Instant reactions: Week four

My reactions for the fourth week of the NFL season.

San Francisco 35, St. Louis 11
I take back what I said week one about the NFC West having two wild cards.

Cleveland 17, Cincinnati 6
The Browns are suddenly tied for first in the AFC North. How did that happen?

Detroit 40, Chicago 32
The grudge match in Chicago could have implications on the NFC North race.

Buffalo 23, Baltimore 20

Are the Ravens under-performing, the Bills over-performing, or is it a little of both? 

Kansas City 31, Giants 7
It gets better and better in KC, and worse and worse for the Giants.

Minnesota 34, Pittsburgh 27
What's the difference between these two previously-winless teams? The team that is no longer winless has a starting-caliber running back.

Arizona 13, Tampa Bay 10
If Mike Glennon had a decent head coach, he could have earned his first NFL win today. Either that, or he'd still be on the bench and Josh Freeman's Bucs would be 3-1.

Indianapolis 37, Jacksonville 3
How long do you think it is until Jacksonville's front office caves and calls Tim Tebow?

Seattle 23, Houston 20 (OT)
Interesting stat: The only two overtime games of 2013 have been Houston's first two home games. The Texans are now 1-1 in those two games.

Tennessee 38, Jets 13
3-1 might be as good as it gets for the Titans, as they will likely have to take on Kansas City next week without their starting quarterback. 2-1 might have been as good as it gets for the Jets, who have to face a Falcons team that's better than its record suggests in week five.

Denver 52, Philadelphia 20
Peyton Manning is the best player in the NFL in 2013. The man is 37 years old, making him one of the oldest in the NFL as well. Past his prime? Not a chance.

Washington 24, Oakland 14
Maybe a road win will give RGIII and the Skins some confidence going forward. Washington is currently only one game back in the NFC East, so they have that going for them.

San Diego 30, Dallas 21
The ironic part is that the 2-2 team that lost has a better shot at the postseason than the 2-2 team that won.

New England 30, Atlanta 23

I hate to say it, but Brady's receiving corps is eerily similar to the one that won Super Bowl XXXVIII with him. For the Falcons, Mike Smith's coaching cost them the game. The master of screwing up fourth down could be looking for a new job by the end of 2014. 

New Orleans 38, Miami 17

The Saints were impressive in all three game facets. They are now the best team in the NFC. Miami is not a bad team, but this loss shows that the Dolphins still have a way to go before they are an elite team again. 

Clayton's fantasy update

It was a close loss for Fear The Llama (2-2), who would have won had it not been for a last-minute decision to sit Knowshon Mareno in favor of Eddie Royal. 

Inversely, Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas led Romo No-mo to an easy win against bye week-ridden Razor Sharp. 2-1-1, No-mo will be facing an almost certain loss next week as half of its points take the week off in Denver.