NFL Week 4 Picks - Early Games
NFL Week 4 Early Games
All times Eastern
Results:
Thursday, September 27
8:20 pm Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams (-6 1/2, 49) - After a thorough drubbing by none other than the Buffalo Bills (27-6), the Vikings are looking to rebound but will face a hardened LA Rams squad that is one of just three undefeated NFL teams (Miami, Kansas City).
The Rams throttled the Chargers, 35-23, last week and will be playing their third home game in just the first four weeks of the season. They've allowed a league-low 36 points and are tops in scoring differential (+66). The 1-1-1 Vikings are -13. Only one way to go here, with the home team.
Coin Flip: Minnesota
PREDICTION: Rams 28 Vikings 17
1:00 pm Buffalo Bills at Green Bay Packers (-10, 45 1/2) - Can the Bills do it again? Well, nobody thought they'd even be competitive against the Vikings, yet they hammered them 27-6, but, they have to travel again, which is usually a brick wall for most teams.
The obvious play would be to take the Packers on their home turf, but, last week's performance at Washington (a 31-17 drubbing) exposed a major Green Bay weakness: pass protection. Aaron Rodgers is already playing on a gimpy knee and he was sacked four times by the Redskins. The Bills excel at pass rushing, and may make Rodgers very uncomfortable. Buffalo is a very young team on the improve, especially QB Josh Allen, who has a mortar arm and plays with passion.
Coin Flip: Green Bay
PREDICTION: Bills 23 Packers 20
Back on the road for a second straight week, the Bengals are up against it in Atlanta. The 1-2 Falcons were undone by Drew Brees and the Saints in a 43-37 overtime shoot-out last week, but the defense should fare better against the Bengals.
Coin Flip: Cincinnati
PREDICTION: Falcons 34 Bengals 21
Plenty of mediocrity to go around here, but the Lions - the only team in the NFC North with two wins - know the division is up for grabs and early season wins could really matter at the end. Detroit could produce something of a blowout here.
Coin Flip: Dallas
PREDICTION: Lions 27 Cowboys 13
Indy was also 4-12 last season, but that was primarily due to the loss of QB Andrew Luck, who is back, healthy, and as usual, very competitive. The Colts are just 1-2, but their scoring differential is a mere -3, making them the choice at home over the Texans. Last year, Indianapolis beat Houston twice, and they will likely do the same this year, except by an even larger margin than the 20-14 and 22-13 wins in 2017.
Coin Flip: Indianapolis
PREDICTION: Colts 34 Texans 17
Maybe. Maybe not, but we're going to side with the 'maybe' part of that answer. Brady's not getting any younger, the Pats were looking to unload Gronk, and the Dolphins have been underrated all season, the Pats overrated.
Coin Flip: New England
PREDICTION: Dolphins 26 Patriots 20
Not to say this is going to be easy street for the Jags, as they're not exactly an offensive juggernaut. They are tied with New England at #25 in scoring, at 19.0 points per game. The Jets can keep this one close and maybe pull out a win late.
Coin Flip: Jacksonville
PREDICTION: Jaguars 20 Jets 18
With Marcus Mariota back at quarterback, the Titans may be on the verge of making a significant run. They are one of the better defensive teams around at #4 in points allowed (16.7), but so are the Eagles (18.3). This figures to go down to the wire, with the Titans winning at home, possibly in overtime.
Coin Flip: Tennessee
PREDICTION: Titans 16 Eagles 13
After shuffling around for most of the game, the Bears rallied for a 16-14 win at Arizona, a team devoid of offense. Chicago is tied with Philly for #8 in points allowed, giving up 18.3 per game. This sets up as a close call, and a somewhat surprising win for the Bucs, who always seem to be on the fringes of greatness.
Coin Flip: Chicago
PREDICTION: Buccaneers 20 Bears 19
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Week 4 late Games
NFL Week 3: Coin 7-9; Rick: 7-9
Cumulative: Coin: 20-27-1; Rick: 2324-1
Sunday Septenber 30
1:00 pm Cincinnati Bengals at Atlanta Falcons (-6, 51) - A.J. Green left last Sunday's 31-21 loss at Carolina just after halftime and is apparently good to go against the Falcons, a good sign for the Bengals. a bad signal for Cincinnati is the four interceptions thrown by QB Andy Dalton in that road defeat.
1:00 pm Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (-3, 43 1/2) - Credit the Lions for coming up big in their 26-10 smothering of New England Sunday night, but maybe the Patriots aren't that good and are living on reputation alone. That said, the Cowboys actually aren't very good, as demonstrated in their 24-13 loss at Seattle, because the Seahawks aren't that good either.
1:00 pm Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-1, 47) - Houston finished last season at 4-12, and, believe it or not, actually look like a worse team in 2018.
1:00 pm Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-7, 47 1/2) - The Dolphins come to Foxboro with a 3-0 mark, while the Patriots have lost two straight and are 1-2. Is this the end of the Brady-Belichick era?
1:00 pm New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-7 1/2, 38) - Sam Darnold is probably the QB the Jets have been seeking, but he still needs some seasoning and the Jacksonville defense is one of the best in the league, allowing 14.7 points per game (tied for 2nd) and 286.3 yards per outing (4th).
1:00 pm Philadelphia Eagles (-3 1/2, 41 1/2) at Tennessee Titans - Tennessee has proven they can win close games, beating Houston, 20-17, in week two and winning at Jacksonville in a defensive struggle, 9-6, last week.
1:00 pm Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-3, 46 1/2) - Tampa Bay will likely suit up Jameis Winston for this one, having served his three-game suspension, but he may be a little rusty. Still, after two nifty wins by substitute QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, his three TDs and three interceptions are a fitting farewell to the 14-year veteran.
