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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona rookie guard Jonathan Cooper rolled into the Cardinals’ locker room on a one-legged scooter with a look of eagerness and veiled frustration.

He began rehab on his broken left fibula Monday, the first step toward returning to football next season. He suffered the injury in a preseason game a little more than six weeks ago. On his first day, Cooper worked on the upper body bike to get his blood flowing and begin rebuilding his cardio.

Doctors removed the cast on his left leg Wednesday, which gave Cooper hope that he’d be able to start walking again, but doctors quickly told him that he’s at least a few weeks away from putting any weight on his leg. And that’s when the veiled frustration set in.

His scooter is the best way for Cooper to get around. He has a backpack hanging on the front to carry his belongings. He flies around on just one push off. But the novelty of it wore off quickly.

“It’s miserable now,” Cooper said. “My knee hurts. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh man, that’s awesome.’ It’s like yeah, for the first day.”

Cooper, who was drafted with the seventh overall pick in April’s draft, stayed in Arizona and joins his teammates in all their meetings. But just because he’s injured, doesn’t mean he’s excused from the rookie treatment.

It actually hasn’t stopped.

“They’ve embraced me,” Cooper said. “They still talk junk to me and treat me like I’m a normal guy. It’s been fine.”

All the support, all the teasing, all the rookie antics have helped, but in the end they can’t make up for Cooper not playing.

“It’s been tough,” Cooper said. “(You) come in and you want to leave your mark and I’m not able to play my rookie year but it’s OK. Now I’ve kinda accepted my role, just be around the guys and get as much film in as I can.”

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams returned to practice Tuesday after a long weekend to reflect on last week's disappointing performance against San Francisco.

The good news for the Rams is that they didn't appear to add but one name to the expected group of players not practicing. Right guard Harvey Dahl did not practice Tuesday for undisclosed reasons. He did watch the practice from the sidelines.

The rest of the injured players were all mentioned by coach Jeff Fisher in his news conference on Friday. Tackle Rodger Saffold (knee), defensive end William Hayes (knee), cornerback Cortland Finnegan (hamstring) and linebacker Will Witherspoon (hamstring) did not participate in the practice.

The Rams aren't required to release an injury report until Wednesday.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Following the final play of Arizona’s 13-10 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, it was easy to tell Cardinals coach Bruce Arians wasn’t quite basking in the delight of evening his record at 2-2.

He had called the simplest -- and most gratifying -- of plays for a coach: the kneel down. Except it wasn’t simple against the Bucs and coach Greg Schiano. Tampa Bay rushed the Cards’ first kneel down, knocking down Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer on the play. And the Bucs rushed again on the second kneel down, which ran out the clock.

Arians wasn’t happy. He barely shook hands with Schiano and had some words for a Tampa Bay assistant coach, according to a replay of the game.

“That’s their style,” Arians said Monday. “I have no comment on it.”

But some Bucs fans did.

One fan called into Schiano’s radio show Monday and told him the move was “bush league,” according to JoeBucsFan.com.

Schiano, as expected, responded, saying he leaves the decision to rush the kneel down up to his players. He also admitted it’s never worked in the NFL. And he wants people to stop complaining.

Here’s Schiano’s entire response, per JoeBucsFan.com:

“I can say it’s misunderstood. Maybe I’m misunderstood. Who knows? But there’s a couple of things that I can tell you. No. 1, it’s an organized play. It isn’t just a mayhem of diving.

“Has it worked here yet in the NFL? No. Has it worked before? Sure. It’s worked or I wouldn’t do it. You know, we’ve caused several balls to be put on the ground in the past in doing this. And there’s a technique, a series of techniques that are involved.

“But most importantly, you know, I want everybody to know, our players, I ask our players, ‘If we don’t want to do this, we don’t do it.’ I mean, that’s where I am. I’m not going to force guys. Because is there always a risk involved? Sure. I mean there’s always a risk involved when you’re hitting other people. And I’m talking about a risk for our players.

“But, you know, when your players believe it can give you an opportunity, now why do they believe? Because they’ve seen the video. They’ve seen the ball on the ground in a situation that that shouldn’t happen. So I think that they understand if done correctly, there’s a good opportunity. …

“When it’s a one-score opportunity, and especially a field goal opportunity and there’s time left to do it, that’s part of our beliefs. And guys can disagree with it, call it, you know, there’s no bush league to it. You know it’s coming. And if anybody saw it, Gerald McCoy was shaking his head telling [Arizona], ‘We’re coming.’ So I mean, you know what, run the play. If there’s time on the clock, run the play. I’d like people to quit complaining, and that’s what we’re going to do, and get ready for it.”

Schiano said he won’t force his players to do it, but he’s not forcing them to stop, either. Arians is a veteran of this league. Schiano, well, is not. There are unwritten rules that are followed. This is another example of Schiano trying to bring a college gimmick to the NFL, and like mostly everything else, it doesn’t look like it’s working.

A weekly examination of the 49ers' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason ranking: 3 | Last Week: 10 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

The San Francisco 49ers’ short journey out of single-digit rankings is over after a 35-11 win at St. Louis in Week 4. Last week, the 49ers fell to No. 10 after dropping to 1-2. It was the team’s lowest ranking since Week 5 of 2011. The 49ers were never ranked lower than No. 5 last season.

Now, they appear to be back on the right track. The voting panel clearly respects and believes in San Francisco. The 49ers are the highest-ranked 2-2 team in the league. They are also ranked higher than Chicago, Detroit and Tennessee. Those teams are all 3-1.

A win over visiting Houston, ranked No. 15, should keep the 49ers pointing upward in Week 6.

A weekly examination of the Cardinals' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 26 | Last Week: 22 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

So maybe Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was on to something when he said it doesn’t matter how his team wins, as long as it wins. The Cardinals pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback in Tampa Bay to cap a 13-10 win in an ugly game. But style points don’t count in the NFL, and the win helped Arizona move up three places in this week’s ESPN.com Power Rankings. Last week in Sarasota, Fla., offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin talked about the offense showing flashes, but that’s all it’s done. But during those flashes, the Cardinals have displayed how powerful Arians’ new offense can be, which is not a secret around the NFL. The Cardinals moved the ball with ease on two drives in the third quarter, but they were derailed by Carson Palmer interceptions. This team has the pieces, it’s just a matter of the players figuring out how to make them work. Arians said Monday he has never seen a team take so long to figure out his offense, which he labeled as “putrid.” If “putrid” means a win, it can only go up from here.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- One of the biggest problems for the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the season has been its inability to get into a rhythm on offense.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando came up with a telling statistic: The 49ers gave gone three-and-out on 43.1 percent of their offensive series. It’s the fourth highest percentage in the league.

Getting into an offensive rhythm was a big problem in San Francisco’s two losses to Seattle and Indianapolis. They scored a combined 10 points in the two games. Their offensive production improved in Week 4 during a 35-11 win at St. Louis. While they were able to run the ball well against the Rams, the offense still sputtered at times because of a lack of receiver depth.

But San Francisco's defense has forced three-and-outs 39.6 percent of the time -- tied with Dallas for the fifth most in the league. That is strong work and it is another indication that the 49ers' defense has not been the problem as they sit at 2-2.

The defense has sagged at times, but it has happened late in games because of the offensive issues. If San Francisco can start sustaining some drives, it should help both sides of the ball.

RENTON, Wash. -- When Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked Monday how his patchwork offensive line did against the Houston Texans, he used the same word a couple of times, which seemed appropriate: Survived.

Carroll was asked how rookie right tackle Michael Bowie held up against unstoppable J.J. Watt.

“Yeah, he survived the game,” Carroll said of Bowie.

And what about Paul McQuistan, moving from guard to make his second consecutive start at left tackle Russell Okung?

“He’s surviving,” Carroll said of McQuistan.

You can read between the lines. In other words, both men did their best and left the field healthy, but didn’t exactly take charge out there.

The truth is, none of the five starters up front did that, including guards James Carpenter and J.R. Sweezy, or back-up center Lemuel Jeanpierre, who started for injured Pro Bowler Max Unger. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times and was under constant pressure.

Yet the Seahawks still found a way to come from behind and beat a good team on the road 23-20 in overtime, remaining unbeaten at 4-0.

However, can the Seahawks continue to do that with an offensive line that’s struggling and trying to find its way?

“Well they’re going to get better,” Carroll said of the offensive line. “They’re going to improve. It’s going to be easier for Mike with the second time out at right tackle. I thought he and Sweezy did better as the game went on. They struggled early and got better in terms of working together. So, hopefully, that will continue to improve.”

It needs to because Bowie will continue to start a few weeks longer. Starting right tackle Breno Giacomini had arthroscopic knee surgery Monday. Carroll said doctors told him the procedure went well and Giacomini could return soon, but the timetable is uncertain.

All Carroll hopes to see from Bowie is his best effort to get better.

“I don’t know that we could ask for any more than that,” Carroll said. “He did improve during the game [at Houston], which what’s most encouraging. Mike is going to be a good football player. We really don’t have any question about that. He’s growing quickly. He was comfortable with it and it wasn’t too big for him. So I’m hoping that we’ll see real steady improvement here in the next couple of weeks until Breno has a chance to come back.”

Unger (who missed the Houston game with a triceps injury) could return this weekend at center, but McQuistan is the likely starter at left tackle for at least six more week until Okung is eligible to come off injured reserve.

“It’s not his natural spot, but with smarts and utilizing the scheme he’s getting through it,” Carroll said of McQuistan. “That’s all we can hope for him to continue to do for us. It’s a big challenge out there. He’s getting great players [lining up against him] week in and week out and he’s going to work hard to survive it.”

Survival is the minimum requirement. Anything more is a bonus.

Bennett OK: There were a lot of concerned faces among the Seahawks when defensive linemen Michael Bennett was face down on the turf before being carted off the field in the first half Sunday. He was taken to a Houston hospital, but Bennett returned to Reliant Stadium late in the second half and was walking on the sideline. He strained a muscle in his lower back.

“Michael is gonna be OK and will practice this week,’’ Carroll said Monday about Bennett. “He was feeling pretty good [Monday]. He was really scared when it happened and didn’t know what was going on. We will see how much he can work, but hope he can play this week.”

A weekly examination of the Seahawks' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 1 | Last Week: 1 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

A near-miraculous second-half comeback to remain unbeaten wasn’t enough for the Seattle Seahawks to keep the top spot in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

Seattle pulled off a 23-20 overtime victory on the road against the Houston Texans, but judging by how poorly the Seahawks played in the first half, it’s easy to see why the Denver Broncos leaped ahead of them.

Seattle was down 20-3 at the half after giving up 324 yards (including 226 passing yards) to the Texans. And the Seahawks' patchwork offensive line, down three starters, was a hot mess most of the day, allowing five sacks and looking clueless on how to keep the Texans' defenders out of the backfield.

However, the Seahawks are at their best when things look their worst. Down 20-6 in the fourth quarter, quarterback Russell Wilson used his running ability to lead the team to a 98-yard touchdown drive. And Richard Sherman made Texans quarterback Matt Schaub the most unpopular man in Houston with a 58-yard pick-six to tie the game.

The Seahawks' final 42-yard drive led to a 45-yard Steven Hauschka field goal that won it after the Seattle defense had held the Texans scoreless for the last 41 minutes of the game at 20-all.

So it was a tale of two halves. The Seahawks didn’t look like a team worthy of a top-10 ranking in the first half. They looked like a team of heart, grit and a never-quit attitude in the second half.

The end result was another victory, but a one-spot drop in the rankings.

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After a two-game in five days sprint last week, we fell a bit behind on our study sessions, but we’re back despite some troubles with the All-22 film on the San Francisco game.

Considering we’re dealing with two Rams’ games -- at Dallas and home against San Francisco -- this week’s version of study session will be condensed, with a bit more overarching thoughts buoyed by examples from those games.

On to the defense:

• The first thing that stands out from the Dallas to the San Francisco game is the increased aggressive approach by the defense against the Niners. The Rams played more man coverage, and early in the game it seemed to be working. Eventually, the Niners were able to hammer away with the run game and it opened some things up for San Francisco.
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/G. Newman LowranceJanoris Jenkins is off to a strong start in coverage despite some recent penalties.
• Cornerback Janoris Jenkins is playing better than the penalties that have been going against him might indicate. He’s been victimized by some borderline calls, the type of calls that second-year players don’t normally get against veterans like Anquan Boldin. But Jenkins was sticky in coverage and seems to be timing his attempts at pass breakups better. It was actually a bit surprising the Rams didn’t shadow Boldin with Jenkins given the Niners’ lack of other pass-catching threats.
• The other player who showed up against San Francisco was middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. He had probably his best game of the season with 12 tackles, and broke up a pair of deep passes down the field.
• Unfortunately for the Rams, there wasn’t much more to write home about, especially in trying to stop running back Frank Gore.
• The Rams greatly missed William Hayes (knee injury) in this game. Ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn struggled to set the edge, and tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford didn’t get much push up the middle.
• On a pair of Gore’s long runs, including his 34-yard touchdown, Brockers and Langford get wiped out and it allows a blocker to get to the second level to remove the linebackers. Niners guard Mike Iupati pulls right on Gore’s touchdown, and is able to bury Alec Ogletree and open the path to the end zone, in no small part because the defensive tackles are taken out of the play.
• In last season’s two meetings with the Niners, the Rams had great success against Colin Kaepernick by turning up the heat with the blitz. This season, not so much. The Rams blitzed 10 times, less than the 60 percent rate they did in 2012, and Kaepernick had success against it. Although the Rams got home for a sack once, Kaepernick completed seven-of-eight for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
• The Rams don’t seem to be getting home much on the blitz at all this season, and many of the blitzes seem to be telegraphed. Slow-developing blitzes such as the one that came on Kaepernick’s first touchdown pass to Boldin seem to keep popping up. On that play, the Rams rushed just three down linemen, but then linebackers Ogletree and Laurinaitis circled around to the right side. Neither got anywhere near Kaepernick, who got the ball out quick as Boldin beat the struggling Cortland Finnegan for a touchdown.
• We’ll add special teams in this space again with a nod to punter Johnny Hekker, who is quietly having a Pro Bowl caliber season.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians didn’t need his notepad to evaluate the Cardinals’ offensive performance in their 13-10 win over Tampa Bay. In fact, he needed just one word: “Putrid.”

Here are a few notes from his Monday news conference:

• Arians said linebacker Daryl Washington will start immediately, most likely alongside Karlos Dansby.
• The defense played one of its best games this season, Arians said, especially the run stop.
• Adding to his “putrid” description of the offense, Arians said its troubles are starting to get repetitive.
• Arians hasn’t seen a team take this long to pick up his offense before.
• Dan Williams is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday night.
• Arians said Nate Potter looked “OK” at right guard taking over for an injured Daryn Colledge. The second-year player’s athleticism helped him.
• Arians also alluded to getting rookie linebacker Kevin Minter back this week.
• Arians didn’t have an update on the injured players who left Sunday’s game but said they were all minor.

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- After a two-game-in-five-days sprint last week, we fell a bit behind on our study sessions, but we’re back despite some troubles with the all-22 film on the San Francisco game.

Considering we’re dealing with two Rams games -- at Dallas and home against San Francisco -- this week’s version of study session will be condensed with a bit more overarching thoughts buoyed by examples from those games.

Let’s start with the offense.

• The offensive line has struggled mightily in the past two games, especially on the interior. Running lanes have been few and far between and quarterback Sam Bradford has had few opportunities to step up in the pocket when pressure comes from the edge.
• What’s most damaging is the amount of pressure the Cowboys and Niners got without blitzing. Bradford was blitzed just 17 times in those games and actually did quite well against the added pressure, completing 13 of those passes for 128 yards while being sacked just once. That means on 83 other drop-backs, Bradford faced normal pressure and was sacked 10 times. In San Francisco’s case, all five sacks came from rushing four or fewer. None of the Rams' running backs have showed much in pass protection, either.
• [+] Enlarge

  Dilip Vishwanat/Getty ImagesDaryl Richardson has had little room to run.
  The Niners also brought out another on-going issue the Rams have in the passing game: batted passes. I had them down for three more against Bradford and that number continues to grow. Those amount to lost plays, too.
• Obviously things aren’t much better in the run game. The rushing totals speak for themselves and there’s really not any one person to point the finger at. Center Scott Wells and the two guards, Chris Williams and Harvey Dahl really struggled to create openings.
• Maybe more disappointing are the struggles of the Rams' tight ends blocking. Nobody expected Jared Cook to contribute much in that area and he’s lived up to that reputation so far (including a number of whiffs against the Niners) but even Lance Kendricks has had some struggles. Niners linebacker Ahmad Brooks manhandled Kendricks on an early Daryl Richardson run that went for no gain.
• To be sure, the blame doesn’t fall totally on the line for the Rams’ offensive struggles. None of the Rams' running backs had any success finding ways to get yards after contact on the rare occasions they weren’t swallowed up immediately. Any yards Richardson gained after contact were simply a function of falling forward when tackled.
• As for Bradford, the protection wasn’t good but he also looked as uncomfortable against San Francisco as he has in a long time. In the early part of the game, Bradford stood in the pocket despite pressure and delivered some strikes, but when the pressure piled up, that confidence seemed to vanish.
• The two most glaring missed chances were, of course, the misfire intended for Austin Pettis that Bradford had too much heat on under pressure. A little air under it and it’s a touchdown. Should have been a layup regardless of circumstance. Also, it’s perhaps a bit overlooked but Bradford’s interception to San Francisco safety Donte Whitner was another bad miss. Whitner made a heck of a play on it but there was an open window in which to drop the pass to Brian Quick that would have resulted in a big play or even a touchdown. On the play, Bradford underthrew the pass, it got deflected by Niners corner Tramaine Brock and Whitner intercepted it. You’d like Quick to be more physical to at least get it knocked away but this one was on Bradford. There was space over Quick’s outside shoulder to put that ball and he wasn’t able to do it in that spot. The result was a third-and-1 interception and the Rams got no points out of it.
• Bradford was also lucky that the Niners missed a few opportunities for easy interceptions.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Some random thoughts on a Monday as the rest of the NFL caught up with the San Francisco 49ers, who started Week 4 off Thursday night with a 35-11 win at St. Louis:

The 49ers are 2-2, and a quarter into the season they are tied with NFC West foe Arizona for the final wild-card spot. San Francisco trails rival Seattle, 4-0, by two games after the Seahawks came back from down 14 points in the fourth quarter to win at Houston in overtime. It’s the same Texans team the 49ers host on Sunday. The 49ers are going to be playing a shell-shocked team on 10 days rest.

The final 12 games for San Francisco don't currently look overly daunting. Only three remaining opponents, Seattle, New Orleans (3-0 heading into tonight’s game against Miami) and Tennessee (3-1) have a winning record.

Speaking of the Titans, quarterback Jake Locker was hurt Sunday and it appears the 49ers will face Ryan Fitzpatrick in Nashville in 20 days.

The 49ers’ 2014 draft continues to look like it's getting better. Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs improved to 4-0 on Sunday. The 49ers received a second-round pick in April for Smith and they will get another second-round pick if the Chiefs win eight games this season. Thus, if the Chiefs go 4-8 the rest of the season, the 49ers will get the second-round pick.

A review of four hot issues from the Arizona Cardinals' 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Offense needs work: Arizona''s offense struggled to move the ball last season, and it seems to be carrying over into the Bruce Arians era. The offense seems to get stuck in the mud and spin its tires for most of the game until it gets a light nudge from the defense or one of its receivers. And, as much as the Cardinals have talked about fixing the problems, the same things keep happening. Arizona didn’t convert a third down in the first half and was 1-for-10 overall. Six of their 10 third downs, including the one conversion, were for 10 yards or less. The Cardinals managed just 87 yards of total offense in the first half, and they were lucky to win. Since 2001, the Cards are 20-47 when totaling less than 100 yards in either half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There could be a simple fix, but it’s a matter of finding out exactly what’s wrong.

Run D showed up: No wonder the defensive line wanted to know how many rushing yards it allowed right after the game. The Cardinals held Bucs running back Doug Martin to 45 yards on 27 carries, his lowest total of the season and the lowest of his career when he has 27 or more carries. Martin is averaging 137 yards per game in the four contests in which he has 27 carries or more. According Mark Dalton, Arizona’s vice president of media relations, with information from the Elias Sports Bureau, Martin is the eighth player to have 45 or fewer yards on 25 or more carries since 1935.

Fitz needs to be fed: As Carson Palmer attempted each pass during the first half, none of which were intended for Larry Fitzgerald, the shock spread. Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first two quarters for the first time since Week 16 of 2010 against the Dallas Cowboys, when the Cardinals also squeezed out a win, 27-26, according to ESPN Stats & Information. As soon as Fitzgerald was worked into the game plan Sunday, Arizona moved the ball with ease because it put the Bucs on alert.

Injuries hurt defense: If the Cardinals weren’t decimated on defense already after New Orleans on Sept. 22, they might not want to go into the training room Monday. Arizona lost three more players to injuries, all at key positions. Linebacker Vic So'oto left the game with a possible concussion. Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett left with a groin injury, as did linebacker Jasper Brinkley. This is on top of the rash of injuries suffered two weekends ago and the loss of Dan Williams for the game. So’oto’s injury could be more serious than the others, but Dockett and Brinkley have until Wednesday to rest, otherwise it’s another run through the waiver wire.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It wasn’t Arizona running back Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble, dropped carry or bobbled pass that Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was unhappy about. Arians was not pleased with Mendenhall’s decision to try to run out of bounds with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Mendenhall fumbled the ball out, allowing the clock to keep running and forcing Tampa Bay to call a timeout.

“Rashard had a very tough day and he can’t play that way,” Arians said. “He can’t run out of bounds. He’s a veteran. And to run out of bounds at the end of the game was ridiculous. That was probably the worst mistake he made all day.”

On the Cardinals’ second play of the game, Mendenhall missed an easy swing pass from quarterback Carson Palmer in the flat. Then on the team’s next drive, he dropped a ball but was ruled down. And on the very next play, Mendenhall fumbled and Tampa Bay recovered.

“It’s unlike him. He’s not a fumbler,” Arians said. “We need to practice him a little bit harder. I think we’ve been too easy on him in practice because of his injuries and we need to hone him up more because he’s not game ready.”

Moch produces in debut: He only saw the field for 25 plays, but recently promoted Dontay Moch made the most of them. Moch had a critical sack on third-and-10 with just under 3 minutes left that forced the Bucs to punt and allowed the Cardinals to hit a game-winning field goal.

“I saw it open up, I was rushing in and I kept baiting him the whole day, just showing the speed, just showing the speed and eventually it opened for me and I just took it,” Moch said. “I tried to get the safety but [mostly wanted] just to get the defense out.”

Arians talked all week about Moch’s speed and said after the game the linebacker proved himself.

“I had him on the table for two sacks going into the game,” Arians said, “and I knew he would show up.”

Arians finds success in Tampa: At least this time, the Cardinals won in Raymond James Stadium. Arians is used to leaving Tampa Bay a victor. He’s won his past three appearances in the home of the Bucs, culminating with Sunday’s 13-10 win as coach of the Cards.

His two previous wins in Tampa came as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, once during the regular season in 2010 and another in Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 -- against the Cardinals.

“Wouldn’t have any other ending at Raymond James Stadium,” Arians said. “Kind of used to those kind [of endings]. Haven’t been on the losing end yet, for a while, at this place.”

A review of four hot issues from the Seattle Seahawks' 23-20 overtime victory over the Houston Texans:

A telling victory: It says a lot about a team's character when it does as many things wrong as Seattle did Sunday and still found a way to win. The Seahawks were down 20-3 at halftime and had given up 324 yards to the Texans, but completely turned things around in the fourth quarter to eventually win in overtime. "We showed we can prevail no matter what happens,” said defensive end Chris Clemons.

Stats can be misleading: If you try to judge the Seahawks by what you read in the box score, you are making a big mistake. Seattle isn't 4-0 because it puts up better numbers than its opponents. The Seahawks are undefeated because they are at their best when things seem to be the worst. This team is all about making big plays in crucial situations. They thrive on it. And they are willing to take risks on plays that can shift the game in their favor and change the outcome: cornerback Richard Sherman jumping in front of a pass for a 58-yard pick-six, Golden Tate catching a punt at the goal line and returning it to the 31, quarterback Russell Wilson going for the extra yards running rather than sliding to avoid a hit, etc. Sometimes the risks come back to bite them, but most of the time they become big plays that give Seattle the edge.

The offensive line must improve: It's remarkable Seattle was able to come from behind and win Sunday on a day in which three offensive line starters were out with injuries. Wilson rarely had time to make throws downfield because the backups struggled against the talented defensive front for Houston. But the Seahawks cannot expect to keep winning when the offensive line plays as poorly as it did Sunday. Center Max Unger and right tackle Breno Giacomini might be back soon, which will help. Left tackle Russell Okung is out for a least another six weeks. Seattle will have to fight through this, which it did Sunday, and hope the line gets better. Rookie tackle Michael Bowie, who started for Giacomini on Sunday, has the physical skills to become a good player, but he needs more playing time. His first start came against one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL in J.J. Watt, so Bowie's performance is bound to improve if he starts again this weekend for Giacomini. The Seahawks are fortunate they have the most elusive quarterback in the league in Wilson, but he won't stay healthy if the line doesn't show progress.

Lynch hitting his stride: Running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries Sunday, including a Beast-Mode special in the first quarter Sunday when he broke at least six tackles on a 43-yard run from the Seattle 2 to the 45. The Seahawks need Lynch to keep it up and take some of the heat off Wilson and the offensive line in pass blocking. The more an opponent's defense has to focus on Lynch, the more pressure it takes off the line in pass blocking and the better Wilson is at making big throws downfield. As bad as the O-line is at times in pass protection, it can be pretty good overall in run blocking.