NFL Week 4 Predictions

September 28, 2005, 2:39 PM | 0 Comments

Note: Predictions for week 4 of the 2008 NFL season can be found here: NFL Week 4 Predictions.

8-6 last week is better than I did in week 2, but after 3 weeks of NFL action, things are becoming slightly more clear. The good teams are starting to separate from the pack. There are still some teams that make me scratch my head, but it’s getting easier to see who the contenders are.

Most of the ESPN Experts are doing better than me so far, so I hope to have a better week this week.

ESPN Expert Picks: Last Week | This Week.

Now, my predictions for week 4!

Buffalo Bills (1-2) at New Orleans Saints (1-2) - For some reason, J.P. Losman and the Bills offense just can’t get it together. Seems like the same problem they’ve been having for years. Their defense is good enough to keep them in games, but if the offense doesn’t step up, the playoffs will be nothing but a pipe-dream. The Saints finally get to play a ‘home’ game this weekend, and I expect another emotionally charged game, with the Saints coming out on top. Pick: Saints.

Denver Broncos (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-1) - So Denver’s offense finally woke up last week. It was tough watching the Chiefs play that bad. Jacksonville is a team that you can never really be sure about, so this makes it a tough pick for this game. If the Broncos can keep their momentum from Monday night and play as well on offense as they did, they should be able to win. Pick: Broncos.

Detroit Lions (1-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0) - Tampa looks like the real deal. Their defense is playing great, and their offense is doing well behind ‘Cadillac’ Williams. The Buccaneers are always tough at home, and I don’t think Detroit has what it takes to beat them. Pick: Buccaneers.

Houston Texans (0-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-0) - Houston is a team that’s really under fire right now. They just got a new Offensive Coordinator, and that means that if they don’t start scoring points, they’ll probably be a big shakeup on offense. Cincinnati looks really good this year, and will continue to do well. 10 interceptions in the last 2 games. 5 in each. Wow. Pick: Bengals.

Indianapolis Colts (3-0) at Tennessee Titans (1-2) - I think this will be the week that Indianapolis’s offense wakes up. Peyton hasn’t thrown a TD in 2 straight weeks. Tennessee is looking better than I thought they’d be, but I don’t expect them to knock off the Colts. Pick: Colts.

San Diego Chargers (1-2) at New England Patriots (2-1) - This is a tough pick. Last week, I said ‘Give LT the ball!’ They did, and the Chargers destroyed the Giants. Problem is, they’re not playing the Giants this week. The Patriots lost Rodney Harrison for the year with almost every kind of tear one can get in their leg. Torn ACL, MCL, PCL… ouch. The Patriots for the last 5 years have always been a team that regardless of who lines up to play, they somehow stay competitive and usually win. This is going to be a tough pick and a close game, but I think if San Diego gives LT the ball like they did last week, they’ve got a great chance to win. Pick: Chargers.

Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at Washington Redskins (2-0) - Seattle beat Arizona last week. Big deal. Despite what everyone (including me) thought about Arizona’s chances, they haven’t been able to win yet this year. Washington has a great defense, but no offense and Seattle is inconsistent. Last week proved that Shaun Alexander is the leader of their offense. If they give him the ball a lot, they’ll win. Pick: Seahawks.

St. Louis Rams (2-1) at New York Giants (2-1) - These are two very evenly matched teams in my opinion, and both teams have a great chance at winning. The Rams sometimes struggle with consistency, but the Giants look better this year than I thought they’d be, and I think they’ll take this one. Pick: Giants.

New York Jets (1-2) at Baltimore Ravens (0-2) - So, if Pennington was healthy, I’d probably pick the Jets to beat the Ravens, who may have a great defense, but their offense has looked sad. BUT, the Jets are looking to a third string QB this week to lead their offense, and I don’t think that looks too good against a Ravens defense that had a bye week last week and should be very well rested. Pick: Ravens.

Dallas Cowboys (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-3) - Oakland is probably the best winless team in the NFL right now. They have played 3 very good teams so far, and have come close to winning each of those games. This week against Dallas, they’ll get their first win of the season. Pick: Raiders.

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) at Atlanta Falcons (2-1) - Culpepper played very well last week, but the Saints aren’t known for their defense either. Atlanta is a team that will be extremely tough to beat at home, and Michael Vick proved last week that he’s fine. Pick: Falcons.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) - Tough loss for the Chiefs on Monday night. The Eagles got the win on the foot of a gimpy kicker, but a win is a win. McNabb is not looking very well, and will have to have surgery eventually to repair an abdominal tear. You’ve gotta wonder how long it’s going to be before his injuries catch up with him. I think the Chiefs will win this one, but it might be close. Pick: Chiefs.

San Francisco 49ers (1-2) at Arizona Cardinals (0-3) - So, this is the first NFL regular season game ever played outside the United States, taking place in Mexico City. Arizona is without Kurt Warner for a little while as he’s out with an injury. That doesn’t make things look too good. The 49ers have been a pleasant surprise this year, and I think they’ll keep Arizona from winning. Pick: 49ers.

Green Bay Packers (0-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-2) - OK, the Packers are 0-3, and mad about it (as are all of their fans). Their offensive line isn’t doing as bad as people thought they would, but they’re also not creating any sort of holes for the running game. The Packers offense is based around play-action passes, and when you have no running game, they don’t work as well. Brett Favre is having a tough year, and it must be hard feeling like you have to do it all yourself. If the Packers don’t win this game, I’d say they have no chance of making the playoffs, even in the NFC North. They need a win, and they need it now, because downward momentum is harder to stop than upward momentum. The players know this, the management knows this, and the fans know this. It’s a Monday night game, the big stage, and it’s time for the Packers to step up and show what kind of team they are. They need to protect the football, and limit their turnovers because their defense isn’t good enough to bail them out if they lose the turnover battle. Either way, this will be a statement game. The question is, what statement will they make? It’ll either be the ‘Do not count us out yet’ statement, or it’ll be the ‘we are in trouble’ statement. Pick: Packers.

Note: Chicago (1-2), Cleaveland (1-2), Miami (2-1) and Pittsburgh (2-1) have a bye week this week.

Picks Summary

AWAY - HOME - PREDICTION - RESULT
Bills - Saints - Saints - Saints √
Broncos - Jaguars - Broncos - Broncos √
Lions - Buccaneers - Buccaneers - Buccaneers √
Texans - Bengals - Bengals - Bengals √
Colts - Titans - Colts - Colts √
Chargers - Patriots - Chargers - Chargers √
Seahawks - Redskins - Seahawks - Redskins Χ
Rams - Giants - Giants - Giants √
Jets - Ravens - Ravens - Ravens √
Cowboys - Raiders - Raiders - Raiders √
Vikings - Falcons - Falcons - Falcons √
Eagles - Chiefs - Chiefs - Eagles Χ
49ers - Cardinals - 49ers - Cardinals Χ
Packers - Panthers - Packers - Panthers Χ

UPDATE: Pretty good this week at 10-4. That brings my running total above .500 and makes me feel a little better.
Running total: 33-27.

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