Week 4 Recap

It’s the last weekend in September, and with that come the first round of bye weeks. Fantasy owners across the nation were griping at the NFL for having New England, Indy, Seattle, and the New York Giants all on byes this week. Oh, Miami and Detroit got to rest too.

AFC Rundown

John hit the nail on the head in his power rankings by being wary of Denver. Their defense is just as bad as it was last year. San Diego got totally outplayed by Oakland in the first half, but turned things around in the second half. Their defense was on the way to being called the “59 1/2 minute men”…luckily they didn’t have to rely on them to win the game this week. Tennessee and Buffalo are good. Jacksonville is lucky. Houston sucks. No one deserved to win the Cincy-Cleveland game. Favre finally got hooked up with his receivers, but they almost let the Cards back in the game.

NFC Rundown

The Redskins are really that good. That was not a fluke. As we’ve been saying all year, things will be good in Dallas as long as they keep winning. I think we saw the truth to that in the fallout after the game. Chicago schemed much better than Pittsburgh against Philly’s defense. New Orleans showed how good they were, and how bad San Fran really is. With Arizona losing, Seattle is back in the catbird’s seat in the West. The North is wide open after Tampa beat Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is starting to lose his buzz. Tampa’s defense is good, but their offense is going to have to score more against Carolina and New Orleans if they want to contend in the South. The East is the best division in football. Period.

Best Game of the Week: Washington over Dallas

The Steelers-Ravens went to OT, but it wasn’t really a good game. Washington came in to Dallas and did what they needed to do. Jason Campbell is the real deal and might be on his way into the MVP conversation if he keeps this up. The NFC East is the best division in football, and these two teams showed it. We all knew Dallas’ defense had some big question marks in the secondary, and Santana Moss burned them for 145 yards. However, Dallas’ run defense also forgot to stop Clinton Portis, as he racked up over 120 yards. Even though TO ran his mouth, the person with the real gripe should be Marion Barber who only got 8 touches. The Cowboys’ lack of a run game created a huge disparity in time of possession with Washington racking up 38 minutes with the ball. The best way to stop any good offense? Keep them off the field.

Worst Game: Cleveland over Cincy

This game was just bad in every sense of the word. Neither of these teams could do anything with the ball. Neither really deserved to win, Cleveland just happened to do it. Both teams will be picking in the top 10 next year, if not the top 5. Derek Anderson looks awful and the media is calling for Brady Quinn. Cincy can not win without Carson Palmer. Knowing the Cincy management, they might trade Palmer for some draft picks this spring if they have a shot at getting Matthew Stafford.

Top Performance: Larry Johnson (KC)

28 Carries, 198 yards, 2 Touchdowns. If you’re looking for the reason why Kansas City beat Denver, it’s right here. Johnson had more yards rushing than any AFC North team had passing last weekend (Baltimore 192, Pittsburgh 191, Cincy 156, Cleveland 138). With Johnson’s performance, Kansas City was able to control the clock and capitalize on some big turnovers to upset the rival Broncos.

Games with Playoff Implications
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
Washington over Dallas
Tampa Bay over Green Bay

Waaaaay too Early Playoff Picture
Picture to come later.

AFC Seeds (Record, Conf Record):
1. Tennessee (4-0, 3-0)
2. Buffalo (4-0, 2-0)
3. Pittsburgh (3-1, 3-0)
4. Denver (3-1, 2-1)
5. Baltimore (2-1, 2-1)
6. New England (2-1, 2-1)

NFC Seeds (Record, Conf Record):
1. NY Giants (3-0, 2-0)
2. Carolina (3-1, 2-1)
3. Green Bay (2-2, 2-2)
4. Arizona (2-2, 1-1)
5. Tampa Bay (3-1, 3-1)
6. Washington (3-1, 3-1)

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Week 4 Recap

Alan Draper

Alan Draper

Alan Draper