Tampa Bay’s stunning comeback in the final moments of the early games capped off a breathtaking start to Week Four, and here are some early observations from these dramatic 1:00 EST start time games.
– Baltimore’s offense looks strong
The Ravens were able to up 38 points on Carolina’s defense. They ran the ball effectively and Steve Smith Sr. put in one of the best individual game performances of his career with two touchdowns.
– Carolina’s defense does not
In consecutive weeks, the Panthers have allowed 38 and 37 points against the Steelers and Ravens respectively.
Neither of these teams have truly dominating offenses, so it will be interesting to see how well division rivals Drew Brees and Matt Ryan can play four times collectively against this unit.
– Cheeseheads- RELAX!
After Aaron Rodgers told Packers fans to relax, he put up 38 points at Soldier Field. This team isn’t in trouble quite yet.
On a side note, the play in which Rodgers avoided three defenders in the pocket and delivered a strike to the end zone would have been the throw of the season to this point had it not been called back on an offensive penalty.
– Chicago’s defense is in trouble
They have allowed 100 points to be scored by their opponents in four games. That’s not a playoff caliber unit. There’s a lot of work to be done in Chicago.
– Indy’s the best team in the South, and it really is not close
The Colts put up 41 points on an afternoon where Houston barely scraped by Buffalo at home. Couple that with Tennessee being on the receiving end of Indy’s wrath, and it’s evident that the Colts are still on top.
– Detroit is really a strong threat in the NFC North
On a day where Calvin Johnson was limited (he was essentially used as a decoy), the Lions still managed to score 24 points on the road. Give credit to the abilities of Matthew Stafford.
– Rex Ryan’s seat is boiling hot
A 1-3 start won’t save Rex Ryan’s job. He needs his team to rally fast, and being in the doormat of the AFC East won’t leave him employed for much longer.
From Rex’s point of view, it really is time to give Michael Vick a chance at the quarterback job. It might be the only change that could save his own.
– Poor Oakland
Even through losing all of these games to this point, at least the Jaguars have shown potential on offense.
The Raiders have nothing, and I highly doubt that Dennis Allen survives this season with his job. Has anyone in league history been fired in London before?
– Mike Glennon might be the answer
I advocated for Mike Glennon before the season started, and I believed through the first three weeks that he was a better fit than Josh McCown in Tampa Bay.
Glennon was able to lead a game-winning comeback drive with under a minute left sans a timeout, and it’s blatantly obvious that he should be the starter.
– The Steelers defense: yeesh
As a teenager in the United States, I’ve seen nothing but dominant Pittsburgh defenses in my lifetime. These last few seasons have really surprised me.
This unit gave up 27 points to a team that was royally embarrassed on national television last Thursday. Again, here’s a defense that isn’t capable of playing playoff-level football.
Ben Roethlisberger did enough to win this game. The same can’t be said about the Pittsburgh defense.
[Photo Credit: James Bridge/USA TODAY Sports]
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