NFL 2018 Week 4 Recap

Hello readers! The week that was Week 4 in the National Football League is in the books. There was drama (as usual), high scoring contests, a shutout, and a quarterback throwing for six (6 touchdown passes, you didn't read that wrong). In this column, I'll talk about the sudden surprise of Mitchell Trubisky of the Chicago Bears, the Raiders getting their first win of the season, and a recap of all 15 games this week. Let's get started!

Chicago And The Quarterback

Let me first pose a question to you. When you think of the Chicago Bears and all the great quarterbacks they've had in their 100+ seasons, who do you come up with? Probably not a lot. Certainly, when you think of the Chicago Bears, you think of solid defense, great running backs, linebackers in the Hall of Fame up the wazoo. You don't think of quarterbacks when you think of the Chicago Bears. You probably thought of such names like Jay Cutler, Jim McMahon, Kyle Orton, and even perhaps Jim Harbaugh (yeah that Jim Harbaugh).

Some doubt of how well Mitchell Trubisky will do in the NFL changed a bit last Sunday with a six-touchdown performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The most touchdown passes that a Bears quarterback has thrown since Sid Luckman threw seven against the New York Giants on November 14th, 1943. It's also worthy to note that Luckman would be the first quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in that game. Perhaps it is a bit too much of a jump to the gun to say that Mitchell Trubisky will end up having a career like Sid Luckman but it has to feel nice knowing that there is some doubt lifted off your shoulders.

Chuckie's Got A Win 

Getting your first win as a head coach is something to hold dear to your heart. Finally, you have your first win in the books, you'll cherish it for the rest of your life. It's the first time that you outlast the opposition for 60 minutes (in this case 70 minutes) and put up enough points to get that beautiful "W."

For Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders, its somewhat more of a celebration, its a relief. After being picked by yours truly to go far into the season, it's more of a disappointment. The former color analyst for ESPN had spent the last nine seasons either off the sideline or in the broadcast booth. After a 0-3 start to the season, Gruden looks to hopefully carry the win into next week when the Raiders travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers.

The Recap

Minnesota 31, Los Angeles Rams 38: TW: Rams, CV: Rams
The game lived up to the hype for the most part. The game was a high scoring affair by the two quarterbacks. Jared Goff would throw for five touchdown passes. Kirk Cousins would throw for three touchdown passes. It was a showcase for the Rams, who had three wide receivers with 100+ receiving yards (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks). Tough luck for the Vikes though. They looked to hang in there with the Rams. Could be quite a rematch if that becomes the case.

TW: 1-0, CV: 1-0

Buffalo 0, Green Bay 22: TW: Packers, CV: Packers
The game was a good one for the Packers defense who had seven sacks against the Bills starter Josh Allen, who torched the Vikings defense last week. The Packers offense was balanced with Aaron Rodgers throwing for almost 300 yards with a running game that was meh mostly. The first Packers shutout since 2010 when the Packers shut out the Jets 9-0 in October of that year. Still a learning curve for the Buffalo Bills as there's not much of a better option at quarterback than Josh Allen.

TW: 2-0, CV: 2-0

Cincinnati 37, Atlanta 36: TW: Bengals, CV: Falcons
The game was a shootout which I figured would happen when I made picks last week. I quote "The game could be a shootout, who will make the most stops?" It feels weird when I'm right sometimes. It doesn't happen a lot often. The game was quite fun if you like offense, not so much of you like old-school football where you fight for every inch. Heartbreaking loss for the Falcons who have a tough division this year. For the Cincinnati Bengals, you keep moving on with a 3-1 record. At least you know how to close out close games.

TW: 3-0, CV: 2-1

Detroit 24, Dallas 26: TW: Cowboys, CV: Lions
The Cowboys are still a question mark on being either a contender or a pretender. However when you have to put up 26 when you allow 24 against a Lions team who looked to be on fire after Detroit won against New England last week. Ezekiel Elliot once again had to carry the load with 151 rushing yards on 25 carries while racking up 88 receiving yards. Have to feel for the Lions, to be in the game for that long had to be rough while giving up the game-winning field goal.

TW: 4-0, CV: 2-2

Houston 37, Indianapolis 34: TW: Colts, CV: Texans
The game would end on a gutsy 4th down call on the Colts that would end up backfiring on them. Still, you have to play to win the game. The Texans finally get off the winless column with a hard-fought game against a Colts team that looked to get back to .500, Deshaun Watson would have a quite a day with 300+ passing yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Luck had to carry the team through an 18-point deficit to get to an overtime that unfortunately ended up being in the Texans favor. My undefeated streak this week is broken! *Sad face*

TW: 4-1, CV: 3-2

Miami 7, New England 38: TW: Patriots, CV: Patriots
Not much to anyone's surprise (perhaps to those who live outside of the Northeast) but the Patriots would get it done. The Patriots would hold the Dolphins to 172 total yards while putting up close to 400 yards of their own offense. Sony Michel would have a 100+ rushing yard day and Tom Brady would throw for three touchdowns. Overall, the Patriots are back to their old ways of winning. Short week for the Patriots as they host the Colts on Thursday.

TW: 5-1, CV: 4-2

New York Jets 12, Jacksonville 31: TW: Jaguars, CV: Jaguars
The Jaguars rebounded after falling flat last week against the Titans. The Jaguars had success in both running and passing the ball while having a solid defense. Sam Darnold would complete 17 out of 34

 passes for one touchdown so he never really had a good solid rhythm going for him as his running game laid dormant for the game as well.

TW: 6-1, CV: 5-2

Philadelphia 23, Tennessee 26: TW: Eagles, CV: Eagles
The game ultimately came down to the Eagles defense who somewhat laid an egg against the Titans, especially late in the game. The offense looked stellar as Carson Wentz had another great day for throwing 300+ yards for two touchdowns. Marcus Mariota definitely deserves quite a bit of credit as well as he helped carry his team to an overtime win against the defending champs. Titans are a weird team. Weird as in you're down by 14 into the 3rd quarter against the defending champs.

TW: 6-2, CV: 5-3

Tampa Bay 10, Chicago 48: TW: Bears, CV: Buccaneers
As I had mentioned earlier in the column, Mitchell Trubisky had six touchdown passes, one short of tying the franchise record set by Sid Luckman in 1943. Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Buccaneers couldn't keep up with the firepower that the Bears put up and not even Jameis Winston could bail the Bucs out of the game. Fortunately for Tampa, its just one game. Unfortunately, you have to feel bad for my roommate. #FeelsBadMan

TW: 7-2, CV: 5-4

Cleveland 42, Oakland 45: TW: Browns, CV: Raiders
The game was the first win of the season for Jon Gruden & company. The Raiders offense was once again the star in the game and the Raiders are still looking for answers on the defensive front. For the Browns, they were in the game for most of the game and unfortunately didn't make enough plays to get a win for the consecutive week. Back to the drawing board!

TW: 7-3, CV: 6-4

Seattle 20, Arizona 17: TW: Seahawks, CV: Cardinals
The game was somewhat of a reminder of previous matchups of years past, close games with tight defense. Unfortunately, this game was put into a late-game where most of the country didn't see it and it wasn't a primetime game. The Cardinals looked alright on both sides of the ball. Josh Rosen would get his first start of the season and would throw a touchdown in the game. Ultimately it came down to which team would put up the most points in the game which would be a Sebastion Janikowski field goal with four seconds left in regulation. Heartbreaker for both the Cards and my roommate.

TW: 8-3, CV: 6-5

New Orleans 33, NY Giants 18: TW: Saints, CV: Saints
The game somewhat lived up to the hype or lack thereof. The Giants offense looked rough at times and the Saints offense looked back on track despite Drew Brees not throwing for a touchdown in the game. Alvin Kamara was the ultimate star of the game as he ran for 134 rushing yards for 19 carries. If the Saints defense keeps having good games like that they can be quite good.

TW: 9-3, CV: 7-5

San Francisco 27, LA Chargers 29: TW: Chargers, CV: Chargers
In a game that was closer than most people expected, CJ Beathard kept the 49ers in this game. A lot of people somewhat expected the Chargers to roll over the 49ers which probably included me. Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns and carried his team to a win that probably should've gone to 49ers.

TW: 10-3, CV: 8-5

Baltimore 26, Pittsburgh 14: TW: Ravens, CV: Steelers
The game was a tale of two halves. The 1st half was the classic Ravens-Steelers game that you're used to seeing: tackles, sacks, and old-school football. The 2nd half, not so much. The Steelers offense was on point during the first half, then took a nap in the 2nd. The Ravens look like a pretty good football team. Hopefully, something good can happen for the Steelers until Le'veon Bell returns in week 7 or 8.

TW: 11-3, CV: 8-6

Kansas City 27, Denver 23: TW: Chiefs, CV: Chiefs
The game somewhat proved that Patrick Mahomes was human. Mahomes wouldn't have a multi-touchdown game that we've been accustomed to seeing in the 2nd year man but he got the job done. It seemed to be more of a battle of the two team's running games. Kareem Hunt of the Chiefs ran for 121 yards and a touchdown. Phillip Lindsey and Royce Freeman of the Broncos would combine for 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns. That left handed throw from Mahomes though.

TW: 12-3, CV: 9-6

2018:
Week 1: 10-5-1
Week 2: 6-9-1
Week 3: 8-8
Week 4: 12-3
Overall: 36-25-2

Cardinal Viking
2018:
Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 9-6-1
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 9-6
Overall: 31-30-2

See you guys tomorrow for the Week 5 picks!

-Tom