WEEK 4 had a lot in store for the National Football League’s rabid fan base, and for the fourth straight week, surprise and shock were the order of the day.
Once again, we were reminded why we love this game so much, as a host of contests were decided in the final moments of the season’s fourth stanza. We can debate which cardiac contest should claim “game of the week” honors. Take your pick: Arizona/Miami, Atlanta/Carolina, Washington/Tampa Bay or Giants/Eagles? One thing is certain. The fantastic finishes for all of these great games were decided on the leg of the winning (or losing) team’s kicker.
It has been said that good teams find ways to win and with the unbeaten Cardinals and Falcons facing their first mark in the loss column of the young season, both teams found ways to win their respective games. In addition, a resurgent Washington Redskins team led by rookie sensation Robert Griffin III (RGIII) also captured its second win of the season on Billy Cundiff’s game-winning field goal that narrowly sailed through the uprights with just a couple of ticks left on the clock.
So through four weeks what have we learned? What was most notable as we closed out the first quarter of the season? Perhaps it was the fact that of the three remaining 4-0 teams, who would have predicted Houston, Atlanta and Arizona would reign supreme? Maybe it was the return of the regular officials six days after what will certainly go down in history as one of the most “controversial” (shall we say…) calls to end a game and determine its outcome. And with Green Bay’s fans still reeling from that call that many will argue cost the Packers the game against Seattle last Monday night, when the clock ran out this Sunday, their beloved Packers found themselves on the “W” side of the win/loss column, edging out Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints, 28-27. To that end, I think the most surprising thing we’ve seen through four weeks of NFL action is the Saints sitting at 0-4.
Nonetheless, as sports journalists, we can “predict” and pontificate all day about which team will win and the multitude of reasons why, the keys to victory, who’s headed in which direction, etc., but as we’ve seen countless times, anything can happen on any given Sunday.
So don’t count Drew Brees and the Saints out just yet. Don’t crown any one team division or conference champion yet either. There is a lot of football left and the NFL is still the best-unscripted series on TV!
One final note: With all the talk surrounding the next generation of quarterbacks in the NFL, I’m sure Mr. Manning and Mr. Brady will remind us exactly who helped set the bar for the position over the past decade when they clash once again this weekend in New England. Should be a good one!
Hey Fans! I want to hear from you! Share your thoughts and send me your comments. I’ll post some of my faves on Facebook and Twitter each week.
Join me, @DanyelleSargent for my Tuesday Twitter Chat (beginning October 2, 2012) from 7pm-7:30pm EDT/4pm-4:30pm PDT.
Use the #SargentNFLTalk to join the conversation and chat with me about the week that was and the week ahead in the NFL.
And don’t forget, you can always find me on Facebook (DanyelleSports) where we keep the conversation going!
DANYELLE’S FAVORITE TWEETS OF THE WEEKEND:
Steven Jackson @sj39
Temporary setbacks are mandatory for permanent transformation. Champion your challenges & walk boldly in your destiny. Embrace the day.
Arian Foster @ArianFoster
Words are great. But somebody just invented them out of thin air. So I don’t get offended much.
TJ Lang @TJLang70
Breast cancer awareness month in the NFL.. Always love showing our support!