| Contributing editor Joel
Buchsbaum discusses what jumped out at him during the Sunday games from Week Four. Cincinnati
at Baltimore: "The Bengals were just totally inept. Baltimore came out and
had a very nice offensive balance. Jamal Lewis had his coming-out party. Tony Banks was
efficient early in the game."
Detroit at Chicago: "The Bears just can’t get that offense
rolling. Their long touchdown was basically a fluke play when (Lions DB Ron) Rice fell
down. Detroit really didn’t do that much offensively. The Bears’ defense
probably played well enough to win."
New England at Miami: "The Patriots just don’t have an
offense. They have no line."
Philadelphia at New Orleans: "A very good game for Donovan
McNabb. He was more at ease. He seemed to be playing his game. He wasn’t pressing as
much. And then in the second half Brian Mitchell had the very nice punt return for a
touchdown. The Saints’ special teams continue to be a problem. They’re not
scoring points on offense in spite of their huge investment on the offensive side of the
ball."
San Francisco at Dallas: "The Cowboys just didn’t look like
they showed up. It looked like they were very overconfident. The 49ers were hitting on all
cylinders on offense. This is the second time in four games the Cowboys gave up 200 yards
to an opposing running back. The most shameful thing were the actions of Terrell Owens and
Emmitt Smith. There’s no place for that type of taunting on the football field."
St. Louis at Atlanta: "The Rams seem to be hitting pretty much on
all cylinders on offense and on defense. They dominated the game. There were a couple of
fluke plays early in the game or else it would have been a lot more one-sided than it was
actually."
Tennessee at Pittsburgh: "Pittsburgh played a valiant game.
Tennessee can’t seem to get its offense untracked. Then near the end Neil
O’Donnell went out (he was knocked woozy and severely cut his lip when sacked), and
Steve McNair came in and led a very gutty drive for the score. Then of all people, Kordell
Stewart almost led the Steelers back after Kent Graham got hurt."
Green Bay at Arizona: "The Packers’ best game by far of the
year. They’ve only given up six points in the last two games. Brett Favre had a very
sharp first half."
Cleveland at Oakland: "Oakland dominated the game. They ran the
ball very effectively to set up the pass, and they were clearly the better team on both
sides of the ball."
Kansas City at Denver: "Dramatic comeback for the Chiefs. Elvis
Grbac, who struggled at times early in the game, came back and made a couple of key
touchdown throws. The Chiefs finally got Tony Gonzalez really involved in their
offense."
N.Y. Jets at Tampa Bay: "The Jets hung in there, and then at the
end Tampa Bay self-destructed. They killed themselves. Vinny Testaverde, who had thrown
three interceptions and got temporarily benched, showed a lot of character. He came back
and he threw the ball very well. On the halfback option from Curtis Martin, Wayne Chrebet
made a very nice catch for the winning touchdown. Keyshawn Johnson was a total non-factor,
while Chrebet caught the winning touchdown pass."
Seattle at San Diego: "San Diego’s defense played well
except one play when they gave up on what they thought was a penalty. The penalty (flag)
was thrown, but there was no whistle, and Seattle hit the long one. Then Seattle also
scored on an interception return when Ryan Leaf forced the ball and it was returned all
the way. Leaf was injured on the play, chasing the play. He really chased hard and showed
good hustle."
Washington at N.Y. Giants: "The Redskins’ defense was pretty
dominant. Brad Johnson played by far and away his best game. The Redskins looked a lot
like the team people thought they were going to be before the season began." |
