NFL Early Games week 4

There are nine games set to kick off in the first wave this Sunday. We start with...

The Dallas Cowboys hosting the Detroit Lions. Dallas struck first with a touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant for 25 yards, and Dan Bailey added the PAT. Romo, Bryant, and Bailey met again in the second quarter, with Bailey called on for the extra point after a 6 yard connection between Romo and Bryant. Bailey also tacked on a 41 yard field goal. Detroit got on the board with a 33 yard Jason Hanson field goal. Bailey replied for the Cowboys with a 35 yard field goal to make it 20-3 at halftime. Dallas got back to work in the third quarter with Romo passing to Jason Witten for a 1 yard touchdown, and Bailey made the extra point. The Lions got a touchdown with Bobby Carpenter picking Romo off and taking it to the house, 35 yards away. Hanson made the extra point, and also the extra point when Romo threw to Chris Houston of the Lions, who returned that interception 56 yards for a score. Bailey provided another field goal for the Cowboys, good from 23 yards. Detroit got closer with a Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson, a 23 yard play, and Hanson had the PAT. Hanson and the Lions settled for a field goal of 51 yards to pull within three. Detroit took the lead with Stafford and Johnson connecting again, this time a 2 yard touchdown, and Hanson made the extra point. The final kept the Lions on top 34-30, and they went to 4-0 while moving the Cowboys to 2-2.

Staying in Texas, the Houston Texans host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston drew first blood on a touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Owen Daniels for a yard. Neil Rackers provided the extra point. Rackers added on a field goal of 25 yards. The Texans continued to pile on to Pittsburgh's woes by blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown, but in the process committing a penalty to wipe it all away. They lead 10-0 at halftime. Pittsburgh got on the board with a 3 yard Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run, and Shaun Suisham's extra point put them within three. The Steelers tied it on a Suisham field goal of 26 yards. Houston took the lead back with Arian Foster running 42 yards for a touchdown, and Rackers supplying the extra point. Houston held on to win 17-10, going up to 3-1 and pushing Pittsburgh to 2-2.

Up north, the Chicago Bears will welcome the Carolina Panthers. Carolina opened early with a field goal by Olindo Mare from 29 yards away. Chicago replied with a Robbie Gould field goal of 20 yards. The Bears took the lead with a D.J. Moore interception of Cam Newton, returned 20 yards to the house for a touchdown, allowing Gould to make an extra point. The Panthers evened it back up with Newton canceling out the previous miscue with a 1 yard touchdown run, and subsequent extra point from Mare. Chicago took the lead again as Matt Forte broke out for a 17 yard rushing touchdown, and Gould tacked on the PAT. The Bears kept rolling as Devin Hester returned a Panther punt 69 yards for a touchdown, and Gould made the extra point. Newton again bailed Carolina out with a 2 yard run for a touchdown, and Mare made another extra point. Mare made a 39 yard field goal to make it 24-20 Bears at halftime. Carolina got going again with a 38 yard field goal by Mare in the early fourth quarter, after silence on the third quarter scoresheet. The Bears got a little separation as Gould nailed a 24 yard field goal. Marion Barber helped Chicago put the nail in the coffin with a 3 yard touchdown run, and a Gould extra point made it 34-23. Carolina pushed on regardless, with Newton finding Greg Olsen for a 3 yard touchdown, but they failed to convert the two point attempt, and lost 34-29. The Bears jump to 2-2, while the Panthers fall to a hard luck 1-3.

In the same region, the Kansas City Chiefs host the Minnesota Vikings. Kansas City led off with a field goal from Ryan Succop, good from 40 yards. Minnesota stormed in front with Donovan McNabb passing 34 yards to Devin Aromashodu for a touchdown, and Ryan Longwell tacked on the extra point. The Chiefs got within one as Succop added another field goal, from 24 yards this time. Succop added another field goal to make it 9-7 at halftime, a 51 yard blast. Longwell and Succop traded field goals in the third quarter, with Longwell kicking a 33 yard boot, and Succop replying with a 54 yard shot. Succop later added a mere 22 yard field goal. Kansas City found a touchdown with Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe connecting for a 52 yard scoring play, and Succop added an extra point. The Vikings pulled closer as McNabb threw a 1 yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins, and Longwell tacked on the extra point. Minnesota failed to find points again, losing 22-17, and falling to 0-4, while the Chiefs took themselves off the winless list by going to 1-3.

Over in Ohio, the Cincinnati Bengals play host to the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati started off with a field goal of 31 yards from Mike Nugent's foot. Buffalo tied it as Rian Lindell kicked a 43 yard field goal. Buffalo took a 10-3 lead with Bryan Scott picking off Andy Dalton and taking it home 43 yards, with Lindell adding the extra point. Buffalo added on to this lead as Fred Jackson ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Lindell's extra point ran the score up to 17-3 Bills, which would stand as the halftime score. The Bengals fired it up in the third quarter with a 21 yard FG by Nugent, and also an extra point from him after the Dalton touchdown connection with Jermaine Gresham for 17 yards. Lindell extended the Buffalo lead with a 23 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati tied it with a 3 yard rush by Dalton for the score, and Nugent tacked on the PAT. The Bengals took the game on a last second field goal by Nugent, from 43 yards out, to win 23-20. They go to 2-2, and the Bills fell to 3-1.

Staying in the state, the Cleveland Browns welcome the Tennessee Titans. Phil Dawson put Cleveland ahead early with a 48 yard field goal. Tennessee took the lead on a Matt Hasselbeck touchdown pass of 12 yards to Craig Stevens, and Rob Bironas made the extra point. Dawson pulled the Browns a little closer with his 51 yard field goal in the second quarter. This was quickly taken care of by Hasselbeck, who threw an 80 yard touchdown pass to Jared Cook, allowing Bironas to add an extra point. The Titans continued to play strongly, as Hasselbeck once more threw a touchdown, this time finding Damian Williams for 4 yards and a score, and Bironas obliged in making the PAT. Tennessee took a 21-6 lead into the half. The Titans added a little more onto their lead as Bironas kicked a 39 yard field goal in the third quarter, and added the PAT when Jordan Babineaux intercepted Colt McCoy and ran it back a whopping 97 yards for a touchdown. Cleveland got going in the right direction, as did McCoy, with his 10 yard touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson, and Dawson added on the extra point. The Titans would win 31-13, and improve to 3-1 while pushing Cleveland to 2-2.

Back to Missouri, with the St. Louis Rams hosting the Washington Redskins. Washington opened with a touchdown pass from Rex Grossman to Santana Moss for 6 yards, and Graham Gano had the extra point. The Redskins extended their lead with  20 yard touchdown rush by Ryan Torain, and Gano made it 14-0 with the extra point, the score staying at this mark into the locker rooms. Gano added on for the Redskins with a 38 yard field goal. St. Louis finally got on the scoreboard with a fourth quarter field goal of 32 yards by Josh Brown. The Rams surged on with Sam Bradford passing 15 yards for a touchdown to Steven Jackson, and Brown was there for the extra point. Washington did hold on for a 17-10 victory, improving 3-1 and moving the Rams down to 0-4.

Over to the east, the Philadelphia Eagles welcome the San Francisco 49ers. Philadelphia was the first to score, with a touchdown pass from Michael Vick to Clay Harbor for 16 yards, and Alex Henery was available for the PAT. David Akers and Henery swapped field goals in the second quarter, with Akers good from 37 and Henery nailing it from 32, and to give the Eagles a larger edge, replicating the kick later in the quarter. Philadelphia poured some more on as Vick hooked up with LeSean McCoy for 5 yards and a touchdown, and Henery made another extra point. The score at halftime favored the Eagles 20-3. Henery added a field goal of 33 yards to the Philadelphia cause in the third quarter. San Francisco replied with Alex Smith throwing a 30 yard touchdown pass to Josh Morgan, and Akers added the extra point. The 49ers kept making their push with Smith finding Vernon Davis for a 9 yard touchdown, and an Akers extra point. San Francisco tied the game with a touchdown rush of 12 yards by Frank Gore, and the former Eagle Akers kicked the extra point to take a 24-23 lead, the final, which moves the 49ers to 3-1 and the Eagles to 1-3.

Rounding out our morning games, the Jacksonville Jaguars play host to the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans was the first to score, on a 1 yard touchdown rush by Jed Collins, and John Kasay added the extra point. The Saints extended their lead in the second quarter with Drew Brees finding Jimmy Graham for a yard and a score, and Kasay made the extra point once again. Jacksonville got on the board with a touchdown from Blaine Gabbert to Zach Miller, good for 14 yards, and Josh Scobee made the extra point. Scobee also added a field goal for the Jaguars, from 31 yards away to make it 14-10 Saints at the half. Kasay added two field goals in the third quarter for New Orleans, a 38 yarder, and to make it more difficult, a 39 yarder, plus a 21 yard kick in the fourth quarter as well. This left the score at 23-10, a New Orleans victory. They improve to 3-1, and drop the Jaguars to 1-3.