geno Smith. In fact, the fans were chanting for Michael Vick in the second half. Smith doesn’t deserve all the blame though, Eric Decker still can’t catch.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers 24: After routing the Panthers last weekend, the Steelers shouldn’t have had any problem against the Buccaneers. Mike Glennon stepped up for the Bucs in the second half, and he was even able to lead the team on a game-winning drive with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Antonio Brown had a huge game, finishing with 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns on seven catches.
Jacksonville Jaguars 14 at San Diego Chargers 33: The Jaguars can feel good about this game only because they finally made the right decision and started Blake Bortles. He is an improvement over Chad Henne, although it’s hard to do much with the Jags in general. Bortles finished with 253 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. At least he was able to score 14 points. That’s a lot for Jacksonville.
Philadelphia Eagles 21 at San Francisco 49ers 26: The San Francisco defense looked fantastic. Nick Foles was held to 21 of 43 for 195 yards and two interceptions. The 49ers offense still looks horrible however. The game really isn’t as important as the aftermath. Despite the victory, the Niners players still seem to want Jim Harbaugh out as coach. He has completely lost control of the 2-2 team, and if things don’t improve the players may have their wish granted very soon.
Atlanta Falcons 28 at Minnesota Vikings 41: The Falcons and Matt Ryan proved once again that they cannot compete away from the comfort of the Georgia Dome. To be fair though, Teddy Bridgewater had a fantastic first career start against a pitiful Atlanta defense. Bridgewater made some fantastic plays and had Vikings fans in an absolute frenzy. Unfortunately, Bridgewater had to be carted off the field after limping to the side. A big problem in the draft was Bridgewater’s durability, so this may be a common occurrence in Minnesota.
New Orleans Saints 17 at Dallas Cowboys 38: Don’t let the score fool you, the Saints were absolutely demolished in this game. Sean Payton admitted after the game that this was one of the worst games he has ever he as a coach. The Saints made every mistake possible: drops, silly runs, missed field goals, red zone fumbles, and overthrown balls. It was a mess. The Saints defense gave up 445 net yards to the Cowboys. DeMarco Murray had 149 of those yards. It was a sad day in New Orleans.
New England Patriots at Kansas Chiefs: “When I suck, I’ll retire.” Time to retire, Mr. Brady. Tom Brady lost this game for the Patriots (although to be fair Jamaal Charles helped him along the way). Brady was horrible, overthrowing everyone, making bad decisions, trying to force balls into tight coverage. Brady is lucky he only had two interceptions. Alex Smith did well, but Charles stole the show with 92 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards, and three big touchdowns. It’s only downhill from here for New England.