NFL Week 4 Recap: What We Learned

Aaah…Another glorious Sunday of National Football League action in the books. While the rest of the world holds their collective breath for the Vikings-Packers game this evening, let’s take a look back at what we learned from Week 4, with all relevant NFL football betting information:

Denver’s Dynamite Defense

Give full marks to Kyle Orton for managing the offense and Brandon Marshall for making big scoring plays when necessary, but the main reason the Broncos are 4-0 right now is their outstanding defense.  With Mike Nolan calling the shots and several key veteran acquisitions playing great – Brian Dawkins and Andra Davis especially – the Broncos are literally stifling opponents. They’ve only allowed 26 points in four games and boast one of the best young pass-rushers in the game in Elvis Dumervil. The Former Louisville standout has eight sacks in his last three contests, harassing QBs and throwing opposing passing games into arrears. The Broncos are tough, aggressive and relentless; Nolan’s 3-4 scheme looks like the perfect fit for the personnel and they’ll be a tough out moving forward.

Peyton Manning & Indy, Attacking The Over

There might not be a sports betting number large enough to put on the Colts this year. Even though he’s in his 12th year of professional football, Peyton Manning might be having the best season of his career – for the first time ever, he’s thrown for over 300 yards in four consecutive games. His statline through four games is eye-popping: 1336 yards, 9 touchdowns, a gaudy 117.7 QB rating. After a mediocre Week 1 performance that saw the Colts only score 14 points, they’ve (pardon the bad pun) gone on the offensive, averaging 30.6 points per, hitting the over in two of them – and it’s all because of Peyton.

Watch Out For ‘Da Bears

Everybody assumed that Chicago RB Matt Forte would put it together eventually. After a rookie season that saw him put up over 1600 yards of total offense, Forte’s sophomore slump – he didn’t eclipse the 70-rushing-yard plateau in the first three weeks – seemed like a temporary thing. And it was, because the former Tulane star broke out in a major way against Detroit on Sunday.  Forte ran 12 times for 121 yards, caught two passes for 19 and found the endzone in a statement game for himself and the Bears. With Forte rounding into form and Jay Cutler looking like the real deal, Chicago had its biggest offensive output since Week 7 of last year.

The Titans Are A Mess

The defending AFC champs are 0-4, facing major questions at quarterback and operate a defense that has been repeatedly exposed, especially in the secondary. Yes, things are grim in Tennessee at the moment. While they might be the “best winless team” in the NFL, that doesn’t do much for the players; signs of frustration are widespread and coach Jeff Fisher will need to pull a rabbit out to get this season back on track. His magic tricks will need to start with the defense – the Titans have allowed 95 points over the last three games and guys like Cortland Finnegan and Chris Hope – anchors of the secondary a season ago – are routinely getting burned in the passing game.