The Zoot Perspective: Left Fielder predicts the outcomes of Week 4 in the NFL:
Apparently Thursday night games are going to consistently end in beat-downs. The Giants look like they may be turning a corner, and in the wide-open NFC East, I can now officially say I'm intrigued. The Redskins may be coming down to earth after thinking they have a new quarterback answer.
Panthers at Ravens
This is one of my picks against the grain this week. While the Ravens sit at 2-1, they're last victory was a last-minute field goal. I can't pick against the Panthers' defense, despite a rough week last week against the Steelers.
Packers at Bears
I think this will be the most exciting game of the week. With division implications for the remainder of the year on the line, the Packers and Bears can't have experienced luck any more differently the past three weeks. The Bears' offense looks good and their defense looks passable, as do the Packers. I'm giving the Bears a home-field edge, but this game will be close.
Bills at Texans
I refuse to believe in the Bills. At the same time, the Texans don't really have a quarterback. This is a case of which team sucks less, and I'll give J.J. Watt credit for swinging things in favor of his team.
Titans at Colts
This week and last are exactly what the Colts needed. Playing in the worst division in the NFL, going 0-2 to start the season doesn't look so bad if they can put the hurt on the Titans like they did last week against the Jaguars.
The Jets looked a little impotent last week against the Bears, while the Lions ground out a tough win against the Packers. I expect the same kind of play from both, and see another win for the Lions when the score fewer than 20 points.
Dolphins at Raiders
Being played in London, this game doesn't really deserve much attention. If the NFL actually wants attention from Europe, we could at least send them two teams who have a decent shot at putting up a show. The Dolphins will win this one by default.
Buccaneers at Steelers
I can now say that my early prediction at the success of the Buccaneers has proven totally bogus. They look like a high school team at this point. The Steelers have played six quarters of playoff-caliber football and six quarters of atrocious football. Hopefully this week will shed some light as to what is truth and what is anomaly.
Jaguars at Chargers
Phillip Rivers has been gunning this year, and the Jaguars just haven't been. Blake Bortles will bring some life to the game, but there really isn't anything to look forward to here. The big problem is that the Chargers have lost against a good team, beaten a good team, and beaten a chump team, so we have very little context as to how good this squad is, especially without a running back.
Falcons at Vikings
The Falcons put the hurt on last week, while the Vikings have stumbled after a big Week 1. I expect Matty Ice to continue in fine fashion, and the Falcons to continue their winning ways.
The 3-0 Eagles have proven that they may come out looking a little slow, but that they will beat you in the fourth quarter. The 49ers have shown that they'll beat you early and let you have the fourth quarter. That doesn't bode well for this outcome. I expect a 45 minute 49ers lead and an eventual Eagles victory.
Saints at Cowboys
Now that the Saints have their first win of the year, the rest of the league should be scared. The Cowboys got a win despite letting the Rams take a big lead, which is something they won't get away with against the Saints. Big D gets a big L, putting them at .500, where they feel most comfortable.
Patriots at Chiefs
Maybe when the schedule was set in the off-season this sounded like a fun prime-time game. Now that things are under-way, though, this looks lack-luster at best. The Patriots have looked like they're going to back their way into the playoffs (a win against the lowly Raiders with only one TD?), while the Chiefs look like a different team than the one that went undefeated for the first 7 games last season.
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