Week Four brings the Broncos to town. I was a Browns fan in Cleveland Stadium on that bitter day when John Elway engineered “The Drive” and broke our hearts.
I have hated the Broncos ever since.
And that they turned around a few years later and notched Green Bay’s first and only Super Bowl loss only intensified my feelings.
When it was Elway vs. Favre in the Super Bowl, I was worried. I am not worried, however, about Orton vs. Rodgers. I expect us to win this game before the hometown fans. And, more than win, I think this may be the week that we finally figure out how not to let an inferior opponent keep it close to the end.
Elsewhere around the Division, the Lions head to Dallas, the Panthers come to Chicago, and its hapless vs. hopeless as the Vikings head to Kansas City.
After the Cowboys’ Week One collapse, everyone was burying Tony Romo. A heroic effort the following week, combined with a Monday Night win against the 2-0 Redskins, now find the Cowboys atop the NFC East. They have two Divisional wins under their belts, and now they host the undefeated Detroit Lions. This should be a really good game. And while I have been genuinely impressed by the Lions, I think the long winning streak (dating back to last season) ends in Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Panthers’ rookie sensation, Cam Newton, is behind only Tom Brady and Drew Brees in total passing yards after three weeks. Pretty elite company. And I expect him to add to his gaudy numbers against the Bears, possibly earning his second victory.
Both the Vikings and Chiefs, on the other hand, will be seeking their first victory when the meet in Kansas City this Sunday. This is one way to make sure almost every team gets a victory: get the winless ones to play each other! I don’t think either team is as bad as their records suggest, but I do think the Chiefs have more problems than the Vikings. I expect Minnesota to finally have the lead at the end of four quarters rather than just two.
Meanwhile, the winless Dolphins are likely to still be winless after their trip to San Diego.
Elsewhere, no one expected the 49ers to have the better record when they visited the Eagles in Week 4. And Philly can’t afford to lose to these guys at home and fall to 1-3. The fans who booed Santa aren’t going to be any nicer to Andy Reid or Michael Vick if their high hopes fall so far.
A couple of other 2010 playoff teams also find themselves facing an undesirable 1-3 start when the Seahawks host the Falcons. I’m sure Atlanta is better, and so I expect them to be 2-2 when we face them the following Sunday.
Finally, the best two match-ups of the weekend are both found in the AFC. The smarting Patriots head west to face the resurgent Raiders, while the Jets at Ravens is likely to be a real battle. What’s the word the announcers like to use -- “chippy”? I expect a whole lot of “chippy” when these two lock horns!
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