2017-18 NFL (Week 4)

Games I watched (some of):
Bears 14-35 Packers
Hmmm...on the one hand, not as close as it looks; on the other, Packers probably should've scored more. The Packers scored first and scored again quickly after a fumble to pretty much end this game pronto. The plethora of Bears turnovers probably signal the coming of Mitch Trubisky. Really, the long rain delay is the only notable part of this game.

Bengals 31-7 Browns
Hmmmmm....DeShone Kizer....feels like the Browns have yet to find their QB. Thought the Bengals rolling in with a new OC gave them a slight advantage but the Browns play hard and I expected this to be a closer contest. It was not a close contest. Dalton's quick release is a clear improvement over the first two games this year, not sure there's a running game yet to go with it, but at least success looks possible now (especially with the Ravens taking a step back and the Steelers far from dominant). Kept waiting for the Browns to put together some kind of offense but even the 7 points they scored were basically the product of a million Bengal penalties in the end zone. Kizer is athletic and plays hard but he just don't right out there, a capable backup I think but not the Browns' future.

Panthers 33-30 Patriots
I thought the Panthers struggling offense would have a chance to get on track against the Pats' struggling defense, but I still thought the Pats would pull it out. Not sure the Panthers have exactly turned the corner but today's performance was the best they've looked all year and if they can build on that, then there's plenty of time for them to get something going. The Pats are playing with fire these days: not sure they've got that Serena-like ability to wait til the last second to pull out the victory. The D is not good, the offense is not classic Brady-Belichick, this Pats is a step back from previous years (and wouldn't you have to say that Buffalo's L in Charlotte last week was way more impressive than New England's L at home today?).

Raiders 10-16 Broncos
Didn't watch this game too closely but the Broncos strike me as one of those teams that play much better at home than on the road. The Raiders looked pretty lethargic last week at the Redskins and they didn't look better today. Throw in that Carr got knocked around and this could be a red flag game for Oaktown. Broncos didn't blow me away but the D was solid and they got it done today.

Colts 18-39 Seahawks
I was generally impressed Brisett, looks like the Colts have a QB to get behind (for now, at least), felt kinda bad for him when his fumble got returned for a TD, pretty much finished off the game right there. Seahawks were able to break it open in the 2nd half but it was decidedly keyed by the defense rather than the offense, which still looks suspect to me. Good win for the Seahawks, all losses are bad for the Colts.


Other results (surprising):
Bills 23-17 Falcons
I'm not surprised that that rugged Bills defense gave the Falcons a game, but I am surprised that the Falcons couldn't overcome it at home. I've been impressed with the Falcons at home (less so on the road) and I figured their firepower would be enough to get past the Bills. But the Bills were able to turn mistakes into turnovers and that was clearly the difference in this game. Good win for the Bills, bad loss for the Falcons (they're gonna need home field and that means winning the home games).

Rams 35-33 Cowboys
I thought the Rams might be frisky this year but I didn't figure that would translate into road wins, in the highlights I saw they looked like they were making plays on both sides of the ball. (If Seattle stumbles, they best watch their backs!) Thought the Cowboys would handle business at home, these are the games that teams like the Cowboys really need to put away, they looked kinda overwhelmed. Are the Rams really this good or were the Cowboys just caught overconfident and flat-footed?

Steelers 26-9 Ravens
This shouldn't be that surprising given what the Steelers offense ought to be and how sorry the Ravens D looked last week, but I was betting the Ravens would toughen up at home and expose Roethlisberger's sudden slowness. Guess I was wrong. So are the Steelers going to be this good from now on? Or are the Ravens in some serious turmoil?

Titans 14-57 Texans
Okay, looks like the Texans have their QB and Deshaun Watson is staking his claim to Offensive Rookie of the Year. This is huge: if the Pats and Steelers are as weak as they look and the Texan D is as good as its been in years past, then adding a competent QB vaults the Texans way up the power rankings right away. Titans looks like they had a bad day, I'm not that worried about the team, except that the Texans with a viable offense gives the Titans some serious competition in that division.


Other results (not so surprising):
Saints 20-0 Dolphins (in London)
Kinda thought the Cutler offense would be a little better than this but that Dolphin D is looking okay. Saints are a veteran team that aren't that great but know how to pick on the weak link.

Lions 14-7 Vikings
When two division foes get together, anything can happen. I still think the Vikings are the better team but the Lions aren't bad and they know how to play in Minnesota.

Jags 20-23 (OT) Jets
Jets....Jags....decided by a FG in OT....yeah, that sounds about right.

Niners 15-18 (OT) Cards
Yeah, the Cards are not good. The Niners are not good but they try hard, the Cards are not good but they still act like they are. Kinda sad really but they're lucky to get the W.

Eagles 26-24 Chargers
I thought the Chargers would win in a close one today but losing a close one seems more likely, doesn't it? Nice road W for the Eagles.

Giants 23-25 Bucs
Giants are more Ravens than the Ravens, huh? They're going to win close, they're going to lose close. Looks like NYG was able to keep some offense going. The Bucs are okay but I'm still not convinced by this team (and this result isn't winning me over).

Redskins 20-29
Closer than the score indicates but that was to be expected too. The Chiefs are good all over the field, the Redskins have a D good enough to slow people down (but don't look to have the offense to take full advantage).


Won (covered): Packers, Saints, Bills, Bengals, Rams, Lions, Panthers, Jets, Steelers, Texans, Eagles, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs
Won (didn't cover): Cards, Bucs,
Push: (none)
Lost (covered): Niners, Giants,
Lost (didn't cover): Bears, Dolphins, Falcons, Browns, Cowboys, Vikings, Jags, Ravens, Titans, Chargers, Colts, Raiders, Redskins