NFL Week 4

 Week 4 of the NFL season is here, and it's time to predict every game. Last week I went 10-6, and on Yahoo for weeks 1 and 2 I was 12-4 both weeks. That means my total this year is 34-14. I'm not doing the best, but I could be doing worse. Let's start this week's predictions.

Seahawks vs Cardinals (Thursday night) Seahawks win 26-21

This should be an interesting game. The Seahawks demolished the Saints last week 44-13. They looked dominant on both sides of the ball. The Cardinals lost on a last second field goal in San Francisco. Kyler Murray looked mediocre. The offense in general just looked meh. The defense wasn't bad. Mac Jones didn't look that much better than Murray. I have a feeling that Kenneth Walker is going to torch this Arizona defense and Seattle gets the victory.

Vikings vs Steelers (Sunday morning in Dublin) Vikings win 20-17

The first ever game in Ireland features Aaron Rodgers against the team he owned while he was in Green Bay. The Steelers got a gutsy win in New England where Rodgers had a solid game. The defense looked good but not great, as they allowed nearly 400 yards of offense. The Vikings demolished the Bengals 48-10 where Carson Wentz threw 2 touchdowns. Jordan Mason ran for 2 touchdowns and Isaiah Rodgers had both a pick six and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. It'll be hard to replicate that this week against a solid offense and a solid defense. But I do think that Carson Wentz will lead Minnesota to another win. 

Commanders vs Falcons- Commanders win 31-10

The Commanders put up 41 points last week against the Raiders, and that was without Jayden Daniels. Marcus Mariota did solid in relief, and he might be getting the start again this week against his former team. The Falcons got smacked by the lowly (or so we thought) Panthers. They got shut out and Kirk Cousins saw his first action since week 15 of last season. This should be a Washington blowout. I could be wrong though.

Chargers vs Giants- Chargers win 35-14 

The Chargers got a last second win over the Broncos, and Justin Herbert threw for 300 yards. Omarion Hampton got 2 touchdowns and the defense forced 7 punts. They're now 3-0 for the first time in over 20 years. The Giants lost to the Chiefs 22-9 and Russell Wilson looked awful. They benched him this week in favor of rookie Jaxon Dart. We'll see if that changes anything. But I don't think it will. Chargers win.

Titans vs Texans- Texans win 19-14

This is a battle of two of the most disappointing teams in the league so far. The Titans are 0-3 after getting pounded by the Colts 41-20. Cam Ward doesn't look that good, and Brian Callahan's seat is flaming hot. The Texans lost in Jacksonville to start 0-3 for the first time since the pandemic. CJ Stroud isn't looking his best, but he's not the entire problem. Nick Caley isn't calling good plays and the offensive line is trash. This shouldn't be a fun game, but I'm going with the Texans because I have more faith in them.

Eagles vs Buccaneers- Eagles win 35-31

The Eagles are 3-0 after an amazing, unbelievable finish. The Rams were attempting a game-winning field goal, but Jordan Davis blocked it and returned it for a touchdown. They were down 26-7 in the 3rd quarter, and the offense looked lifeless. But Jalen Hurts and company rallied to win 33-26, capped off by Davis' block. The defense looks good under Vic Fangio. Everything's clicking for the defending champs. The Buccaneers were the victims of a blocked field goal returned for 6, but overcame it by redeeming themselves with the game winner. They lost Mike Evans for a few weeks, but they have Emeka Egbuka, who has been outstanding thus far. Baker Mayfield has been kicking ass so far, with 6 TDs and no picks. The defense has been solid, but not incredible. That's why I'm going with the Eagles.

Panthers vs Patriots- Patriots win 24-20

The Panthers are coming off a surprisingly dominant performance over the Falcons, winning 30-0. Bryce Young didn't do much, but he didn't need to. The defense shut down Michael Penix. The Patriots are coming off a tough home loss, but the offense looked good. The defense looked decent too, but things just didn't go New England's way. I am predicting them to bounce back here due to home field advantage, but I wouldn't be that surprised if the Panthers got the win.

Saints vs Bills- Bills win 41-17
This should be an ugly one. The Saints are coming off a blowout loss in Seattle, and Spencer Rattler didn't look good. The defense and special teams looked even worse, allowing a punt return touchdown and two touchdowns on the ground. The Bills are coming off a closer-than-anticipated win over Miami on Thursday Night Football, winning by 10 when expected to win by 11 or more. Josh Allen still looks as good as ever. Khalil Shakir is an underrated wideout. The defense is solid, and Matt Prater still looks good. This shouldn't even be close. Bills win.

Browns vs Lions- Lions win 34-13

This is another one that shouldn't be close. The Lions are coming off a gutsy win in Baltimore, scoring 17 in the fourth quarter. Dan Campbell is ballsy as hell, going for it on 4th down and then scoring to go up 14 in the final 2 minutes. Jared Goff is the man in Detroit, and the same offense that looked like they missed Ben Johnson in week 1 doesn't look like that anymore. The Browns are coming off a stunning come-from-behind win over the Packers, coming down 10 in the final 5 minutes. The defense looked great, but they have a big test coming up here, and I don't think they're ready.

Jaguars vs 49ers- 49ers win 20-13

The Jaguars are coming off a win over the Texans. Trevor Lawrence looked unimpressive, but the defense looked quite impressive, shutting down the Texans and having 3 takeaways. The 49ers are coming off a last second win over the Cardinals, but lost Nick Bosa for the year. They're 3-0, but decimated by injuries. I am taking them because I don't know how good the Jaguars truly are, but I could see the Jags winning. We'll see.

Colts vs Rams- Rams win 37-34

The Colts are coming off a dominant win over the Titans to start 3-0 surprisingly, and they punted for the first time all year. That's how good they've been these first 3 weeks. Daniel Jones, or should I say Indiana Jones, looks like his career has been revived. Jonathan Taylor ran all over the Titans. And there haven't been many weaknesses thus far. The Rams lost a heartbreaker last week, losing on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. They also had another field goal blocked earlier. The special teams looked terrible, and it's something that needs to be fixed later. This should be a hell of a game. But I am narrowly leaning towards LA because of homefield advantage and a great defense.

Ravens vs Chiefs- Chiefs win 27-21

I don't think anyone anticipated both teams to be 1-2 to start the year, but here we are. The Ravens are coming off a heartbreaking loss at home to the Lions, where their defense couldn't stop anything and Derrick Henry had a costly fumble in the 4th quarter. Lamar Jackson is looking pretty damn good, with 9 touchdowns and 722 yards through the air. The defense needs work, though. A lot of it. The Chiefs are coming off a win in New Jersey despite the offense having some questions. Are Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce washed? Does Andy Reid still have it? We don't know. But I am picking them to win because Baltimore is frustrating right now.

Bears vs Raiders- Bears win 21-17

Out of nowhere, the Bears looked incredible against the Cowboys. Caleb Williams threw for almost 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ben Johnson called a hell of a game. The defense looked spectacular as well. The Raiders, on the other hand, aren't looking as good. The defense couldn't stop Marcus Mariota. The offensive line couldn't block, allowing 5 sacks. Geno Smith looked good, as did Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty, but there are still some pretty big question marks. That's why I'm taking Chicago here.

Packers vs Cowboys (Sunday night)- Packers win 35-20

Micah Parsons comes back home to face his former team. The Packers are coming off an upset loss in Cleveland. Jordan Love looked mediocre. The offense as a whole looked meh. Love threw a costly pick late, and a field goal was blocked. The Cowboys looked even worse. The offense looked bad, but the defense looked even worse. Brian Schottenheimer looks overmatched, so the Packers will win this one.

Jets vs Dolphins (Monday night) Dolphins win 21-18

This one shouldn't be fun. The Jets had some bad luck. They blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown, but still lost on a game-winning field goal. Baker Mayfield shredded the defense. They couldn't run the ball. Aaron Glenn doesn't look the best. The Dolphins kept the Bills somewhat close. They lost by 10, but Tua Tagovailoa wasn't the worst. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both had a touchdown. The problem was that they couldn't stop Josh Allen. This doesn't look like it'll be good, but I'm taking the Dolphins because the Jets have some big questions.

Bengals vs Broncos (Monday night)- Broncos win 31-17

The Bengals are coming off a rough showing in Minnesota, losing 48-10. The defense is terrible, Jake Browning looked awful, and Zack Taylor isn't good. The Broncos looked solid, but came up short. Bo Nix looked mediocre, and the defense had no answer for Justin Herbert. I am taking them because the Bengals are looking awful without Joe Burrow.

Those are my predictions for week 4. We'll see if I am right.