The NFL Roundup 2017: Week 4 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Peter Aiken/Getty Images)

Sometimes, you simply have to expect the unexpected when it comes to the NFL, because this is a league that likes to surprise its fans, and that's precisely what happened in Week 4. After all, teams that were supposed to handily win their games, suffered a loss, and games that should have been boring and slow, ended up being knock down, drag it out shootouts. But despite the fact this past weekend of football left many a fan staring at their television with their jaw dropped, we also discovered a great many things about our favorite teams, so without further ado, here is what we learned from a wild Week 4 in the NFL. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are a supremely good football team. 
There are plenty of reasons as to why the Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated team at the NFL at this point; Kareem Hunt's ability to run the ball, Alex Smith's ability to improvise or his wonderful vision downfield, or the defense's strong play for that matter. But to me, their toughness and ability to overcome adversity is what truly makes this team stand out above the rest. They simply cannot be rattled in any phase of the game and that fearless approach has clearly served them well since they are now the team to beat in the AFC, and considering how well they are playing and how many playmakers they have on either side of the ball, toppling these titans is going to be quite the monumental task.

The Houston Texans may have finally found their franchise quarterback. 
Every team that drafts a QB to groom for the future, waits patiently for the moment when 'their guy' manages to put everything together and reaffirms their decision to pick him in the first place. Sometimes it takes years before that moment arrives, or it never happens at all and the team parts ways but once in a while, the new kid on the block puts it all together early on and that magical moment arrived for the Houston Texans on Sunday because holy cow, did Deshaun Watson have a day. With a final a stat line of 25-34, 283 yards passing, and five total touchdowns by land and air, Watson helped the Texans utterly decimate the Titans to the tune of 57-14 and well...in doing so, the kid looked a seasoned pro on the field. His throws were simply magnificent, his reads were sharp, and that's great news for the Houston front office and the fans for that matter as well, because at long last, they have the QB they've been searching for.

The Buffalo Bills are a quality football team once again.
Normally, when one speaks of the Buffalo Bills, it's done in jest or in flippant fashion because let's be honest...this team has been bad for a very long time. But these past couple of weeks, the Bills have proven themselves to be quite the powerhouse NFL team. First they put the Broncos on notice, and beat them handily at home, and then...they go on the road and defeat the Atlanta Falcons in their shiny new stadium, and what's truly impressive about these wins is how complete they are turning out to be. They're putting up points on offense, all while playing some stifling defense and considering the fact that they are now the number one team in the AFC East, it's high time teams take the Bills seriously from here on out when they face off against them, because they are truly a solid football team.

There is something wrong with the New England Patriots.
For some teams in the NFL, 2-2 would actually be quite the respectable place to be this time of year. But for the New England Patriots, who boast that very record, 2-2 feels like 0-16 and while losing is inevitable in the NFL, you know it's eating at New England and while many can immediately point the finger at their shoddy defensive play as the culprit for this blasé start to the season, I'm inclined to think there are other issues going on with this squad. For example, they're devoid of leadership on either side of the ball. Sure Tom Brady is playing well, but the fire and energy we come to expect from him really hasn't been there all year long, in fact I would cite the New Orleans game as the only time Tom has acted like Tom and honestly, it feels as though this team is still stuck in the past and focused on their Championship status and they need to snap out of it fast or they'll be watching the Playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms.

Mike Glennon may never be a starting QB in the NFL again. 
If you're a quarterback in the NFL, your dream is to eventually start for a team and become a franchise quarterback and sadly, some of the guys who get that chance, come to discover they don't have what it takes to be 'the guy' for a team and that their career is going to consist of riding the pine until the big name goes down with an injury and sadly...I think that's the realization that Bears QB Mike Glennon is coming to right now. After all, he showed promise early on in his career, enough in fact that Chicago was willing to hand him a juicy contract and the all important captain's patch. But, let's be honest, Glennon's time under center has been a disaster. He can't read a D that well, he struggles with leadership and pressure and because of that, he's been benched for Mitch Trubisky, the number two overall pick this year and considering that the entire league has seen Glennon's struggles, there's a fair chance he is going to be a number two quarterback for the rest of his career...

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