So this is why Brett Favre came back.
In just his fourth game in a New York Jets uniform, Captain Wrangler-Jean-Commercials-Just-Weren't-Enough torched the offensive-minded Arizona Cardinals for a career- high six touchdowns, bringing his career total to an absurd 454 and catapulting the Jets onto the AFC center stage in Week 4 action in the NFL. Sporting a retro New York Titans jersey, Favre's performance was eerily reminiscent of the glory days of Joe Namath, the only other Jet to hurl six scores in one game. Like his predecessor, Favre had no problem distributing the wealth to his receivers, catalyzing a 34-point second quarter with three touchdowns to Laveranues Coles, who finished the day with eight catches for 105 yards.
Favre's counterpart, Kurt Warner, ended up with a productive afternoon despite a miserable first half, spreading the ball to eight different receivers. However, the majority of that good cheer ended up on the opposing sideline, as the former MVP racked up six turnovers on the afternoon, hardly making up for his impressive 40 completions and 472 passing yards.
So what does Favre's ridiculous outburst mean for the rest of the AFC East? The Jets, who now head into their bye week 2-2, have a relatively easy schedule for the rest of October, one which features three games against squads with a combined record of 2-10. That should provide the Jets with an opportunity to fine-tune ahead of a Nov. 2 showdown with the division rival Buffalo Bills, one of only two 4-0 teams in the league.
Should the Jets be able to at least halve their Cardinals performance the rest of the way, they should go into the matchup against the Bills in prime position to knock off the top dogs in the division, cementing Favre's return to the top tier of signal callers.
While Favre is no stranger to the spotlight, the Bills and Tennessee Titans, two teams who once were seemingly destined for eternal mediocrity, shook up the AFC on the bye weeks of two perennial contenders, the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, and now sit atop the conference throne at the quarter point in the season.
Buffalo throttled the St. Louis Rams behind the now-consistently efficient play of quarterback Trent Edwards, who completed 60 percent of his passes and led the Bills to 18 fourth-quarter points in the come-from-behind win. Although the Rams racked up nearly 100 more yards of offense, good teams always seem to find a way to win, and that has certainly been the case with this 2008 Bills team.
The Titans, unlike the Bills, have never been 4-0, and their historic start shows they've moved well past a season-opening controversy involving former quarterback Vince Young. Capped off by a lockdown 30-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Titans seem to have the winning formula: defense, experienced leadership and exciting rookies with big play capabilities.
A swarming Tennessee defense hurried quarterback Gus Frerotte into poor decisions and forced four Viking turnovers on the afternoon. The offense held its end of the bargain, turning those miscues into 17 points.
Quarterback Kerry Collins, rejuvenated as the new starter in place of the disgruntled Young, looked calm and poised in the pocket, completing passes to six different receivers for 199 yards. Even though he did not throw a touchdown, he set up a pair of scores for rookie spark plug Chris Johnson and another for bruiser LenDale White.
Tennessee will go head-to-head with the Baltimore Ravens next week, a matchup of two of the league's best defenses. Assuming the Titans can do to rookie quarterback Joe Flacco what they've done to every other quarterback they've faced, Tennessee could easily head into a Week 6 bye undefeated and poised to make a run at a playoff bid, so long as Collins stays collected and Johnson remains hot.
Meanwhile, a Dallas Cowboys loss has clouded the waters in an already jumbled NFC. After falling 26-24 to the Washington Redskins in Texas Stadium, the Cowboys find themselves in a mess atop the league's toughest division, falling at home to the underachieving Redskins in a coming-out party of sorts for quarterback Jason Campbell.
A third-year quarterback out of Auburn, Campbell was fantastic against the Cowboys, shredding their secondary for 231 yards and two scores, completing nearly 65 percent of his passes. Campbell, who can only be described as average at best in his first two seasons under center, has thrown for six touchdowns thus far, already half of his career best, and has posted a QB rating of 102.2.
For a team with one of the best secondaries in the league, Campbell made Dallas corner Terrence Newman look like a JV reject, hooking up with Santana Moss eight times for 145 yards and further picking on Newman with scores to Antwaan Randle El and James Thrash.
At the quarter mark to the season, the Bills, Titans, Jets and Redskins all quietly made their voices heard in an otherwise uneventful week, with routine front-page squatters Colts and Patriots on bye. Coming off demoralizing losses in Week 3, Indianapolis and New England should have more than ample motivation for a rebound but, when they return, they certainly will have watch out for the new sheriffs in town.
