Week four saw some great performances and a few surprises. Here are my winners and losers:
Winners:
- Buffalo Bills: Quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw for a touchdown. Cornerback Tre’Davious White had a 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Safety Micah Hyde caught two interceptions as the Bills upset the Atlanta Falcons 23-17. Another solid win for the Bills.
- Carolina Panthers: Quarterback Cam Newton threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. Kicker Graham Gano’s 48-yard field goal as time expired helped the Panthers stun the New England 33-30.
- Houston Texans: Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. The defense caught four interceptions as the Texans dominated the Tennessee Titans 57-14.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for a touchdown. Running back Le’Veon Bell rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. The defense caught two interceptions as the Steelers tamed their AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens 26-9.
- Los Angeles Rams: Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Todd Gurley rushed for 121 yards. He also had a touchdown catch and 94 receiving yards. Key defensive stops late helped the Rams shock the Dallas Cowboys 35-30. Another stunner.
- Denver Broncos: Quarterback Trevor Siemian threw for a touchdown. Kicker Brandon McManus had three field goals. Late stops on defense helped the Broncos held off AFC West rival Oakland Raiders 16-10.
Losers:
- Miami Dolphins: Quarterback Jay Cutler being sacked four times and having only 186 total yards were the Dolphins’ undoing in their shutout loss to the New Orleans Saints 20-0. The Dolphins’ offense continues to struggle.
- Atlanta Falcons: Turnovers and losing key offensive players to injury stalled drives in a rare home loss to Buffalo.
- Minnesota Vikings: Turnovers and losing running back Dalvin Cook to a potential season-ending knee injury cost the Vikings in their loss to the Detroit Lions 14-7.
- New England Patriots: The defense giving up 316 receiving yards doomed the Patriots in their loss to Carolina.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Missed opportunities and the defense giving up 256 rushing yards led to their overtime loss to the New York Jets 23-20 in OT.
- Oakland Raiders: They just couldn’t get their offense going in their loss to Denver.
Storyline Going into Week Six:
Tampa Bay hosts New England. Buffalo faces Cincy. Carolina travels to Detroit. Tennessee meets Miami. New York Giants will try to get their first win as they host the Los Angeles Chargers. Arizona plays Philadelphia.
Jacksonville goes to Pittsburgh. Baltimore battles Oakland. In the NFC West, Seattle plays the surprising Los Angeles Rams. Green Bay meets Dallas. Kansas City faces Houston.