Somewhere Pete Rozelle is smiling, as we’ve got parity all over the league. An interesting Week Three left only four undefeated teams heading into the month of October. However, Week Four isn’t exactly the most interesting slate of games, and for the first time all year, the byes come into play, as four teams will sit this week out.
BYES: Dallas (2-1), Kansas City (1-2), Minnesota (2-1), and Tampa Bay (0-3)
Sunday, October 3:
1:00 – N.Y. JETS (2-1) at Buffalo (0-3)
The Bills remain winless, as the Jets, coming off a big win at Miami last week, should follow it up with a nice win in Buffalo here in Week Four.
1:00 – CINCINNATI (2-1) at Cleveland (2-1)
The surprising battle for AFC North supremacy amplifies the Battle of Ohio, but I really can’t see the Browns doing anything against the Cincy defense. I like the Bengals on the road here.
1:00 – BALTIMORE (1-2) at Pittsburgh (1-2)
Maybe the most fortuitous scheduling circumstance of the whole season is the Ravens getting to play their hated arch-rivals, on the road, on the (most likely)last game of Big Ben’s suspension. Give me the Ravens to take advantage of either the young QB (Dixon) or the old QB (Leftwich) and get a really big victory here in the Steel City.
1:00 – Denver (1-2) at TENNESSEE (2-1)
The Titans continue to beat who is in front of them, as they should improve to 3-1 here. The Broncos are not very good, so I like the Titans at home here. I also expect a big day from Chris Johnson here, which is not good considering my Jack-O’s are scheduled to play The Dix in the All in the Family fantasy football league.
1:00 – Detroit (0-3) at GREEN BAY (2-1)
Another tough game for the boys from the Motor City, as going to Green Bay is no picnic, even if the Pack is coming off a tough Monday night loss in Chicago. I think that, despite the short week, they should be able to rally and win this game at home. If they were to beat the Bears, maybe they look at this game a little more lightly and be set up for a trap, but since we had the Bears winning last week, the Lions won’t be so lucky.
1:00 – San Francisco (1-2) at ATLANTA (2-1)
The Falcons are probably still smarting from the tough loss at New Orleans last week, but they get another schedule break this week, as they get a West Coast team at 1:00. The Falcons should be able to get back on track even against a tough 49ers team.
1:00 – Carolina (1-2) at NEW ORLEANS (3-0)
Let down for the Saints after a big win over Atlanta? Maybe. A fired up Panther team coming off a home loss to the Bengals? Maybe. That is why I hesitated with this pick, but again, the Saints at home are just too tough, and the Panthers on the road just aren’t good enough. Plus, the main weakness of the Saints is in their secondary, and the Panthers don’t have the weapons to fully take advantage of that. A tough season continues in Carolina, as the defending champs roll on.
1:00 – Seattle (0-3) at ST. LOUIS (0-3)
Are the Seahawks really in jeopardy of starting 0-4? I certainly think so. This is not a great matchup for Seattle, as this is just about the time when Sam Bradford probably will finally feel comfortable with the speed of the game and might be really itching for his first win. Plus, it’s a 1:00 game for a West Coast team. I am a bit surprised myself that the ‘Hawks are 0-4, but the schedule plays no favorites.
4:05 – INDIANAPOLIS (3-0) at Jacksonville (1-2)
The Jaguars always play the Colts tough, especially in their place, which is why I went back and forth on this pick several times. However, I really don’t see much talent on this Jacksonville team, and the Indy offense is a total machine. They should get enough points to go into Jacksonville and win. A tough one, but still an Indy victory.
4:05 – Houston (2-1) at OAKLAND (2-1)
This is exactly the game that Houston loses because it is right when their fans start to really believe in this team and then they pull the rug out. Yes, the Raiders might be looking ahead to San Diego next week, but I still think that, at home, they can win this game. Either way, I think it will be a good measuring stick for these two possible contenders, but give me the Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaiders, at home.
4:15 – Washington (1-2) at PHILADELPHIA (2-1)
Okay, I’m going to get my one gratuitous slap in here: Donovan’s return to Philly is easily one of the most important games he’ll ever play in, so he’ll probably throw three picks right before vomiting. Now, I don’t really believe that, and I would sigh and roll my eyes if I read someone else write that, but whatever, he doesn’t wear my colors any more. Either way, I think that the Birds are just clearly the better team and won’t lose at home, regardless of the motivation on the other side.
4:15 – Arizona (1-2) at SAN DIEGO (3-0)
The Chargers are just clearly a better team and they’re at home. I’m not worried about them “looking ahead” to the Raiders next week. The one thing I am worried about is that this team never starts fast, so 4-0 might be unrealistic, but I can’t really find any losses for them, so we’re gonna go with it.
8:20 – Chicago (2-1) at N.Y. GIANTS (2-1)
The Giants catch a big scheduling break here, as they host the Bears just six day after their emotional Monday night game against the Packers. On a short week, with that big game behind them, Chicago will probably not be 100%. That should be all the Giants needs to grab another home win here in Week Four.
Monday, October 4:
8:30 – New England (3-0) at MIAMI (1-2)
The Dolphins always give the Patriots fits, and with their backs against the wall here, I think they’ll pull this one out on a Monday night in Miami. A lot of NFL games simply come down to which team needs it more, and the Dolphins would certainly need this one more with the respective starts. So, the Pats will fall from the unbeatens and Miami will crawl back into the AFC East race.
STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 4
NFC EAST
3-1 N.Y. Giants
3-1 Philadelphia
2-1 Dallas
1-3 Washington
The idle Cowboys fall to third place in the NFC Beast, as the Giants and Eagles both jump them. The ‘Skins fall another game back.
NFC NORTH
3-1 Green Bay
2-1 Minnesota
2-2 Chicago
0-4 Detroit
The Packers take back the North. The Bears couldn’t consolidate the big win over the Pack last week, as they give one back in the Meadowlands this week.
NFC SOUTH
4-0 New Orleans
3-1 Atlanta
1-3 Carolina
0-3 Tampa Bay
The defending champs are still undefeated. The Falcons remain undefeated against everyone but the defending champs. This division was a two-horse race before it started, now it’s just looking more and more official.
NFC WEST
1-3 Arizona
1-3 San Francisco
1-3 St. Louis
0-4 Seattle
I asked last week if it could get any worse in the NFC West, and it did. The division goes 1-3 this week, with the only win an intra-division win. The division is now 0-10 in games against other divisions. Can 6-10 win this division?
AFC EAST
3-1 New England
3-1 N.Y. Jets
2-2 Miami
0-4 Buffalo
A huge win on Monday night for the Dolphins allows the Jets to crawl back into a tie with New England. Miami is also back into the thick of this race.
AFC NORTH
3-1 Cincinnati
2-2 Baltimore
2-2 Cleveland
1-3 Pittsburgh
A pair of divisional games this week, as Cincy wins the Battle of Ohio and the Ravens win in Pittsburgh. The Bengals now have a one-game lead over Baltimore and Cleveland, while the Steelers are two back, in last place.
AFC SOUTH
4-0 Indianapolis
3-1 Tennessee
2-2 Houston
1-3 Jacksonville
Tennessee keeps pace with the Colts, as they both win. Houston has a bad loss to Oakland, falling back to .500 at 2-2.
AFC WEST
4-0 San Diego
3-1 Oakland
1-2 Kansas City
1-3 Denver
The Chargers and Raiders both win, setting up a pretty important Week Five matchup between the two AFC West division leaders.
Click here for Week Five (available 9/5 at 11:00 am).
Pingback: BSB NFL Two-a-Days: Week Five | Broad Street Believers