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Quarterback
Tom Brady (New England Patriots)
Week 4 stats: Bye week
Brady Bye Week News:
- He won AFC Offensive Player of the Month for the "record-tying 8th time in his career." So far this season, "Brady leads the league in completions, attempts, yards, and interception rate, and is second in touchdowns, with a 96/133 (72.2%), 1,122 yards, 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions stat line."
- Nice guy Tom pays practice squad guys when they pick him off.
- Brady considers consecutive starts to mean the most since it means you're "available to your team."
- Nice guy Tom has always put the Pats first, and if you don't believe me, look not further than the fact that he's "compensated like a low-end journeyman starter."
- "Bye week chillin'"
<div id="fb-root"></div><script>(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/TomBrady/posts/992364357471381:0" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/TomBrady/posts/992364357471381:0"><p>Bye week chillin’ #shakabrah #tbt</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomBrady">Tom Brady</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TomBrady/posts/992364357471381:0">Thursday, October 1, 2015</a></blockquote></div></div>
Running Back
Denard Robinson (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Shoelace missed his second consecutive game with a lingering knee sprain. However, that's not stopping him from "assisting with coloring stations and bookmark design" at a community event in Jacksonville.
Wide Receiver
Jason Avant (Kansas City Chiefs)
Week 4 stats: 4 receptions on 5 targets for 43 yards
Avant tripled his reception total on the season with four grabs on Sunday. After seeing little action in the first two weeks, he seems to be gaining traction in Kansas City's offense. For some light reading about Avant beyond his weekly performance, check out "12 Things You Didn't Know About Jason Avant."
Devin Funchess (Carolina Panthers)
Week 4 stats: No stats on two targets
The jury is still out on what Funchess will become in Carolina as he "hasn't played enough to provide any meaningful evaluation time." However, Devin's catch-per-week streak died at three after being held receptionless on Sunday. He played on 45% of Carolina's offensive snaps and dropped a touchdown. Not good.
Offensive Line
Michael Schofield (Denver Broncos)
Schofield earned his "first start at right tackle" this week, which also meant his first playing time during the regular season since being drafted last year. He played on 100% of Denver's offensive snaps and received solid reviews from the Mile High Report:
"[Schofield] would finish the day with a (-0.1) pass blocking grade and a very respectable (+1.3) run blocking grade. That's as impressive as one would expect from a guy with that much pressure on him. I think it's safe to say the haters can withhold their "bust" label for a while and cut ole Mr. John Elway some slack as well."
Defensive Line
Alan Branch (New England Patriots)
Week 4 stats: Bye week
Mike Martin (Tennessee Titans)
Week 4 stats: Bye week
Linebackers
Kenny Demens (Arizona Cardinals)
Week 4 stats: None
Demens is still only seeing action on special teams - 20 (67%) of Arizona's ST snaps on Sunday - this year.
Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)
Week 4 stats: 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
Graham made "the only big play all game on defense" with his forced fumble in an ugly 23-20 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday. The turnover was a "huge swing" for Philly and led to a touchdown three plays later. With his impressive stat line, Graham earned a solid +3.3 PFF grade this week.
David Harris (New York Jets)
Week 4 stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 sack
Harris has had a wonderful start to the 2015 season, tallying 20 solo tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles through four games. Unfortunately, he left the game early this week due to a quad injury. All early signs point to him being fine, and it should help that the Jets are entering their bye week.
Jake Ryan (Green Bay Packers)
Did not practice or play this week due to a hamstring injury.
LaMarr Woodley (Arizona Cardinals)
Week 4 stats: 2 solo tackles
Woodley was limited in practice this week due to a quad injury, but he still managed to play on roughly half of Arizona's defensive snaps while recording a pair of solo tackles.
Secondary
Leon Hall (Cincinnati Bengals)
Week 4 stats: 3 solo tackles, 1 pass defended
Hall's Week 4 stat line doesn't jump off the page, but with Cincy's defensive backs plagued by injury, he helped the secondary "clamp down on the Chiefs' receivers and keep them out of the end zone. You might not be impressed by his three tackles, but he was solid when they needed him and is having a nice bounce-back season."
Jordan Kovacs (Miami Dolphins)
Week 4 stats: 1 assist
Like Demens, Kovacs is still only seeing action on special teams - 21 (72%) of Miami's ST snaps on Sunday - this year.
Charles Woodson (Oakland Raiders)
Week 4 stats: 5 solo tackles, 1 pass defended, 1 interception returned 11 yards
Woodson remains limited in practice due to that separated shoulder a few weeks ago, but that didn't matter as he played in 97% of Oakland's defensive snaps on Sunday and continues to be the only bright spot in their pitiful secondary. His interception of Jay Cutler marks the 62nd of his career and places him in a three-way tie for ninth all-time. It also came at a critical point in the game and should have helped seal a Raiders victory if their "offense had played just a little bit better."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">INT last week. INT this week. The Legend of Charles Woodson continues <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OAKvsCHI?src=hash">#OAKvsCHI</a> <a href="http://t.co/kuT41L6zA1">http://t.co/kuT41L6zA1</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/650761235269464064">October 4, 2015</a></blockquote>
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OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Michael Schofield
First career start (and regular season action) deserves mention
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Charles Woodson
Top 10 all-time in anything is a monumental career achievement
OFFENSIVE PLAY OF THE WEEK
Jason Avant
Converted a third down pass by making a beautiful toe-dragging catch along the sideline.
DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE WEEK
Charles Woodson
See above video. #62.
WEEK FOUR MATCHUPS REVISITED
Brandon Graham vs. the Redskins Offensive Line
Although Graham had been quiet during the first three weeks of the season, he appeared to come alive in the Eagles matchup against the Redskins this past Sunday. Graham finished the day with seven total tackles (six solo) and 1 sack. While the Redskins offensive line had a solid performance for a good portion of the game, Graham gave them all they could handle.
WINNER: Brandon Graham
David Harris vs. the Dolphins Offensive Line
Taken out with a quadriceps injury in the fourth quarter, Harris' final lines included three total tackles (three solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit. No word yet on the extent of Harris' injury, but head coach Todd Bowles said that he "should be OK." The Dolphins offensive line was unimpressive in this game, giving up three sacks and allowing the running backs to rush for only 59 yards on 11 carries.
WINNER: David Harris
Devin Funchess vs. the Buccaneers Secondary
Funchess was held without a catch on two targets during Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. The Bucs secondary as a whole was phenomenal, limiting Cam Newton to 124 yards passing.
WINNER: Buccaneers Secondary
WEEK FIVE MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Tom Brady vs. the Cowboys Defense
Brady and the Patriots (3-0) are coming off a bye week, while the Cowboys (2-2) are hopeful to bounce back after their heartbreaking loss to the Saints on Sunday night. The Cowboys defense is ranked 16th in the league overall, with the Patriots passing offense ranked 7th. Dallas' defense has been plagued with injuries thus far this season, with star LB Sean Lee exiting the game versus the Saints with a concussion. Luckily for the Cowboys, two of their best defenders in Rolando McClain and Greg Hardy will return for their game against Brady and the Patriots. However, Brady is 3-0 against the Cowboys in his career, including a victory in Dallas in 2007. He's also having one of the best seasons in his already illustrious career. Look for 'Touchdown' Tom to handle the ailing Cowboys defense quite well.
ADVANTAGE: Tom Brady
Michael Schofield vs. the Raiders Defensive Line
Coming off of his first regular season action in his career, Schofield looks to build off a promising Week 4 start against the Raiders in Week 5. On the other side, the Raiders defensive line has progressively improved since the start of the season and will be boosted by the return of DT Justin Ellis. The Raiders defense sacked Bears QB Jay Cutler three times last week and held RB Matt Forte to under 100 rushing yards. Look for the men up front for the Silver & Black to continue their success against a struggling Broncos offensive line.
ADVANTAGE: Raiders Defensive Line
Charles Woodson vs. Peyton Manning
On Sunday, we will see the eighth NFL meeting between 1997 Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson and the '97 runner-up Peyton Manning. Woodson is 3-5 against Manning all-time with no interceptions. Look for Manning to continue his dominance against Oakland's weak secondary.
ADVANTAGE: Peyton Manning