NFL Roundup: Week 4

Some observations, comments and opinions about Sunday's NFL games.

Houston 17, Miami 15
Does anyone still buy into the hype that Daunte Culpepper is completely recovered from his knee injury? The Texans, who had only three sacks all season, got to Culpepper five times on Sunday. Mario Williams had his best day as a pro with 1.5 sacks and a deflected pass late in the game on a Miami two-point attempt that would have tied the game.

Kansas City 41, San Francisco 0
The Chiefs finally break out of their funk by rolling up 333 yards of total offense and the defense pitches a shutout. Larry Johnson broke the 100-yard barrier for the first time (101) and scored two touchdowns.

Dallas 45, Tennessee 14
Vince Young started his first game for the Titans and it didn't matter one bit. The biggest and most shocking news from this game was DT Albert Haynesworth stepping on the head of Cowboy G Andre Gurode and opening up a gash the required 32 stitches. Gurode was down, defenseless and without a helmet when Haynesworth, a 300-plus pound individual, steps on his head with cleats on. That is assault with a deadly weapon in my book and he should be suspended for the season.

Atlanta 32, Arizona 10
The Falcons racked up 262 yards rushing with Michael Vick going for 101 yards and rookie Jerious Norwood coming up with 106 yards. Kurt Warner had an interception returned for a touchdown and fumbled for the tenth time this season. Not surprisingly, Cardinals coach Dennis Green announced the Matt Leinart would start next week.

Buffalo 17, Minnesota 12
The Vikings took to the air in this game (44 passes, 16 runs) and that lack of balanced proved to just what the Bills needed at home. J.P. Losman had a solid day, going 22-of-32 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Willis McGahee added 78 yards and a score.

Carolina 21, New Orleans 18
The Panthers took a big step back in the playoff hunt by handing the previously unbeaten Saints their first loss. Steve Smith and his sore hamstrings seem to be just fine. The pro bowler had 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, while DeShaun Foster recorded his first 100-yard game of the season (105) and scored a touchdown. Drew Brees threw for 349 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Rookie WR Marques Colston continues to impress for New Orleans. The seventh-round selection had five grabs for 132 yards and one TD.

Indianapolis 31, New York Jets 28
Peyton Manning threw for 217 yards and a touchdown, while the backfield tandem of Joseph Addai and Domenic Rhodes combined for 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead the Colts in a come-from-behind victory. The Jets, playing with a fire under new coach Eric Mangini, got another solid game from Chad Pennington (17-of-23, 207 yards, one TD) and a 103-yard kickoff return from Justin Miller.

Baltimore 16, Chargers 13
Big, physical battle between unbeaten teams. The Chargers held the Ravens in check for most of the game only to see Baltimore score nine points in the final 3:12 to hand San Diego its first loss of the season. Steve McNair hit TE Todd Heap in the endzone for the game-winner with 34 seconds left on the clock. The Ravens had only 214 yards of total offense, while the Chargers managed only 295. With the Bengals loss, Baltimore sets alone atop the AFC North.

St. Louis 41, Detroit 34
Mike Martz comes back to St. Louis and the points start flying everywhere. The Rams offense exploded after a slow start to the 2006 season. Marc Bulger threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams had a season high 427 yards of offense. His main targets were Isaac Bruce (7-100-1) and Torry Holt (6-102-1). The Lions had 327 yards of total offense and broke the 30-point barrier for the first time since 2003.

Cleveland 24, Oakland 21
How bad are the Raiders? They lose a game to a formerly winless team at home after being up at one point 21-3. Browns QB Charlie Frye threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns.

Washington 36, Jacksonville 30
Mark Brunell hit Santana Moss for a 68-yard touchdown in overtime to give the Redskins the victory over the Jaguars. Moss led the Skins with four receptions for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Clinton Portis collected 112 yards and a score, while the Washington defense held Jacksonville to just 33 yards rushing.

New England 38, Cincinnati 13
The Patriots bounced back in a big way by knocking off the undefeated Bengals on the road. Rookie Laurence Maroney had a breakout game with 125 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The New England defense sacked Carson Palmer four times and held Rudi Johnson to just 65 yards rushing.

Chicago 37, Seattle 6
The Bears made a pretty convincing case to take over the mantle as the team to beat in the NFC. Chicago dominated the defending NFC champions on both sides of the ball all night long. Rex Grossman threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while Thomas Jones ran for 98 yards and two scores. On defense, the Bears limited the Seahawks to just 77 yards rushing and Tommie Harris put on a show-stopping performance with two sacks and tons of pressure on a rattled Matt Hasselbeck.

The Bears and Ravens made huge statements on Sunday and the rest of the league better keep an eye on them. Chicago has the best defense in football. The front seven just flies to the football. Baltimore has it's swagger back on defense and a proven leader in Steve McNair to run the offense.

The Colts seem to be getting more and more comfortable with a two-back setup and haven't missed a beat from last seasons 14-2 campaign. New England has found a runing game and Denver, after losing to St. Louis on opening day, is right back in the thick of things.

Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers (1-2) roll into Philadelphia to take on Donovan McNabb and the Eagles (2-1) on Monday Night Football. Philadelphia needs a win to hold on to first place in the NFC East. Favre, who had his best game of the season last week against Detroit, is looking to test his arm against a shaky Eagles secondary.


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