Kurt Warner shook off a five-interception performance last week in a loss to the Panthers to throw for 261 yards and an eye-popping five touchdowns in a 41-21 rout of the Bears on Sunday. Warner didn’t throw any interceptions while completing 22-of-31 passes for 261 yards.

Warner did all this without Anquan Boldin, who sat out with an ankle injury. Larry Fitzgerald seemed to enjoy the spotlight, because he hauled in nine passes for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 83-year old Warner (I’m kidding) is now on pace for 32 touchdowns and 4,350 yards.

Of course, Warner and the Cards racked up these gaudy stats against a Chicago secondary that couldn’t cover Fat Albert and the gang. The Bears thought that Charles Tillman could cover Fitzgerald one-on-one, which was incredibly smart on their part. Remember Boldin didn’t play, so why Lovie Smith and his coaching staff thought Tillman could (or even should) go one-on-one with Fitzgerald was questionable to say the least. Speaking of questionable, the Bears also decided to throw the ball seven straight times to open the game. Apparently the words “offensive balance” mean nothing to Smith and Ron Turner.

Not to kick dirt in the faces of Chicago fans, but many Bear-lovers thought this would be a Super Bowl team after they traded for Jay Cutler. I’m fully aware that they’ve had injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but even if Brian Urlacher were healthy, the offensive line and secondary are still a mess and Matt Forte has dropped off the face of the earth (part of the reason is because the O-line hasn’t opened any holes). He only had 33 yards on five carries today, but when you’re trailing 31-7 at halftime you’re not going to get many carries.

Their 30-6 win over the hapless Browns gave the Bears some false confidence. But this loss today proves how far Chicago is from being a legitimate contender.

Here are quick-hit previews of the top four games on the Week 5 schedule in the NFL.

1. Patriots (3-1) at Broncos (4-0), 4:15PM ET
Several pundits have remarked that the Patriots are back after beating the Falcons and Ravens in back to back weeks. But some of their struggles still remain. For the most part, Baltimore marched up and down the field on New England’s defense in Week 4 and if it weren’t for a couple of key drops in the red zone, the Ravens could have walked out of Foxboro with a victory. The Broncos need to pressure Tom Brady for four quarters and not stop what has worked for them the first four weeks. Offensively, Knowshon Moreno will have the opportunity to shine today in his first start and as long as Kyle Orton doesn’t turn the ball over, Denver could pull off the small upset.

2. Bengals (3-1) at Ravens (3-1), 1:00PM ET
Who would have thought this would be a big game in Week 5? The Ravens are still seething from their loss to the Patriots last weekend and will look to take it out on an underrated Bengals team. Cincinnati’s 3-1 record is no fluke – they beat the Packers in Green Bay and the defending champion Steelers at home. While they didn’t play well last week in an overtime with over Cleveland, the Bengals proved that they could still wind up victorious even when they make mistakes. Carson Palmer and company won’t get away with turning the ball over today, however. The Ravens feast off turnovers and Cincinnati’s defense will be challenge to slow down Joe Flacco, Ray Rice and the potent Baltimore offense. This game will be a great test to see where the Bengals are.

3. Falcons (2-1) at 49ers (3-1), 4:05PM ET
Nobody wants to define either of these teams. Before the Falcons lost to the Patriots in Week 3, many people thought they were an elite squad. Plenty of pundits want to crown the 49ers a legitimate playoff team, but they need to sustain momentum and beat a good Atlanta team at home. Even without Frank Gore, this is a game San Francisco can control. The Falcons have had issues stopping the run and if the Niners can get Glen Coffee going early, it could open things up for Shaun Hill and the passing game. Mike Singletary’s defense has been great up to this point and if they sell out to stop Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game, they better be prepared to double team tight end Tony Gonzalez and slow Matt Ryan in the passing game. This should be a fun matchup throughout.

4. Texans (2-2) at Cardinals (1-2), 4:15PM ET
It’s time for one of these teams to step up. The Texans have more than enough offensive weapons to make a playoff run but their defense has issues stopping the run and keeping opponents out of the end zone. The Cardinals have dinked and dunked their way through the first three games but Kurt Warner needs to start testing defenses vertically or else this team will continue to struggle. This is actually a good matchup for Houston because Arizona doesn’t pose much of a ground threat and the Texans have a decent pass defense. If the Cards can’t get Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower going, they will have trouble building and sustaining a lead today. And if they can’t take control of this game, they’ll be at risk of once again losing at home, where they were so dominant last year.

When it all boils down to it, football is a pretty easy game. Run the ball effectively, play good defense and don’t turn the ball over.

The Cardinals did none of those things on Sunday night and the Colts cruised to a 31-10 win in Arizona. The Cards rushed for only 24 yards, were shredded by Peyton Manning (24 of 35 for 379 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) and turned the ball over three times (twice in the red zone).

Conversely, the Colts rushed for 126 yards (granted, Indy’s passing game set up the run), were relentless generating pressure on Kurt Warner and only turned the ball over once (which didn’t hurt them, because ‘Zona gave the ball right back on their ensuing drive).

You can’t turn the ball over three times and expect to beat a team like the Colts. Arizona hand fed Manning scoring opportunities the entire night and couldn’t catch up. Once the Cards fell behind, their running game was stripped and the front four of the Colts pinned their ears back and harassed Warner. Arizona’s O-line was terrorized by Dwight Freeney and company, which totaled four sacks and 10 QB hits.

Indy looks like an unstoppable force. The offense is still as potent as ever, but the Colts’ defense looks faster, more aggressive and bigger up front. What’s amazing is that Indy’s defense has looked this good despite not having safety Bob Sanders.

The Colts just might be the team to beat again in the AFC.

Along with the odds and over/under totals, here’s a look at some of the marquee matchups for Week 3 in the NFL.

Falcons (2-0) at Patriots (1-1), Sunday, 1:00PM ET
This will be a great test to see where both of these teams currently lie. The Falcons are 2-0 with wins over two struggling 2008 playoff teams, while the Patriots could very easily be 0-2 right now. Behind quarterback Matt Ryan’s (108.5 QB Rating) great start, Atlanta’s offense is gearing up for big things this season, but the defense is giving up 5.1 YPC and just lost starting DT Peria Jerry for the year. New England has its own defensive problems without middle linebacker Jerod Mayo and Tom Brady still hasn’t looked comfortable on his surgically repaired knee. It would be unwise to doubt Bill Belichick and the Patriots, but the Falcons would go a long way in proving that they’re a legitimate Super Bowl contender with a win at Foxboro.
Odds: Patriots –4.

49ers (2-0) at Vikings (2-0), Sunday, 1:00PMET
Who would have thought that the only matchup this week featuring two 2-0 teams would be the 49ers at Vikings? San Francisco’s defense has been solid in the first two games, yielding less than 300 total yards per game and limiting opponents to only 13 PPG. But neither Arizona nor Seattle posed the rushing threat that Adrian Peterson and Minnesota will provide this Sunday. This will be a great test to see where Mike Singletary’s team is and whether or not the Niners are legitimate playoff contenders. Can Shaun Hill beat the Vikings through the air if/when the Williams Wall takes away Frank Gore?
Odds: Vikings –7.

Titans (0-2) at Jets (2-0), Sunday, 1:00PM ET
Panic hasn’t set in yet for Jeff Fisher and the Titans, although a loss this week in East Rutherford would make things unsettling in Tennessee. Jets’ rookie Mark Sanchez has looked more like a five-year pro than a quarterback with only two career starts under his belt, but will this be the week that he finally suffers some growing pains? Tennessee’s defense has a way of making opposing quarterbacks look bad, although that certainly wasn’t the case last week when Houston’s Matt Schaub threw a career high four touchdown passes against the Titans. If Fisher’s squad falls to 0-3, the Titans may never recover. On the flip side, if the Jets start 3-0 they’ll set themselves up for making a run at the AFC East crown.
Odds: Jets –2.5.

(2-0) Colts at Cardinals (1-1), Sunday, 8:20PM ET
If you like watching quick-tempo offenses, then the Sunday night game will be right up your alley. The Colts defeated the Dolphins on Monday might despite only running 35 plays, which means Peyton Manning and the rest of Indy’s offense is already in midseason form. The Cards bounced back from their opening week loss to the 49ers by pounding the Jaguars last Sunday thanks to Kurt Warner’s amazing 24-for-26 passing day. Watching Manning and Warner dissect the opposing defense is going to be one of the more intriguing things to watch in Week 3.
Odds: Cardinals -2.5.

NFL Week 3 Point Spreads and Over/Under Totals:

Titans +2.5 Over 37
Jets –2.5 Under 37

Jaguars +3.5 Over 46.5
Texans –3.5 Under 46.5

Browns +13 Over 38.5
Ravens –13 Under 38.5

Giants –7 Over 44
Bucs +7 Under 44

Redskins –6.5 Over 38.5
Lions +6 Under 38.5

Packers –6.5 Over 41
Rams +6.5 Under 41

49ers +7 Over 40.5
Vikings –7 Under 40.5

Falcons +4 Over 44
Patriots –4 Under 44

Bears –2 Over 37
Seahawks +2 Under 37

Saints –5.5 Over 52.5
Bills +5.5 Under 52.5

Dolphins +6 Over 44
Chargers -6 Under 44

Steelers –4.5 Over 37
Bengals +4.5 Under 37

Broncos +1.5 Over 36
Raiders –1.5 Under 36

Colts +2.5 Over 48
Cardinals -2.5 Under 48

Panthers +9 Over 46
Cowboys –9 Under 46

Check out updated odds on Week 3 at Bullz-Eye.com.

Kurt Warner set the single-game mark for completion percentage in the Cardinals’ defeated the Jaguars 31-17 on Sunday. Warner completed 24 of his 26 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns, breaking Vinny Testaverde’s completion rating of 91.30, which he set with the Browns in 1993.

Warner was excellent on Sunday, throwing passes to nine different passes and finding Jason Wright and Larry Fitzgerald on touchdown passes of 5-and 22-yards, respectively. Warner also set a team record by completing his first 15 passes in a row, which was set by Jake Plummer on November 8 of 1998.

I hate to crap on Warner’s day but I’m going to do it anyway because I’m a jerk. While his completion percentage of 92% was impressive, he was facing one of the worst defensive backfields in the AFC. The Jaguars couldn’t generate any kind of a pass rush and Warner had a day and a half to throw the ball every time he dropped back.

Remember when the Jaguars used to give teams fits by living in the opponents’ backfields? What happened to Jacksonville’s defense? Oh yeah, it’s in Atlanta with Mike Smith and Mike Peterson…and Buffalo with Marcus Stroud…

Even though Jacksonville’s defense isn’t what it used to be, the record set by Warner couldn’t have happened to a better person. Warner remains one of the classiest players in the league and he needed this performance after last week’s disappointing loss to San Francisco. In fact, the entire Arizona team did.

Who would have thought that Jay Cutler’s debut for the Bears would go so poorly? How about Jake Delhomme picking up right where he left off in last year’s playoffs? The 49ers beat the Cardinals on the road?!

Below are 10 surprises from Week 1 in the NFL. Feel free to add what surprised you in our comments section.

1. Cutler’s atrocious Bears debut.
When Chicago acquired quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos this offseason, fans immediately started believing that their Bears were a legitimate Super Bowl contender. After all, the only thing that had held this team back over the years was not having a franchise quarterback. Now that the Bears had one in Cutler, the sky was the limit. Given the lofty expectations that fans had for the Bears, Cutler’s debut Sunday night in Green Bay was startling. The numbers were bad enough: 17 of 36, 277 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs. But it was Cutler’s demeanor during the game that was most troubling. He constantly threw across his body into traffic, was rarely on the same page as his receivers and it appeared as though he flat out stopped trying after throwing his third pick of the night. Granted, there’s still a lot of time left. But nobody expected Cutler to get off to this bad of a start.

2. Miami shoots itself in the foot.
Even though Atlanta’s defense rose to the challenge on Sunday, it was still quite surprising to see the Dolphins routinely beat themselves with costly turnovers and dumb penalties. Early in the second quarter, Miami drove to the Falcons’ 16-yard line only to have tight end Anthony Fasano fumble after receiving a bone crunching hit from Mike Peterson. Cornerback Brian Williams returned the gift 53 yards and Atlanta capitalized with a Jason Elam 36-yard field goal. Midway through the third, the Dolphins again drove into Atlanta territory, but quarterback Chad Pennington didn’t see Peterson waiting in the flats and was picked off by the linebacker. The Falcons again capitalized, this time on a Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez 20-yard touchdown pass to give them a 16-0 lead. On Miami’s very next series, Fasano fumbled again, only this time Elam missed a 38-yard field goal. Later in the fourth, the Dolphins had a touchdown taken off the board after offensive lineman Vernon Carey was called for holding. This was a Miami team that won the AFC East last year because they did all the little things right. They never hurt themselves with mistakes and always capitalized on their opponents’ miscues. But the opposite happened on Sunday and considering Tony Sparano’s team isn’t talented enough to overcome turnovers and penalties, the Dolphins can’t have what happened in Atlanta become a routine occurrence.

3. 49ers upset the Cardinals.
Maybe the 49ers’ impressive 20-16 win in Arizona on Sunday shouldn’t be that surprising. After all, the Cardinals lost two offensive coordinators this offseason (including playcaller Todd Haley) and Mike Singletary has the Niners playing hard again. San Fran also features an underrated secondary, one in which that neutralized the effectiveness of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Still, it was rather surprising that after Shaun Hill found Frank Gore on a three-yard touchdown pass with roughly seven minutes remaining in the game, that the Cardinals could do nothing on their final three series on offense. Credit San Fran for forcing Kurt Warner to go with underneath routes (running back Tim Hightower racking up 12 catches for 121 yards is shocking on its own) and not being able to throw vertically as well as he did last year. This win will help Singletary instill confidence in this team – confidence that could take the 49ers far this season.

4. Delhomme picks up right where he left off.
The 2008 season ended in disaster for quarterback Jake Delhomme and the Panthers. Delhomme was picked off five times and fumbled once, as Carolina was smacked 33-13 by the eventual NFC Champion Cardinals in the divisional round of the playoffs. Given how jarring his performance was in that game, it would have been a surprise to see Delhomme come out in the Panthers’ 2009 opener and play as poorly as he did against the Cardinals. Wouldn’t you know it, that’s exactly what happened. Delhomme was a disaster again on Sunday, completing just 7 of his 17 pass attempts for 73 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. Delhomme was the Eagles’ best player as Philly rolled to a 38-10 victory in Charlotte. Perhaps what’s more shocking than Delhomme’s brutal performance is the fact that Carolina refuses to develop a young signal caller behind their awful starter. Not to mention, the team also signed Delhomme to an extension this offseason despite his age and inconsistent play. The Panthers’ running game is still one of the best in the NFC, so as long as Delhomme can limit his turnovers to one or two a game instead of his normal four or five, then the Panthers could still be competitive this year. If not, it’s going to be a long season for John Fox and company in Carolina.

5. Falcons defense rebounds from poor preseason effort.
Heading into Week 1, the Falcons had major concerns about their defense after the unit was routinely torched in preseason. Most troubling was the play of the secondary, which couldn’t get off the field on third downs, even when opponents faced third-and-a-mile situations. But on Sunday, Atlanta played like Mike Smith’s old Jaguar defenses in that they were fast, aggressive and tenacious. They limited the Dolphins to 163 passing yards, forced four turnovers and sacked quarterback Chad Pennington four times. Given how potent their offense will be this year, if the Falcons’ defense can play as well throughout the season as it did on Sunday, then Atlanta goes from being a playoff contender to a Super Bowl contender.

6. Bush’s tough day.
In a game in which his team racked up 45 points, 515 total yards of offense and six touchdowns, Reggie Bush was non-existent on Sunday. Drew Brees shredded the Lions for 358 yards and six touchdowns, while running back Mike Bell racked up 143 rushing yards on 28 carries. Bush only mustered 14 yards on seven carries and muffed two punts. His greatest contribution to the Saints’ big day was catching five passes for 55 yards. For a player that is supposed to be feared around the league for his big play ability, Bush was incredibly average on Sunday, although in fairness he has been dealing with a calf injury. Still, if Bell can rush for 143 yards, one would think that Bush could have done a little better than 14 yards on seven carries.

7. Texans come out flat.
Pundits couldn’t stop gushing about how the Texans had finally turned the corner as a franchise and would compete for a playoff berth this season. That could still happen, although their performance yesterday against the Jets (a 24-7 New York victory) certainly didn’t instill any confidence. For a team that many considered a “sleeper” candidate this preseason, Houston came out flat and uninspired in their opener. They were playing a rookie quarterback making his pro debut on the road and yet the Texans allowed Mark Sanchez to complete 18 of his 31 pass attempts for 272 yards and a touchdown. Houston’s run defense was a disaster too, allowing the Jets to rack up 190 rushing yards on 42 attempts (4.5 YPC). Considering that their run defense was an issue last year, that’s not a good sign. This was only their first game, so maybe the Texans will rebound and still compete for a playoff berth. But they sure looked like the same Houston team on Sunday that has come up short the past couple of years.

8. Lefwich isn’t sacked once.
The Cowboys’ defense prides itself on making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket. Thanks to OLB/DE DeMarcus Ware, Dallas routinely gets pressure on the quarterback and one would have thought that the Cowboys would have racked up plenty of sacks on Sunday facing the immobile Byron Leftwich in Tampa. But surprisingly, Leftwich wasn’t sacked once, although he was pressured throughout the day. The fact that Dallas threw up a goose egg in the sack column is a testament to how good the Bucs’ offensive line is. The starting five of Jeremy Trueblood, Davin Joseph, Jeff Faine, Jeremy Zuttah and Donald Penn form one of the more underrated offensive lines in all of football, especially from a run-blocking standpoint. Running backs Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward should turn in banner years thanks to this line.

9. The Rams get shut out.
There’s no doubt about it: St. Louis is a bad football team. But considering the Rams are heading in a new direction under first-time head coach Steve Spagnuolo, one would have thought that they could have mustered a lousy field goal in their opener. The Seahawks are going to be a much improved football team this year, but there’s still no excuse for an offense that employs Steven Jackson at running back not to score any points. Even as bad as the Rams were last year, they were never shut out. Not once. This was a worst-case scenario for Spagnuolo.

10. Stokley’s amazing circus catch.
This was just bananas:

The Cardinals raised their 2008 NFC Championship banner on Sunday before their game against the 49ers, and then promptly saw their potent offense neutralized in a disappointing 20-16 loss.

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 288 yards and a touchdown, but he also finished with two interceptions and failed to get receiver Anquan Boldin (who had just two receptions for 19 yards) involved in the passing game. Warner did hook up with Larry Fitzgerald six times for 71 yards and a touchdown, but San Fran did an outstanding job mostly limiting the veteran signal caller to underneath passes and dump offs (which is why running back Tim Hightower racked up 121 yards on 12 receptions). Cornerbacks Nate Clements and Dre’ Bly did an outstanding job blanketing Fitzgerald and Boldin all game.

The 49ers’ offense struggled to get into a rhythm for most of the day. But quarterback Shaun Hill delivered when it mattered most by leading San Fran on a 15-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown reception by Frank Gore.

While it certainly isn’t panic time for Arizona considering this is only the first week, it must be worrisome for head coach Ken Whisenhunt that he lost playcaller Todd Haley this offseason and the Cardinals only mustered 16 points. Arizona’s offense wasn’t anemic by any means, but it’s interesting that when they absolutely needed to march down the field and score in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t muster more than one first down in each of their final three drives.