Friday, October 7, 2011

NFL Week 4 Recap

(AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are 4-0 after defeating the Broncos 49-23.
Rodgers had a spectacular game, throwing four touchdowns and running in two.

Panthers vs. Bears: 34-29 Bears
Panthers Player of the Week: Steve Smith- 8 receptions, 171 receiving yards
Bears Player of the Week: Matt Forte- 205 rush yards, touchdown

The Bears bounced back from two previous losses to beat the Panthers. Cam Newton put up good numbers again, but it was the Panthers' defense that lost them the game. Matt Forte had a career game and ran all over Carolina. The Panthers' defense took a major blow this season when Jon Beason and Thomas Davis each tore their ACL's.

Bills vs. Bengals: 23-20 Bengals
Bills Player of the Week: Fred Jackson- 66 rush yards, 32 receiving yards, touchdown
Bengals Player of the Week: AJ Green- 4 receptions, 118 receiving yards

After Sunday's loss to the Bengals, the Bills are no longer undefeated. Despite throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, Andy Dalton and the Bengals were able to knock off the previously undefeated Bills.

Titans vs. Browns: 31-13 Titans
Titans Player of the Week: Matt Hasselbeck- 220 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 108.1 passer rating
Browns Player of the Week: Benjamin Watson- 6 receptions, 48 receiving yards, touchdown

Peyton Hillis returned to the field Sunday, but it wasn't enough to beat the Titans. Hillis only had 10 carries for 46 yards, as the Titans' defense did a great job of preventing the Browns' offense from success. Chris Johnson also reached 100 yards in a game for the first time this season.

Lions vs. Cowboys: 34-31 Lions
Lions Player of the Week: Calvin Johnson- 8 receptions, 96 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Cowboys Player of the Week: Jason Witten- 8 receptions, 94 receiving yards, touchdown

Who would have guessed that after four weeks of football, the Packers and the Lions would be the only undefeated teams left? Calvin Johnson also became the first player in NFL history to have two touchdowns in each of his first four games of the season. Despite having a 17-0 lead, the Cowboys ended up blowing the game in the fourth quarter, to give the Lions their fourth win of the season, more than the last three seasons combined.

Chiefs vs. Vikings: 22-17 Chiefs
Chiefs Player of the Week: Dwayne Bowe- 5 receptions, 107 receiving yards, touchdown
Vikings Player of the Week: Percy Harvin- 67 rush yards, 42 receiving yards

The battle of the winless was won by the Chiefs this past weekend, after they defeated the Vikings 22-17. Despite signing Donovan McNabb this offseason, the Vikings are 0-4, and might even have to bench McNabb at some point this season.

Redskins vs. Rams: 17-10 Redskins
Redskins Player of the Week: Ryan Torain- 135 rush yards, touchdown
Rams Player of the Week: Steven Jackson- 45 rush yards, 19 receiving yards, touchdown

After four games the Redskins are 3-1 and the Rams are 0-4, who would have guessed? Rex Grossman has been fantastic for the Redskins this season, and the Skins' young defense has been playing exceptionally well.

Niners vs. Eagles: 24-23 Niners
Niners Player of the Week: Frank Gore- 127 rush yards, touchdown
Eagles Player of the Week: Desean Jackson- 8 receptions, 171 receiving yards

Dream Team? After winning their first game of the season, the Eagles are 0-3 since. Philadelphia led 23-3 in the third quarter, but somehow let the 49'ers sneak back into the game and win. Frank Gore said that the Eagles "Threw in the towel" on Sunday. If they Eagles want to win the hectic NFC East, they better turn it around soon.

Saints vs. Jaguars: 23-10 Saints
Saints Player of the Week: Jimmy Graham- 10 receptions, 130 receiving yards, touchdown
Jaguars Player of the Week: Daryl Smith- 11 tackles, sack, interception

Despite Drew Brees having an off day, the Saints were able to defeat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Jimmy Graham had a great game for New Orleans, including a huge 59 yard reception.

Texans vs. Steelers: 16-10 Texans
Texans Player of the Week: Arian Foster- 150 rush yards, touchdown
Steelers Player of the Week: Mike Wallace- 4 receptions, 77 receiving yards

Welcome back Arian Foster! Foster returned to full strength last Sunday and ran all over the Steelers defense. Foster will look to have impressive games in the next few weeks with Andre Johnson out with a hamstring injury.

Seahawks vs. Falcons: 30-28 Falcons
Seahawks Player of the Week: Sidney Rice- 3 receptions, 79 receiving yards, touchdown
Falcons Player of the Week: Michael Turner- 70 rush yards, 2 touchdowns

The Falcons won the battle of the birds Sunday, improving their record to 2-2. Although the game seemed close, the Falcons blew out the Seahawks. Atlanta led 27-7 early in the third quarter, but Seattle would score three touchdowns narrowing it just to two points.

Giants vs. Cardinals: 31-27 Giants
Giants Player of the Week: Eli Manning- 321 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 108.4 passer rating
Cardinals Player of the Week: Beanie Wells- 138 rush yards, 3 touchdowns

Eli Manning has really turned himself around this season after a horrific start to the season. The Giants are 3-1 after coming back in Glendale to defeat the Cardinals. Arizona was up up 10 with just three minutes to play, when Eli led the Giants to two game winning scoring drives.

Packers vs. Broncos: 49-23 Packers
Packers Player of the Week: Aaron Rodgers- 408 pass yards, 4 pass touchdowns, 2 rush touchdowns 134.5 passer rating
Broncos Player of the Week: Eric Decker- 5 receptions, 56 yards, 2 touchdowns

The Packers demolished the Broncos' defense last week scoring six touchdowns on them. Denver gave up over 500 yards of offense and are now 1-3 after four games. Denver might be in the running for Andrew Luck if they keep losing. Just remember the last time a quarterback out of Stanford was playing for the Broncos.

Raiders vs. Patriots: 31-19 Patriots
Raiders Player of the Week: Darrius Heyward-Bey- 4 receptions, 115 receiving yards
Raiders Player of the Week: Wes Welker- 9 receptions, 151 receiving yards, touchdown

Wes Welker is having a MVP year, with already 40 receptions, 616 receiving yards, and five touchdowns, all in just four games. The Patriots took care of the Raiders just a week after the Jets failed to beat the Raiders. The good news for Oakland is that their schedule eases up, after they play Houston next week.

Dolphins vs. Chargers: 26-16 Chargers
Dolphins Player of the Week: Brandon Marshall- 5 receptions, 52 receiving yards
Chargers Player of the Week: Philip Rivers- 309 pass yards, touchdown, 110.6 passer rating

The Dolphins only strategy on Sunday's this season is "Suck for Luck". The winless 'Fins lost their starting quarterback last week, and would really like the Stanford quarterback to fill in next year. As for the Bolts, they improved their offensive game from last week, and are currently 3-1.

Jets vs. Ravens: 34-17 Ravens
Jets Player of the Week: David Harris- 7 tackles, interception, touchdown
Ravens Player of the Week: Ray Rice- 64 rush yards, 66 receiving yards, touchdown

The Jets failed to get over 175 yards of TOTAL offense, which in most cases mean they didn't win. Although Baltimore didn't play great themselves, they played well enough to beat the 2-2 Jets. The Ravens forced Mark Sanchez to fumble four times and also intercepted him once as well.

Colts vs. Bucs: 24-17 Bucs
Colts Player of the Week: Pierre Garcon- 2 receptions, 146 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns
Bucs Player of the Week: LeGarrette Blount- 127 rush yards, touchdown

Josh Freeman led the Bucs to victory on Monday night over the Manning-less Colts. The Colts have not won a game all season, but have had a few close games. It's a shame that the Colts have so many prime time games this season, because ESPN and NBC thought Peyton Manning would play. It shows how much the four time MVP winner means to his team.

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