words // Brandon Richard
Despite a tumultuous offseason and a laundry list of injuries, the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady is still finding a way to rack up the wins. It hasn’t been a pretty start to the 2013 for the New England Patriots, but a 4-0 start is an indication that things are business as usual in Foxborough.
Perhaps facing their toughest challenge of the young season, the beaten up Patriots traveled to Atlanta to take on the Falcons on Sunday night. The battle was more defensive than offensive through three quarters, the Patriots holding a slim 13-10 edge heading into the fourth. The both offenses seemed to wake up.
Big LeGarrette Blount found paydirt on the third play of the quarter, running 47 yards to put the Patriots up 20-10. The Falcons answered with a field goal before the Patriots would score another 10 points, including an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Kenbrell Thompkins. Down 30-13, the Falcons rallied late with a Tony Gonzalez touchdown and another field goal, but ultimately fell short in their bid for a comeback. Expected to be a contender in the NFC, the Falcons are now just 1-3, while the Pats will attempt to stay perfect on the road in Cincinnati on Sunday.
Also on the Week 4 schedule, the 49ers got back on track with a Thursday night blowout of the St. Louis Rams; rookie EJ Manuel led the Buffalo Bills to an upset win over the Baltimore Ravens; the Cleveland Browns won their second-straight game after trading Trent Richardson against the rival Bengals; Reggie Bush guided the Detroit Lions to a shootout victory over the Chicago Bears; Richard Sherman’s pick-six of Matt Schaub sparked a late-game Seahawks comeback against the Texans; the Indianapolis Colts destroyed the winless Jacksonville Jaguars 37-3; surprising Kansas City stayed perfect after beating the equally surprising 0-4 New York Giants 31-7; Minnesota handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their first 0-4 start since 1968 in London; Denver continued to roll after posting up 52 points on the Philadelphia Eagles; RG3 and the Washington Redskins got their first win of the season against the Oakland Raiders; and the New Orleans Saints blasted the Miami Dolphins 38-17 in a Monday Night matchup of undefeated teams.
Check out some of the football cleats that hit the field during Week 4 in today’s NFL Watch.
LeGarrette Blount – Nike Air LT 2.1 TD
Tom Brady – Custom Under Armour Cleats
Frank Gore – adidas adizero 5-Star
EJ Manuel – Nike Super Speed 3/4
Jordan Cameron – Nike Alpha Talon Elite
Reggie Bush – Nike CJ81 Elite TD
Richard Sherman – Nike Zoom Vapor Carbon Fly 2 TD
Reggie Wayne – Reebok Zig Blaze
Sean McGrath – Nike Zoom Code Elite 3/4
Greg Jennings – Nike Super Speed 3/4
Larry Fitzgerald – Nike Alpha Pro 3/4 TD
Kendall Wright – adidas adizero 5-Star Mid
Trindon Holliday – Under Armour Blur MC
Pierre Garcon – Nike Alpha Pro Low TD
Antonio Gates – Reebok Zig Blaze
Darren Sproles – Nike Alpha Pro 3/4 TD
images via Yahoo / Getty Images; Sherman image via Seahawks.com