15 Biggest Winners and Losers from the NFL's Week 4

Fifteen clubs left the stadium as winners yesterday; 15 left the club as losers. That's a given.

However, certainly some on those 15 winning clubs stood out more than others, and some on those 15 losing clubs stood out more than others.

Plenty of the usual suspects—Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Calvin Johnson—had big days Sunday, but a few underdogs, surprises and up-and-comers did as well.

Looking at the other side of the coin, there were some pretty miserable performances by household names and those trying to make a name for themselves.

Here are 15 cases of the good, the bad or the ugly.

Winner: Ryan Torain, RB, Washington Redskins

Week 4: 19 carries, 135 yards, one TD

Coming into Sunday's game, the St. Louis Rams had the NFL's worst run defense, and nothing changed yesterday.

So Torain's very good—not necessarily phenomenal—effort doesn't earn a spot on this list just because of the stats.

Instead, Torain most deserves to be be considered one of Week 4's big winners because he was the team's third-string running back as recently as last week, behind Tim Hightower and Roy Helu on the Redskins depth chart. Although healthy, Torain had zero carries coming into Sunday's game against St. Louis.

Loser: Alex Henery, K, Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: 3-of-5 on field goals

There's no doubt that the Dream Team has far more holes than anyone expected a month or so ago. The offense has its problems (scoring just three points in the second half yesterday), and the defense doesn't seem capable of defending the pass.

But for Henery to miss a pair of fourth-quarter field goals—each of which was from inside 40 yards—and the Eagles to lose by a single point is borderline disastrous...especially when the man he replaced, David Akers, was on the other sideline.

Sure, he made three field goals (along with both extra points), but since they were from 32, 32 and 33 yards, those kicks certainly don't negate the two crucial misses.

Winner: Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Week 4: 27 carries, 138 yards, three TD

The Giants defense wasn't at full strength with Justin Tuck sidelined (as well as the slew of injuries they've incurred over the last two months), but they did have Osi Umenyiora back in the lineup.

So for Wells to carry the ball so effectively, rack up so many big gains and convert three times near the goal line was extremely impressive.

They might not have been able to beat the Giants at home, and their defensive deficiencies were once again exposed, but the Cardinals seem to have found the franchise running back they've never really had since moving to the Grand Canyon State—especially since he was playing through the pain of a slightly injured hamstring.

Loser: Tony Sparano, Miami Dolphins

Week 4: 26-16 loss at San Diego

Leslie Frazier and a fourth consecutive squandering of a second-half lead might be more worthy of this spot, but because Sparano is now walking such a fine line after losing a seventh straight game, he gets the nod here.

Sparano was definitely working with one hand tied behind his back today: on the road against a good club, without his emerging young rookie runner and then losing his quarterback in the first quarter. 

But on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins were manhandled at the line of scrimmage, and after that first-quarter touchdown, they never even penetrated the Chargers red zone. Whatever they're doing there is not working, and no one is atop a hotter hot seat than Sparano. It will take something of a miracle for him to survive the 2011 season.

Winner: Bobby Carpenter, LB, Detroit Lions

Week 4: one INT, one TD, six tackles (four solo), one pass breakup

We all know that Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh are the stars and foundation of the Lions. Each one of them was superb in Detroit's victory.

However, that victory had to be sweetest for Carpenter, the linebacker selected by Dallas in the first round of the 2006 draft only to be considered a bust and then shipped off to  St. Louis—especially since he provided the play that sparked Detroit's incredible comeback.

Behind 27-3 early in the third quarter, Carpenter intercepted a Tony Romo pass and returned it for a touchdown, the score that began the 27-3 run that kept the Lions undefeated.

Loser: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Week 4: 34-of-47, 331 yards, three TD, three INT

If we're all going to praise Tony Romo until the cows come home for his effort on Monday night against the Redskins, then he deserves just as much criticism for the way he played six days later.

Romo may have looked relatively flawless through the game's first 35 minutes, but beginning with that pick-six from Bobby Carpenter, he made just enough mistakes to ruin all that good will.

Following the interception by Carpenter, he misfired on an attempt to Laurent Robinson—which was returned for another defensive score—and then, from his back foot, he underthrew Jason Witten, producing the turnover that opened the door for Detroit to complete its incredible comeback.

Winner: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Week 4: 29-of-38, 408 yards, four TD, one INT, nine carries, 36 yards, two TD

I really didn't want to put Rogers on this list. For one, it came at home against a pretty bad Denver defense, but also because Rodgers has been so spectacular every week since the calendar turned to 2011 that it might be time to give someone else a spot on this list.

Still, accounting for six touchdowns? That's phenomenal no matter who it comes against. As good as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Darren McFadden, Calvin Johnson and a handful of others have been through one-quarter of the season, Rodgers has to be the front-runner for MVP at this point.

Losers: The Steelers Entire Offensive Line

Week 4: five sacks allowed, eight QB hits allowed

Yes, the Steelers offensive line is as depleted a unit as there is in the NFL. That's still not enough to excuse the way it failed to protect the passer today.

From the first snap to the last, Ben Roethlisberger was constantly under duress, and despite all the mistakes by Houston and all the points (two touchdowns) they left on the field because of penalty, Pittsburgh still had two chances to tie Houston in the game's final four minutes. Because Roethlisberger was either sacked or pressured into a poor throw, it never came close either time.

Worse yet, that failure to keep Roethlisberger upright might lead to Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon under center next week. Ben was reportedly in a walking boot after Sunday's loss in Houston.

Winner: Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans

Week 4: 30 carries, 155 yards, one TD

The Steelers run defense doesn't seem to be nearly as formidable as it once was. The undermanned Colts rushed for nearly 100 yards last week, and the Ravens rushed for nearly 200 in that Week 1 debacle.

Still, Foster's performance yesterday stood out.

Despite missing two of the first three games of the season, he looked 100 percent against Pittsburgh, running full speed and finding holes in the cutback alleys. Given the injury and the time away from in-game action, to tote the football 33 times and score the game-deciding touchdown was a tremendous effort.

Loser: Mike Sims-Walker, WR, St. Louis Rams

Week 4: one catch, six yards

There's plenty of blame to pass around in St. Louis. Sam Bradford seems to have taken a step backwards, the offense is pitiful and Steve Spagnuolo has lost six of his last seven home games.

However, Mike Sims-Walker had an exceptionally bad day against the Redskins.

In the first half alone, he dropped four passes, two of which were on third down, and his only catch (a six-yarder) didn't even come until the middle of the fourth quarter, when the game was all but decided.

Since the Redskins had the NFC's worst pass defense last season, St. Louis should have been expecting a bit more for the $3.7 million it shelled out for the former Jaguar.

Winner: Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears

Week 4: 25 carries, 205 yards, one TD

As good as Arian Foster was, Forte had the best day of any running back yesterday, and not just because he was the only one to rack up more than 200 yards.

For whatever reason—likely Carolina's lack of healthy defenders—Mike Martz decided to try something novel against the Panthers: run the football.

Jay Cutler only threw 17 passes today (one of which was picked off), so Forte was clearly the centerpiece of the game plan this week. He delivered, rushing for a career high and sealing the Bears' critical victory by racing 40 yards in the closing minutes to set up Marion Barber's late-fourth quarter touchdown.

Loser: Brian VanGorder, Atlanta Falcons

Week 4: 372 yards, 28 points allowed

It's not nitpicking or being pessimistic to look at the Falcons victory today and still see Atlanta as a long way off from being a playoff team.

Behind Matt Ryan and Michael Turner, the Falcons jumped out to a 27-7 lead early in the second half, a comfortable advantage, but certainly not one in the bag.

The Seahawks then scored three touchdowns to make it a game.

Against a powerhouse offense like Green Bay, New Orleans or New England or even a less explosive offensive club like Baltimore or Pittsburgh, that wouldn't have been nearly enough to earn a spot on this list.

However, the Seahawks have arguably the NFL's worst offense from top to bottom—terrible offensive line, bad quarterback and almost no rushing attack—yet Seattle accumulated 229 yards on five second-half drives.

With the Falcons fighting just to stay relevant in the NFC South—and Green Bay coming to the Georgia Dome on Sunday—they have got to improve fast.

Winner: Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco

Week 4: 21-of-33, 291 yards, two TD, 0 INT

By now, it's clear that the Eagles dream team—especially on defense—is a misnomer. But that doesn't mean they are a pushover that an oft-maligned player like Alex Smith can pick apart.

Nevertheless, Smith was outstanding today on the road.

Behind by 20 points in the middle of the third period, Smith didn't panic, as he put together three lengthy touchdown drives (each 77 yards or more) to lead the 49ers to a stunning comeback.

He spread the ball around very effectively (six different receivers caught at least two passes) and did not turn the ball over for the third time in four games.

Loser: Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets

Week 4: 11-of-35, 119 yards, 0 TD, one INT

The injury to Nick Mangold and the insertion of an inexperienced, undrafted rookie who had been cut by another team in training camp at center didn't help, but still, Sanchez was flat-out horrible last night in Baltimore.

The Ravens defense is definitely one of the better units in the NFL, but they aren't that good.

Sanchez missed open receivers, fumbled the ball four times and was picked off once. Each of the turnovers he was responsible for led directly to a Ravens touchdown.

Winner: Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Week 4: 18-of-36, 298 yards, one TD, two INT, one rushing TD

Cam Newton may be the star of all stars from the 2011 draft and the clear-cut favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but Andy Dalton might be the runner-up in both races.

His stats today weren't that impressive: 50 percent completion, more turnovers than touchdowns.

However, he showed tremendous leadership, poise and mental toughness today as the Bengals ended the Bills' undefeated streak.

Behind 17-3 at the half, Dalton produced scores on four of the Bengals' five second-half possessions, including a pair of touchdowns—one with his legs, one with his arm. That scramble for a first down on the game-winning drive was very impressive too.

It might not be enough (far from it, in fact) to convince Bengals fans that they don't need Andrew Luck, but if he keeps playing like this, the Bengals won't have a two- or three-win season and won't have a chance to draft Luck.