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NFL in Historic Numbers: First Quarter Review

Posted by: Greg Gilley    Tags:  , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,     Posted date:  October 9, 2011  |  Comment



The NFL season is a quarter of the way through after four weeks and what a start we have witnessed. Despite the lockout and no training camps, teams have not missed a beat. The offensives have put up historic numbers, setting NFL records in passing yards for a single week by week one and breaking that record in week two.

Also for the first time in history, in weeks two and four, there were no divisional games. The league protected itself just in case of a lockout. Now bye weeks come into play, where teams will be giving off selected weeks from week five to eleven. Here is how the teams stack up through four weeks:

The Real Deal

Packers: The defending Super Bowl champions have showed no signs of slowing down. There is no Super Bowl hangover as they have gotten out the gates to a 4-0 start. They are healthy and Aaron Rodgers might even be better than last year.
Lions: A popular preseason pick to make the playoffs is showing why they were. They are 4-0 after winning 3 of 4 games on the road and coming back from at least 20 points down in two of them. Matthew Stafford is finally healthy and Calvin Johnson is making an early case for MVP.
Titans: A surprise team but definitely legitimate. The signing of Matt Hasselback seems to be genius as he’s throwing the ball all over the lot. They lost WR Kenny Britt for the year but Chris Johnson is starting to get his legs under him and the defense is solid. They will contend.
49ers: New coach Jim Harbaugh has his team off to a 3-1 start and could even be 4-0 if it weren’t for late game heroics from Tony Romo. San Francisco is one of the top teams in stopping the run. They stand first in a weak division and we’ll see if they can keep their play up.

No Surprise

Patriots: Tom Brady leads his team to a 3-1 start with one bump at Buffalo. Other than that he’s been terrific. The defense has been bad and needs improvement if they want to win it all.
Saints: After losing the first game of the season, the Saints have won three in a row. They came into the season thinking they had an improved defense but that has yet to be seen.
Chargers: San Diego has gotten off to a rare fast September start. That’s really been there only problem in past seasons. They stand at 3-1 and atop their division but have company as they will compete with a tough Raiders team.
Ravens: Baltimore started the season off with a thunderous blowout win against the Steelers. The defense looks solid and passing game is improved with speed threats Lee Evans and Torrey Smith.
Buccaneers: Tampa Bay was a team that went 10-6 and just missed the playoffs last season. They had high expectations coming into this season and have not disappointed and are tied with the Saints for the division lead.

.500 Club

Cowboys: Dallas has been hit with injuries, played close games and has had up and down play from Tony Romo. A perfect recipe to be 2-2. They get Austin back after the bye week and look to take off against bad defenses.
Raiders: Lead by Darren McFadden, Oakland has looked good despite a 2-2 record. They have great lines on both sides of the ball and with that they can compete with anyone in the league.
Bengals: Rookie Andy Dalton has been solid and has shown no affects of playing without training camps. Bengals defense has been tops in the league against the run and off to a great start.
Browns: The time is now for Colt McCoy and the Browns to take advantage of a not so good Steelers team and average division. They head into a bye and look to get back to work week six.

Overachievers: 

Bills: Their offense has been one of the best in the league while the defense hasn’t caught up. Although it has been a nice 3-1 start, their remaining schedule is going to be a challenge.
Giants: A team that was bombarded with injuries even before the season began has played through it to go 3-1. With wins against the Rams, Cardinals and Eagles they still have to prove how good they really are. Eli has played well and carried his team through the first part of this season.
Texans: The defense is improved with Wade Phillips as defensive Coordinator but is not all the way their yet as proof of the 40 points that Drew Brees and the Saints scored on them. They are winning big games but fighting through injuries. Foster is back but Andre Johnson could miss some time.
Redskins: Nobody expected the Redskins to lead the division- except Rex Grossman of course. He said they would win the division and he is starting to make believers out of all of us.
Panthers: Besides their 1-3 record, Carolina is overachieving. Mainly Cam Newton, as he is shocking everybody by showing just how good he is. He’s keeping his team in every game, including a game against the Packers.

Underachievers: 

Eagles: The “Dream Team” has quickly become a nightmare after three straight losses and they have glaring holes. The defensive is getting gashed, especially against the run. The O-line is big trouble and Michael Vick won’t last all season at this pace.
Steelers: Another team with offensive line issues, signing players off the street to fill in. The once great defensive has quickly gotten old. They are far from their Super Bowl days.
Jets: McFadden’s performance in Oakland hurt the Jets statically. They are still one of the top defenses. Their trouble the last couple weeks have started with their lack of run game. That picks back up when they get back Pro Bowl C Nick Mangold.
Falcons: Three of their first four games have started on the road and that is the start of their problem. Atlanta is still 2-2. The next two games at home and the next seven in a dome.
Bears: They need to find a way to keep Cutler upright or they can’t be successful in this division

Andrew Luck Sweepstakes

Vikings: Whether it’s now or at the draft there is going to be a quarterback change in Minnesota. They have Christian Ponder waiting to get the call, it might be time.
Colts: Indianapolis is showing just how important Peyton Manning really is. They could end up drafting Andrew Luck and having him sit until Peyton passes the torch.
Chiefs: They lost Jamal Charles and S Eric Berry for the season. They are having trouble scoring and Matt Cassel is not the answer. They’ll be looking for Luck.
Dolphins: They are in a tough spot at 0-4. Miami sits in a division with the Patriots, surprising Bills and the Jets. It doesn’t get easier from here.
Seahawks: Seattle trades for Tavaris Jackson and don’t resign Hasselback. They wish they had that move back. Hasn’t been good thus far.

Rebuilding

Jaguars: Jacksonville cut Garrard before week one. They bench Luke McGown halfway through the Jets game. Now they are being lead by their future Blaine Gabbert. Looks promising but it’s going to take some time.
Cardinals: Arizona makes a trade to get Kolb from the Eagles after the lockout. They got the guy they wanted and in a winnable division but are off to a slow start.
Rams: St. Louis has taken a huge step back. They have been hurt by injuries but they were supposed to compete for a division and stand winless.
Broncos: Fans are screaming for Tim Tebow. The time may come very soon because Denver is going nowhere fast.

Ken Durden / Shutterstock.com


About the author
Greg Gilley
I'll do whatever it takes, I'm a hard worker. I love to play, watch and do anything involving sports. Looking for a career in sports, it's definitely my passion.



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1 Comment for NFL in Historic Numbers: First Quarter Review

Tiffany

Steelers are not underachievers. Ben threw for 5 TD’s and Dwyer ran for 117 yards against the Titans. Give me a break, Green Bay fan.

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