Week 4 Preview

The NFL standings are starting to take shape the Buffalo Bills are off to a great start and fans around Western New York are wondering is this the year?

The Bills are 3-0 after a huge comeback win over the New England Patriots last Sunday. The Jets are 2-1 after a loss to a surprising Oakland team and the Giants are 2-1 after an upset of Philadelphia.

The Bills overcame a 21-0 deficit to win 38-35 on a last second field goal by kicker Rian Lindell. Before last Sunday’s matchup the Bills hadn’t beat the Patriots since Week One in 2003. The Bills finally ended the 15 game streak and next week the Bills face a relatively weak Bengals squad which will be without starting running back Cedric Benson due to a 3 game suspension handed down by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Bengals do not have many big name players and other than Benson their two biggest names are both rookies, QB Andy Dalton and WR AJ Green. The Bills should improve to 4-0 but as we have seen, surprises happen in the NFL. The Bills are coming off of their most important game in recent memory and can’t afford to look past the Bengals.

After the game in Cincinnati the Bills head back to Ralph Wilson Stadium for an interesting game against the Philadelphia Eagles, possibly without star quarterback Michael Vick due to a broken hand he suffered last weekend versus the Giants. The Eagles have been disappointing in the first three weeks with losses to Atlanta and the Giants.

In Week 3 the Jets faced off against the Oakland Raiders. The Jets defense shut down Oakland QB Jason Campbell but the Raiders ran all over the Jets defense led by Darren McFadden who ran for 171 yards and 2 TD’s. The Raiders finished 2010 2^nd in total rushing yards with 156 per game, so the rushing attack was somewhat expected.

The Jets are involved in what might be the biggest game of week 4. They head to Baltimore to face the 2-1 Ravens on Sunday Night. The Ravens were amazing in blowout wins over the Steelers and Rams but struggled in a 13 point loss to Tennessee in Week 2. Which Ravens team will show up against the Jets in the national spotlight? The Jets will have to shut down the run this week with Ray Rice leading the Ravens strong offense.

Other games to watch out for include New England versus the Raiders in Oakland. The Raiders are coming off an impressive showing against the Jets and the Patriots are coming off the upset loss to Buffalo. Will the Raiders set back the Patriots even further or will the Patriots rebound? Which team will improve to 3-1? The Patriots will have to stop Raiders pro-bowl back Darren McFadden if they want to control the Radiers offense which relies on him more than anybody.

Another game to keep an eye on next Sunday is in Houston featuring the Steelers versus the Texans. Will the Texans finally be able to make a push for their first playoff appearance without having to deal with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis? This game versus the defending AFC Champions will be a major test for the Texans if they want to show the rest of the NFL that they are for real. The Steelers struggled with the Colts last week and need to find healthy offensive linemen.

Another big game takes place in Cowboys Stadium as Detroit heads down to Dallas with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1980. The Lions, like the Bills, have not had recent success and could possibly be in contention for the playoffs for the first time in many years if quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy. This has been a problem for him recently as he wound up on the Injured Reserve list the past two seasons. They may be able to knock off the Bears and Packers at the top of the NFC North if they continue to play the way they have the first three weeks of the young season.

A big test for the young Lions is with the Cowboys who are always a contender. The Lions OL needs to protect Matt Stafford from the Cowboys strong pass rush lead by DeMarcus Ware.

Week 4 looks to be an exciting two days of football as perennial playoff contenders continue to prove themselves and upstart franchises like the Bills and Lions get into the playoff picture.