The NFL is always full of surprises, but Week 4 was especially eyebrow-raising. Whether it was monster offensive performances or surprising victories, there were plenty of things that left us scratching our heads.
Here are the five most surprising:
Texans score 57 points
No one had previously accused the Texans of being an offensive juggernaut, but that may change after Sunday.
Houston put up 57 points on the Titans, as quarterback Deshaun Watson set a rookie record with five touchdowns - four through the air, one on the ground - and he is quickly making fans forget about the Texans' struggles on the offensive side of the ball a year ago.
Brock Osweiler threw 16 interceptions in 2016 as the Texans' ineptitude offensively prevented them from being a serious contender. If Watson is the franchise pivot Houston has long been seeking, Houston could make some serious noise in the AFC.
Patriots, Falcons, Cowboys all lose at home
It's not unusual for a strong team to have an off week at home every once in a while, but three stumbling on the same day is.
The Falcons, Patriots, and Cowboys all fell Sunday against opponents that most would think they should handle routinely. Atlanta and New England met in the Super Bowl last season, and Dallas finished 13-3, so many would have predicted each would pick up where they left off in 2016.
Instead the Bills, Panthers, and Rams, who all missed the playoffs last year, got the better of them on the same day.
Greg Zuerlein kicks 7 FGs
A big reason the Rams edged the Cowboys was the leg of Greg Zuerlein.
The Los Angeles kicker booted seven field goals and when you add a pair of extra points, he was responsible for 23 of the Rams' 35 points. Rookie head coach Sean McVay and second year quarterback Jared Goff deserve much of the credit for the Rams jumping out to a 3-1 start, but a kicker who never misses doesn't hurt either.
Saints post a shutout
The Saints defense looked terrible in the first two weeks and not even a decent performance last week against the Panthers could have set up what we saw Sunday.
New Orleans shut out the Dolphins and held Jay Cutler to only 164 yards passing. Sam Bradford and Tom Brady made the Saints passing defense look non-existant earlier this season, but now they've suddenly righted the ship.
Perhaps now Drew Brees won't feel like he has to put up 45 points every week to win.
Eli Manning rushes for 14-yard TD
At age 36, you could probably time Eli Manning's 40 with a calendar at this point, but the Giants quarterback did, indeed, run for a 14-yard score against the Buccaneers.
Believe it or not, Manning now leads the Giants in rushing touchdowns on the season, and a New York quarterback hadn't run for a score that long since 1992.
Maybe the Giants should turn Manning loose in the running game if they want to improve on an 0-4 record.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
