On Mondays during in the fall, the conversation is so dominated by NFL football that the expression “Monday morning quarterback” has entered the vernacular. The phrase is defined by Google as “a person who passes judgment on and criticizes something after the event.” With the popularity of fantasy football, we now have Monday morning quarterbacks talking about football from two different perspectives. We want you to be able to participate in this great tradition, so all fall we’ll be running NFL One Liners on Monday. Use these tiny synopses throughout the day:
Week 4
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, AT 1:00 P.M. ET
Buffalo Bills 17, at Houston Texans 23
The Texans played less worse than the Bills and snuck away with the victory.
Line: The Texans won but I don’t think either team’s fans are all that happy with how their team looked.
Carolina Panthers 10, at Baltimore Ravens 38
The story will be Steve Smith’s great play against his former team but the story should be how the Panthers have now been blown out in two straight games.
Line: I’m worried about the Panthers. If they don’t turn things around fast, they could lose most of their games this year.
Green Bay Packers 38, at Chicago Bears 17
Close at half-time, the Packers shut out the Bears in the second half while scoring 17 points of their own.
Line: I guess Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was right when he told the Packers fans to “relax” this week.
Detroit Lions 24, at New York Jets 17
The Lions are very quietly 3-1 this year and have winnable games against the Bills and the Vikings coming up in the next two weeks.
Line: Don’t look now, but this could be the Lions’ year.
Tennessee Titans 17, at Indianapolis Colts 41
The Colts lost their first two games by a combined 10 points. Since then, they’ve won two games by a combined 51 points. Losing close games and winning big are often the sign of a good team.
Line: Through four games, the Colts look like they can play with anyone.
Miami Dolphins 38, at Oakland Raiders 14
This was the first of three games this season to be played in England. There’s already news suggesting Raiders coach Dennis Allen may be fired following this big loss.
Line: If I were the Raiders coach, I might just stay and do a little sight-seeing in London.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, at Pittsburgh Steelers 24
After a humiliating loss last week on national television, the Buccaneers won a dramatic game in Pittsburgh. The motivational and emotional swings are one thing, but having ten days between a Thursday game and a Sunday one might have been the bigger factor in this game.
Line: NFL teams are all more evenly matched than people think. An extra three days of rest and preparation are a big deal.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, AT 4:05 AND 4:25 P.M. ET
Jacksonville Jaguars 14, at San Diego Chargers 33
The Jaguars, like the Raiders, remain winless after this loss in San Diego. Being 0-4 must be a helpless feeling for the players, fans, coaches, and everyone involved and invested in the team’s performance. The Chargers camp is the exact opposite — happy and excited.
Line: Doesn’t it just feel like the Chargers’ year? Not that beating Jacksonville is a sign of anything other than professionalism.
Atlanta Falcons 28, at Minnesota Vikings 41
The Vikings’ excitement over the performance of their rookie starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was muted when Bridgewater was carted off the field with an injured ankle. X-rays were said to be negative but a sprain so severe that it requires a cart is sometimes worse than a clean break would be.
Line: The Vikings can’t catch a bre
Philadelphia Eagles 21, at San Francisco 49ers 26
This was a weird game. The Eagles defense and special teams played so well in the first half that their team had the lead without the offense doing anything substantive. The offense were barely even on the field. This lack of rhythm came back to haunt the Eagles because when they needed the offense to do something in the second half, they couldn’t count on them.
Line: The Eagles defense and special teams players must be pissed at their offensive players.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, AT 8:30 P.M. ET
New Orleans Saints 17, at Dallas Cowboys 38
With the Saints’ ability to score quickly and the Cowboys penchant for blowing leads, I kept waiting for the inevitable comeback during this game. It never really materialized. After starting the year 0-2, people were describing the Saints as the best 0-2 team in the league and counseling patience. I’m not sure anymore.
Lead: Eventually, your record does define you as a team, that’s where we might be with the Saints now.