NFL week 4 review
Performance of the week: Aaron Rodgers, fantasy beast. This sort of performance against a struggling Broncos side was akin to some of the numbers put up by Michael Vick last year. The Packers triggerman threw for 408 yards, 4 touchdowns and one interception, but also used his legs, gaining 36 yards and another two TDs on the ground in Green Bay’s 49-23 win over Denver.
Comeback of the week: Detroit’s 34-30 win over Dallas was all the more impressive considering the Lions trailed by 27 points to three in the early stages of the third quarter. But the stunning comeback – capped by two TDs for Calvin Johnson – preserved the Lions’ unbeaten start to the season.
Comeback of the week (2): Striking fear into the AFC South as well as the rest of Houston’s opponents this season, the Texans welcomed back last season’s sensation Arian Foster this week – and he quickly set about making up for lost time. The running back, who looks fully recovered from his hamstring injury, ran for over 150 yards and a TD against the Steelers.
Chokers of the week: Resisting the temptation to cause further pain to Cowboys fans, I’ll plump instead for the Bills. Leading 17-3 at halftime in Cincinnati, the Bills, alone at the top of the AFC East going into week 3, instead managed to throw away that lead to fall to 3-1. The early-season sensations, heroic victors over the Patriots in their last outing, seemed unable to cope with the ‘favourites’ tag as the Bengals snatched a last-gasp win. Head coach Chan Gailey will have to hope that his side can shake off the disappointment and any self-doubt engendered by that second half nightmare in south-western Ohio.
Disappointment of the week: Both offences in the Ravens’ 34-17 triumph over the Jets. The Mark Sanchez-led New York offence was particularly unproductive – Sanchez threw for just 119 yards and completed less than a third of passing attempts; the Jets also managed just 38 rushing yards, and were lucky to go in at half time with a positive total yardage.
Unique match of the week: Again, that Baltimore victory. Of the six touchdowns in the match, just one was scored by an offence (a Ray Rice run). Joe McKnight returned a kick-off 107 yards for a six pointer, but the other four came from the two defenses (a fumble return and a pick six apiece). It was a bizarre game at M&T Bank Stadium as the Jets slipped to 2-2 ahead of their crunch match with the Patriots in week 5.
Sad sight of the week: It must have been gut-wrenching for Colts fans to see Peyton Manning, in a Colts polo shirt and slacks, watching on as Curtis Painter and his bouffant fell to the Buccaneers. In fact, the Indy back-up, beneficiary of an injury to Manning’s emergency replacement Kerry Collins, did not have a terrible run-out. He steered clear of interceptions and threw for two scores and a very respectable 281 yards. But it is increasingly difficult to see how the 0-4 Colts can snap that record without Manning under center – though they do have a golden opportunity in hosting the Chiefs in week 5.
Mundane statistic of the week: Arizona kicker Jay Feely now has 277 consecutive successful points after touchdowns. Forced to listen to the Cardinals-Giants game on the radio – 5 Live Sports Extra – this was about the most I got out of it.
