NFL Week 4 Highlights: Michael Vick And Calvin Johnson Can Do Things You Can’t

The backflip is one of my favorite celebrations. If done right, it can be an incredibly display of athleticism and skill. If done wrong, it’s never not funny, and usually results in an awkward looking fall or face-plant.

via gif.mocksession.com

Watch the video after the jump and judge for yourself. Was this a fumble and did the refs blow the call?

Notice how he was never touched until the ball comes out. The question, however, is whether Cruz gave himself up, much like a quarterback would when sliding. He appeared to stumble and go down, which would mean he was never down by contact. And if that were the case, the Cardinals should’ve been awarded the ball, and Manning’s touchdown pass to Nicks should have never happened.

Manning threw only those two touchdowns in the game.

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That touchdown gave New England a 24-10 lead. That same scoring drive featured a 32-yard pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker.

Ridley is not the only Patriots running back to score today. Ben Jarvis Green-Ellis capped off a second quarter drive with a one-yard goal line run to give New England its second touchdown of the game and retake the lead after Oakland went up on a Michael Bush rushing touchdown the series before that.

New England Patriots diminutive wide receiver Wes Welker continued living large this season with a first quarter touchdown catch in Oakland. It was Welker’s third touchdown catch since last week. He gave New England the lead.

But the highlight of Welker’s day so far had to be this 21-yard catch from Tom Brady in the second quarter.

It wasn’t just that Miami lost him, though. Jackson had enough time to fall down, get back up, then watch as a Miami player slipped off him as he walked into the end zone.

A for effort, though, Miami!

On balance, being a Packers fan seems like a pretty cool existence, doesn’t it?

The second touchdown made him the first player in NFL history to open the season with at least two touchdowns in four consecutive games. Last week, he had become the first player to catch at least two touchdowns in three consecutive games.

Update: To clarify, Johnson tied Cris Carter’s record for two touchdowns in four straight games, but he’s the first player to do so in the first four games of the season.

I have no idea why people call him Megatron. I’m pretty sure it’s not because he transforms into a gun in his spare time or leads a gang of evil robots, but he’s clearly giving NFL defensive back nightmares. On the plus side, he has been limited to “just” 61 yards so far.

For the latest updates from Week 4 of NFL action, be sure to follow this StoryStream.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has given the Detroit Lions two touchdowns on two interceptions in the third quarter. Those two scores have allowed the Lions to cut a 27-3 deficit down to 27-17 with enough time left to play to make it game.

Detroit linebacker Bobby Carpeter intercepted Romo on a play action pass, and returned it for a 35-yard touchdown. Lions cornerback Chris Houston intercepted Romo on a pass intended for wide receiver Laurent Robinson and returned that for a 56-yard touchdown. That play was challenged, but the officials upheld the ruling on the field.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was intercepted in the third quarter of the Cowboys’ game against the Detroit Lions. Detroit linebacker Bobby Carpenter returned the interception for a 35-yard touchdown to give the Lions their first touchdown of the day.

Romo was having a pretty good day up to that point. He was 23 for 28 with 234 yards and three touchdowns. Detroit’s defense was pressuring Romo on first-and-ten at the Dallas 27-yard line. He was trying to complete a play action pass to Martellus Bennett.

Credit goes to CJ Fogler for creating this video and sharing it via Twitter.

For all that work, though, the play only ended up going for about seven yards. But when it’s going your way, it’s going your way and the Steelers will certainly take it.

I’m going to go ahead and try to process what may have been going through Brown’s head on this play. Clearly, this was not a pass-option kind of thing, but maybe all his time running the wildcat has confused him regarding his priorities when running the ball. Maybe he saw one of his receivers, who by the way should have been blocking on the play anyway, spring open and he felt glory coursing through his veins. Maybe he’s just been hit one too many times.

In any case, we’d like to thank Brown for at least providing a nice bit of comedic relief. And in case you’re wondering, the play hasn’t proven all that costly as the Eagles lead 13-3.

Jared Cook is not exactly a speedburner. Just watch the Tennessee Titans tight end’s 80-yard touchdown develop and tell me it doesn’t seem like everyone involved is running in sand.

In case you’re wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you, I went ahead and checked the clock from the point Cook catches the ball to the point he scores. It takes him about eight seconds to work his way all of 65 yards. That’s the equivalent of running a 4.9-second 40. In other words, the kind of speed you’d expect out of a defensive lineman. And yes, it’s basically a straight line he’s running.

This was Hester’s first special teams touchdown of the season. Last year, Hester scored three times on punt returns. He has not scored a kick return touchdown since 2007.

Hester’s punt return touchdown gives the Bears a nice boost as they seek their second win of the season.

Vick’s fifth touchdown pass of the season gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead in a game that has to be considered a must-win. Considered one of the Super Bowl favorites at the start of the year, they have gotten off to a 1-2 start and are now facing a 49ers team that is off to a 2-1 start.

In the early going, Vick has been doing his part. The quarterback is 6 of 8 for 65 yards and that touchdown, although he did throw an interception on the Eagles’ first possession.

Despite making just two starts a year ago, he still managed to make six touchdown grabs and rack up 561 yards on 45 carries. He appears well on his way to surpassing those numbers this year.

For the latest updates on Week 4 of the NFL, be sure to follow this StoryStream.