Wednesday, October 3, 2007
In The Box: NFL Week 4

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By Seth Doria
At just a quarter way through the end of the season, a clear power structure is already starting to emerge.
There are three dominant teams right now: New England, Indianapolis, and Dallas. Right below them are Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, and Seattle. Then it's Tennessee and Jacksonville. Then it's everybody else but St. Louis and Miami. Chicago, San Diego, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and New Orleans are all huge disappointments, but it's too early to throw dirt on the graves.
Chances are one of the top seven will collapse. It happens every year, and this year's not going to be any different. I'd probably go with Green Bay, if only because it's almost impossible to have a successful season with no running game. But that's by no means a guarantee. Last year's Colts set the record for worst regular season rush defense by a team that went on to win the Super Bowl. Anything can happen.
75% of the season to go, and only two teams are sizing up their draft position. Not a bad start.
Not a bad start at all.
Kansas City 30, San Diego 16: For all those in San Diego about to post "For Sale" signs in the yards of head coach Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, make sure you save one for GM A.J. Smith. Say all you want about Marty Schottenheimer's playoff chokery, but his teams never played soft. And those Chargers on Sunday were softer than four-ply White Cloud (and good for just about the same purpose). It's Smith's ego war with Marty that tipped over the first domino in this developing catastrophe.
(Is catastrophe too strong a word for 1-3? Probably. They're only one game back of the other three teams at 2-2. The Chargers and Broncos were supposed to be great. The Chiefs and Raiders were supposed to be awful. Turns out they're all four just okay. There's absolutely no predicting how this division is going to unfold from here. San Diego is just as much in it now as they were four weeks ago.)
(San Diego at Denver this Sunday is a big game.)
Fantasy Impact: Dwayne Bowe is the best wide receiver on the Chiefs since ... since ... I don't know. Ever? You shouldn't say that about a rookie a quarter way into his first season, but his talent and swagger add a whole new dimension to this offense (plus, this isn't exactly a franchise known for All-Pro WRs). Of all the lines put up this weekend, Bowe's 8 catches for 164 yards and a TD, at San Diego, has to be the most impressive. His 51-yard score in the fourth quarter to break a 16-16 tie was straight out of the T.O. mold.



http://www.sports-central.org/sports...nfl_week_4.php