Great rivalries. Terrible moods.
Two of the best NFL games in Week 4 _ Pittsburgh at Baltimore, and Oakland at Denver _ are marquee divisional matchups featuring four teams coming off upset road losses, Sunday stumbles ranging from mildly surprising to shocking.
The Ravens, who were favored by four points in London, were stomped by Jacksonville, 44-7. That 37-point spread is tied for the most lopsided loss in club history.
Pittsburgh, favored by seven at Chicago, was stunned by the 0-2 Bears in overtime, 23-17. Historically, the Steelers have been lousy in the Windy City, with a record of 1-13 there.
The Broncos, favored by three at Buffalo, contained LeSean McCoy yet still lost to Buffalo, 26-16. The visitors Sunday bore no resemblance to the Denver team that crushed Dallas by 25 points the week before.
Oakland, which was favored by three at Washington on Sunday night and could have made an argument for being the NFL's best team, was utterly embarrassed by the Redskins, 27-10. Washington forced three turnovers and held Oakland to seven first downs and 128 yards of offense.
Asked Monday about the plane ride home, Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said: "It was quiet. I think we all understand what occurred and we understand that there's a challenge coming up this week. ... There's no time to sit around and dwell on it. We'll own up to it, we'll make our corrections and then go forward."
With three of its four teams losing Sunday, the AFC West's burgeoning reputation as the best division in football absorbed a big hit. But Raiders-Broncos remains a must-see game, and a critical one for a pair of teams chasing the undefeated Kanas City Chiefs.
"Not just being the Raiders, but being a divisional opponent, and having a chance to go 2-0 in the division," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said when asked about the magnitude of the game. "Having them at home, that's always a huge deal."
With the first quarter of the season drawing to a close, assuming these games don't end in a tie, two teams will step up and the other two will have more reason to wring their hands.
