Week 4 of the NFL season saw the Cardinals, Falcons and Texans win to stay unbeaten, a return to normalcy for the Patriots and another impressive win from the Vikings. Peyton Manning had another strong game and the Packers recovered from their Monday Night debacle after almost getting hosed by the officials again.
49ers 34, Jets 0
The San Francisco 49ers spent the week in Ohio to prepare for their game against the Jets and it paid off big time, with the team dominating their way to a 34-0 win over New York.
San Francisco rushed for over 200 yards and didn't commit any turnovers on the day. The Jets were playing without cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was lost for the season last week in Miami.
The 49ers defense was strong and never allowed the Jets to get any momentum. The team was coming off of an upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week and was looking to rebound.
"For sure, the whole week there was more of an edge; it was just a bad taste in your mouth," Alex Smith said to the Associated Press. "I don't think that goes away in one day. We wanted to be 3-1 and got it done."
Carlos Rogers scored a touchdown after a 51-yard fumble recovery and both Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter had rushing touchdowns for the 49ers. The Jets were outgained in yards 379-345 and also turned over the ball three times.
The Jet offense was pitiful with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow combining for only 111 yards on 14 completions.
Falcons 30, Panthers 28
The Atlanta Falcons rallied late to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter to come out on top against the Carolina Panthers and stay unbeaten on the season.
Matt Ryan had three touchdown passes and connected with wide receiver Roddy White on a 59-yard pass that set up the eventual game-winner. After giving back a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter, the Falcons started on their own 1-yard line down 28-27 before Ryan found White for a big gain.
With no timeouts the team drove down the field and Matt Bryant was able to convert on a 40-yard field goal with five seconds left to put the Falcons ahead for good.
"We made the plays when we needed to," said Ryan, who passed for 369 yards and three touchdowns. "That's what you need to do week to week in this league."
The Falcons improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2004 and were able to overcome Cam Newton and a Panthers team that wouldn't give in. Newton threw two touchdown passes and also ran for another. But his fumble in the fourth quarter was the key moment in the game, giving the Falcons another chance.
"You have to protect the football," Newton said. "That was a key focus going into this game, and I fumbled. There's a lot of guys that are trusting the ball carrier, and I was the ball carrier that particular play to get the job done. And I dropped the ball."
Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21
The Arizona Cardinals continued their surprising start, defeating the Miami Dolphins in overtime 24-21 on Sunday to improve to 4-0.
The team used a number of exceptional defensive plays to overcome the Dolphins, winning on a 46-yard field goal by Jay Feely seven minutes into the overtime period. Quarterback Kevin Kolb rallied the Cardinals, tying the game at 21 after a 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Roberts on fourth down with just 22 seconds left in the game.
"That's how we do it," Roberts said. "I don't know what it is about us. We have to take it down to the last moment of the game, but we're winning and that's all that matters."
The Cardinals have won nine of 11 games overall and eight straight at home. They start the season 4-0 for the first time in nearly 40 years. Arizona joins the Falcons and the Texans as the only unbeaten teams in the league.
"It's not luck, I can tell you that," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "It can't be luck as many times as we've been successful with that."
Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill had his best game as a pro, throwing for over 400 yards, but gave up two crucial interceptions to the Cardinals. Wide receiver Brian Hartline set a franchise record with 253 yards receiving to go along with 12 catches.
"I am kind of speechless," Hartline said. "I really don't know what to say. ... Losing isn't fun, but there are games where you just get beat. I don't mind saying it -- I don't feel we got beat."
Kolb had a stellar game for the Cardinals, throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also sacked eight times and threw two interceptions.
Arizona was able to win even with Miami outgaining them in total yards 480-297.
Patriots 52, Bills 28
After losing a close game to the Cardinals last week, the New England Patriots looked to get back on track against the AFC East rival Bills. After giving Buffalo a 21-7 lead in the third quarter, the Patriots became unstoppable, scoring touchdowns on six straight drives in the second half to take a 52-28 victory.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was stellar in the second half and threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns on the day. He also scored a rushing touchdown.
"Down 21-7 and on the road, backs against the wall, and I thought we showed a lot of heart," Brady said. "That's what this team is made of. And we're going to battle until the end, I know that."
New England gained 580 total yards, the fourth-highest in franchise history. Wes Welker had nine catches for 129 yards, while tight end Rob Gronkowski had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots were also able to run the ball effectively, with both Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden gaining over 100 yards and combining for three touchdowns.
"We just played and executed better," coach Bill Belichick said. "It's no magic."
The Bills gained over 400 yards of offense, but turned the ball over six times in the game, including four interceptions from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
New England improved to 19-2 against the Bills in their last 21 meetings.
Vikings 20, Lions 13
The Minnesota Vikings used a number of explosive special team's plays to defeat the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The team, who was expected to be one of the worst in the NFL, got another surprising win after returning two kicks for touchdowns.
Percy Harvin opened the game by returning a kickoff 105 yards for a score and later in the second half Marcus Sherels ran a punt 77 yards for a touchdown.
"It was slow-motion, especially today," Harvin said. "That hole opened up, and you probably could have walked through there. The blockers did a great job. They told me all week they were going to do everything they could to get me in the end zone. Special teams was huge today."
Detroit's special teams coverage was exploited for the second week in a row. The Lions became the first team since at least 1940 to give up a kickoff and a punt return for touchdowns in consecutive games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The team also allowed touchdowns off a kickoff and a punt in last week's loss to Tennessee 44-41 in overtime.
The win gave the Vikings the lead in the NFC North and also matched the amount of wins they had last season. Second-year quarterback Christian Ponder was solid, passing for 11 yards and not causing any turnovers.
Adrian Peterson rushed for 102 yards, but it was the special teams unit that reigned supreme on Sunday for the Vikings. The Lions fell to 1-3 this season and enters a bye week.
"We're good, but we're garbage right now and we're killing our team," kicker Jason Hanson said of the special teams unit.
The Vikings defense held the Lions to only 55 yards rushing.
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