Rich Kane/US Presswire

Brett Favre, right, and Laveranues Coles were the catalysts behind a 34-point second-quarter explosion by the Jets on Sunday. The duo connected on three TD passes in the quarter as the Jets rolled to a 56-35 win over Arizona. Favre finished with a career-high six TD passes. ZOOM GALLERY: Best performances

Week 4 analysis: Unsafe at home

By John Clayton, ESPN.com

What ever happened to home-field advantage in divisional games?

The Redskins went into Texas Stadium on Sunday and upset the Cowboys 26-24. The Chargers overcame a 15-0 deficit in the Black Hole and outlasted the Raiders 28-25. The Carson Palmer-less Bengals couldn't protect home field in a 20-12 loss to the Browns.

"Big games are big games regardless of where you are at,'' said Redskins receiver Santana Moss, who had eight catches for 145 yards. "You've got to go out there and do your part. I felt that as a team that's what we've been doing. We understand that [the Cowboys] are a great team. At the same time, at the end of the day, it all depends on who comes out on top. That's what we try to do. We try to save everything for the field.''

Usually, playoff-caliber teams win their divisional home games and try to steal a victory on the road against division rivals. In 2008, home teams have won only 14 of their 27 divisional games.

The Patriots lost a home game to the Dolphins. The Jets lost a home game to the Patriots. The Seahawks lost a home game to the 49ers. The Colts lost a home game to the Jaguars. The list goes on and on.

September was division rivalry month in the NFL. After Monday night's Baltimore-Pittsburgh slugfest, 28 of the 72 divisional games -- 38.8 percent -- will have been played. October stays away from the divisional format, with only three divisional games each in Weeks 5, 7 and 8 and two in Week 6.

Based on the many divisional September upsets, there could be some close finishes down the stretch. No division is closer and more competitive than the NFC East. The Cowboys, Eagles and Giants were the top three teams in football as of last week; the Redskins proved Sunday they also belong among the elite.

After the Cowboys marched 60 yards for a late first-quarter touchdown drive, the Redskins came back with 17 second-quarter points. Cornerback Shawn Springs, before leaving the game with a calf injury, seemed to go after the balls thrown to Terrell Owens with more vigor than T.O. did in the first half.

Because these teams know each other so well, Redskins coach Jim Zorn installed a lot of motion plays by receivers before the snap. The added wrinkle caused Dallas cornerback Terence Newman to stumble once on a touchdown throw and seemed to catch many Cowboys defenders off balance.

"It's a rivalry so the players are exhausted, and Dallas is probably exhausted as well,'' Zorn said. "It's a brawl. I think the statement was we were willing to lay it on the line today and our team went out there and did that. I didn't know whether I had a headache from calling plays or watching the clock. It was a very, very difficult game to watch at the end there.''

Not as difficult as it was for Cowboys fans, the latest to realize home field no longer seems to offer much of an advantage in rivalry games.

Five things I learned in Week 4

By John Clayton, ESPN.com

Aaron Rodgers is an accurate thrower who runs a good huddle. His arm is strong and his mind is sharp. Talent isn't the issue. But he's not just replacing a Hall of Fame quarterback, he's replacing the most durable quarterback in history. Brett Favre has made 255 consecutive regular-season starts. Rodgers has made four and is a question mark for next week's game against the Falcons.

"I hurt my shoulder on the possession there in the third quarter right before I threw the touchdown pass,'' Rodgers told reporters after Green Bay's 30-21 loss to the Buccaneers. "I'm not sure if I dislocated it but it hurts pretty bad. I was getting diagnosed on the sidelines and we got an interception so I ran back out there. When I threw the touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, I was in some pretty intense pain.''

You get the feeling Rodgers might try to play because the drop-off at quarterback for the Packers is severe. All of a sudden the Packers go from a team that could have had Favre or Rodgers to a team that might have to go a few weeks with Matt Flynn, a seventh-round rookie, as a starter. The Packers have now lost two in a row, and Rodgers had three interceptions and a 55.9 quarterback rating Sunday. Green Bay's passing offense has been out of sync the past two weeks, but the bigger concern is Rodgers' right shoulder, which might be out of the socket.

For three quarters, the Rams played hard for embattled coach Scott Linehan. The Raiders did the same for Lane Kiffin. Playing hard is one thing. Finishing games is another. The Rams and Raiders proved again they can't close, and now Linehan and Kiffin enter what could be labeled as Black Monday in coaching circles. Both coaches could be fired, and the two-hour time difference between St. Louis and Oakland could give Linehan the edge in being the first coach fired.

The Rams jumped out to a 14-6 lead over the Bills. Linehan's decision to bench QB Marc Bulger for Trent Green might have upset Steven Jackson, but Jackson ran hard for his coach. Jackson was a one-man offense, rushing for 110 yards on 24 carries and catching five passes for 78 yards. But the Bills, who won going away, 31-14, came back with a third-quarter touchdown and scored 18 fourth-quarter points to put Linehan on the ultimate hot seat as the Rams enter the bye week.

The Raiders faded in the fourth quarter against the Bills last week, and they vanished into the Black Hole on Sunday, giving up 25 fourth-quarter points in a 28-18 loss to the Chargers.

The NFL usually doesn't see a lot of interim coaching. It's a league of franchises that like to finish what they start. But at 0-4 and 1-3, respectively, it all but looks like the Rams and Raiders are going to make a change -- largely because their coaches haven't shown the ability to finish games.

Deuce McAllister is a stabilizing force for the New Orleans Saints. McAllister's numbers were modest (73 yards on 20 carries) in a 31-17 victory over the 49ers, but what he does for the power running game is vital to the Saints' potential playoff run.

A week ago, I talked to Drew Brees, who pumped up the talents of Pierre Thomas, a versatile running back who can run and catch the ball well. Missing was McAllister, whom coach Sean Payton had been saving for the right moment. Sunday was the right moment. The threat of McAllister's inside running gave Brees the ability to throw long passes. Brees threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem and a 33-yard TD to Lance Moore, and Devery Henderson had an 81-yard reception. Overall, Brees threw for 363 yards, completing 23 of 35 passes.

Without the contributions of rookie RB Chris Johnson, the Titans might be 2-2 instead of 4-0. Johnson doesn't play like a rookie. He hasn't fumbled this season, and in Sunday's 30-17 victory over the Vikings, Johnson bailed out Tennessee's offense after a LenDale White fumble.

With the Titans leading 3-0 in the first quarter, White fumbled into the end zone on second-and-goal. Officials ruled it a fumble and a touchback, giving the Vikings the ball at the 20. Titans coach Jeff Fisher challenged the play and the call was overturned because White was ruled down by contact. Given a second chance, the Titans cashed in when Johnson bolted around left end for an easy 1-yard touchdown that gave Tennessee what turned out to be an insurmountable 10-0 lead.

Like he did a year ago, David Garrard is carrying the Jaguars' offense on his shoulders and with his legs. On a team that prides itself as having the best one-two running back punch in football, Garrard had more yards rushing (41 on seven carries) than Maurice Jones-Drew (32 yards) and Fred Taylor (25 yards) in a hard-fought, 30-27 overtime victory over the Texans.

Trailing 24-20 with 2:32 left, the Jaguars had a third-and-8 at the Texans' 18. Garrard scrambled for a 9-yard gain to get the first down. He had a 4-yard run on the next down. With 1:53 left in regulation, he made his third consecutive run and scored from 5 yards out, giving the Jaguars a 27-24 lead. Coming into the game, Garrard was the most-battered quarterback in football. He had been sacked nine games and endured 11 other quarterback hits. Against the Texans, Garrard was sacked once and hit seven other times. Despite the pain, Garrard carried his team to a victory that improved Jacksonville to 2-2.