Steelers and Rams improve as Titans continue to struggle
Wednesday 5 October 2016 15:13, UK
The AFC North and NFC West divisions lead the way with some of the top grades in week four.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made up for a lacklustre performance in week three with a 43-14 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
And despite a knee brace, Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a 27-17 victory over the New York Jets.
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers (W 43-14 v Kansas City)
The Steelers disappointed last week, coming up woefully short against the Philadelphia Eagles in their worst loss for 27 years. The team was unrecognisable in week four as Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes and Le'Veon Bell ran for 144 yards as Pittsburgh dominated the Chiefs in every area of the game.
Vince Williams had 16 tackles and Kansas City failed to record a point until the fourth quarter, when the game was far beyond them.
This is the type of performance we expect from a Super Bowl contender. Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals (W 22-7 v Miami)
The score suggests this game was closer than it actually was, as the Bengals settled for just the one A.J Green touchdown and five field goals.
Green had 173 yards and the defence sacked Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, disrupting any attack the Miami offence tried to build. The win lifts the Bengals to 2-2 and within touching distance of the division leaders. Grade: B
Baltimore Ravens (L 28-27 v Oakland)
As with their three wins this season, the result of this game could have gone either way. After a conservative three quarters, the game took off in the final 15 minutes.
The Ravens had over 150 more offensive yards but settling for two early field goals proved costly. Steve Smith got his first touchdown of 2016 but against one of the worst ranked defences in the NFL, Baltimore were made to pay for their missed opportunities. Grade: C
Cleveland Browns (L 20-31 @ Washington)
The Browns continue to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, though it would appear the officials helped them this week. Leading 20-17 in the third quarter, Cleveland fumbled on three consecutive drives to hand possession to their opponents, who duly scored 14 points and won the game.
Granted, the second turnover appeared to be an incorrect call as Duke Johnson seemed to recover, but as head coach Hue Jackson said, there would not have been an issue if the player had not fumbled in the first place.
Quarterback Cody Kessler looked comfortable as an NFL starter and running back Isaiah Crowell had 112 yards and a touchdown, but the Browns must shore up the basics if they are to win at all this season. Grade: D
AFC East
Buffalo Bills (W 16-0 @ New England)
Two weeks ago, head coach Rex Ryan was firm favourite to lose his job. Now, having beaten the Cardinals and the Patriots, the Bills are second in the division, having delivered the first shutout to New England since 1993.
It was an important victory for Buffalo, who scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter through LeSean McCoy. The defence continued where it left off from week three, sacking Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett three times. Zach Brown had 18 tackles, four of them for loss, and one sack to lift the team to 2-2. Grade: A
New York Jets (L 27-17 v Seattle)
Having the Jets at second in the AFC East this week really is an indictment of the quality the division showed as a whole. Missing Eric Decker at wide receiver showed, but the running game was unable to pick up the slack with just 58 yards.
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three more interceptions and leads the league in that category. Darelle Revis left the game with a hamstring injury and at 1-3, the Jets now face the Steelers followed by the Cardinals. Grade: D
New England Patriots (L 16-0 v Buffalo)
Patriots fans will be delighted to finish this game with a 3-1 record, leading the division and welcoming back four time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
They struggled to move the ball against Buffalo, due in no small part to third choice Jacoby Brissett struggling with a thumb injury. This result, though disappointing, was a lot more important for the Bills than it was for the Patriots. Grade: D
Miami Dolphins (L 22-7 @ Cincinnati)
Ryan Tannehill was sacked five times as the Miami offensive line disintegrated under pressure from the Bengals' pass rush. A 74-yard touchdown throw on the second play of the night accounted for a third of the Dolphins' total offence, which sums up the rest of their night.
The Defence found some success in holding the Bengals to field goals, but it was a disappointing showing from the now 1-3 Dolphins, whose only victory came in overtime against the Browns. Grade: D-
AFC South
Houston Texans (W 27-20 v Tennessee)
After losing J.J Watt, it was an important week for Houston to show what they were made of. Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney combined to deputise for Watt and Will Fuller, a rookie wide receiver selected in the first round of the draft, scored a 64-yard touchdown return to seal the win.
It will be a tough schedule without Watt leading the defence, but the Texans started off with an important win over divisional rivals. Grade: B
Jacksonville Jaguars (W 30-27 v Indianapolis)
It was a huge sigh of relief for head coach Gus Bradley as the Jaguars held on for their first win of the season, beating the Colts at Wembley as part of the 2016 International Series.
The defence is starting to look like the dominant unit fans expected, and Blake Bortles kept mistakes to a minimum as well as scoring a rare touchdown. Grade: B-
Indianapolis Colts (L 30-27 @ Jacksonville)
After a 26-22 week-three win over the Chargers, it looked as though Andrew Luck and the Colts might have turned the corner. However, Luck had a costly interception and was sacked six times, the most in one game since he began his career in the NFL.
While Jacksonville have the benefit of a bye week, Indianapolis will have to prepare for the arrival of the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Grade: D
Tennessee Titans (L 27-20 @ Houston)
Marcus Mariota struggled once again, throwing for just 202 yards as the Titans failed to take advantage of a Houston defence missing J.J Watt.
Tennessee sacked their special teams coordinator Bobby April after the unit allowed Will Fuller to score a fourth quarter punt return and win the game for Houston. The Titans face Miami next week and will need to find some compatibility in this offence if they are to lift themselves in the AFC South. Grade: D-
AFC West
Denver Broncos (W 27-7 @ Tampa)
The Broncos never looked troubled against the Buccaneers as they weathered a storm to maintain a 4-0 start to the season.
Two early interceptions for Aqib Talib led to touchdown scores and from then on, the defence controlled the tempo of the game. Rookie QB Paxton Lynch was introduced at half-time following an injury to Trevor Siemian, and the young passer controlled the game without fault, throwing the first touchdown pass of his NFL career to Emmanuel Sanders. Grade: B+
Oakland Raiders (W 28-27 @ Baltimore)
The Raiders deserve credit for holding off the Ravens' fightback. Baltimore led the league in fewest points conceded in the second half (3.3), but Michael Crabtree found success, scoring three touchdowns to give Oakland their third road win of the season.
Khalil Mack got his first sack of the season and the Raiders continue to pressure the Broncos, atop the AFC West. Grade: B
San Diego Chargers (L 35-34 v New Orleans)
It has been a tough start to the 2016 season for the Chargers, who lost their two best weapons in the first two weeks. However, they continue to put up big numbers, due largely to the performances of quarterback Phillip Rivers, who is quietly one of the league's top performing passers this year.
However, we cannot get away from the fact that San Diego let a 13-point lead slip, with two interceptions which allowed ex-Charger Drew Brees and the Saints to grab their first win of the season. Grade: C-
Kansas City Chiefs (L 43-14 @ Pittsburgh)
The Chiefs were unable to handle the Steelers from the very first play when Alex Smith's pass was tipped and then intercepted. The Chiefs defence, which performed so admirably against the Jets in week three, was helpless as Roethlisberger threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns. Smith was sacked four times and threw one interception, but Kansas City's touchdowns came way too late. Grade: E
NFC EAST
Washington Redskins (W 29-27 v Cleveland Browns)
Two wins in a row now for Washington, whose offence is really clicking. The Redskins scored touchdowns on four trips to the red zone, having converted only three times in their opening 14 attempts across their first three games.
Tight end Jordan Reed had a monster outing, with two TDs and 73 yards. Grade: A
Dallas Cowboys (W 24-17 @ San Francisco)
Dallas survived a slight scare in going down 14-0 early to San Francisco. But the Cowboys once again rode their impressive rookies, Dak Prescott (246 yards passing, 2 TDs) and Ezekiel Elliott (138 yards rushing, 1 TD), to a third win of the season. Grade: B+
New York Giants (L 24-10 @ Minnesota)
Eli Manning struggled to get anything going on offence and the defence failed to make a sack or interception on Sam Bradford. The Vikings have always been a bogey team for Manning, who now has 15 interceptions and a 2-6 record against them. Grade: D
Philadelphia Eagles - Bye week
NFC NORTH
Minnesota Vikings (W 24-10 v New York Giants)
Never caused any real problems by the Giants, this was a professional win for one of only three teams yet to lose in the entire league.
Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata made the most of their enhanced roles in the absence of Adrian Peterson, as both scored touchdowns. Sam Bradford is continuing to grow in confidence with this offence, but it was a quiet night for receiver Stefon Diggs. Grade: B+
Chicago Bears (W 17-14 v Detroit)
Well, what a turn up for the books! After looking comfortably one of the NFL's poorest teams through the first three weeks, the Bears avoided an 0-4 start with the hardly eye-catching names of Hoyer (302 yards passing, 2 TDs), Jordan Howard (111 yards rushing) and Eddie Royal (111 yards receiving, 1TD) putting in eye-catching performances. Grade: B+
Detroit Lions (L 14-17 @ Chicago)
The wildly inconsistent Lions that we all know and love were at their most maddening best in Chicago. Matthew Stafford - his own inconsistencies a source of endless frustrations for Lions fans - didn't help Detroit's cause with two interceptions. Grade: D-
Green Bay Packers - Bye week
NFC SOUTH
Atlanta Falcons (W 48-33 v Carolina)
An incredible win, made possible by two performances to go down in Falcons (and fantasy football) folklore. Matt Ryan threw for a franchise record 503 yards and four touchdowns. Julio Jones caught one of them in a staggering 300 yard day, also a Falcons record.
And it was all done against the Panthers! Yes, the Panthers - that same team whose stellar defence took them to the 2015 Super Bowl. Grade: A+
New Orleans Saints (W 35-34 @ San Diego)
Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes to rally the Saints to a stunning come-from-behind win over his old team, the Chargers. It earned New Orleans their first of the season, though no thanks once again to their porous defence. Grade: B
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (L 7-27 v Denver)
For the second straight week, play was stopped in the fourth quarter in Tampa due to a weather warning. The game was long since over as a contest though, with the Broncos championship defence suffocating the Bucs offence. Grade: D
Carolina Panthers (L 33-48 @ Atlanta)
Concerns. About a defeat to their division rivals, about the fact that they have now lost two straight and three on the season, about the suddenly struggling defence, and most crucially, about the hit on Cam Newton that saw him leave the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for concussion symptoms. Grade: D-
NFC WEST
Los Angeles Rams (W 17-13 @ Arizona)
The Rams improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade with a terrific divisional road win over the Cardinals. That 28-0 defeat to the 49ers on opening week seems a long time ago now.
The defence sure has stepped up, as has the play of QB Case Keenum; accounting for 266 yards and two TDs in this outing. Grade: A
Seattle Seahawks (W 27-17 @ New York Jets)
Russell Wilson was at his sharp and efficient best despite playing with a sprained knee, throwing three touchdown passes. His list of receivers for those scores made for a few surprises, with ex Bufallo Bill and New Orleans Saint, C.J. Spiller earning a first Seahawks TD, as well as rookie wide receiver, Tanner McEvoy. Grade: A
San Francisco 49ers (L 17-24 v Dallas)
Reasons for optimism. Or at least more than there have been in the two defeats that preceded this week-four defeat to Dallas. Running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley - impressive since joining in the offseason - helped San Francisco into an early lead. But the Cowboys stellar offensive line wore way at the 49ers defence and ultimately into submission. Grade: C-
Arizona Cardinals (L 13-17 v Los Angeles)
Arizona's insipid start to the season continued with a home defeat to the Rams, their third on the season. Further cause for concern is the beating their veteran quarterback Carson Palmer continues to take - leaving this game, as he did, late in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Grade: D-
