Unsung Heroes of the NFL: Week 4 of the 2011 Season
15 games were played on Sunday in the NFL and displayed plenty of impressive performances–such as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers displaying a career performance against the Denver Broncos. However, there are plenty of individuals that were under the radar on Sunday and played a huge role with helping their team come up with a big win in Week 4.
Here’s a look at the Unsung Heroes from Week 4 of the 2011 season:
San Francisco 49ers offense
The 49ers entered Sunday’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles with the worst overall offense in the NFL–but they still managed to leave the City of Brotherly Love with a win and improve to 3-1 on the season. Frank Gore was able to take advantage of Philadelphia’s weak group of linebackers and finally had his first big breakout game of the 2011 season after finishing with 127 rushing yards on 15 carries–including the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Bobby Carpenter and Chris Houston of the Detroit Lions
There’s certainly something special about the Lions this year and despite their impressive 4-0 start–Sunday marked the second-straight week in which they were forced to overcome a huge second-half deficit. Detroit appeared to be heading towards their first loss of the season after trailing 27-3 in the third quarter, but Carpenter and Houston changed the momentum of the game after they each recorded an interception for a touchdown off Tony Romo. Without these two defenders, it’s safe to say the Lions would be sitting at 3-1 behind the 4-0 Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook
Nobody knew what to expect from the Titans’ offense after losing their star wideout Kenny Britt last weekend to a torn ACL injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the 2011 season. Tennessee has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL so far this season and if they have any chance at winning the AFC South this season–they will need as much help as possible from the passing game. In the first game without Britt, Jared Cook stepped it up for the Titans on offense and even recorded an 80-yard touchdown catch. Cook finished the game with two receptions for 93 yards to go along with his touchdowns, but he was also targeted a team-high six times.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton
Let’s be honest–nobody gave the Bengals much hope against the once undefeated Buffalo Bills in Week 4. However, Cincinnati outscored Buffalo 20-3 in the second half after trailing by 14 at halftime to pick up their second win of the season–mainly because of an impressive performance from Dalton. The rookie quarterback led the Bengals on two impressive scoring drives at the end of the game to give the Bills their first loss of the season. Forget Carson Palmer–Dalton is developing into a leader quick than expected and will only get better with more experience.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop
Even though they only found the end zone once against the Minnesota Vikings, the Chiefs finally picked up their first win of the 2011 season thanks to a big game from Succop. The kicker connected on all five of his field goal attempts to give Kansas City the 22-17 win over Minnesota and even managed to drill two kicks from beyond 50 yards. It’s never easy to deal with the pressure of being a kicker and Succop came up big for the Chiefs on Sunday.
Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson
It seems like only yesterday that Thompson was faced with a difficult decision on whether or not he should move on from Brett Favre to let the Aaron Rodgers era begin in Green Bay. On Sunday, Rodgers displayed a career performance against the Denver Broncos by throwing for 408 yards and four touchdowns along with two rushing touchdowns of his own–giving him six total on the day. Sunday’s performance was just one of many examples as to why Rodgers is developing into arguably the best quarterback in the NFL and if it wasn’t for Thompson drafting the Super Bowl XLV MVP back in 2005–who knows where the Packers would be as an organization today.
Washington Redskins defense
In a game where the offense only scored 17 points, the Redskins’ defense stepped it up against the Rams and move back into first place in the NFC East with a 3-1 record. Washington shutout St. Lois for the first three quarters and applied plenty of pressure to Sam Bradford throughout the game–recording six sacks in the process. Through four games, the Redskins have yet to allow any opponent to score more than 21 points in a game and put on a stellar performance against a Rams’ squad that put up a good fight at the end of the game while attempting a late comeback.
Mike Heimerdinger
Sad news in the NFL this week with the passing of former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger–who lost his battle with cancer late Friday night. The fact that Heimerdinger was willing to delay the start of his treatment last season so he could travel with the team to Houston for a game against the Texans shows how passionate he was about football. A great coach and individual that was taken away too soon.
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Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
Email Dan: [email protected]
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