Arian Foster, Calvin Johnson and the 3 Other Studs of the Early Week 4 Games

Week 4 of the NFL season was full of memorable performances.  

Arian Foster had his first big outing of the season after having been held down by injury concerns earlier in the year. Calvin Johnson continued to his permanent residence in the opponent's end zone, as the Lions came from behind yet again to beat the bumbling Cowboys.

Click through to see the top five performances of today's early games.

Arian Foster

Arian Foster finally got to carry a big work load for the first time this season, and he delivered in dominating fashion, gashing the Steelers over and over again, including a 42-yard TD run.  

Foster finished the game with 30 carries for 155 yards and a TD, as well as at least a dozen broken tackles.  Foster got phenomenal blocking from his offensive line and punished would-be tacklers at the second level all game long.  

With Andre Johnson hurt, his team needed him to turn in a big performance and Foster did not disappoint.

Matt Forte

Matt Forte pulled off the rare feat of helping his team win a shootout on the ground.  With the Chicago passing offense effectively broken, Matt Forte helped his team overcome another big passing outburst by Cam Newton.

Forte exploded for 205 yards on 25 carries and scored a touchdown.  As long as the passing offense continues to be derailed by poor protection, the Bears will rely on Forte to do a lot of heavy lifting.  He answered the call today, as the Bears got a big win to keep pace with NFC North leaders Detroit and Green Bay.

Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson served notice to the rest of the league that his two-touchdown act is not fluke, scoring a pair today for the fourth time in four weeks this season (including another game winner).  No, this appears to be a weekly thing for Megatron. 

It wasn't just that he scored the touchdowns, it's how he scored them.  On both catches, he was under very tight coverage, even triple coverage in one instance, yet still came down with the ball in the end zone.  

This is the best wide receiver in the National Football League today.  He is simply unstoppable. Randy Moss, your single season record is in big trouble as long as Matthew Stafford stays in the lineup.

Frank Gore

It was a good day for elite running backs.  Frank Gore and his 15 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown helped the San Francisco 49ers take advantage of the latest Michael Vick injury to get a huge road victory. 

Gore was brutally efficient, averaging over eight yards per carry.

Honorable mention goes to Alex Smith.  The 49ers quarterback had one of the best days of his disappointing career today. He should savor it, as he is unlikely to feel this good after a win very often.

Steve Smith

Cam Newton only has to gaze across the locker room to find his biggest fan.  Steve Smith, the mercurial wide receiver, had his third 150-plus yard receiving game this season today in a losing effort against the Chicago Bears.

One has to wonder, if last week's game against Jacksonville hadn't taken place in a torrential downpour, would Smith be 4-for-4 on games over 150?

Smith isn't the most versatile wide receiver in the game, but his best talent meshes perfectly with rookie Cam Newton's enormous arm.  

It's a shame that it took this long to pair Smith's speed with a QB who could take advantage of it properly.