Prioritizing is a difficult job on Sundays. I’m currently rolling with the football, Dexter and Eastbound & Down schedule, but if you decide to incorporate the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire (which is supposed to be great), or any of the other Sunday night TV shows, you may have missed some football this weekend. Here’s a rundown of some major developments in Week 4, as well as previews for of a few Week 5 matchups.
May the 49ers season rest in peace. They had it. Nate Clements intercepted Matt Ryan with 1:31 left in the fourth quarter, with the lead, but in 2010 49ers fashion he decided to slow down and let his blocks develop (just typing it out makes me shake my head), letting Roddy White catch up and strip the ball for a turnover, giving the Falcons a second chance. They took advantage of this opportunity and won the game. To cap it off, Mike Singletary was in actual tears after the game. The NFC West now has a three-way tie for first place, and the one team that I was sure would win the division isn’t one of them. Nobody saw this coming.
The Packers missed out on the Marshawn Lynch sweepstakes. After watching the Lions almost come back against Green Bay on Sunday, it’s pretty obvious that this team needs an upgrade at running back. They had two 14-point leads during the game but kept letting Detroit come back due to the Packers’ inability to run the ball. Brandon Jackson is a pretty average running back, and unless they figure the running game out (John Kuhn is a good start), they should just do what the 2009 Saints did and keep scoring, hoping the refs call the mercy rule (which I know doesn’t exist, but I think it should after the Jets game this weekend).
Told you so Bears fans. Last week I ranked the Bears 16th in my power rankings because of abysmal offensive line play. It was just a matter of time before defenses started getting to Jay Cutler, but I didn’t think it’d be as bad as it was Sunday night. The Giants sacked Cutler nine times in the first half, setting a franchise record. Cutler looks like this in a win, so if you didn’t watch the game you can only imagine his mood at the Meadowlands on Sunday. He didn’t even come out of the locker room after halftime, with the team claiming he had a concussion, though this is the play where it supposedly happened, and it doesn’t look too bad to me. Concussion or not, I think Cutler had simply had enough and called it a night. There was one play (I cant find a replay) where he was evading one of the Giants defensive linemen and actually ran out of bounds for a 2-yard loss. That was when it was clear he had mentally checked out.
Michael Vick is out for one to two weeks. After getting hit on a completely unnecessary run that has left him with cartilage damage in his ribs, the team is back to plan A–Kevin Kolb. I don’t think they will suffer too much from this injury. Kolb is a talented quarterback with a ton of weapons at his disposal, but he needs to throw the ball downfield. He was checking down to LeSean McCoy every chance he could get on Sunday, and that’s not a way to win a game (or the Philadelphia fans). At least he gets to take on the downtrodden 49ers Sunday night for his first start since Week 1.
I don’t know what to take from Dolphins vs. Patriots. It’s one of those games where one team was played so bad that the other team didn’t have to do a whole lot, so it’s tough to gage their performance. I’ll say this though; the Patriots special teams had an incredible performance. They pulled off the trifecta of a kick return for a touchdown, a blocked punt and a blocked field goal (which was returned for a touchdown). But how much of that should be put on Miami’s special teams unit? Enough to get their special teams coach fired the following day. Either way, it’s a huge win for New England going into their bye week. The Dolphins have now lost two home division games and will most likely finish third in the AFC East again.
Week 5 Picks
TB (+6.5) over CIN
The Bengals have been plain bad this season, and Buccaneers showed some life in their first two games. Coming off a bye, the defense should be prepared for a less than stellar Carson Palmer, and look for Josh Freeman to make plays both through the air and on the ground.
HOU (-3) over NYG
If Andre Johnson (ankle) doesn’t play than it makes this a less competitive game, but I like the Texans in this game. The Giants’ offensive line has proven to be very ineffective against good pass rushers, surrendering two sacks to Dwight Freeney and another to Julius Peppers, and I think Mario Williams is more talented than both of those guys. This should be a high scoring game, as both teams will be able to move the ball well through the air, but I’m giving the edge to a Texans team that is at home and getting their defensive rookie of the year (Brian Cushing) back from suspension.
KC (+9) over IND
Proven in Indianapolis’ two losses to the Texans and the Jaguars, the best way to beat Peyton Manning is to keep him on the sideline. The Chiefs have a great run game, and Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles will help them control the time of possession. Kansas City also has the best secondary Manning has faced this season. This game is going to be close, but don’t be surprised if there’s still an undefeated team after Weak 5.
NYJ (-4) over MIN
The Jets will likely go out of their way to start Santonio Holmes’ season off right by giving him a bunch of downfield looks. Also considering the fact that the Jets are running the ball with ease, the Mark Sanchez to Dustin Keller connection is seemingly unstoppable and the Jets’ defense is getting back Calvin Pace and Darrell Revis from injuries, and the Vikings might be overwhelmed on Monday night. Over/under on Favre interceptions is 3.5.