NFL Sunday Recap - Week 4

After the first quarter of the season, some things have gone as expected, some haven't:

Living Up to Expectations:
Drew Brees
After almost breaking Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record, Brees is out firing on all cylinders this year. The Saints are putting up big numbers already this year, in large part thanks to Brees's passing numbers. His ability to get the passing game moving early has allowed the running game to pound the ball late, and the defense to sit back and force turnovers when the opponent is playing from behind.

Chad Pennington
Pennington has been injured more often than not over his career. Going down for the season in Week 3 is just more of the same.

Playing Below Expectations:
Tennesee Titans
The Titans are probably the biggest disappointment this year. After starting last year 10-0, and finishing 13-3, they sit this year at 0-4. What was last year one of the leagues best defenses is now a team that gets pushed around each week. And things won't be getting any easier: Their next 4 games are Indy, @ New England, Jacksonville(who just beat them 37-17), and @ San Francisco. Thats right, their next 4 opponents are a combined 12-4.

Brady Quinn
I wanted to make this JaMarcus Russell, but I don't think most people expect much from him at this point. Quinn, however, was looked at as the savior of the Browns franchise when he was drafted, and this is the first real look we've had at him. After three start, he completed 60% of his passes for 400 yards. Its his 1 TD, 3 INTs, and 10 sacks that got him benched at the half in Week 3. Now Derek Anderson is under center, and Lord only knows when we'll see Quinn again.

Rookie Roundup: Using a complex scoring system to rank two major rookies for the season

Mark Sanchez: 14/27, 138 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 4 Sacks, 24 rush yards, 1 fumble(lost)
Points: -11.7, 31 overall

Matthew Stafford: 21/36, 241 yards, 1 TD, 2 sacks, 23 rush yards
Points: 15.8, 36.7 overall

Week 4 Winner: Stafford

What Have We Learned?: Three things we can take away from this weekend
1. The Jets are human
With Sanchez off to the first rookie 3-0 start in NFL history, and one of the best defenses in football, the Jets were flying high. With his performance against the Saints this week, he looked like what he is: a rookie QB. He threw 3 picks, one returned for a TD, and fumbled in his own endzone for another. The defense still played well, however, only giving up 10 points against one of the leagues best offenses. But this game served as a reminder to Jets fans that Sanchez is still learning, and once in while he'll have a game like this.

2. Miami can win with Chad. No, not that Chad, the other one.
With Pennington out for the season(though he's hopeful he can return next year), Chad Henne had to step up and take his place. He may have only had 115 passing yards and 1 TD, but he did enough to give the Dolphins their first win of the season. The real story, though, was a Miami rushing attack that put up 250 rushing yards to beat a Bills team that struggled a bit against the run the past two weeks.

3. Another strike for the Chosen One!
Peyton Manning and the Colts have now won an NFL leading 13 straight regular season games. Their last loss was Week 8 of last season, against the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans. In addition, Manning set a franchise record by having 300 passing yards for the fourth straight game. If you throw out the final game of last season, traditionally a rest game for playoff teams but one where Manning still went 7/7, Manning has 300 yards in his last 7 games. And these last 4 have been without Manning favorite Marvin Harrison, who is still considered a free agent.