Week four matchups (byes: Panthers and Packers)
San Francisco 49ers 35 @ St. Louis Rams 11 (TNF on NFL Network)
- Colin Kaepernick completed 15 of 23 passes for 167 yards with a pair of touchdowns. The 49ers also rushed for 219 yards with 153 coming from Frank Gore, who also ran for a 34 yard touchdown. The defense was without Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith, but they still sacked Sam Bradford five times and limited the Rams to 188 yards of total offense.
Buffalo Bills 23 vs. Baltimore Ravens 20
- Buffalo gained 203 yards rushing, including 87 yards and a touchdown by Fred Jackson. Rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel even threw a 42 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Woods. The Bills defense sacked Joe Flacco four times, with two coming from defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, and they also intercepted five of his passes to preserve the victory.
Cleveland Browns 17 vs. Cincinnati Bengals 6
- Brian Hoyer completed 25 of 38 passes for 269 yards and two touchdown passes, including one to tight end Jordan Cameron, who had 10 catches in the game. Cleveland’s defense limited the Bengals to 266 yards on offense and two field goals for their second straight win.
Detroit Lions 40 vs. Chicago Bears 32
- Reggie Bush led the way for the Lions by rushing for 139 yards on 18 carries while scoring from 37 yards out. Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 35 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson. Chicago mounted a fourth quarter comeback behind the passing of Jay Cutler, who threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns to Alshon Jeffrey and Earl Bennett, but the Bears came up short in the end.
Kansas City Chiefs 31 vs. New York Giants 7
- Alex Smith completed 24 passes for 288 yards and three touchdown passes, with two of them coming in the fourth quarter to put the Giants away. The highlight of the afternoon was Dexter McCluster returning a punt 89 yards for a touchdown to help Kansas City move to 4-0 on the season.
Arizona Cardinals 13 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
- Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon got his first NFL start and he threw his first touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Williams. Tampa Bay held a 10-0 lead through three quarters, but Arizona came alive in the fourth as Carson Palmer staged a comeback by throwing for 248 yards and a touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. Palmer also set up Jay Feely’s field goal from 27 yards out to put the Cardinals ahead. With the Bucs threatening in the final minute and a half, Glennon’s pass was intercepted by Patrick Peterson as Tampa dropped to 0-4.
Indianapolis Colts 37 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 3
- Andrew Luck completed 22 of 36 passes for 260 yards and two touchdown passes, including one to Reggie Wayne, who caught five passes for 100 yards. Indy’s defense was outstanding throughout the game. They limited Jacksonville to 205 yards on offense, sacked Blaine Gabbert four times, with three of them coming courtesy of linebacker Robert Mathis. The Colts also intercepted three of his passes, one of which was returned for a 41 yard touchdown by cornerback Darius Butler.
Seattle Seahawks 23 @ Houston Texans 20 (OT)
- Behind the passing of Matt Schaub, Houston raced out to a 20-3 lead. However, Seattle mounted a fourth quarter comeback as Russell Wilson led the offense on a 75 yard drive that ended with Marshawn Lynch scoring from three yards out. With over five minutes remaining, Schaub threw a pass under heavy pressure that was intercepted by cornerback Richard Sherman who raced 58 yards for the game tying touchdown. In overtime, kicker Steven Hauschka booted a 45 yard field goal right between the uprights to improve Seattle’s record to 4-0.
Minnesota Vikings 34 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 27 (London, England)
- In this battle of winless teams, Minnesota was better prepared. Matt Cassel got his first start for the Vikings and he completed 16 of 25 passes for 248 yards and two touchdown passes to Greg Jennings. Adrian Peterson gained 140 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns as well. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 51 passes for 383 yards and a touchdown, but Pittsburgh still came up short in their quest for their first win of the year.
Tennessee Titans 38 vs. New York Jets 13
- Tennessee dominated the Jets through the air as Jake Locker completed 18 of 24 passes while throwing for three touchdowns. Even when Locker got knocked out of the game, backup Ryan Fitzpatrick came in and threw a 77 yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington, who caught four passes for 105 yards and scored twice. The Titans defense sacked Geno Smith five times and collected four turnovers.
Washington Redskins 24 @ Oakland Raiders 14
- Oakland took a 14-0 first quarter lead, but the Redskins came back as cornerback David Amerson returned a Matt Flynn interception for a 45 yard touchdown. Robert Griffin III passed for 227 yards and a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon which gave Washington the lead and running back Roy Helu, Jr. scored a 14 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to help the Redskins win their first game of the season.
Denver Broncos 52 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 20
- Peyton Manning had yet another outstanding performance for the Broncos by completing 28 of 34 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, two to Wes Welker and two to Demaryius Thomas. With the score 14-13, Denver scored 38 unanswered points in the second half as Philadelphia was unable to keep up with the fast pace Broncos offense. With 16 touchdown passes through four games, Manning is on pace to throw 64 for the season.
San Diego Chargers 30 vs. Dallas Cowboys 21
- During the first half, Dallas jumped all over the Chargers as Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes and linebacker Sean Lee returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a 21-10 lead. Philip Rivers brought San Diego back by completing 35 passes for over 400 yards and a pair of second half touchdown passes, including a 56 yarder to tight end Antonio Gates, who made ten catches for 136 yards. Late in the game, the Chargers defense ended Dallas’ last hope by recovering a fumble in the end zone.
New England Patriots 30 @ Atlanta Falcons 23 (SNF on NBC)
- Tom Brady completed 20 of 31 passes for 316 yards and two touchdown passes, with one of them going to Kenbrell Thompkins, who caught six passes for 127 yards in the game. Matt Ryan was outstanding as well. Ryan completed 34 of 54 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns to tight end Tony Gonzalez, who made 12 receptions for 149 yards. In the end however, it was New England who improved to 4-0 while Atlanta dropped to 1-3.
New Orleans Saints 38 vs. Miami Dolphins 17 (MNF on ESPN)
- Both teams entered the game at 3-0, but only one team left with spotless record. Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 413 yards and four touchdown passes with two of them going to Jimmy Graham, who had four catches for 100 yards. Darren Sproles added seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Saints defense sacked Ryan Tannehill four times and intercepted three of his passes.
Week five matchups (byes: Vikings, Steelers, Buccaneers, and Redskins)
Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns (TNF on NFL Network)
New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears
New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs @ Tennessee Titans
Seattle Seahawks @ Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars @ St. Louis Rams
Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals
San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders
Denver Broncos @ Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans @ San Francisco 49ers (SNF on NBC)
New York Jets @ Atlanta Falcons (MNF on ESPN)
