Last week was absolutely horrible. The weeks picks were ,by far, my worst week of predictions this season. On a positive note, I perfectly predicted the Cowboys would win 31-17 against the Bears and that was precisely what happened. It was a minor bright spot in an otherwise abysmal week of picks. Also, allow me take this moment to apologize to Eagles fans. I was wrong to say the Eagles would finish last in the division. They certainly will not and also I apologize for not giving Carson Wentz the credit he deserves. He is the real deal and may even be the rookie of the year.
Week 4 features the first bye week of the current NFL season and the Packers and Eagles will be the two teams on a bye. This means there will be only 15 games this week and less room for error. Here are my picks in the NFL for week four.
Last Week: 7-8
Season: 26-20
Thursday Night
Miami 24 @ Cincinnati 28: Miami struggled against the Browns last week. They don’t look like a good football team and Ryan Tannehill looks like he has taken a step back. On a short week it will be tough for the Dolphins to go into Cincinnati and win. Look for Cincinnati to get back in the win column after a tough game against Denver.
Sunday Morning
Indianapolis 31 @ Jacksonville 34: Jacksonville has surprised me this season and not in a positive way. I am totally shocked they are 0-3 after three games. Jacksonville can still turn their season around by winning this divisional game at home. The Colts sit at 1-2 and haven’t looked all that impressive so far. Their secondary is decimated by injury and Blake Bortles should be able to have a big day at home and get the Jags their first win of the season.
Detroit 34 @ Chicago 35: Will anybody actually pay to go watch this snoozer? The Lions can’t play any defense and the Bears can’t stop a bloody nose. Honestly, the Lions have looked better than the Bears so far this season but Chicago has to find a game to win. This is their chance to win a game against a weak divisional opponent at home. If they don’t win this game they can definitely being to look at that number one overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.
Carolina 34 @ Atlanta 22: The Panthers struggled offensively against the Vikings because of their pass rush. The Falcons do not have a pass rush to be afraid of. The Falcons have been impressive on offense but we all know the Panthers have a great defense. The Panthers will get back to their winning ways on the road in Atlanta.
Oakland 27 @ Baltimore 20: Oakland is a good football team with a great head coach in Jack Del Rio. They will have to win 10 or 11 games to keep pace in their division and this is a game they are capable of winning. The Ravens are one of five undefeated teams remaining in the NFL, but are not as good as their record would indicate. Their opponents combined record is 1-8 as they’ve beaten the Bills, Browns and Jaguars. The Raiders will be their toughest test so far and the Raiders will deal the Ravens their first loss of the season.
Tennessee 13 @ Houston 18: The Texans get a pass for last weeks’ loss. Playing the Patriots on a short week is a loss for most teams in the NFL. The Texans still have a great defense and many explosive weapons on offense that should get them this win within the AFC South. The Titans also have a great defense but their offense holds them back.
Buffalo 16 @ New England 22: Do I have to give any more of a reason for the Patriots to win this game other than the fact that Bill Belichick is the best coach in the NFL? The Bills got a huge upset win in week three, but that doesn’t make me a believer in them. It certainly doesn’t mean they are going to beat the Patriots on the road. Anything can happen, but the Patriots will find a way to win.
Seattle 17 @ New York (J) 13 : Ryan Fitzpatrick had one of his best games in week two throwing for 374 yards and a touchdown while committing zero turnovers. He followed that performance up by throwing six interceptions against the Chiefs. That is what you get with Fitzpatrick. For the Jets to beat the Seahawks, he’s going to have to be spectacular. He won’t, and the Seahawks get a cross country road win.
Cleveland 23 @ Washington 21: Terrelle Pryor said the Browns have one of the best teams in the NFL. Hopefully he was drug tested because they definitely do not. They did have a chance to win last week, but their kicker missed a field goal as time expired and eventually lost in overtime. The Redskins got a huge road win last week against the archival Giants. The problem is they are 0-2 at home and the Browns are desperate for a win. The Browns will get an upset for one of their few wins of the season because the Redskins are not a good team at home thus far.
Sunday Afternoon
Denver 27 @ Tampa Bay 17: The Broncos surprisingly keep rolling even behind a seventh round quarterback that few thought could be a NFL starter. The reason they keep rolling is because of that Super Bowl defense. As long as they continue to play lights out on defense they will continue to win games. The Buccaneers were picked by many to be a playoff team but they do not look it. They are in shootouts every week and with Denver coming to town they won’t have enough offense to win this one.
Los Angeles 17 @ Arizona 24: This game is hard for me to pick. The Rams have looked pretty decent over the past two weeks and the Cardinals dropped a surprising game to the Bills. The Cardinals are not as good this year as they were last year. They may make the playoffs but they aren’t going to the conference championship. They should win this west coast battle in the desert this week though.
New Orleans 37 @ San Diego 34: I don’t know which of these teams is worse. This game could see 100 combined points. Both teams have struggled defensively but have put up points. The Chargers rank third in points per game with 29 and the Saints are tied for ninth with 26.3 points per game. I think New Orleans will find a way to get their first win of the season.
Dallas 27 @ San Fransisco 21: This game will be much closer than people expect. The 49ers are an average team that is just missing a good quarterback. Dallas is rolling behind rookies Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott. That should continue in this one and the Cowboys will be forced to consider never starting Tony Romo again.
Sunday Night
Kansas City 27 @ Pittsburgh 31: Kansas City is going to fight in every game but I’m starting to think they will finish third in the AFC West behind the Broncos and Raiders. The Steelers dropped a shocker to the Eagles. The biggest surprise was that they got blown out by the Eagles. I expect Mike Tomlin to get this team more prepared this week and it helps La’Veon Bell will be back in this one. The Steelers win at home in week four.
Monday Night
New York 6 (G) @ Minnesota 20: The Minnesota Vikings are the best team in the NFC. Their defense is a Super Bowl caliber defense. Mike Zimmer should already be the favorite for coach of the year. The Giants offense will struggle in this game. Eli Manning has typically been horrific in his career against the Vikings. In seven career games against the Vikings, Eli Manning has 122 completions, 244 attempts, 1,445 yards, five touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He will continue to struggle in this one.