NFL In A Nutshell: Week 4

The '72 Miami Dolphins have this little ritual. Every year when the final unbeaten team goes by the wayside -- ensuring that their perfect 17-0 season will remain unchallenged for another year -- the key members of that Dolphins team gather to share a toast to the only unbeaten, untied team in NFL history.

The 2001 field of challengers has been whittled down to just one team -- the St. Louis Rams. Yes, after four weeks (minus one game), 30 of the 31 NFL teams have at least one loss.

Sunday the last AFC unbeaten fell when surprising San Diego dropped a 20-16 decision to equally surprising Cleveland. Over in the NFC, Green Bay lost its first game of the year when the Buccaneers rallied for a 14-10 victory.

The Rams do battle with the Lions in Pontiac tonight, and given the magnitude of some of the upsets this season, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the '72 Dolphins could be popping that cork sooner than later.

Until then, let's take a look at Week 4 . . .

NFL In A Nutshell -- Week 4

San Francisco 24, Carolina 14 Skinny: The Niners slugged out a chippy, penalty-filled win over the Panthers. Stud: 49ers WR Terrell Owens -- 8 catches, 118 yards, 2 TD Stiff: Panthers OL Jeno James -- committed a personal foul on Carolina's first offensive play, setting the tone for a game that saw 16 penalties, eight per side Key Stat: 49ers rookie kicker Jose Cortez is 10-for-10 on field goals so far this season. Next Week: Carolina (1-3) hosts New Orleans; San Francisco (3-1) travels to Atlanta

Tampa Bay 14, Green Bay 10 Skinny: The Pack fell from the ranks of the undefeated when the Bucs went on a franchise-record 95-yard scoring drive in the 4th quarter. Stud: Bucs RB Mike Alstott -- rumbled 39 yards for game-winning TD with 6:45 to play Stiff: Packers WR Antonio Freeman -- 1 catch, 6 yards -- that $6 million a year isn't looking like much of a bargain Key Stat: Packers DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila leads the NFL with nine sacks, including three Sunday. Next Week: Green Bay (3-1) hosts Baltimore; Tampa Bay (2-1) travels to Tennessee

Denver 20, Kansas City 6 Skinny: The Broncos defense made up for a slow day by Brian Griese and Co. Stud: Broncos CB Deltha O'Neal -- a team-record four interceptions Stiff: Chiefs QB Trent Green -- made O'Neal's day possible by playing catch with him for four quarters Key Stat: Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez had 129 yards receiving -- or 26 more yards than the Broncos passed for all day long. Next Week: Kansas City (1-3) hosts Pittsburgh; Denver (3-1) travels to Seattle

Oakland 28, Dallas 21 Skinny: The Raiders were bored into mediocrity and almost let a sure win slip away. Stud: Raiders WR Tim Brown -- 7 catches, 114 yards Stiff: Dallas RB Emmitt Smith -- 16 carries, 25 yards Key Stat: The Cowboys entered the game with 13 turnovers -- but they stayed in the game by committing zero turnovers Sunday. Next Week: Dallas (0-4) hosts Washington on Monday Night Football; Oakland (3-1) travels to Indianapolis Sunday night

N.Y. Jets 42, Buffalo 36 Skinny: The Jets knocked out Rob Johnson and rolled to an easy win in Buffalo. Stud: Jets LB Mo Lewis -- 13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble (returned for a TD by John Abraham), 1 fumble recovered and returned for a TD Stiffs: All Bills defenders -- put on a tackling display that would embarrass a Pop Warner team Key Stat: The Bills ran 79 plays to just 57 for the Jets. Next Week: The Jets (2-2) host Miami; Buffalo (0-4) has a bye next week and travels to Jacksonville on Thursday, Oct. 18

Seattle 24, Jacksonville 15 Skinny: Trent Dilfer picked up where he left off in Baltimore last year, leading the Seahawks to the win. Stud: Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander -- 31 carries, 176 yards, 2 TD Stiff: Jaguars RB Stacey Mack -- 8 carries, 17 yards, 2 fumbles, one seat on the bench Key Stat: Jacksonville WRs Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith each recorded his 500th career catch Sunday. Next Week: Jacksonville (2-2) has a bye and hosts Buffalo on Thursday, Oct. 18; Seattle (2-2) hosts Denver

Arizona 21, Philadelphia 20 Skinny: The Cardinals blew a 14-0 lead, then rallied for the week's biggest upset. Stud: Cardinals WR MarTay Jenkins -- 6 catches, 119 yards, game-winning TD with :09 remaining Stiff: Eagles CB Troy Vincent -- burned by Jenkins on 4th-and-10, game-winning, 35-yard TD pass Key Stat: Cards QB Jake Plummer has led 13 come-from-behind victories in his career, including five against Philadelphia. Next Week: Arizona (1-2) travels to Chicago; Philadelphia (2-2) has a bye next week and travels to New York to take on the Giants on Monday Night Football Oct. 22

Baltimore 26, Tennessee 7 Skinny: The Titans' woes continued as they were totally outclassed by the Ravens. Stud: Ravens RB Terry Allen -- 22 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD -- his first 100-yard game since 1999 when he was a Patriot Stiff: Titans CB DeRon Jenkins -- former Raven burned by Qadry Ismail for a 77-yard TD in second quarter, putting Titans in 14-0 hole Key Stat: Net yards rushing: Baltimore 207, Tennessee 47 Next Week: Tennessee (0-3) hosts Tampa Bay; Baltimore (3-1) travels to Green Bay

Cleveland 20, San Diego 16 Skinny: The Browns moved into first place in the AFC Central and knocked the Chargers from the ranks of the undefeated. Studs: Browns QB Tim Couch and WR Kevin Johnson -- on final drive, converted two perfectly-timed third-down plays, including the game-winning 19-yard TD Stiff: Chargers CB Alex Molden -- gave up Johnson's game-winning TD, then cried interference like all d-backs are taught to do Key Stat: For the first time in 28 years, the Browns have gone the first four games of the season without giving up 275 net yards to an opponent. Next Week: San Diego (3-1) travels to New England; Cleveland (3-1) travels to Cincinnati.

New Orleans 28, Minnesota 15 Skinny: The Saints hassled Daunte Culpepper and the Vikings into submission. Stud: Saints RB Ricky Williams -- 30 carries, 136 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 42 yards Stiff: Vikings WR Cris Carter -- trailing 15-7 late in the second quarter, Culpepper hit Carter in stride behind the defense for a 52-yard gain to the Saints 3, but Carter didn't wrap up the ball when he felt two Saints closing in on him, and CB Kevin Mathis forced a fumble that S Sammy Knight recovered, and the Vikings never got closer than 10 points Key Stat: Net yards rushing: Saints 160, Vikings 34 Next Week: Minnesota (1-3) hosts Detroit; New Orleans (2-1) travels to Carolina

Pittsburgh 16, Cincinnati 7 Skinny: The Steelers rode the Bus to a win in the Heinz Field opener. Stud: Steelers RB Jerome Bettis -- 23 carries, 153 yards including 10,000th career yard Stiff: Bengals QB Jon Kitna -- only one INT, but it was on a badly underthrown ball that could have easily been a TD pass to Chad Johnson Key Stat: The Steelers fumbled four times, possibly as a result of the slippery balls used to mark the first game in Heinz Field. Next Week: Cincinnati (2-2) hosts Cleveland; Pittsburgh (2-1) travels to Kansas City

Chicago 31, Atlanta 3 Skinny: Minus Jamal Anderson and Chris Chandler, the Falcons were listless in a blowout loss to the Bears. Stud: Bears LB Brian Urlacher -- 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 fumble recovery returned 90 yards for a TD Stiff: Falcons QB Chandler -- threw 3 first-half INTs before leaving with yet another concussion Key Stat: The Bears sacked the mobile Michael Vick six times. Next Week: Chicago (2-1) hosts Arizona; Atlanta (2-2) hosts San Francisco

N.Y. Giants 23, Washington 9 Skinny: The Giants turned a defensive struggle into a comfortable win by outscoring the Redskins 14-0 in the fourth quarter. Stud: Giants RB Damon Washington -- 25 carries, 90 yards, 1 catch, 16 yards subbing for the injured Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne Stiff: Redskins QB Tony Banks -- 2 carries, 0 yards, 1 fumble; 13-for-31 passing, 151 yards, 2 INT including clincher returned for TD by Jason Sehorn Key Stat: The Giants held the ball for 38:31 to just 21:29 for Washington. Next Week: The Redskins (0-4) travel to Dallas for a Monday Night tilt; the Giants (3-1) travel to St. Louis

Miami 30, New England 10 Skinny: The Dolphins' stifling defense carried Miami to another victory. Stud: Dolphins RB Lamar Smith -- 29 carries, 144 yards, 1 TD Stiff: Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis -- takes the blame for putting together an offensive plan that netted just 149 yards Key Stat: Neither Miami's Jay Fiedler (87 yards) nor New England's Tom Brady (86 yards) cracked the 100-yard passing mark. Next Week: New England (1-3) hosts San Diego; Miami (3-1) travels to New York to take on the Jets