A Quick Look Back at Sunday

Week Four is almost completely in the books. Of course, the most important game remains to be played, but the rest of the league has completed its work.

The Lions kept it close in Chicago for the first half, but beginning with the opening kickoff of the second half, the wheels came off for Detroit. Last week's win against Washington got the monkey off their backs, to be sure, but it didn't represent an end to their futility. They've quickly laid claim to their special place at the bottom of the Division. And next week they get the Steelers.

And, speaking of futility, how 'bout them Rams?! St. Louis was completely shellacked by San Francisco, and now they get to play the Vikings next Sunday. That's no good for the Rams, and that's no good for us!

Futility also continues in Kansas City, where the visiting Giants embarrassed the home team. Also in Cleveland, where the Derek Anderson-led Browns came VERY close to an upset, only to lose to the Bengals at the last possible moment of overtime. Tampa Bay, likewise, can't seem to buy a win. They kept it close against the Redskins but, as they say, "close" only counts in horeshoes and grenades. And then, finally, there is the curious case of the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans may be the biggest single surprise of the 2009 season. These guys had the best record in the NFL during 2008, and now they are winless. I thought they played well in their first couple of losses. And, you recall, they were the one team to beat us in the preseason. But now to be 0-4, with the most recent loss being a blowout loss to the mediocre Jaguars?! The Detroit Lions have a better record than the Tennessee Titans. Ugly stuff in Tennessee.

Elsewhere, the Steelers and Patriots reasserted themselves as the class of the AFC with significant wins over the Chargers and Ravens, respectively. Perhaps if the Chargers had arrived in Pittsburgh on time (they didn't really show up until well into the second half) they could have made a game of it. The Ravens, meanwhile, were pretty close to upsetting the Patriots at home. One senses that these two teams will see each other again in January.

Meanwhile, the teams with the very best records in the AFC are the Colts (not surprising) and the Broncos (very surprising). Did any team have an uglier off-season than Denver? There was nothing about that debacle that could have led one to believe that they would jump out to a 4-0 start.

Finally, in the NFC, the Saints had a statement win against the up-and-coming Jets. The New Orleans offense was somewhat muted by an effective New York defensive scheme, but the Saints' defense suddenly asserted themselves.

Still, the most interesting story of the football weekend remains to be written. We'll all be watching tonight!