Week Four Recap; Comebacks Hold Dallas, Philly Speechless; Rodgers sets record
Dallas and Philadelphia both haven't gotten where they wanted. The Cowboys wanted to beat the Jets and plow over the 49ers and Redskins. But against the Lions, they thought they had the win, and the performance, they finally needed.
Boy, were they wrong.
Detroit rallied from a 27-3 deficit to stun the Cowboys, and San Francisco did the same (just a 23-3 deficit) in Philly. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson hooked up for the winning touchdown.
That connection, as well as Alex Smith's improvement, have proved key elements to the comebacks. The Eagles had the momentum, and they had Michael Vick.
The Cowboys had Tony Romo.
But that didn't prove anything. Andy Reid tried to milk the clock, and when the Niners got the lead, Jeremy Maclin fumbled away the game.
Tony Romo threw three interceptions, two that were returned for touchdowns, the other setting up the winning score. And Matthew Stafford? He weaved together two drives like magic, hitting Calvin Johnson on great grabs to win the game.
Alex Smith? He threw for two scores and set up the winning blow, a twelve-yard run by Frank Gore. The 49ers now lead the NFC West by two games at 3-1. And the Lions are now 4-0.
Monday Night Football brought another comeback, but less significant. The Colts took a 10-0 lead on the Buccaneers, but Josh Freeman led Tampa Bay back, rushing and throwing for a touchdown.
Curtis Painter threw for two scores, but couldn't get anything going in the fourth quarter. LeGarrette Blount could, though.
Blount got a carry at the Colts 35, and he broke a tackle and found a hole up the middle, which he stretched to the right for the winning score. Freeman sealed it with a QB Keeper on 4th and inches.
While this next game wasn't exactly close, it did show one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at his best. Or, maybe not his best.
Aaron Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards and four scores, and run for two scores. He also threw an interception, but it was on a drop.
He was hitting targets, and every one of his touchdown passes was a ball delivered perfectly in tight coverage at beautiful Lambeau Field. He scrambled and found the end zone twice, while Charles Woodson provided the other score with a pick-six.
Denver, on the other hand, looked horrible. Daniel Fells had a key fumble. Kyle Orton threw three interceptions and missed wide open targets. The only bright spot was Willis McGahee, who ran for 103 yards.
The final score was 49-23.
Other headlines
Late touchdown, blown call key in Giants 31-27 win over Arizona.
Atlanta blows lead but holds on in 30-28 win over Seattle.
Three defensive touchdowns anchor Baltimore's 34-17 blowout of the Jets.
Dalton's late magic, last-second field goal help Cincinnati defeat Buffalo.
Foster's big run keys Houston's 17-10 win over injury-plauged Pittsburgh.
Ryan Torian's big game powers Washington's 17-10 win over St. Louis.
Boy, were they wrong.
Detroit rallied from a 27-3 deficit to stun the Cowboys, and San Francisco did the same (just a 23-3 deficit) in Philly. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson hooked up for the winning touchdown.
That connection, as well as Alex Smith's improvement, have proved key elements to the comebacks. The Eagles had the momentum, and they had Michael Vick.
The Cowboys had Tony Romo.
But that didn't prove anything. Andy Reid tried to milk the clock, and when the Niners got the lead, Jeremy Maclin fumbled away the game.
Tony Romo threw three interceptions, two that were returned for touchdowns, the other setting up the winning score. And Matthew Stafford? He weaved together two drives like magic, hitting Calvin Johnson on great grabs to win the game.
Alex Smith? He threw for two scores and set up the winning blow, a twelve-yard run by Frank Gore. The 49ers now lead the NFC West by two games at 3-1. And the Lions are now 4-0.
Monday Night Football brought another comeback, but less significant. The Colts took a 10-0 lead on the Buccaneers, but Josh Freeman led Tampa Bay back, rushing and throwing for a touchdown.
Curtis Painter threw for two scores, but couldn't get anything going in the fourth quarter. LeGarrette Blount could, though.
Blount got a carry at the Colts 35, and he broke a tackle and found a hole up the middle, which he stretched to the right for the winning score. Freeman sealed it with a QB Keeper on 4th and inches.
While this next game wasn't exactly close, it did show one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at his best. Or, maybe not his best.
Aaron Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards and four scores, and run for two scores. He also threw an interception, but it was on a drop.
He was hitting targets, and every one of his touchdown passes was a ball delivered perfectly in tight coverage at beautiful Lambeau Field. He scrambled and found the end zone twice, while Charles Woodson provided the other score with a pick-six.
Denver, on the other hand, looked horrible. Daniel Fells had a key fumble. Kyle Orton threw three interceptions and missed wide open targets. The only bright spot was Willis McGahee, who ran for 103 yards.
The final score was 49-23.
Other headlines
Late touchdown, blown call key in Giants 31-27 win over Arizona.
Atlanta blows lead but holds on in 30-28 win over Seattle.
Three defensive touchdowns anchor Baltimore's 34-17 blowout of the Jets.
Dalton's late magic, last-second field goal help Cincinnati defeat Buffalo.
Foster's big run keys Houston's 17-10 win over injury-plauged Pittsburgh.
Ryan Torian's big game powers Washington's 17-10 win over St. Louis.
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