Ranking the Top 7 Performances in the NFL's Week 4

Each week in the NFL, we see individual players, or units, step up and give their team just the performance they are looking for. Sometimes that performance comes from a surprise candidate, while other times it is the same elite players leading making their case as the leagues best—week in and week out.

Week 4 of the 2012 NFL season was no different, as there are many possibilities that stand out in ranking the top performances around the league.

Quite often, a player's stand out performance also leads to a victory for their respective team, making it that much more significant. However, there are many cases in which these performances will come in a losing effort, but are just as noteworthy and impressive nonetheless.

Here are the NFL's top seven performances of Week 4 action.

7. Cameron Wake

In a game that the Dolphins very well could have emerged victorious from on Sunday, taking the then 3-0 Arizona Cardinals to overtime, they got several stand out performances from their key players. The defense was able to pressure Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb all day, and they were led in doing so be DE Cameron Wake.

Wake, a former BC Lion of the Canadian Football League, dominated the Cardinals offensive line to the tune of 4.5 sacks. These were his first sacks of the season, but it is no secret just how dominant of a pass rusher he has become.

As the Dolphins continue to improve, as it very much looks like they are doing under their new regime, the pass rush that Cameron Wake brings will continue to be a key factor.

6. Peyton Manning

As the season wears on, Peyton Manning is just getting better. After offseason questions of just how well he will be able to play both after his time off and at his age, the questions are now quieting. In Sunday's 37-6 domination of the Raiders, Peyton looked like the sheriff we have always known.

Manning finished the game completing 30-of-38 passes, for 338 yards and three TDs. Although it came against a weak Raiders defense, it is exactly what Peyton Manning would be expected to do.

Even in the Broncos games that have resulted in losses this year, where Peyton may have initially struggled, he has caught fire down the stretch. This could be the performance that kick starts his season back into the MVP form of old. If so, the Broncos will be fun to watch.

5. 49ers Defense

In Sunday's 34-0 win in New York, the 49ers defense was down right dominant.

The unit recovered three Jets fumbles, tallied one INT and held the Jets offense to just 145 total yards. When your offense rushes for 100 more yards than your defense gives up, it is a safe bet to say that the defense has had a good day.

While this performance came against a banged up and struggling Jets offense, it is impressive nonetheless.

Last year, under then new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, we saw the beginning of a dominant 49ers defense. It has evidently carried over into this year, as they are arguably the top unit in the NFL. Moving forward, if the defense continues to be this dominant, the 49ers will no doubt be a Super Bowl contender coming out of the very competitive NFC.

4. Roddy White

So far this season, Atlanta's predicted high powered offense is not disappointing. In Sunday's win over Carolina, Roddy White again showed why he is a huge part of that. By game's end, he totalled eight catches for 169 yards and two TDs.

The biggest catch did not even come on one of the TDs, but rather on a 59-yard bomb from the Falcons 1-yard line on the game-winning drive. That play eventually would eventually lead to the game-winning field goal, pushing the Falcons to 4-0.

Roddy White, together with Julio Jones, quite possibly makes for the best WR tandem in the NFL. With the emergence of Jones, many have started to forget just how good White is. It is game like these that remind us why he is considered among the league's elite.

3. Bears Defense

Another defensive unit comes in the top rankings of the week, but the Bears deserve it. Going up against an often dangerous Cowboys offense on Monday Night Football, the Bears made it look easy.

On this night, they forced five Tony Romo INTs, with Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs returning one each for a score. In addition, the unit held the Cowboys running game to just 41 yards, for an average of 2.9 yards per carry.

This kind of impact defense has long been a part of Chicago's success as a franchise. Add that, with the additions and improvements made on offense this season, and the Bears have a chance to make some noise in the NFC playoffs.

2. Tom Brady

After a very surprising 1-2 start to the season for the Patriots, we had to know that Tom Brady would come out and have a very "Brady-like" game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. Of course, he did just that.

While they got off to a slow start in the first half, trailing 14-7 by halftime, the Patriots came out firing in the second half, scoring TDs on six straight drives. Leading the way, and in control, was Brady, who finished the game with 340 yards and three TDs through the air, adding a 4-yard score on the ground as well.

On this day, Tom Brady was no doubt back to being dominant. We can look for that to only continue as he and the rest of the offense become more acclimated to Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels' system.

If that is indeed the case, especially considering the level of talent assembled around him, we can expect him to be among the league's top performers all season long.

1. Brian Hartline

The award for the top, and possibly most surprising, performance of Week 4 goes to Dolphins WR Brian Hartline. Although in a losing effort, Hartline hauled in 12 passes for a total of 253 yards and one TD, which was an 80-yard score.

That yardage total currently stands as the highest single game output of any WR so far this season, as well as a Miami Dolphins all-time record.

Hartline has never been known to have top-end speed, but, so far this year, he has also shown that he doesn't need it. He is a very good route runner and thus has the ability to get open. He seems to have become rookie QB Ryan Tannehill's favorite and most trusted target, and could very well be in for his most productive season as a pro.