NFL Highway, Week 4

There were all kinds of turns on the NFL highway this week. Once again, the only thing to expect in the NFL is the unexpected. A look at this week’s action in the National Football League:

The Dallas Cowboys continue to roll, as the Romo Empire is built one week at a time. Sunday, the Cowboys crushed the St. Louis Rams, 35-7. Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another. The Cowboys are now 4-0 for the first time since 1995, the last year they won a Super Bowl. The Rams were missing eight starters due to injury or suspension. In addition, QB Marc Bulger was playing with two broken ribs. At this point, the Rams officially suck.

Every dog has its day, and the Atlanta Falcons had theirs on Sunday, as they defeated the Houston Texans, 26-16. Joey Harrington threw two touchdown passes, and Morten Andersen kicked four field goals for Atlanta. Andersen gladly gave up his monthly Social Security check to return to the Falcons to kick field goals. The Falcons pay better.

Brett Favre isn’t quite as old as Morten Andersen. However, he’s looking as good as ever. Favre broke the record for most touchdowns in a career, and the Packers moved to 4-0 with a 23-16 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The great Adrian (Oklahoma) Peterson rushed for 112 yards on only 12 carries.

Don’t look now, but the new Browns have exactly the same record as the old Browns. Cleveland surprised Baltimore and the world with a 27-13 win. Derek Anderson continued his bid for All-Pro status and a lifetime contract with two touchdown passes. The Ravens’ defense suddenly looks mortal.

The Buffalo Bills got their first win of the season, defeating the New York Jets, 17-14. Not many people outside the state of New York cared about that game, and neither team will get many wins this year.

The Packers’ quick start in the NFC North has overshadowed that of the Detroit Lions. The Lions are now 3-1 after manhandling the Chicago Bears, 37-27. The Bears replaced their quarterback, but got the same result as Brian Griese threw three interceptions. The Lions scored a record 34 points in the fourth quarter, and both teams combined for a record 48 points in the final quarter. The Bears’ mojo is officially gone.

The Oakland Raiders, at least this week, officially do not suck. The Silver and Black got their second win in a row by manhandling Flipper and the Miami Dolphins, 35-17. Daunte Culpepper made his first start in his return to Miami, and threw two touchdown passes for the Raiders. The Dolphins are working hard to obtain the top pick in next year’s draft.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. The Indianapolis Colts are now 4-0, as they handled the Denver Broncos by a score of 38-20. Peyton Manning threw three touchdown passes, in spite of the loss of star WR Marvin Harrison to a first quarter injury. The Colts aren’t going away without a fight.

Another team that does not suck is the 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs and quarterback Jeff Garcia are surprising lots of people, and the Bucs went to Charlotte and got a 20-7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Panthers WR Steve Smith was seen in the third quarter yelling on the phone to coaches upstairs. Could it be that he wanted a different backup quarterback? David Carr is showing the folks in Carolina what he showed in Houston: he’s not an NFL quarterback.

Speaking of quarterback problems, the San Francisco 49ers had them yesterday, as Alex Smith was knocked out of the game on the third play from scrimmage on a killer hit by Seahawks DL Rocky Bernard. Seattle rolled over the 49ers, 23-3, and are not ready to give up their reign over the NFC West.

The ineptness of the front office of the San Diego Chargers was on full display Sunday. The Chargers continue to prove that the firing of Marty Schottenheimer was a mistake. The supposedly woeful Kansas City Chiefs went into San Diego, beat the Chargers up, and stole their lunch money, winning 30-16. Poor Norv Turner. I like Norv. But, good offensive coordinators don’t always make good head coaches. The Chargers find themselves trying to dig out of a 1-3 hole.

The Arizona Cardinals are 2-2. They’re not horrible. And, they knocked the Pittsburgh Steelers from the ranks of the unbeaten, 21-14. Steve Breaston returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown to provide the winning margin for the Cardinals. San Antonio Holmes caught two touchdown passes for the Steelers. Oops, San Antonio Holmes is a high school. Santonio Holmes plays for Pittsburgh, and caught the 2 TD passes.

The Sunday night extravaganza was a big stinker. The Philadelphia Eagles returned to their normal uniforms, but royally stunk up the joint. Donovan McNabb was sacked 12 times in an ugly 16-3 Giants win. Osi Umenyiora had 6 of those sacks.

Tonight’s game matches the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Pats have been unstoppable. The Bengals haven’t been able to stop anyone up until now.