Things I Noticed: Week 4

Week 4 is the start of bye weeks, with the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers getting the week off. Anyone else have a fantasy football team with the bye week blues?  If you own Aaron Rodgers or Cam Newton then you may have spent your Sunday morning frantically scouring the waiver wire.

Meanwhile, four team across the league are still frantically searching for their first win.

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• For the second straight week the Rams defense was steamrolled by a power running game, as Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter combined for 202 rushing yards and each scored a TD.  Between the two of them they averaged an impressive 6.5 yards per carry.  
• The Rams hadn't put points on the board in the first quarter of a game all season until Greg Zuerlein's 40 yard field goal hit the inside of the post and bounced through for three points.  Dating back to last season, the first quarter drought had reached 9 games.  Despite getting an early lead for once, the Rams offense did little else, as the Niners defense shut them out the rest of the way.
• Breaking Bradford.  The popular AMC show came to an end Sunday night, but is Sam Bradford's
  
  career about to go the way of Walter White?  The former #1 overall pick was exceedingly mediocre in his first three seasons with the Rams and has gotten off to a terrible start this season.  Through 4 games, Bradford is completing only 58.8% of his passes, which looks even worse in the context that he has averaged only 6.01 yards per attempt (32nd worst in the league).
• The Rams have almost no choice but to stick with Bradford for now given how much money they have invested in him. That's the downfall of being the last team to select a top overall pick under the old CBA before rookies salaries were restrained.  If the Rams (1-3) end up with another losing season, it could lead to St. Louis look to draft Bradford's replacement for next year.
• Joe Flacco had a horrific afternoon with a career high 5 interceptions.  Despite the turnovers, Baltimore still found themselves in position to tie or win the game on their final possession, until Kiko Alonso picked off his second Flacco pass of the game with just under a minute remaining to seal the victory for the Bills.
• CJ Spiller is one of the most explosive RBs in the league, as shown by his league high 6.0 yards per carry last season, but Fred Jackson remains heavily involved in the Bills offense.  So far this year it's been approximately a 60-40 split in carries in favor of Spiller, but Jackson has been the more effective back (5.3 yards per carry).
• Wait, so Cleveland trades away their best offensive player, leading everyone to proclaim that the Browns are tanking the season.  They then go out and win two straight games following the trade, both against teams that made the postseason last year.  Geez, the Browns are so bad they can't even get tanking right!
• Cleveland's success the past two weeks has less to do with the departure of Richardson and more to do with Brian Hoyer proving to be a more competent QB than Brandon Weedon.  
• Andy Dalton and the Bengals offense just couldn't get much going against an underrated Browns defense.  Cincinnati's TE duo of Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert have gotten a lot of hype, but they were overshadowed by Browns TE Jordan Cameron (10 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD), who outproduced the combined effort of the Bengals TEs and now has 5 TDs through four games.
• Reggie Bush returned from a one game absence without skipping a beat, as he gained 173 total yards that included a 37 yard TD run.  A healthy Bush makes this Lions offense scary to defend against. With Calvin Johnson spreading the field and demanding double coverage, it leaves plenty of room for Bush to operate.
• Jay Cutler was just awful for nearly the entire game, throwing three INTs and losing a fumble (which Nick Fairly returned for a score).  He managed to salvage the effort with a pair of TD passes (plus the two point conversion to follow each) in the final four minutes of the game to actually put the scare of a comeback into the Lions, but Chicago would fall one score short.
• How many fantasy owners that went with Cutler as a bye week fill in spent most of the game cursing his name, fearing another turnover could actually get him negative points, only to gleefully watch him pile up garbage time stats to finish with a respectable total (20+ points in most standard scoring leagues)?  I know I was one of them!
• Alex Smith (288 yards, 3 TDs) helped keep the Chiefs undefeated in a blowout victory (yeah, I should have gone with Smith over Cutler).  
• Jamaal Charles still doesn't have a 100 yard rushing game this season, but he's been utilized effectively as a weapon in the passing game and has well over 100 total yards from scrimmage in each game.  He did nearly as much damage with his five receptions as he did on the ground and also added a receiving TD.
• Meanwhile, the Giants remain winless on the season after getting blown out by the Chiefs and Eli Manning continues to be a turnover prone disaster (1 INT, 2 fumbles).  He's shown brief flashes of brilliance, like his perfectly thrown deep ball to Victor Cruz for a 69 yard TD pass to give the Giants their only points of the game, but Manning's mistakes are starting to outweigh those highlight plays this season.
• Big Ben wasn't just the name of a clock tower in London this week, as the NFL again invaded
  
  England with the Steelers and Vikings.  Despite the 4th quarter efforts of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers found themselves in too deep a hole by then to climb out of.
• That hole the Steelers were in can be partially blamed on their inability to contain Adrian Peterson (140 yards, 2 TDs).  Granted most teams have trouble doing that, but it seems impossible how Peterson managed to squeeze through such a tight opening in the defense, break a couple tackles and sprint 60 yards for his first TD of the game.  All Day just continues to amaze.
• With Christian Ponder sidelined by injury, Matt Cassel got the start for the Vikings.  While that may not seem like an upgrade, you'd have trouble convincing Greg Jennings of that.  The former Packer had his best game since coming to Minnesota, catching 3 passes for 92 yards and a pair of TDs.
• The NFL continues to have London's Wembley Stadium host games each year, with the intention of trying to expand the global reach of the league.  Rumors continue to swirl that the league hopes to add a franchise to play in London on a permanent basis, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.  The travel issues alone would be too much of a headache, but I also can't imagine many free agents being willing to move overseas.  That would put that franchise at a steep competitive disadvantage.  Plus, while a packed stadium may appear to be a sign of European interest in the NFL, is there enough evidence to suggest that London would support a team full time?  How many people in that crowd were Americans that made the trip to support their team?  Or people from other European countries that took the rare opportunity to see a live game in action, but wouldn't necessarily be willing to do the same 8 times per year.  The league has to be fully confident in their ability to sell enough season tickets to make it worth it and I for one and skeptical that we are near that point yet.
• Carson Palmer connected with Larry Fitzgerald in the endzone to tie the game late in the 4th quarter and the Cardinals followed with a 27 yard field goal to seal the win.
• What a mess Tampa Bay has become.  After three tough losses to start the season, QB Josh Freeman was benched.  Not only that, but he wasn't even active this week!  He was banished to a suite to watch the game this week, as coach Greg Schiano apparently deemed him unworthy of even holding a clip board (sure, how could you trust him not to drop it or give it away?)  There has been plenty of talk all year about an internal struggle between Freeman and the coaching staff and we may be nearing the end of it.  Freeman desperately needs a change of scenery, but the problem is that his poor play has left him with very little trade value. 
• The Bucs are exploring the possibility of trading their former starter, but have yet to find any interest.  Freeman is reportedly now pressuring the team to release him (while still collecting his full $6.2 million salary).  If the Bucs have to pay him either way, there's no way they release him unless they get past the trade deadline without finding a trade partner.  Hard to imagine a team trading for him to be their starter this season unless they get desperate due to an injury to their current starter.  Or desperate because they are currently starting Blaine Gabbert.
• Mike Glennon took over as the Bucs new starting QB and was predictably shaky in his debut.  He averaged only 4.5 yards per passing attempt and turned the ball over three times.  After Arizona tied the game late in the fourth quarter, the Bucs gave it right back to them after a three and out that ended with Glennon getting sacked.  On Tampa's final possession, with a chance to tie or win the game, Glennon threw the ball away to seal the Cardinals victory.
• When Tampa Bay selected Glennon in the 3rd round in this year's draft, they did so knowing that he was a raw product that would need time to develop.  Week 4 was clearly too much, too soon for the rookie.  This move wasn't about Glennon making the team better in the short term as much as it was about getting Freeman off the field.
• Blaine Gabbert returned for Jacksonville, and guess what?  He's still terrible!  The Jaguars did manage to get close enough for a long 53 yard field goal in the first quarter, but their offense was essentially useless the rest of the game.
• After his first full week with his new team, Trent Richardson carried the workload for the Colts running game with mediocre results (3 yards per carry), but did find the end zone.  When Ahmad Bradshaw gets healthy (not that this happens often), the two may end up in a fairly even time share. Perhaps Richardson is best used in goal line and short yardage situations.
• Richard Sherman returned an interception 58 yards the other way to tie the game and erase what had been a 17 point second half Texans lead.  Seattle would win in overtime with a field goal on their second possession to remain unbeaten.  
• During Sherman's pick-six, as Texans players desperately tried to chase after him, one of the announcers from the Fox crew enthusiastically shouted "he's got followers, and not just on Twitter!"  That might be my new favorite line from an announcing crew this season.
• The once mighty Texans have now dropped their second straight game and dropped to third in the AFC South.  Two of their games have ended in overtime and one of their wins came on a last second field goal.  The outcome of close games often comes down to some amount of luck and random chance.  Unless you have an elite QB (i.e - not Matt Schuab) then winning close games is rarely sustainable over larger sample sizes, so if the Texans continue to find themselves in these nail biters, it does not bode well for their chances this season.
• Washington still hasn't figured out their slow start struggles, but they did manage to overcome a 14 point first quarter deficit to secure their first win of the season.  RGIII still doesn't look 100%, but against the Raiders, apparently you don't need to be.
• Matt Flynn got the start for Oakland after Terrell Pryor was ruled out with concussion symptoms. There were conflicting reports all morning regarding Pryor's status, but the Raiders ended up playing it safe and holding him out of action.
• Flynn connected with Mychal Rivera in the first quarter for his first TD of his season.  For the rookie
  
  Rivera, it was his first career score.  As the Fox crew repeatedly informed us, Rivera isn't even the most famous person in his family.  His sister plays Santana on Glee, which of course is a show that airs on their network.  Leave it to Fox to use the opportunity to exploit free advertising! 
• This game turned into a battle of backups, as Washington lost Alfred Morris to a rib injury and Darren McFadden exited early with a hamstring.  Run DMC injured again?  Don't say nobody ever warned you about that.
• The Titans clobbered the Jets, but the victory came at a price, as Jake Locker was knocked out with a hip injury.  Tennessee is saying the injury isn't season ending, but the time frame for his return could be anywhere from 4-8 weeks.  Rough blow for a Titans team that had gotten off to a great start.
• Geno Smith tried to get a little too creative as the pass rush came down on in him by attempting to hand the ball off behind his back to his other hand, but it never quite got there.  Instead, the ball hit his own rear end, came loose and was recovered by the Titans for a TD.  It's another butt fumble for a Jets QB!
• Peyton Manning just keeps setting new records.  This week he set a new mark for TD passes in the first month of a season with 16.  That also tied a record of 16 TD passes in a season without throwing an interception.  Manning looks like he's on a mission to destroy every record he can set his sites on this season.  With the weapons he has to throw to, he just may do it.
• Take a look at the league leaders in TD receptions so far this season.  Go ahead, I'll wait.  Did you notice how Denver dominates that list?  Wes Welker is tied for the league lead with 6 TD catches, but the Thomas brothers (wait, Demaryius and Julius aren't related?) are right behind with 4 each.
• When Chip Kelley took over the Eagles and said he was going to revolutionize offense in the NFL, who knew he meant that his defense was going to make the opposing team's offense look historic?
• The Chargers had blown a 4th quarter lead in their first 3 games, including the game they eventually would go on to win.  This week they trailed Dallas entering the fourth quarter, but scored 10 unanswered points in the quarter to beat the Cowboys.
• Antonio Gates continues his revival season with 10 catches for 136 yards and a score.  Danny Woodhead caught the other two scores that Philip Rivers threw in the game.  The scrappy RB continues to be one of the league's best pass catching threats out of the backfield.
• The NFC East, the division nobody wants to win!  Or so it seems anyway, considering the 2-2 Cowboys lead the division.  As bad as things have been for the 0-4 Giants, they can conceivably still get back into the race if they can turn things around quickly.  They are only two games back of Dallas and the entire division has been awful.
• Tom Brady (316 yards, 2 TDs) had his best game of the season in leading New England to their most impressive win.  Brady is finally starting to get in sync with his young receivers and things will only get better once Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski can return.  
• The return of Gronk remains shrouded in mystery.  The team seems to believe he should have been ready to return by now, but Gronk's inner circle of friends, family and advisers managed to talk him into sitting out at least one more week.  Given the number of injuries he's suffered over the past year, it's understandable why they want to be cautious, but if the medical staff has cleared him and he's been practicing all week without any issue then his return must be immanent.  Hopefully he gets back soon before this turns into a bigger issue between the player and the team.
• The victory moved New England to 4-0 this season, but it came at a costly price.  Veteran nose tackle Vince Wilfork suffered a torn Achilles and may be done for the season.  Losing Wilfork leaves the Patriots with a mountain sized void on their defensive line and deprives them of one of their best players.  Tom Brady is of course the most indispensable player on the roster, but Wilfork might be next on that list.
• Matt Ryan led a valiant comeback attempt late in the fourth quarter.  After connecting with Tony Gonzalez in the end zone for the second time in the game, Atlanta followed by recovering an on-side kick that led to a field goal to make it a one score game.  The Falcons would get the ball back one more time with just under two minutes to play.  After Julio Jones reeled in an incredibly athletic 49 yard catch at New England's 13 yard line, Atlanta looked poised to tie the game, but the Patriots red zone defense buckled down and kept them out of the end zone.  Aqib Talib made a game saving play to knock the ball away from Roddy White on 4th down to seal the victory. 
• Atlanta's comeback attempt had the benefit of some luck with the replay system.  Bill Belichick challenged a catch made by Julio Jones that jump started that TD drive late in the 4th quarter.  The play was ruled a catch and a fumble out of bounds, but Belichick thought it should be incomplete.  It was a close call, and very well may have been a catch, but it was close enough to warrant a review. We'll never know what the referee would have ruled if given the chance to review it because the replay system was conveniently inoperable at the time.  Later in the game, with New England clinging to that one score lead, LeGarrette Blount plunged into a pile trying to pick up a first round that probably would have clinched the victory.  It looked like he made it past the line, but the refs marked the ball inches short.  Since it was under two minutes, the play was reviewed (by a system that all of a sudden was working again!).  The problem was, the replay angles showed no clear landmark indicating where the first down marker was. Remember, the refs don't have the luxury of the imaginary yellow line that viewers at home can see, so what seemed obvious on TV was nearly impossible to determine on the replay view the refs had access to.  A tough break resulted in Atlanta getting the ball back and the Pats defense having to come up with one final stop.
• Remember back in 2006 when the Dolphins were hesitant to sign free agent Drew Brees and ended
  
  up letting him slip away to New Orleans?  Brees sure didn't forget.  Or at least that's how it seemed watching him obliterate the Dolphins with a 413 yard, 4 TD performance in the Saints blowout victory.  
• This was the 10th game of Brees' career with 400+ passing yards, which trails only Dan Marino (13) for most all-time.  In this game he passed Frank Tarkenton for 6th all-time in passing yards and passed John Elway for fourth place on the all-time completions list.  But hey, Miami didn't need him!  They've been set at QB for over a decade now.  Oh wait....
• As for the other QB in this game, Miami thinks they have a long term solution in place with Ryan Tannehill.  They may be right, but he didn't show it this week.  Three INTs and a lost fumble, including picks on Miami's final two possessions, squandered any chance the Dolphins had of getting back into this game.
• Miami allowed themselves to get buried long before Tannehill started throwing the ball away.  On their first drive of the game they had the ball in a third and inches situation inside the Saints 10 yard line. They just needed to have Lamar Miller plunge the ball up the middle or let Tannehill fall forward on a sneak to pick up the first down.  Instead they had Daniel Thomas run sideways to the left, where he was predictably stuffed for a loss.  The Dolphins settled for a field goal in a game they needed to score TDs in to keep up with a powerful Saints offense.  On their only other first quarter possession they had the ball 4th and 1 at their own 44 yard line.  Failing to convert would have given the Saints great field position, but New Orleans proved capable of moving the ball throughout the game regardless of field position.  Miami needed points to stay in the game.  Don't punt the ball away! Once they did, the Saints quickly turned the game into a blowout.  
• New Orleans is one of only five undefeated teams left, along with New England, Denver, Kansas City and Seattle.
• The AFC North and NFC East don't have any teams with winning records.  The AFC East doesn't have a team with a losing record.  Your division is in rough shape if the Bills or Jets could be leading your division a quarter of the way through the season.
• The Denver offense has outscored the combined total points for the Giants, Steelers and Bucs.