There's quite an interesting second quarter of the season now laid out before us in the NFL. Some of the elite playoff teams we have come to know over the last few years are dealing with a rough season and some teams that shouldn't be winning, certainly are. It makes for fascinating football and fascinating stories and as we kick off Week 5, here are the top stories to keep an eye on this week. 

If Matt Hasselbeck starts will he prove the football world wrong, again?
Everyone said Hasselbeck was done at age 40. They said his arm had nothing left and that his start for Indianapolis against Jacksonville this past week would be a disaster...and everyone was wrong. Matt looked sharp in the pocket this last week, making all the throws he needed to make and he stayed mistake free. It wasn't a performance for the ages mind you, but for a 40 year old QB to throw 47 times in a game and pull off the win, well that's pretty damn impressive and if he has to go again for the Colts, seeing as how Luck is Questionable and that offensive line is porous, I see him continuing to impress.

What has happened to Colin Kaepernick and can he get his game back on track?
A few years ago, #7 was the savior of the 49ers franchise and fans were wondering if he would follow in the footsteps of Montana and Young, despite a Super Bowl loss to the Ravens. Today, everyone in football is wondering if this once wunderkind read option quarterback is in decline. He has been simply awful this season, tossing five interceptions over the last two weeks and only finding the end zone twice all season. Teams have simply figured out his tendencies and attacked his weaknesses and this is the end result. It's ugly out there for Colin and quite frankly, I think the read option QB has a short shelf life and his expiration date may be drawing near.  

Is Rex Ryan a good football coach, or a hype machine? 
I think we can all agree that Sexy Rexy got a raw deal with the New York Jets. A bad GM that puts bad players out on the field means one thing...a lot of bad football. So when Rex got the gig in Buffalo I expected big things. This was his chance to redeem himself and show everyone how awesome he is. So why the hell are the Bills 2-2 while his former team, the Jets boast a record of 3-1? In fact New York should be worse off since they still have a lot of the players that were part of the Ryan era still on the squad, which means one thing and I hate to say it, but right now Rex is more hype man than coach. It shows on the field since his team relies on momentum over fundamentals, the problem is that the good coach is in there somewhere, we've seen it on the field and I hope that part of Rex comes back to football soon.

Does Detroit finally get their first win of the season this week?
The short answer is...maybe? This is a talented team that just has not been able to get it done thanks to a myriad of issues. The coaching is off, the execution sucks, the list goes on and on. What kills however is the fact that it's obvious they are capable of playing quality football. They showed big flashes of brilliance in Seattle last week, they just couldn't get it done, and before I hear back on the flag thing, that doesn't matter to me. They had sixty minutes of football to take a lead, they didn't do it, end of story. Either way, this is a big game coming up against Arizona and they need something to build their confidence soon. They pull this one off the season is salvageable, they don't...well then it is business as usual in Detroit. 

What will the Miami Dolphins look like under new Head Coach Dan Campbell?
Let's be honest, Miami is a mess. Joe Philbin lost his squad and it's clear that the inmates run the asylum. We heard about Tannehill ripping the practice squad. We've heard about the rumored defensive disdain and poor Dan Campbell gets to clean up the mess and we are all wondering, how fast can he fix it...or can he fix it at all? Sadly, we won't really know until game time. But the fact that Dan installed the Oklahoma drill shows he is ready to see this team toughen up quickly and that's a plus. But the man does have a monumental task ahead of him. I personally think he will make a difference quickly simply because this team has been without leadership that long. How long that lasts however with a whiny franchise QB and an egotistical thug in Suh remains to be seen.

John's Picks
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders - Denver
Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles - New Orleans
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens - Cleveland
Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans - Buffalo

Scotty's Picks 
St. Louis Rams at Green Bay Packers - Green Bay
Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs - Kansas City
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay
New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys - New England
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens - Baltimore

Week 4 in the NFL ended up playing out like a fine soap opera. There was joy, there were tears, some compelling drama and in between all of it, some football as well. I was amazed at some of the thrilling games that unfolded on my television screen and I was equally amazed at all the incredible stories that came out of each and every one of them and with that in mind here are the top stories from the field from Week 4 in the NFL.

1. Joe Philbin gets the unfortunate honor of being the first head coach fired this year and the second in NFL history to be fired shortly after returning from the International Series Game in London. Obviously a change was coming. There was talk that the defensive players had had enough with the defensive coordinator's game plan and well...the team looked uninspired on the field and that always falls on the head coach. It's hard to say exactly what went wrong for Philbin in Miami but this is a franchise in dire need of direction and you always wonder when a coach goes this early if it was his fault...or the fault of the franchise as a whole. Time will tell.

2. Speaking of coaching changes...how long before the Eagles deal with Chip Kelly? They made a horrible decision in giving him absolute control over the roster and the results are now being seen. This was a year ago, a team loaded to the gills with talent on every side of the ball. Then Chip had his way and molded the roster in the image of his system, dumping every player he could and well...this is why they are 1-3. This is an awful, awful football team and the only man to blame is the architect of a stalled offense and a porous defense. I agree with Philly fans...fire Chip Kelly.

3. Dan Quinn turned out to be the right guy for the job in Atlanta and in pure crazy fashion, he turned this team around not by shoring up the defense...but by turning loose the run game. Yes, a genius defensive mind decided it was high time to retool the offense instead and the Falcons are a terror on the ground. I mean come on, they scored three touchdowns on the ground Sunday. THREE. They are running over everyone at will and it's simply amazing and as of right now they are an absolute terror in the NFC. 

4. More and more, it's looking like Tampa Bay made a terrible mistake in picking Jameis Winston in the draft. I'm not saying he's a bust yet...he's just not ready to handle a pro level offense. Sure we can go into the whole "well he is a rookie and needs time" debate but that doesn't fly in this particular situation. When you're the number one overall pick...you're supposed to be pro ready and you start from day one. Other QB's in his situation showed flashes of brilliance after making their mistakes, but I'm not seeing that from Winston. He threw four picks on Sunday, one of them a pick six and he looked confused all day long. It was an ugly day for Tampa Bay and its fans and I fear the rest of the season and potentially the next couple of years may be just as ugly.

5. As awesome as it is that Carolina is 4-0...one has to wonder if they have achieved such an awesome feat through sheer talent...or their relatively soft schedule. Yes, a win is a win but seriously, look at that schedule. Week 1, Jacksonville. Week 2, Houston. Week 3, New Orleans sans Drew Brees and Tampa Bay in Week 4 and each of those teams boasts a record of 1-3 as of today. Not to mention, Cam Newton only completed 50% of his passes on Sunday and that's why I question this success. This is a team that has had to battle to be mediocre and their franchise quarterback has yet to become the star they expect him to be. Sadly the only answer to this question will come with time, for as the schedule toughens up we will truly see what Carolina is made of. 

Week 4 is underway in the NFL and already we have been treated to an exciting start to the week with the wild finish between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. It's those kinds of games that we latch on to, not only because they are thrilling in every possible way but because the outcome and all the elements that lead to a win for one team and a loss for another absolutely fascinate us. 

This week features plenty more games like that and as we prepare for the rest of Week 4 to arrive on our television screens, here are the games that we believe will be the most fascinating ones to watch come tomorrow. 

Daniel's Take
Expect one incredible fight that will be going down in the big easy as the Cowboys come to town against the Saints. The Cowboys off to a great start but with the loss of Romo the season is now called into question. The loss to Atlanta last week was really not that big of a surprise (to me anyway) but what they don’t need is the rest of the division closing in on them. New York, Washington, and Philadelphia have proven to be late season teams making a solid run to the finish and Dallas can be counted among them for that as well. The last thing they need however is too big a gap to close for that final race to the playoffs and a schedule that has them facing off against two division rivals. If Dallas is going to get any breathing room it has to be here in the non-division games with Romo expected to return in week 11. Just as frustrating is the Saints still struggling to find their rhythm and identity but where do you put the weight of the losses suffered so far. The Saints defense basically fell down in last week’s loss against the Panthers but can only be expected to do so much when the offense can’t get the job done. Brees will be back this week and maybe salvation is at hand but it’s hard to overlook the disappointing performances they have had at home. In the past with the starter out it has equaled a loss for the team but I fear the Saints troubles are much deeper than who is throwing the ball and Romo or not Dallas will be delivering an 0-4 ego blow to the Saints. I think the Cowboys win it.

Scotty's Take
After winning their first game of the season, it looks like the Hawks will have some more warm up games to get through before the season really starts to take its toll on them.  With Russell Wilson starting to find his grove to a couple receivers, along with their newest addition Jimmy Graham, they may be finding themselves on a roll sooner than later.  The Lions looked very lackluster during their loss against the Broncos last week and I am unable to find a reason why they have reverted back into the loveable losers everyone went for in the nineties.  The Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson connection may have run its course out already, but they still have the tiny running back Ameer Abdullah that is a joy to watch and can make something out of nothing.  How about getting him some more play calls?

Scotty's Take
I would hardly ever do this, but I have to pick Oakland this week.  They are starting to look like a football team and I thought it would be another five years before this started to happen.  I guess I was wrong and whatever Head Coach Del Rio has put in the water up there, I hope they keep drinking it, it is fun to watch a team that has been so bad turn some heads.  I also have high hopes for young quarterback Derek Carr, he is so much better than his big brother and looks like a seasoned vet when throwing the ball…most of the time anyway.  I have no idea what Chicago is going to do without their golden boy Cutler, the offense could not find a grove last week, much less score any points for the first time in almost twenty years. This is very disappointing for Chicago fans all over the world and if the offense cant help you, the defense will have to win the game.  This was possible for so many years, even recently, but with so many new faces, it will be difficult to even have this happen for the foreseeable future. 

Scotty's Take
Hard Knocks seems to be able to find a diamond in the rough every now and then and after the series ended, everyone is saying that the Texans are a Super Bowl bound team. Meh. When there is only one returning all star from a formally star studded roster, you know that you are going to have a long year, but everyone has a chance at making it to the Super Bowl I guess.  I mean, a team can vanish in their airplane or something.  That is a bit mean hearted I know, but it is the truth, what this team is lacking is the drive to get it done.  Facing a Falcons team that was able to put up its best performance against a stingy Dallas defense, yea, I don’t see how they can lose this game. But If the Texans follow this game plan, they might have a chance of winning.  Triple cover Julio Jones and put your biggest lineman on the line of scrimmage and let the linebackers do their thing.  It will force Matty Ice beat you with one of the other receivers that barley get thrown to.

It already seems like the 2015 NFL regular season is flying by because guess what? Week 4 is already upon us. Yes the quarter mark for the season has arrived and at this point you would think everyone is settling into routines, but that's simply not the case. Each team can still surprise and some are facing some incredible challenges as they all fight for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy. Clearly every team still has a story to tell and here are some of the stories to watch four as Week 4 kicks off tonight. 

How will the Chicago Bears respond on the field in the middle of a fire sale?
It's no secret that John Fox and the Bears organization as a whole are beginning to dump players left and right for cap reasons, performance reasons, the list goes on and on. But how will the players respond to all of this? After all often times a fire sale means the team has considered giving up on the season and to see it in Week 4 has to be a little scary for Bears fans who were hoping for more. The players could see this as giving up and do the same or they could start fighting for their jobs to ensure that they either land on another team that wants them...or maybe Chicago starts winning some games in exciting fashion. Guess we will see.

The Quarterback Controversy in Cleveland is now underway. 
TMZ broke the report this week that several players for the Browns are severely upset with the fact that the team is starting Josh McCown over Johnny Manziel. Granted the obligatory denials came from other players as well, but no doubt the controversy is brewing inside that locker room. It's no surprise to see more dysfunction coming from Ohio, after all their GM is finishing up his four game suspension for texting down to the coaching staff what plays HE wanted to see, but there is a genuine problem on their hands for sure. Manziel has actually cleaned up his life and his game play clearly since well...he's looked pretty good under center. McCown looked so so in preseason and was out quick in week one and so so once again in his week 3 return. At this point, Browns fans need something and when you're already 1-2...why not give the kid a shot and see what he can do with it? If he sucks you can move on, if he's the hero...coaching jobs are saved. This will be a story to keep an eye on.

It may be an ugly game in New Orleans this week. 
It is quite possible the battle of the backups will be underway in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this weekend when the Cowboys take on the Saints. As of press time Drew Brees still isn't cleared to play and Brandon Weeden is the incumbent starter for Dallas and for football fans, this could be one stinker of a game. Neither QB did much of anything last week on the field and barring some football miracle, I don't see that happening this week either to be honest. Expect a lot of running, expect a lot of incomplete passes and for the die hard fans watching, hopefully something special happens so that you can tell the tale of how all of us doubters were wrong. 

When will the Miami Dolphins finally get it together? 
The Dolphins were supposed to be stellar on defense by adding Ndamukong Suh to the lineup. He's not had a sack in three weeks. They handed QB Ryan Tannehill a massive top tier contract, committing the franchise to him for years in fact...only to get a pretty pedestrian performance as well and to top it off the team is 1-2 heading into their contest with the Jets. The whole football world is watching and waiting for Miami to live up to the hype...but when will they? It's a question I keep asking myself week after week and I just don't have an answer. Really it comes down to Joe Philbin, as the coach he has to get this team going and whether he likes it or not, he has to do it soon...or it's time for another new regime in Miami.


Will the Ravens finally find a win? 
As week four starts Thursday night it will be hard not to focus on the remaining undefeated teams left in the NFL. It’s also hard not to notice Baltimore has yet to win a game as they visit Pittsburgh (2-1) for what could be one of the roughest games for both teams. Recovering from a deficit of 0-4 isn’t unheard of but given the Ravens' division this could be the beginning of the end for them. This might be there one chance to keep it tight within the division as the Steelers take to the field light one Ben Roethlisberger who is expected to miss up to 4 to 6 weeks from his knee injury. The Steelers will be putting Michael Vick to fill the void who had a less than stellar year with the Jets last season and has a very different style under center then Ben. Both teams are looking at a must win so as not to lose any more footing in the division but I feel that the Ravens are going to take advantage of this better with an unsure Vick and by overpowering the front line. Vick has said it’s not just up to him to with this game, something new from him but I have a feeling if put under pressure we will see the old Vick try and take control. This will be the best chance for the Ravens to beat the Steelers let alone at home this season. 

John's Picks
Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos - Denver
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals - Arizona
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins - Washington
Oakland Raiders at Chicago Bears - Oakland
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins - New York

Scotty's Picks
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers - Pittsburgh
Cleveland Browns at San Diego Chargers - San Diego
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Carolina 
New York Giants at Buffalo Bills - Buffalo! Sexy Rexy! That's all I've got to say.