Wow, we are almost through an entire month of football. And this is what we love about the NFL, the unpredictability of the game. Who would have thought going into week 4 that the undefeated Dolphins would be playing the 1 win Patriots, Tampa Bay would have gotten through the Jameis Winston suspension with a potential quarterback controversy, and we would have four teams that tied?
So let’s kick things off with the Dolphins v Patriots.
It’s a home game and it almost feel like New England have to have this one. I know many Pats haters out there are smiling right now, but the reality is there is still a lot of football left. And if the Patriots come out of this game with a win, confidence will be back in their favor.
The Dolphins have always played New England tough. It’s their division rival, and they are built to be able to match up well with the Pats. Still, New England end up mainly coming out on top and I expect the same to happen. I am taking the Pats in a close one.
Eagles travel to Nashville to take on the Titans.
Both teams are 2-1, and the Titans shocked me with their win last week against the Jaguars. Tennessee’s defense looked really good, and kept the Jags out of the end zone. But this is the super bowl champions we are talking about. The team that now has Carson Wentz back at the helm. So no way will the Titans be able to beat the super bowl champion Eagles’ right?
Right. I am taking the Eagles in this game.
2-1 Cincinnati travels to the dirty South to take on the 1-2 dirty birds. You know Atlanta is wanting to get that stench of last week’s game off of them. A game they needed to win over a division rival can not be followed with a defeat, especially back to back losses at home. This game could end up being a real good match up, but I am taking the Falcons. Atlanta lost to a divisional rival in the tough NFC South, and they know they need this win to keep in the mix of the division.
Speaking of the NFC South, 2-1 Tampa Bay will be going to Chi-Town to take on the 2-1 Bears. And the Bears are a solid team. Their defense is one of the best in the league, with a motivated Khalil Mack looking to continue to prove doubters wrong. But the Bears are more than just defense, that Mitchell Trubisky kid may actually be good. Posting 591 yards in the air and 2 TDs. The Bears only loss came in a game they dominated and knocked the quarterback out of the game. Unfortunately for them, that quarterback was Aaron Rogers, and he came back and went legendary.
Tampa Bay may not have a legendary quarterback, but they have been putting up a lot of yards in the past 3 games. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been doing a great job playing in place of Jameis Winston, and fans are wondering if it would be a smart decision to put Jameis back in. Though Jameis Winston would add the dynamic of being able to scramble, you have to wonder if the rust will hinder his timing. And the Bears defense will make him pay for those ill-advised throws. I am taking the Bears to win this one on the road. I do not see Tampa Bay being able to air it out on the Bears defense.
The 1-2 Lions are coming off a big win where they dominated the Patriots. They will try to ride that momentum into Jerry’s World against the 1-2 Cowboys. Matt Patrica showed the NFL how good the Lions can actually be. They played a great game on all phases of the ball against the Pats, controlling the ball and keeping the quarterback watching. Now is a matter of whether the Lions actually found themselves or are a tale of two teams?
I am taking the former, they almost came back to beat the niners, in fact practically did. Because of that, and me not having confidence in the Cowboy’s passing game, I am taking the Lions to take this one on the road.
The 1-2 Bills take on the 1-1-1 Packers. Both the Bills and the Packers shocked me last week. I expected the Bills to get blown out by the Vikings, and the Packers to beat the Redskins. Well the exact opposite happened with the Bills dominating the Vikings and the Packers losing to the Redskins.
Now the Bills are riding high into Green Bay, where the Packers are a team that hasn’t won since that comeback performance against the Bears. Despite the momentum, I am not seeing the Bills winning this one. So for the second week in a row I will be picking against them. I have the Packers in this one.
Division rival 0-3 Texans travel to Indy to take on the 1-2 Colts. This is not a good start for the Texans. They are 0-3 in a division where the Jags and Titans are leading the division at 2-1. The Texans really need this game to still remain, somewhat, competitive in their division. For the Colts, a win would definitely keep them in the mix at 2-2.
I would really like to see Houston get a win on the board, and because of that I am picking them (against my better judgement) to win on the road.
J!E!T!S! JETS! JETS! JETS!. The 1-2 Jets take on a 2-1 Jags that could not find the end zone last week. The rookie quarterback, Sam Darnold, is dealing with the other side of the NFL. The side of doubts and second guessing when you lose. But this is the progression that a team, and a rookie quarterback, will get through. They just will not get through it this week. The Jags defense is ferocious, and despite losing, still kept Tennessee out of the end zone. I expect the Jags defense to frustrate the rookie quarterback into making mistakes. I am taking the Jags to win this one.
1-2 Seattle goes to Arizona to take on the 0-3 Cardinals. Neither team is looking good this year. And the Cardinals have already begun looking to get the future quarterback some reps. Announcing they will be starting rookie quarterback Josh Rosen, over Sam Bardford, the Cardinals will be looking to use the rest of this season to get Josh Rosen ready to lead this team.
In a year where we seen several rookie quarterbacks get wins in their first start, I don’t see that happening here. The Seahawks may not be looking as good as they had a few years ago, but Russell Wilson is still the same quarterback that brought a trophy home to Seattle. I am taking Seattle on the road to win this one.
1-1-1 Cleveland Browns vs the 0-3 Oakland Raiders. Both of these teams had several close games these past few weeks. One team was able to win and tie one, the other suffered losses. I am thinking that there is no way that John Gruden will come out of the booth to go 0-4. Khalil Mack is helping the Bears defense dominate, and there are comments about players “hurt(ing) to see Mack off Oakland”.
This is a kind of thing that could turn a team against a coach quick. Oakland really needs a win right now. A win would just help to freshen things up a little. I just don’t see that happening. The Browns seem to be the team that buys in right now, while the Raiders doesn’t. Because of that I am leaning toward the Browns to win this one.
My 1-2 Niners will take on the 1-2 Chargers. This is a rematch of the game that made me a 49ers fans. When the 49ers, led by Steve Young and Jerry Rice, won Super Bowl XXIX back in 1995.
Now we go into this game a little deflated. If you haven’t heard, we lost our starting quarterback to a season ending knee injury. This, coupled with the fact we haven’t been playing well on defense, have driven fans to the bottle. Analyst are telling the team to rise up to the challenge. But I do not have much hope that will happen. But at least we have a chance, the Chargers are 1-2 as well.
2-1 Saints take on the 1-2 New York Football Giants. Both teams are coming off road wins and are looking to continue the momentum. But the Saints are just a much better team. Even with them being on the road, I expect them to win this one easily.
Sunday Night Game:
2-1 Ravens vs 1-1-1 Steelers. It’s a rivalry game on the big stage. And this is the game that the Steelers need to right the ship. The Steelers have a chance to put on a good show at home against a division rival. These teams know each other very well, and the defenses will be out to play. My gut feeling has me taking the Steelers.
Monday Night Football:
The other prime time game, or some would say “The Prime Time” game, has the 3-0 Chiefs playing in Denver against the 2-1 Broncos. We will get to see how Patrick Mahomes do in Mile High in front of America. Will this game be too big for him?
Patrick Mahomes have been playing some solid football the past few week. And he is not doing it alone, as Kareem Hunt has been helping on the ground, and the KC receiving corps on the edges. But the Broncos are not going into this game without their own weapons. They have a running and passing game of their own.
This has the potential to be a shoot out, and I can’t wait to see it. That said, I am taking KC in this one.
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