A closer look at some of the games in Week 4, via film analysis.
Panthers O vs. Bears D
There are still plenty of reason for Panthers fans to be excited. Cam Newton looks like the real deal. Against Chicago he was comfortable locating the voids in the Cover 2 defense. Several times he used his strength and speed to elude rushers or scramble effectively (including two first-half touchdowns). And, most enticing of all, he exhibited rare arm strength both inside and outside. His ball truly zips. That said, the Panthers can be concerned about losing their rhythm in the second half (they did that against Green Bay in Week 2, as well). They got away from their run game even though DeAngelo Williams was highly effective cutting back against the fast-flowing Bears linebackers. They also got away from Steve Smith in the second half, particularly down the stretch when far too many balls were thrown to Legedu Naanee (an uncomfortable downfield receiver). Over all, the Panthers’ offense still played well enough to win, but the Bears’ front seven successfully upped its tempo down the stretch and preserved a lead that their great special teams built.
Bears O vs. Panthers D
It was an uncommon run-first approach taken by Mike Martz. That may have been because Chicago’s make-shift offensive line had major issues in pass protection on the right side. Right tackle Frank Omiyale was embarrassed by Charles Johnson a few times and was benched for Lance Louis, a guard who struggled with his footwork playing out of position. Jay Cutler was under siege a few times early and looked a tad hurried the rest of the day. Thus, Matt Forte ran the show. It was a very good rushing performance that, augmented by two long runs, looked dominant on paper. All of Forte’s big runs came outside, where the Bears had tremendous success exploiting Carolina’s Jon Beason-less linebacking corps. In reality, the Bears’ offense only drove for 13 points; their other 21 points were scored or set up by defense and special teams.
Chargers O vs. Dolphins D
It was a well-executed plan from a Chargers offense that was without superstar tight end Antonio Gates. Norv Turner mixed his run-pass play-calling well and effectively used play-action, particularly with some deep passes in the first half. Vincent Jackson’s smoothness and power were on full display early in the game; in the second half, San Diego attacked underneath with dumpoffs and screens, a tactic they’ve had success with all season. Much of their passing game revolved around attacking safety Yeremiah Bell, who was slow to recognize routes and consistently poorly positioned in coverage. Attacking Bell was something the Chargers planned to do. Running back Ryan Mathews benefited from good initial spacing in his touches and was able to show off his natural acceleration. The key for him in taking that next step will be to consistently conjure this attribute when running lanes are less defined.
Dolphins O vs. Chargers D
The Chargers were sound and cohesive playing a Dolphins team that, with Matt Moore replacing the injured Chad Henne, posed minimal threat through the air. Moore was hit or miss with his reads, and many of his completions were a result of the Chargers playing to the situation and keeping everything underneath and in front of them. San Diego’s front seven was effective across the board, and both safeties were stellar in all of their assignments. For Miami, two concerns stood out: left guard Richie Incognito getting beat a few times and Reggie Bush stopping his feet when approaching defenders.
Saints O vs. Jaguars D
After the Saints methodically pushed the ball down their throats the first two quarters, the Jaguars finally realized that it’s unwise to play a traditional vanilla zone against Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Brees knows all of his receiving outlets far too well on every snap to be disrupted by a base zone (assuming there’s no pass-rush, which, with the Jags, there wasn’t), and Payton is way too crafty in his route combination designs to not calculate mismatches against the banal coverage. In the first half, those mismatches took place underneath with the speed and quickness of Darren Sproles and versatile athleticism of Jimmy Graham. Those two were the crux of New Orleans’s gameplan. The playing field leveled a bit in the second half once Jacksonville started going to zone blitzes and hunting up the underneath routes, but by then, the Saints had already established the lead they needed.
Jaguars O vs. Saints D
It was interesting that Jacksonville assumed a spread-out, pass-first approach in Blaine Gabbert’s second game. It obviously didn’t work. The Saints’ secondary was simply too much for Jacksonville’s ho-hum receiving corps. And because Gregg Williams can be so aggressive in his blitzes, the Jacksonville running backs were used as pass protectors, not receivers, which meant the ball was not in the hands of Maurice Jones-Drew. Gabbert read the field fairly well but was a half-beat reactive and also inaccurate in the face of pressure. Typical issues with a callow quarterback. The Saints got an outstanding performance from their defensive line (Shaun Rogers had his best game of the season) and from cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Patrick Robinson.
Titans O vs. Browns D
The Titans made their money with three big first-half plays: Chris Johnson’s 25-yard first-quarter run (which highlighted the first scoring drive, capped by Craig Stevens running a deep out in the end zone with Browns safety T.J. Ward staring in the backfield too long from his zone position); Jared Cook’s 80-yard touchdown; and Nate Washington’s 57-yard reception to set up a late second-quarter score. The Titans took advantage of man coverage on the two big pass plays (Cook easily won his matchup against linebacker Scott Fujita, and Washington got open because of a brilliant pick play by Damien Williams). Matt Hasselbeck had good command of the offense. The Titans put up decent numbers on the ground but Johnson still didn’t show his usual initial explosiveness. The Browns’ linebackers did a very solid job containing him and recognizing the blocking assignments in front of him. The only Browns defender who really stood out, though, was the rookie end Jabaal Sheard. He owned right tackle David Stewart on running downs. Sheard, however, like the rest of his teammates all season long, made little noise rushing the passer.
Browns O vs. Titans D
Cleveland’s high volume of pass plays was mostly a product of circumstance. The Titans struck quickly on offense and took a 25-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Browns’ hurry-up, pass-oriented approach inflated McCoy’s pass attempt numbers. Coach Pat Shurmur knows it would be foolish to throw over 60 times every week – as this game showed, his team doesn’t begin to have the resources for that. Cleveland’s lack of speed and general potency at wide receiver made them easy for the Titans to defend. The Titans rarely bothered to blitz and were able to stay in traditional zone coverages that kept the action in front of them on third downs. Their front four gave the Browns’ young guards a little trouble at times, but McCoy had a clean pocket most of the afternoon. The few times he didn’t, he rolled outside and took questionable chances, like his pick-six to Jordan Babineaux. I don’t think even McCoy could tell you what he saw there. One last note: Montario Hardesty basically split snaps with Peyton Hillis.
Andy Benoit is an N.F.L. analyst for CBSSports.com and founder of NFLTouchdown.com. He can be reached at andy.benoit@NFLTouchdown.com or @Andy_Benoit.
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