And then there were three!

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Week 4 of the Franchise Stars Football League's first season offered chances at redemption, opportunities to make big steps forward, and chances to continue to pursuit of perfection!

We'll start with the latter, where the New England Patriots saw their loss column turn from 0 to 1 after a narrow defeat in Dallas, 28-25, against the Cowboys. After the league's top-rated passer, Tom Brady, got the ball back with a three-point deficit and two minutes on the clock, Cornell Green picked off Brady to seal the win for the 'Boys, who got back to .500 after dropping their first two games of the season to the Giants and Jets, respectively. The pick was Brady's first of the season, while the Cowboys got a four-touchdown performance from Roger Staubach, who looked like himself for the first time in this young season.

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It was a nip-and-tuck affair in Buffalo as well, where the Bills managed to hold on to their unbeaten mark with a 31-28 win over the Dolphins, in so doing taking over sole possession of first place in the AFC East. Scott Norwood drilled a 48-yard field goal in the final minute to break the tie and back OJ Simpson's pair of touchdown runs.

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The final AFC East team, the Jets, gave a terrific defensive effort to contain the Chiefs, picking off Steve DeBerg three times. But it wasn't enough to deal the Chiefs their first defeat, as Kansas City's defense locked down the Jets' Curtis Martin and pressured Ken O'Brien all game in the 21-14 win to stay unbeaten.

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Through four weeks, the FSFL's best defense belongs to the Indianapolis Colts, at least in terms of points allowed. That number is 50, and more than half of them were surrendered in Week 4, where Kurt Warner and the Rams proved a step up in offensive class. But the Colts got two touchdown passes from Bert Jones and the defense picked Warner twice, with Lenny Lyles getting him on a late drive to seal the victory for Indy, who became the third team to reach 4-0.

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That win sets up a fascinating matchup in Week 5, where the redemption portion of our intro comes into play.

The Colts will host the Oilers, who after an embarrassing opening week performance in New Orleans have rattled off three straight wins as Jerry Glanville has sorted out to how function his run-and-shoot offense with a dynamic tandem of backs in Earl Campbell and Derrick Henry. The Oilers - expected to be one of the better teams in the AFC - will provide a great litmus test for the Colts.

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After their wins over the Jaguars and Texans were dismissed by many, the Colts' 17-3 win over the Ravens in Week 3 looks better now, as the Ravens redeemed themselves after the loss with a 17-14 win over the Browns, who were thought to be among the AFC's top teams entering the season. Jim Brown got his yardage (111), but the Ravens picked off Bernie Kosar three times as they improved to 3-1.

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Despite it being against the lowly Texans, a redemption of sorts for the Steelers as well, whose offense had failed to click over the first three weeks - particularly in back-to-back 28-14 losses to the Browns and Raiders. They broke out for 45 points in a shutout rout of the Texans, with Terry Bradshaw throwing three touchdowns and Willie Parker topping the 100-yard mark. The defense was its usual self, forcing five Texans turnovers. The Steelers may be hitting their stride, and will have an opportunity to prove that when the face the Ravens this week.

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Week 5 broadcasts on the channel:

Oilers (3-1) @ Colts (4-0)
Steelers (2-2) @ Ravens (3-1)
Cowboys (2-2) @ 49ers (3-1)

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