NFL Week 4 Results

We had a much better week after last week’s disastrous picks.  Atlanta pulled out a stunning last minute win and Houston easily beat Tennessee for both to remain at 4-0.  The Saints gave it everything they had but have shocked fans with a 0-4 start.  The world champion Giants have lost 2 early division games which might come back to bite them if they don’t win the division outright.  We will be back later in the week with the most current odds from America’s Bookie and a short preview of the games in week 5. 

Thursday September 20, 2012

Cleveland Browns 16     Baltimore Ravens 23

Joe Flacco had another solid game and led the Ravens to the win on 356 yard passing and a TD along with a rushing TD also.  Cleveland kept themselves in the game and put up a good fight but came up short on a potential game tying drive when a 4^th down pass into the end zone was incomplete.  The Baltimore 33 was as close as they could come.  You know everyone in the stadium was holding their breath after last Monday night’s debacle in Green Bay.

Sunday September 30, 2012

Carolina Panthers 28     Atlanta Falcons 30

This was one of the most exciting games of the day.  Matt Ryan, without a doubt, is emerging as one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.  Ryan was 25 of 40 passing on the day for 369 yards and 3 TD’s and capped it off by marching the Falcons down the field from their own 1 yard line with just over a minute left to set up the game winning field goal.  It was a good game for Cam Newton also, who appeared to have led the Panthers to the win just before.  But a key fumble by Newton on  a run that would have given them a 1^st down was the key mistake in the game.

New England Patriots 52     Buffalo Bills 28

In an otherwise very close game, the Patriots exploded for 31 points in the 4^th quarter to rout the Bills in Buffalo.  Tom Brady looked shaky in the first half but shook himself off at halftime and emerged as his usual self, leading New England to 6 consecutive touchdown drives in the second half.  He finished with 340 yards and 3 TD’s while rushing for an additional touchdown.  Give the Patriot’s defense a lot of credit as they were all over Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.  He finished with 350 yards and 4 TD’s but he also threw 4 interceptions and was sacked 3 times.  Let’s see if this is the spark New England needs to shake off some early season bad play.

Minnesota Vikings 20     Detroit Lions 13

The Minnesota Viking didn’t do it pretty this Sunday but they continue to win.  While the offense struggled slightly the special teams came up big scoring on both a punt and a kickoff to move to 3-1 and find themselves at the top of the NFC North.  Who would have thought this going into the season?  It is always a good sign when you defense can step up also and win games.  Matthew Stafford, who was questionable last week, passed for over 300 yards but wasn’t able to lead the Lions to a touchdown until late in the 4^th quarter.  I hate to say it but I just didn’t share the expectations for the Lions going into the season.  At 1-3 they need to do something quick if they want to salvage this season. 

Tennessee Titans 14    Houston Texans 38

I’m glad that I went with the over in this one.  I thought briefly about taking Tennessee and the large spot but I just didn’t want to bet against these Texans.  They are now 4-0 and look like the team to beat in the AFC.  He didn’t have huge numbers but Matt Schaub continues to play well, not make mistakes and be the anchor of this team each week.  He finished the afternoon with 202 yards passing and 2 TD’s.  Chris Johnson gained 141 yards on 25 carries which will lead to some work for Houston’s rush defense, but if those yards don’t translate to more points they are just numbers.  We have a very long way to go but I like Houston more each week.

San Diego Chargers 37     Kansas City Chiefs 20

Philip Rivers played a decent game in leading the Chargers to the win and a 3-1 start completing 18 of 23 passes for 209 yards and 2 TD’s but it definitely helps when you get so much help from the opposing team.  The Chiefs had 6 turnovers including 3 first half Matt Cassel interceptions and a couple of Jamaal Charles fumbles.  San Diego took advantage of all 6 turnovers for scores.  It really makes you wonder just how bad the Saints are this season to have been beaten by a team like Kansas City.  Charles will bounce back.  Other than the fumbles he gain 92 yards on the ground for a TD and has 23 yards receiving and another TD.  This team is never going to turn things around though with Cassel at the helm.

San Francisco 49ers 34      New York Jets 0

San Francisco must have been really upset with the loss to Minnesota last week as they came out and crushed the Jets in New York.  The Niners scored a lot and they spread it around as Carlos Rogers returned a fumble for a 51 yard TD, and Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and backup QB all ran for touchdowns.  Alex Smith had an off day but he didn’t make any mistakes so no harm, no foul.  Mark Sanchez had a pathetic outing completing only 45% of his passes for a QB rating of 40.  Santonio Holmes left the game with what appeared to be a serious foot injury which was a major blow.  And just like predicted in the Jet’s circus like atmosphere the talk of Tebow taking over the helm is already being heard.  New York has more drama than daytime TV.

Seattle Seahawks 13      St. Louis Rams 19

Rookie kicker Greg Zeurlein led the Seahawks to the win with 4 FG’s on the afternoon, including a franchise record 58 yarder.  Then he topped the record again with one from 60 yards out.  He is 12 for 12 so far on the season and it looks like the Rams made the right choice going with youth in their kicking positions.  This win gives the 2-2 Rams as many win as they had all of last season.  On the losing side Marshawn Lynch turned in a good performance with 118 yards and a TD on 20 rushes. 

Miami Dolphins 21      Arizona Cardinals 24

Miami loses another close one after letting last week’s game against the Jets slip away.  Ryan Tannehill threw for 431 yards but had 2 picks and was sacked 4 times.  Dolphin’s receiver Brian Hartline had a huge game grabbing 12 catches for 253 yards and a TD.  It was an ugly game for the Cardinals but a win is a win.  Kevin Kolb was sacked 8 times and they had a dismal 28 yards rushing but Kolb came through when he had to and they finished it off with a Jay Feely 46 yard field goal in overtime.  The Dolphins could just as easily be 3-1 as 1-3 and you just have to feel if they keep gutting it out good things will happen.

Oakland Raiders 6      Denver Broncos 37

Peyton Manning looked more like his old self in leading the Broncos to the blowout win.  He had time to pick his targets and stayed on his feet the whole game after being sacked like crazy in the first three games.  Manning completed 30 of 38 passes on the day for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Carson Palmer didn’t have a terrible game for the Raiders; he just couldn’t generate any scoring.  The Denver defense kept him and Darren McFadden in check as the Raiders suffered their worst loss in the rivalry in almost 50 years.

Cincinnati Bengals 27      Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Cincinnati moved to 3-1 and is tied atop the AFC North with Baltimore.  Of course the Ravens beat them in the opening game so as of now the slight edge goes to Baltimore.  Andy Dalton didn’t quite crack 300 yards this week but he score 2 TD’s through the air and 1 on the ground.  Give a lot of credit to the Bengals D as they had 6 sacks and allowed their fewest yards in almost 2 years.  And all this despite the absence of cornerbacks Nate Clements and Leon Hall.  The Jaguars made a big mistake taking it out of the hands of Maurice Jones-Drew and relied on Blaine Gabbert.  Gabbert finished with 186 yards, a TD and 1 int.  If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.  Jones-Drew ran all over Indy last week and they would have been well advised to stick with him.

New Orleans Saints 27      Green Bay Packers 28

Another bad call against Green Bay but this still didn’t prevent the Saints from dropping to a shocking 0-4.  As much as he tried Drew Brees just can’t get it done on his own.  The Saints’ QB passed for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns in the losing effort.  His counterpart, Aaron Rodgers went 31 of 41 for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns.  After the bad call the Saints missed a potential game winning 46 yard field goal with around 3 minutes left in the game.  New Orleans’ season is proving that it is really a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL.  They could very easily be 4-0 at this point and things would look a whole lot different.  As it is, with the Falcons 4-0 things are not looking good for this season.

Washington Redskins 24      Tampa Bay Bucs 22

It was another tough loss for Tampa Bay as Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griiffin III led the Redskins to a last minute score for the win.  He passed for 323 yards and rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown.  The late field goal spoiled a good second half comeback for Tampa Bay after being rather dormant in the first half.  It was a good afternoon for Vincent Jackson of the Bucs who had 6 catches for 100 yards for a touchdown.  It wasn’t a bad performance for Tampa QB Josh Freeman but he is going to have to be more of a playmaker to get the win in these close games.  RG3 is for real and although they aren’t going to set the league on fire this is a good young team that should only get better.

New York Giants 17      Philadelphia Eagles 19

New York Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes came up short on a 54 yard last second touchdown as the Eagles got the narrow victory over the Super Bowl champs.  The Giants just can’t seem to break their jinx against the Eagles who have beaten them 9 of the last 10 game between the two.  Eli Manning almost worked his 4^th quarter magic again as he marched New York down the field for a TD that gave the Giants the lead.  The defense was not able to keep the Eagles from answering with a field goal to retake the lead.  A big key to the game was a lack of turnovers for the turnover prone Eagles.  Vick finished 19 of 30 for 241 yards and a touchdown while LeSean McCoy rushed for 123 yards.  The loss gives New York 2 early divisional losses which is going to make it tough.

Keep up with the action at NFL Scores and Odds.