Here we are back again for another Sunday of football in the NFL. We have 13 games on tap today as week 4 marks the first of the bye weeks. The 2 teams taking a breather today are the (2-1) Washington Redskins, and the (2-1) Carolina Panthers. We have very few undefeated teams left and after today that number will be even smaller with only the the Los Angeles Rams confirmed to survive (4-0). Now let’s find out what happened in this weeks iteration of Sunday Night Football.
Houston Texans 37 @ Indianapolis Colts 34
(0-3) (1-2)
I guess it had to be a barn-burner for the Houston Texans to get their first win of the season. They held a healthy lead in the fourth but the Colts erased it and sent the game to overtime. The teams traded field goals in OT before the Texans would kick the winner in the dying seconds to get in the win column. This game was an airshow with over 100 pass attempts between the 2 teams. DeShaun Watson’s contribution was a solid 29/42 for 375 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Lamar Miller lead the ground game with 15 carries for 49 yards. The Texans had 2 100+ yard receivers in DeAndre Hopkins (169 + 1 touchdown) on 10 catches, and Keke Coutee (109) on 11 catches. Despite the loss, Andrew Luck had a great game going 40/62 for 464 yards and 4 touchdowns! He had no help from the running game however as Jordan Wilkins could only put up 16 yards on 8 carries. Luck’s most productive target was T.Y. Hilton who had 4 catches for 115 yards.
Buffalo Bills 0 @ Green Bay Packers 22
(1-2) (1-1-1)
Well it looks like the Bills have come crashing back down to reality as they followed their shock win over the Vikings with getting shutout by the Packers. I’d say the Packers were missing Randall Cobb, but in all honesty against the Bills it really made no discernible difference. Josh Allen really seemed unable to do anything good as he went 16/33 for 151 yards and 2 interceptions. The ground game was no help at all for the Bills as LeSean McCoy was only given the ball 5 times for 24 yards. The lack of completions means the receiving core had rough stats as well with the best of them being Charles Clay with 4 catches for 40 yards. Despite not having a great game Aaron Rodgers still managed an easy win today. Rodgers went 22/40 for 298 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Another Aaron took the reigns for the ground game as Aaron Jones put up 65 yards and 1 touchdown on 11 carries. Cobb’s injury meant another receiver would be Rodgers top target, and it was Davante Adams who caught 8 passes for 81 yards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 @ Chicago Bears 48
(2-1) (2-1)
Is this where the FitzMagic runs out? perhaps just a spark of brilliance before crashing back down to why he’s been a backup on multiple teams throughout his career. While the Tampa quarterback situation was shifting to a now unsuspended Jameis Winston, the Bears Mitch Trubisky was carving a path of destruction. Fitzpatrick went a woeful 9/18 for 126 yards and 1 interception before being yanked for Jameis Winston. Winston didn’t fair much better going 16/20 for 145 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. As has been the case for the Bucs all season, their running game is all but invisible as Ronald Jones could only muster 29 yards on 10 carries. DeSean Jackson continued to rack up yards as he put up 112 on 5 catches. Now for Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky who had a stellar game going 19/26 for 354 yards and 6 touchdowns! Tarik Cohen lead in both the rushing and receiving. his rushing totals were 53 yards on 13 carries, and he caught 7 passes for 121 yards and 1 touchdown. Another noteworthy receiver was Taylor Gabriel who had 7 catches for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins 7 @ New England Patriots 38
(3-0) (1-2)
Then there were 2. As the Dolphins annihilation at the hands of their division rival New England Patriots would unseat them as undefeated. Now just the Rams and Chiefs remain undefeated, but the good news for Dolphins fans is they’re still top of their division. What’s not so good however was the performance of Ryan Tannehill who went a measly 11/20 for 100 yards and 1 interception. Frank Gore didn’t fair much better on the ground picking up 41 yards on 11 carries. Kenny Stills did the most receiving damage with 3 catches for 40 yards. On the other side of the field Tom Brady wasn’t exactly a show stopper either. He managed to go 23/35 for 274 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Honestly the Patriots best performer was probably running back Sony Michel who picked up 112 yards and 1 touchdown on 25 carries. James White put up solid numbers in the receiving core with 8 catches for 68 yards and 1 touchdown.
Detroit Lions 24 @ Dallas Cowboys 26
(1-2) (1-2)
This game was looking like the Lions might hold on and beat the Cowboys to stay on pace with the Patriots. Alas this was not the case as a clutch final drive/field goal would see the Cowboys eke out the win and leave Lions fans in disbelief. this was a very clean game overall as neither quarterback tossed an interception. Starting with Lions Matthew Stafford who went a respectable 24/30 for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns. Although Kerryon Johnson had minimal carries with just 9, he put up 55 yards and 1 touchdown for a solid outing. Golden Tate had himself a strong game with 8 catches for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the Cowboys, there was really no fault with Dak Preskott’s performance. He made no serious errors going 17/27 for 255 yards and 2 touchdowns. Once again Ezekiel Elliot was the star of the show, despite not finding pay dirt on the ground game he did put up 152 yards on 25 carries. Elliot also was the Cowboys top receiver with 4 catches for 88 yards and 1 touchdown.
Cincinnati Bengals 37 @ Atlanta Falcons 36
(2-1) (1-2)
Well games don’t come any closer than that. The Bengals managed to squeak out a win by a single point against the Falcons on a very back and fourth game what came down as close as you can possibly get. The solid outing by Andy Dalton helped to keep his team on top of the division as he went 29/41 for 337 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Giovani Bernard made the most of his opportunity with the injury to Mixon. He had 15 carries for 15 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tyler Boyd was a busy man with 11 catches for 100 yards. It seems like no matter how good Matt Ryan plays, his defence just plays ever so slightly worse. Ryan had a good game going 29/39 for 419 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tevin Coleman wasn’t able to make to much ground as he put up 51 yards on 14 carries. The Falcons had 2 100+ yards receivers in Julio Jones (173) on 9 catches, and Mohammed Sanu (111) on 6 catches.
New York Jets 12 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 31
(1-2) (2-1)
Well it’s beginning to look like the offensive explosion the Jets had in week 1 was just a flash in the pan. I know the Jags defence is amongst the top 3 in the league but still this was a lot further apart than the score reflects, this game was all Jacksonville. Rookie Sam Darnold struggled to do anything productive going 17/34 for 167 yards and 1 touchdown. Bilal Powwell wasn’t any better running the ball either just managing 26 yards on 8 carries. Quincy Enunwa continued to be Darnold’s top target getting 4 catches for 66 yards. Completion wise this was a good game for Blake Bortles who went 29/38 for 388 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. T.J. Yelton had a poorly 2.9 yard per carry average with 52 yards on 18 carries, but he did find the endzone for 1 touchdown. The Jags also had 2 100+ yard receivers in Dede Westbrook (130) on 9 catches, and Donte Moncrief (109 + 1 touchdown) on 5 catches.
Philadelphia Eagles 23 @ Tennessee Titans 26
(2-1) (2-1)
Well here’s yet another game that needed extra time to determine a winner. Unfortunately for the Eagles it’s kind of difficult to repeat as champions if you don’t make it to playoffs. With the Cowboys winning earlier and the Redskins in a bye sitting at (2-1), this loss was a bad one for Philly. Carson Wentz is starting to re-find his game as he went 33/50 for 348 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also returning to the lineup was Jay Ajayi who had 15 carries for 70 yards. The Eagles also had 2 100+ yard receivers in Zach Ertz (112) on 10 carries, and Alshon Jeffery (105 + 1 touchdown) on 8 catches. Marcus Mariota is also coming off an injury, and certainly didn’t disappoint in this contest. Mariota went 30/43 for 344 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also was the teams leading rusher with 46 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries. Corey Davis had a productive game receiving as he racked up 161 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 catches.
Cleveland Browns 42 @ Oakland Raiders 45
(1-1-1) (0-3)
Wow we have our third overtime game of this week in the NFL. The result of this one was an extremely high scoring match which ultimately resulted in the Oakland Raiders getting their first win of the season. This was not a fun game for defences as there were a lot of players with very good offensive numbers across both sides. This was the first full game for first overall pick Baker Mayfield. This was a hit and miss performance as Mayfield went 21/41 for 295 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Nick Chubb had only 3 carries in the game, but that didn’t stop him from ripping off 105 yards and 2 touchdowns! As a result of Cleveland’s running game doing most of the scoring, the top receiver Rashard Higgins had only 4 catches for 61 yards. This was a much better showing for Derek Carr as he went 35/58 for 437 yards, 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. “Beast Mode” Marshawn Lynch had a solid outing getting 130 yards on 20 carries. The Raiders had 2 100+ yard receivers being Amari Cooper (128 + 1 touchdown) on 8 catches, and Jared Cook (110 + 2 touchdowns) on 8 catches.
Seattle Seahawks 20 @ Arizona Cardinals 17
(1-2) (0-3)
After today only 1 team now remains winless in this season, and that team is the Arizona Cardinals. The wins put the Seahawks into second place in the division behind the undefeated Rams. The Cardinals on the other hand are in a huge rut now being an (0-4) team with the leader being (4-0). Russel Wilson didn’t have a great game despite the win going 19/26 for 172 yards. All the Seahawks offence came from Mike Davis on the ground getting 101 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries. This also means that the top receiver Tyler Lockett had a minimal night with 5 catches for 53 yards. The Cardinals made a change in quarterback this game starting Josh Rosen who went 15/27 for 180 yards and 1 touchdown. David Johnson had a better game this time getting 22 carries for 71 yards and 1 touchdown. Ricky Seals-Jones had the most production through the receivers with 2 catches for 53 yards.
New Orleans Saints 33 @ New York Giants 18
(2-1) (1-2)
Well this was a tale of the Saints showcasing their wide variety of ways they can win games. Where Drew Brees carried them to victory last week, this time the victory was on the shoulders of Alvin Kamara. Honestly Brees seemed to struggle throughout the game as he only went 18/32 for 217 yards which is only 50%. Now for the hero of the game Alvin Kamara who had 19 carries for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns! The top receiver for the Saints was Josh Hill who had 3 catches for 63 yards. Eli Manning didn’t make many mistakes but he didn’t score much either going 31/41 for 255 yards and 1 touchdown.This was probably Saquon Barkley’s first kind of meh game as he had 10 carries for 4 yards and 1 touchdown. The Giants top receiver was Sterling Shepard who had 10 catches for 77 yards and 1 touchdown.
San Francisco 49ers 27 @ Los Angeles Chargers 29
(1-2) (1-2)
This is the first game for the 49ers since the loss of their starting quarterback Jimmy Garroppolo. That first game would be against an equally desperate Chargers team who are trying not to fall out of the race early on, and as such the close score reflects so. Replacing Garoppolo is C.J. Beathard who had an okay game going 23/37 for 298 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. This was the first game where Matt Breida seemed a non factor getting just 39 yards on 9 carries. George Kittle continued his early tear getting 6 catches for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Philip Rivers continued his prowess but this time in a winning effort. Rivers went 25/39 for 250 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interceptions. Melvin Gordon was having a good time putting up 105 yards on 15 carries. Keenan Allen was the top threat through the air getting 7 catches for 63 yards.
Baltimore Ravens 26 @ Pittsburgh Steelers 14
(2-1) (1-1-1)
On to our final game of the night we have the division rivalry between the Ravens and Steelers. After today the Ravens seem to be sending a message that if the Steelers want to repeat as division champs this year it going to be no easy feat. Joe Flacco was having a good time against the Steelers going 28/42 for 363 yards and 2 touchdowns. Alex Collins had a meh game getting 11 carries for 42 yards. Finally John Brown made the most of his 3 receptions getting 116 yards and 1 touchdown. After the Steelers picked up their game last week, they seemed to fall right back off it. Ben Roethlisberger was only average this game going 27/47 for 275 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. They’re definitely missing Le’Veon Bell now as James Connor only managed 18 yards on 9 carries. Antonio Brown did the most damage from the receivers with 5 catches for 62 yards and 1 touchdown.
That concludes this NFL Sunday. Be sure to return tomorrow for the Monday Night Football match-up between the (3-0) Kansas City Chiefs, and the (2-1) Denver Broncos.
