NFL Week 4 Winners And Losers: Naming Our Winners (Forte, Ravens) And Losers (Romo, Eagles, More)

  By Craig Carroll  

In this installment of Thoughts & Observations from Week 4 of the NFL season, we break down the top three winners and the top three losers from the week that was. Have your own thoughts? Let everyone know in the comments section below. But, for now, it's time for some winners and losers.

Matt Forte. (AP photo)

WINNERS

* Matt Forte: The Bears made it a priority to get back to running the ball and taking the pressure off quarterback Jay Cutler, who has taken a beating in every game this season. Matt Forte answered that call to the tune of 205 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also added four receptions for 23 yards. The Bears, who got a much-needed win to get back to .500 at 2-2, will play the undefeated Lions Monday night in Detroit. Forte will again be heavily relied upon by the Bears offense to bring Chicago another victory.

Ravens defense. (AP photo)

* Ravens Defense: The Ravens absolutely manhandled the Jets offense Sunday night. Baltimore caused four turnovers, had two sacks and recorded 10 total hits on Mark Sanchez. They set the tone early against the Jets by returning a Sanchez fumble for a touchdown on the Jets first offensive play. Tthey would go on to return two more Sanchez turnovers for touchdowns. The Ravens looked like the class of the AFC, and if they get home field advantage in the playoffs, they would be almost impossible to beat.

Chris Johnson. (AP photo)

* Chris Johnson: Tennessee's Chris Johnson finally broke out of his early season funk, rushing 23 times for 101 yards, which actually beat his season total by three yards. Johnson did go up against a poor defense in the Browns, but for the first time all season, he showed patience with the offensive line and when he saw a hole he made quick decisions and showed the explosiveness that made him one of the top backs over the last couple years. Johnson faces an always-tough Steelers team in Week 5 and his performance in that game will prove if he is indeed still worthy of the nickname CJ2K.

LOSERS

* New York Jets: The Jets would be an easy choice to make this list, but we already have an in-depth breakdown of the lowlights from the Sunday night disaster right here.

Tony Romo. (AP photo)

* Cowboys and Tony Romo: How does a team blow leads of 27-3 in the third quarter and 30-17 in the fourth quarter? Well, the Cowboys did just that to lose a game they should have won easily. Tony Romo threw three interceptions, including two in the third quarter that the Lions returned for touchdowns on back-to-back drives which quickly turned a 24-point lead into a 10-point game. Romo was awful in the second half as was the play-calling by head coach Jason Garrett. Dallas goes into its bye week looking to repair a lot of egos in their locker room

Mike Vick. (AP photo)

* "Dream Team" Eagles: The Eagles led 20-3 at the half and looked much like the team everyone proclaimed the team to beat at the beginning of the season. The second half was a whole other story as the San Francisco 49ers gashed the Eagles for 292 yards and outscored the Eagles 21-3. Philadelphia, which are allowing 140 yards rushing per game, must shore up its run defense if it wants to turn things around. If the Eagles can't, it's going to be a long season for the so-called Dream Team.

Ben Roethlisberger. (AP photo)

* Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh lost to the Houston Texans 17-10 Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't even that close. The Steelers' once-mighty defense is a complete joke. Pittsburgh allowed Texans running back Arian Foster to rush for 155 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers defense has caused just one turnover and recorded just seven sacks in their first four games of the season. The Steelers are 2-2, and while that typically doesn't scream panic, with the defense playing as bad as they have been and the team suffering injuries to key players, the Steel City is getting very close to reaching panic time.