' path to a Super Bowl championship is fraught with obstacles … principle among them, their own penchant for nail-biting finishes and other teams that stand ominously in the their way.
In the NFL's fourth week, there are some compelling matchups among the challengers:
New England Patriots-Oakland Raiders: How much do you want to bet the Patriots don't fall victim to the same malady that beset the Jets last week? The Raiders' secondary is weak, and Tom Brady(notes) is salivating as this article is being prepared. Look for Brady to rebound, and for Bill Belichick to prepare a defense that doesn't allow the mediocre Jason Campbell(notes) to look like Johnny Unitas. Final result? No contest.
Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals: It's hard to believe I need to include the Buffalo Bills in the Jets' field of competitors, but there's a very good chance they'll be two games ahead of the Jets after just four weeks of the NFL season. The Bengals are not good enough offensively with Andy Dalton(notes) to burst the Bills' bubble, while the Bills' offense is machine-like right now. I don't think their fortunes will persist, but for now, they remain undefeated.
Miami Dolphins-San Diego Chargers : The once proud Fish are belly up. They desperately need this game, and it's a darn tough one to win … across the country against a really good Charger team. If they are 0-4, will they cancel the rest of their games? They're desperate. They win.
Pittsburgh Steelers-Houston Texans : This might be the most compelling game of the weekend: the Steeler D against the high-powered offense of the Texans. Though this game takes place in Houston, can't you see the physical Steelers derailing the finesse of Matt Schaub(notes) and his explosive receivers? The Steelers know they haven't looked particularly "super" so far this year. At some point, they are going to impose their considerable will on someone. This might be the day.
Glenn Vallach has been a football fan for most of his lifetime, but never played organized pigskin unless you consider the thousands of youth hours running slant routes on city streets with a friend serving as Joe Willie. Don Maynard was his idol, an adulation he took seriously, complete with a number 13 stitched to his sweatshirt. In later years, he modernized his admiration and included Wayne Chrebet. Receivers—always receivers. He remains a New York Jet fan through so much disappointment and embarrassment over the years. Coach Rex Ryan has rekindled a dormant fire, but sometimes he feels as if he doesn't understand the likely end result of all his efforts. It has been 42 years, after all.
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