NFL Week 4 Preview

“For us to go undefeated in September is a huge step forward,” says Cardinals head coach BRUCE ARIANS, whose team enters its Week 4 bye in first place in the NFC West. “I love the resiliency of our football team and the focus they bring every single day to work.”

The chances of making the playoffs after a 3-0 start are good but far from certain. Since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted, 91 of the 121 teams (75.2 percent) to start 3-0 have qualified for the postseason.

The Cardinals are one of nine teams with a 2-1 record or better that did not make the playoffs last year – Arizona (3-0), Atlanta (2-1), Baltimore (2-1), Buffalo (2-1), Chicago (2-1), Dallas (2-1), Detroit (2-1), Houston (2-1) and Pittsburgh (2-1). And that’s the unpredictability of the NFL. Since the 12-team playoff format was adopted in 1990, at least four clubs made the playoffs each season that were not in the postseason the previous year.

“We set high standards around here and we haven’t met them yet,” says Lions first-year head coach JIM CALDWELL about the team’s 2-1 start. “We have lofty goals but our guys certainly take that challenge and are certainly open to it.”

And don’t count out any teams yet. Since 1990, 65 teams with a losing record after the first three games made the playoffs. That includes five teams last season – Carolina, Green Bay, Philadelphia, San Diego and San Francisco. So, entering Week 4, hope is still very much alive for everyone.

“It feels good to get that first win,” says New York Giants wide receiver VICTOR CRUZ about the team’s 30-17 win over Houston in Week 3. “It feels good to get ourselves motivated. The energy level is high on this team. We’re confident. Everybody feels good and we’re excited to get things going forward.”

The Giants will look to keep their momentum as they head to Washington to kick off the Week 4 schedule (8:25 PM ET, CBS/NFLN) in a key NFC East showdown. Also in Week 4, the NFL returns to London. For the first time, there will be three regular-season games in the UK with the first of those three games coming Sunday when the Miami Dolphins meet the Oakland Raiders (CBS, 1:00 PM ET) at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Among the key games on the schedule this week:

The Giants got their first win of the season last week with a 30-17 victory over the Houston Texans. New York running back RASHAD JENNINGS rushed for a career-high 176 yards – the most in a game by a Giant in his first month with the team – and scored one touchdown.

“It feels good to get a win,” says New York defensive end JASON PIERRE-PAUL, who had seven tackles against Houston. “We’ve just got to keep taking it one game at a time, and that’s what we’re going to do. We can’t let this win get to our heads. We still have a lot of work to do and we’ve got a short week for the Washington Redskins.”

The Redskins have scored 75 points over the past two weeks, including 34 in last week’s loss at Philadelphia. Washington quarterback KIRK COUSINS threw for a career-best 427 yards in Week 3 and had three touchdown passes. In two games, Cousins has posted a 105.8 passer rating, the second-highest mark in the NFC.

“We battled back but failed to convert,” says Redskins head coach JAY GRUDEN about the team’s three-point loss to the Eagles. “Very disappointing but I like the way we battled back. There were a lot of things to like. The things we can correct, we will correct. We have to get them corrected for us to get this thing turned around.”

The Dolphins and Raiders will meet at London’s Wembley Stadium in the first of three games that will be played in the United Kingdom this season. The contest will mark Miami’s second visit to London for a regular-season game as the Dolphins faced the New York Giants in the inaugural International Series matchup in 2007.

“You’re on an international stage and playing in front of a new group of fans,” says Miami defensive end CAMERONWAKE. “We have a chance to grow Dolphin Nation.”

The Raiders return to London for the first time since 1990 when they played in a preseason game at the old Wembley Stadium against the New Orleans Saints.

“I never thought in a million years I would have the chance to come back to Wembley Stadium and play a pro sport in front of a home crowd,” says Raiders tackle MENELIK WATSON, who was born in Manchester, England. “It’s going to be a special moment for me.”

The Eagles overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat the Washington Redskins 37-34 last week. The Eagles are the first team in NFL history to start 3-0 after trailing by at least 10 points in all three games. Philadelphia quarterback NICK FOLES threw three touchdowns passes, connecting twice with rookie JORDAN MATTHEWS and once withJEREMY MACLIN.

“Our whole motto is one down, one to go,” says Eagles head coach CHIP KELLY. “We’re fortunate right now to be 3-0. We’ve got to go to work and get ready to go play San Francisco at San Francisco. I don’t think anybody is thinking anything past the San Francisco game because that’s a really good opponent.”

San Francisco is looking to bounce back from a slow start for the second consecutive season. In 2013, the 49ers also started 1-2 and then finished the regular season by winning 11 of their final 13 games. San Francisco advanced to the NFC Championship Game and has played in the conference title game in each of the past three seasons.

“Every Sunday is a new Sunday and you have to come to play,” says 49ers linebacker PATRICK WILLIS. “That’s part of football. It’s any given Sunday. You have to play football. We have to get ready for the Eagles.”

The Saints notched their first win of the season in Week 3 with a 20-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver MARQUES COLSTON, the duo’s 64th career touchdown together which moved them into sixth place in NFL history.

“It’s been rough the past two weeks but we’ve put that behind us and are moving forward,” says Saints running backPIERRE THOMAS about the team’s win after an 0-2 start. “Now it’s on to the next one.”

Dallas enters Week 4 seeking the team’s third consecutive win. Last Sunday, the Cowboys erased a 21-0 deficit to come back and defeat the St. Louis Rams 34-31. Dallas running back DE MARCO MURRAY rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown – his third consecutive game with at least 100 yards and a score – and linebacker BRUCE CARTER had a 25-yard interception-return TD late in the fourth quarter.

“You just understand that these games are 60 minutes and they’re not over just because you get off to a bad start,” says Cowboys quarterback TONY ROMO. “You just learn that you need to keep grinding.”

The Patriots have won two in a row, including last week’s 16-9 win over the Oakland Raiders. New England quarterback TOM BRADY notched his 150th career victory as a starting quarterback, joining BRETT FAVRE (186) and PEYTON MANNING (169) as the only players in NFL history to accomplish the feat.

“It was a grind-it-out kind of game,” says Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK about the team’s Week 3 win. “It was tough, hard fought and came down to a couple of plays in the fourth quarter. We did some things well but not consistently. We just need to do a better job in a lot of areas. We just need to keep working to improve.”

Kansas City defeated the Miami Dolphins 34-15 to give the Chiefs their first victory of the season. Quarterback ALEXSMITH threw three touchdown passes – including two to running back JOE MC KNIGHT – and running back KNILEDAVIS rushed for 132 yards and a score.

“Momentum’s a funny thing,” says Smith. “It’s hard to put your finger on it, but certainly this win helps. This is what you’re looking for. This is how you get started.”

American Football Conference
East Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
Buffalo Bills	2	1	0	.667	62	52	1-1-0	1-0-0	1-1-0	1-0-0	Lost 1
New England Patriots	2	1	0	.667	66	49	1-0-0	1-1-0	1-1-0	0-1-0	Won 2
New York Jets	1	2	0	.333	62	72	1-1-0	0-1-0	1-0-0	0-0-0	Lost 2
Miami Dolphins	1	2	0	.333	58	83	1-1-0	0-1-0	1-2-0	1-1-0	Lost 2
North Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
Cincinnati Bengals	3	0	0	1.000	80	33	2-0-0	1-0-0	2-0-0	1-0-0	Won 3
Baltimore Ravens	2	1	0	.667	65	50	1-1-0	1-0-0	2-1-0	2-1-0	Won 2
Pittsburgh Steelers	2	1	0	.667	73	72	1-0-0	1-1-0	1-1-0	1-1-0	Won 1
Cleveland Browns	1	2	0	.333	74	77	1-1-0	0-1-0	0-2-0	0-2-0	Lost 1
South Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
Houston Texans	2	1	0	.667	64	50	1-0-0	1-1-0	1-0-0	0-0-0	Lost 1
Indianapolis Colts	1	2	0	.333	95	78	0-1-0	1-1-0	1-1-0	1-0-0	Won 1
Tennessee Titans	1	2	0	.333	43	69	0-1-0	1-1-0	1-1-0	0-0-0	Lost 2
Jacksonville Jaguars	0	3	0	.000	44	119	0-1-0	0-2-0	0-1-0	0-1-0	Lost 3
West Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
Denver Broncos	2	1	0	.667	75	67	2-0-0	0-1-0	2-0-0	1-0-0	Lost 1
San Diego Chargers	2	1	0	.667	69	49	1-0-0	1-1-0	1-0-0	0-0-0	Won 2
Kansas City Chiefs	1	2	0	.333	61	65	0-1-0	1-1-0	1-2-0	0-1-0	Won 1
Oakland Raiders	0	3	0	.000	37	65	0-1-0	0-2-0	0-3-0	0-0-0	Lost 3