Week 4 in the NFL saw many surprises, as the Colts and Bengals were upset by inferior teams and Jay Cutler was sacked nine times in the first half by a Giants defense that was on a mission. The Steelers and Bears are no longer undefeated, and the Rams beat the Seahawks in convincing fashion as the first selection of the draft, Sam Bradford, is looking better with each passing week. Could the Rams win the division in year one of the Sam Bradford era? Green Bay, Atlanta, and New Orleans all received scares from mediocre opponents, but are now 3-1 in the standings. Dallas and Indianapolis are currently in last place in their respective divisions - something I would have never predicted. Speaking of predictions, I have been horrible this year, as my record is just 32-30. Is it just me, or are the games just much more difficult to pick this year?
Sunday
Jacksonville (2-2) @ Buffalo (0-4)
The Jaguars shocked the nation as they defeated the Colts on a 59-yard field goal. The Bills were crushed by the Jets. This matchup features a pair of mediocre quarterbacks and a pair of promising running backs. I have a hunch Buffalo will win their first game of the season this week, due to their strong special teams and the fact that David Garrard is horrible.
Prediction: Buffalo 20, Jacksonville 17
Tampa Bay (2-1) @ Cincinnati (2-2)
Tampa is rested after coming off of a bye week, and the Bengals lost to the lowly Browns. The good news in that loss is that Carson Palmer looked like a real quarterback, and I think he’ll have a great day against the Bucs. The Bengals should get back on track at home.
Prediction: Cincinnati 27, Tampa Bay 17
Atlanta (3-1) @ Cleveland (1-3)
Atlanta barely skated by the winless 49ers, and the Browns shocked us with a win over the Bengals. The Falcons are simply the better team here and shouldn’t have a problem beating the Browns with their balanced attack, considering Cleveland isn’t good at stopping anything.
Prediction: Atlanta 26, Cleveland 17
St Louis (2-2) @ Detroit (0-4)
I thought for sure both of these teams would be fighting for their first win in Week 5, but the Rams are impressing me. They just beat up on Seattle, and their defense is looking rather good, surrendering just 52 points in four games. Detroit, on the other hand, has given up 106! I wish Matt Stafford could play to make this game interesting, but I think the Rams win easily.
Prediction: St Louis 30, Detroit 17
Kansas City (3-0) @ Indianapolis (2-2)
The Chiefs were on a bye and remain the lone unbeaten team in the NFL. It’ll be a tough task to escape Week 5 remaining undefeated as they travel to Indianapolis to take on Peyton Manning and the Colts. This game probably won’t be the blowout many are expecting, but the Colts have looked better at home than on the road.
Prediction: Indianapolis 27, Kansas City 17
Green Bay (3-1) @ Washington (2-2)
The Packers barely beat the Lions and haven’t looked as good as expected. The Redskins have looked both good and awful this year, but did beat the Eagles on the road last weekend. The Packers are the better team and should win, but it’ll be close.
Prediction: Green Bay 24, Washington 17
Chicago (3-1) @ Carolina (0-4)
The Bears have problems protecting their quarterback, and Jay Cutler will miss this game. The Panthers played the Saints tough last week, but came up short. I see Carolina winning their first game of the season, but it won’t be easy.
Prediction: Carolina 23, Chicago 17
Denver (2-2) @ Baltimore (3-1)
The Broncos have the #1 quarterback in the NFL in terms of passing yards, but don’t expect Kyle Orton to have a field day against the Ravens defense. Baltimore is battle tested to this point, as they’ve beaten both the Jets and Steelers on the road. I see the Ravens winning this game in convincing fashion.
Prediction: Baltimore 27, Denver 13
New York Giants (2-2) @ Houston Texans (3-1)
This will be an interesting game. The Giants are the 3rd best defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed per game, and the Texans rank last. Offensively, the Texans rank 2nd and the Giants are 7th. Both teams can move the football, so I have to go with the better defense here, especially since Andre Johnson is questionable.
Prediction: New York Giants 31, Houston 23
San Diego (2-2) @ Oakland (1-3)
The Chargers are a much different team at home, but the Raiders have been simply awful this year, allowing almost 27 points per game. This game will be somewhat close, but the Chargers should prevail.
Prediction: San Diego 24, Oakland 16
Tennessee (2-2) @ Dallas (1-2)
The Titans lost in bizarre fashion against Denver, as the kick return unit couldn’t come up with the football. The Cowboys are coming off of a bye and should be ready to get their season on track.
Prediction: Dallas 27, Tennessee 17
Philadelphia (2-2) @ San Francisco (0-4)
The Eagles are 2-0 on the road, and the 49ers have looked awful for the most part this year, but played competitively last week in a loss to Atlanta. With Michael Vick out this week, the 49ers should get their first victory.
Prediction: San Francisco 23, Philadelphia 16
Monday
Minnesota (1-2) @ New York Jets (3-1)
Whatever the Jets were planning for just got revised, since Minnesota dealt for Randy Moss. The outcome of this game will depend on how motivated Randy is and how fast he can learn the system. I personally don’t think it matters, and I don’t see Minnesota doing much against the great Jets defense.
Prediction: New York Jets 24, Minnesota 20
Bye: Miami, New England, Pittsburgh, Seattle
