Bye weeks offer an excellent opportunity for teams to make up ground on their divisional opponents who happen to be off.
Green Bay and Detroit sat atop the NFC Central at 2-1 going into Sunday's action, but they both had the week off, meaning that the Minnesota-Tampa Bay game took on extra importance for the divisional race.
A win by the Bucs would've given them a 3-1 record and dropped the Vikings to 1-3, forcing them into scramble mode if they wanted to make the playoffs in this hard-fought division.
Tampa Bay couldn't shut down Minnesota's offense in the first quarter though, and Warren Sapp's absence due to a broken hand may have cost the Bucs the game and helped tighten up an already competitive division race.
Chicago's comeback win over New Orleans pushed them to 2-2 on the season as well, meaning that all five teams in the division sit within a half-game of each other after four weeks of the season.
| Week 4 NFL Recap |
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| Vikings 21 (2-2), Buccaneers 14 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
582: Combined passing yards in the game in a surprise aerial show in the Metrodome.
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| Player of the Game |
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Randy Moss, WR, Minnesota. Moss finally had his breakout game of 1999, catching four passes for 120 yards including two for touchdowns. |
| Breakdown |
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The win kept the Vikings from falling to 1-3 on the season and cost the Bucs a golden opportunity to establish themselves as perhaps the favorite in the NFC Central. Tampa Bay now has to travel to Green Bay next Sunday night to face a the Packers who are coming off a bye week. The Vikings got a great defensive effort out of John Randle Sunday, as he sacked Dilfer twice and had four total tackles, making the Vikes look smart in moving him back to defensive end where he has more freedom to improvise defensively. |
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| Cowboys 35 (3-0), Cardinals 7 (1-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
12: League-leading interception total of Jake Plummer in four games this season. |
| Player of the Game |
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Raghib Ismail, WR, Dallas. Ismail caught four passes for 101 yards and scored on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Troy Aikman in the second quarter that put the Cowboys up 21-0.
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| Breakdown |
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Dallas proved that it is still the class of the NFC East by avenging last year's playoff loss to Arizona in a big way. The last time the Cowboys opened a season 3-0 was in 1995 when they went on to win Super Bowl XXX over Buffalo. Second-year defensive end Greg Ellis scored his second long touchdown of the season, returning a fumble 98 yards for a score after having an 87-yard runback off a fumble in Week 2 against Atlanta.
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| Bears 14 (2-2), Saints 10 (1-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
14: Points in the final two minutes by the Bears in their exciting comeback win over the Saints.
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| Player of the Game |
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Curtis Conway, WR, Chicago. Conway caught eight passes for 102 yards and scored both of Chicago's touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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Chicago committed five turnovers in the game, yet still managed to pull out the thrilling win. The Bears had squandered fourth-quarter leads in each of their previous two games, so Dick Jauron and company must be pleased with their ability to at least stay competitive in games this season. The Bears travel to Minnesota next Sunday for a key divisional matchup against the Vikings which will let them know where they really stand in the division.
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| Ravens 19 (2-2), Falcons 13 (0-4) F/OT |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
2.0: Average yards per carry for the Falcons. |
| Player of the Game |
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Stoney Case, QB, Baltimore. After throwing three interceptions in his first start last Sunday, Case bounced back with 192 yards and two touchdowns against the defending NFC champs.
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| Breakdown |
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The Ravens defense continues to look impressive, even if it was facing a depleted team without their top running and top two quarterbacks for much of the day. Atlanta was held to 52 yards rushing on 26 carries, suffered three quarterback sacks, and lost three fumbles in the game. Things don't get much easier for the reeling Falcons with the meaty part of their division schedule coming up. After travelling to New Orelans next Sunday to play the Saints, the Falcons then return home to face this year's version of the 1998 Falcons, the St. Louis Rams.
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| Jaguars 17 (3-1), Steelers 3 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
43.9: Combined completion percentage for the game for quarterbacks Kordell Stewart and Mark Brunell. |
| Player of the Game |
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Tony Brackens, DE, Jacksonville. Brackens had probably the best game of any defensive lineman so far this year, with 10 total tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
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| Breakdown |
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Jacksonville became the first team to win on the road in the five-year history of the Jaguars-Steelers series. A dominating defensive effort by the Jaguars kept Pittsburgh out of the endzone, and Jacksonville's defense actually outscored Pittsburgh's offense with two safeties in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
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| Patriots 19 (4-0), Browns 7 (0-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
199: Advantage in total yards for the Patriots over the still-struggling Browns who managed 235 Sunday against New England. |
| Player of the Game |
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Terry Glenn, WR, New England. Glenn set Patriots team records for catches and receiving yards on Sunday, with 13 catches for 214 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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New England stayed perfect on the season thanks to an amazing performance from Glenn and Drew Bledsoe. The Patriots quarterback continued his accurate passing on Sunday by completing 28-of-42 passes for 389 yards. Bledsoe's performance was his second 300-yard game of the season and marked the fourth-straight game that he has completed more than 60 percent of his passes.
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| Giants 16 (2-2), Eagles 15 (0-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
187: Advantage by the Giants in total yards over the lowly Eagles who managed only 174 yards of total offense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Michael Strahan, DE, New York. Strahan dominated the Eagles offensive front all game long, recording six tackles and registering three sacks for 18 yards lost.
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| Breakdown |
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The Eagles continue to look pitiful on offense, getting only 10 first downs and throwing for only 90 yards against the Giants on Sunday. The Giants defense forced two turnovers and sacked Doug Pederson twice to allow their own inept offense get to away with putting up only 16 points. Gary Brown returned from his knee injury and gained 87 yards on 27 carries to chew up the clock and allow New York to hold the ball for more than 35 minutes of the game.
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| Rams 38 (3-0), Bengals 10 (0-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
326: Passing yards for the Rams Sunday against the lowly Bengals. |
| Player of the Game |
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Az-zahir Hakim, WR, St. Louis. The backup wide receiver teamed with Kurt Warner for three touchdown catches and also returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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Warner continued his Norm Van Brocklin-impersonation by completing 17-of-21 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Warner's season numbers are now 62-for-90 passing for 894 yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions in three games. Needless to say he has been the key to the Rams' quick start -- and has made the loss of Trent Green to a knee injury a little easier to swallow -- but the three wins have come against the Ravens, Falcons and Bengals who now have a combined record of 2-10 after Sunday's games. The Rams get their first real test next Sunday with San Francisco coming to St. Louis to battle for NFC West supremacy with the Rams.
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| Chargers 21 (2-1), Chiefs 14 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
132: Total yards gained by the Chargers, who won by a touchdown despite this meager offensive output. |
| Player of the Game |
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Darryl Lewis, CB, San Diego. Lewis was a stalwart in the secondary on Sunday for San Diego, picking off two passes, defending on four other passes and recording six solo tackles.
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| Breakdown |
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Defense ruled the day in San Diego as all three quarterbacks who played on the afternoon struggled throwing the football. Elvis Grbac was only 19-of-40 for 200 yards with two touchdowns and four interception; Jim Harbaugh completed 6-of-9 passes for only 38 yards and one interception before leaving the game with a bruised elbow; and Erik Kramer found the mark on only 8-of-20 passes for 72 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Chargers running game continues to struggle as well, as they are now averaging only 2.94 yards per carry after their first three games.
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| 49ers 24 (3-1), Titans 22 (3-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
26: Yards rushing by Eddie George in the game on 15 carries, for only a 1.7 yards-per-carry average. |
| Player of the Game |
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Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco. Garcia completed on 21-of-33 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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The Titans hopes of an undefeated season ended at the hands of the 49ers' backup quarterback on Sunday -- okay, so maybe the Titans' chances of going 16-0 were prettyy slim, but they have been playing good football in every game. Neil O'Donnell only completed half of his passes against San Francisco, but he still managed to throw for 355 yards and two touchdowns. The lack of a running game did in the Titans Sunday, as they managed only 55 yards on 21 carries. Tenneesee returns home next week to meet the Ravens, while the 49ers face a surprisingly crucial division test next week in St. Louis next Sunday against the unbeaten Rams.
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| Jets 21 (1-3), Broncos 13 (0-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
6: Turnovers committed by the Broncos, with Brian Griese fumbling once and throwing three interceptions, and Bubby Brister throwing two in relief of Griese. |
| Player of the Game |
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Victor Green, CB, New York. Green picked off two passes to go along with his eight total tackles and four passes defensed for the game.
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| Breakdown |
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The Broncos have to get some good news one of the days, because nothing has gone right so far this season. Terrell Davis' knee injury could shatter the team irreparably for the rest of the season. A quarterback controversy may be brewing in Denver after Mike Shanahan pulled Griese in favor of Brister in the fourth quarter.
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| Redskins 38 (3-1), Panthers 36 (1-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
901: Total yards in combined offense by the Redskins and Panthers in the game. |
| Player of the Game |
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Brad Johnson, QB, Washington. Johnson completed 20-of-33 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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The Redskins have now been involved in three of the four highest-scoring games in 1999 already. That bodes well for their offense, but not so well for their defense which has given up 148 points in four games. Washington allowed 483 total yards to Carolina on Sunday, well above its already worst-in-the-league average of 437.3 yards per game. Johnson continues to look masterful in Norv Turner's controlled passing offense, and Stephen Davis ground out some tough yards against Carolina's game run defense.
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| Seahawks 22 (3-1), Raiders 21 (2-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
166: Yards rushing by the Raiders who continued to move the ball well on the ground with the combination of Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kaufman. |
| Player of the Game |
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Ricky Watters, RB, Seattle. While his numbers weren't eye-popping, Watters' 71 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving put Seattle in position to win the game on Todd Peterson's three field goals.
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| Breakdown |
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Seattle continues to have problems punching the ball into the endzone on offense. If not for their reliable kicker Peterson, the Seahawks might find themselves on the short end of one-point games more often. Wheatley continues to emerge as the surprise of the year offensively in the AFC, while linebacker K.D. Williams may be the biggest find in recent memory, as he was a skycap at the Tampa airport last year at this time. Oakland's two losses are by a combined five points, meaning that they have been competitive even in their two defeats. The Raiders meet the reeling Broncos in Oakland next Sunday, while Seattle takes the week off before travelling to San Diego on October 17.
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| Bills 23 (3-1), Dolphins 18 (2-1) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
7: Percent of third-down situations converted by the Dolphins, with only one of their 14 third down plays resulting in a first down. |
| Player of the Game |
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John Holecek, LB, Buffalo. The Bills linebacker had five total tackles, one sack, two passes defensed, an interception that he returned 35 yards to give the Bills great field position, and forced the fumble that Gabe Northern returned for a touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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Buffalo didn't move the ball well on offense, but if the defense plays this well for the rest of the season, an offense may not be needed. Doug Flutie played his usual mistake-free game, and though his statistics may not be eye-popping, his heady play helped win a tough divisional road game. Flutie's scramble for a first down with less than two minutes to play salted the game away for the Bills and served as a perfect example of how his mobility has helped the Bills become a threat in the AFC East. Miami's first loss of the season came at a bad time, as the Dolphins have to go to Indianpolis and to New England the next two weeks for more challenging divisional games.
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