2013 NFL Week 4 Recap

The San Francisco 49ers, sitting at 1-2 following two lackluster performances, bounced back somewhat with a 35-11 road victory over St. Louis. Frank Gore rushed for 153 yards and a TD, Colin Kaepernick tossed two TD passes and the ‘Niner defense flexed their muscles after giving up 56 points in their previous two games. The Rams (1-3) were held to 188 total yards and Sam Bradford was sacked five times.

In the Battle for Ohio, the suddenly potent Cleveland Browns won their second straight, toppling Cincinnati 17-6 behind Brian Hoyer’s two scoring tosses and a stout defensive effort. Hoyer and the Browns took advantage of a sluggish Bengal squad which appeared to lack focus on both sides of the ball.

Baltimore fell short in Buffalo, a 23-20 loss dropping them to 2-2. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller combined for 164 yards for the Bills, who intercepted Joe Flacco five times and held the Ravens to 24 yards rushing. The win evens the Bills at 2-2.

Pittsburgh is 0-4 following their 34-27 loss to Minnesota in the NFL’s annual trek to London. Adrian Peterson put on a show, rolling up 140 yards and two TDs, while Matt Cassell tossed two TDs to Greg Jennings. Ben Roethlisberger’s fumble with 19 seconds remaining doomed the Steelers.

The New York Giants are 0-4 after getting steamrolled 31-7 in Kansas City, giving them their worst start since 1987. QB Alex Smith had three TD passes in guiding KC to 4-0 for the first time since 2003. New York has been outscored 69-7 in its last two games.

In an NFC North contest that was expected to provide plenty of points, Detroit and Chicago didn’t disappoint with the Lions taking advantage of a 27-point second quarter and holding off the Bears, 40-32. Reggie Bush ran for 139 yards and the Lions forced four turnovers in improving to 3-1 and handing Jay Cutler and the Bears their first loss of the season. Cutler (317 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) fell short with a furious comeback after trailing 40-16 early in the final quarter.

Seattle ran into a first-half buzzsaw in Houston, but the Seahawks used clutch late-game defense to pull out a 23-20 overtime victory, improving to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. Richard Sherman’s 58 yard INT return for a TD tied the score at 20 apiece with just under three minutes remaining and the Seahawk defense then asserted itself after being picked apart by Matt Schaub(355 yards 2 TDs, 2 INTs) for most of the game. The loss drops the Texans to 2-2.

Josh Scobee’s 53-yard FG midway through the first quarter gave Jacksonville a 3-0 lead over Indianapolis, but from then on it was all Colts as the Andrew Luck-led offense totally dominated, scoring 37 unanswered points to thrash the Jaguars 37-3 and improve to 3-1. Indy’s defense limited the Jags to 40 yards rushing and 205 total, also recording three INTs.

It was a game of two halves in Tampa, with the host Bucs dominating the first half behind rookie QB Mike Glennon, but Arizona finally awoke late behind Patrick Peterson’s two late interceptions to steal a 13-10 road win and improve to 2-2 while keeping Tampa Bay winless at 0-4. Carson Palmer connected with Larry Fitzgerald with a little over three minutes remaining to tie the score at 10-10. Peterson then recorded his second INT to set up Jay Feely’s game-winning FG with 1:29 left.

Spotting Oakland a 14-0 lead, the Washington Redskins rallied to capture their first victory of 2013 with a 24-14 win on the road at Oakland. Roy Helu’s 14-yard TD scamper with just under seven minutes remaining completed a Redskin comeback and dropped Oakland to 1-3.

Peyton Manning’s 327 yards and 4 TD passes kept the Denver juggernaut rolling in a 52-30 win over the Eagles. Denver (4-0) was never threatened, leading by as much as 42-13. The loss dropped the Eagles to 1-3. Surprisingly, Denver’s 52 points were a franchise record. Manning is on a record-setting pace with his 16 TD passes in four games.

San Diego’s Philip Rivers threw for 401 yards and 3 TDs as the Chargers fought back from a half-time deficit to knock off Dallas, 30-21. Antonio Gates hauled in 10 passes for 136 yards and a score, while the Charger defense stymied the Cowboys offense to improve to 2-2.

The New York Jets looked totally outmanned in losing to Tennessee, 38-13. The loss dropped the Jets to 2-2 and elevated the Titans to 3-1. It was a rough game for QBs with Tennessee’s Jake Locker carted from the field with a hip injury while rookie Geno Smith of the Jets had four turnovers.

Aqib Talib’s defense on Atlanta’s Roddy White in the end zone on fourth-down saved New England in a 30-23 thriller in Atlanta, dropping the battered Falcons to 1-3 and keeps the Pats undefeated at 4-0. Tom Brady and his new cast of receivers continue to develop rapport, which spells trouble for opposing defenses.

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