Welcome to week four everyone! For it still being early, this season has been riddled with ups, downs, and upsets. If you’re fortunate enough to still be alive, good for you. Don’t worry if you’re already knocked out though, the roller coaster that this season has already been creates the opportunity for busted pools to reopen; hell, I was in one that reopened after the debacle that was week two, and my cousin’s was busted last week. So there is still hope.
If you’re following along the Dolphins, Rams, and Patriots are off the board. This week is going to be a tricky one to call as NFL week four has turned into a virtual who’s who of injured quarterbacks. Normally, I wouldn’t want to bet on a backup but let’s see what this week has lined up and see where it goes. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Matchups that will help you breathe easy:
Houston Texans at the Atlanta Falcons: Can anybody really stop the Atlanta Falcons right now? At one point last week they were down two scores against the Dallas Cowboys and still somehow, some way found a way to win. Although, he is king of the choke, Matt Ryan is playing like Matt Ryan right now so best pull the Falcons card while they’re hot. The tandem of Ryan and Julio Jones has burned secondary coverages in all three games thus far this season. While the Texans secondary is improving, I wouldn’t want to use Jones as an object lesson.
Minnesota Vikings at the Denver Broncos: This is one of the easier games to call this week. It’s not a division or conference matchup and there is no rivalry this situation. Finally a matchup without the nasty subplot. Peyton Manning may be on the downside of his career but he still has the ability and weapons to win games. That and I don’t think the Vikings are as good as their 2-1 record says this season. The Broncos haven’t played since last Thursday and are plenty rested for this contest. They should be good to go and handle the Vikings with no problem.
Matchups that will give you heartburn:
Philadelphia Eagles at the Washington National Football Team: First up on the heartburn list is a matchup where that ugly “d” word rears its ugly head. At this point in the season it’s established how I feel about division games. Washington has looked better than anticipated as they knocked me out of both of my pools by beating the Rams after all. So far this season, the Eagles offense has done a good job of making opponents defenses look good. With three out of the four teams in the NFC East sitting at 1-2 and the Cowboys at the top at 2-1, the division is wide open and can belong to anyone who wants it bad enough at this point. Both teams need a win. Obviously, the Eagles fan in me is optimistic that they should be able to handle their division foe, I wouldn’t want to touch this one with an 11 foot pole, because 10 feet just isn’t enough.
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins at Wembley: While playing across the pond is a cool idea in theory, the home field advantage is neutralized and the participating teams have to adjust to a five-hour time difference. The Jets should bounce back after last week’s loss against the Eagles, and the Dolphins aren’t playing like they were predicted to in the preseason. However, the Dolphins need a win, if they lose to the Jets they will fall to a 1-3 record with a 0-2 division record and a 0-3 conference record. Any chance of a wild card berth will go out of the window in week four if they lose this game. Numbers aside, there’s too much at stake this early to want to take this one.
Matchups that might cost you money:
Detroit Lions at the Seattle Seahawks: I really can’t explain the eerie feeling I have about this game. I do hate picking primetime games because everyone shows up to play on the big stage. But I don’t know of anyone in the NFL who needs a win more than Matthew Stafford and the Lions. The Seahawks should have no problem putting this one away at home, but for whatever reason I have a bad feeling about this one and think the Lions show up and upset the Seahawks at home. Personally, I hope that I’m wrong but I’m staying far away from this one. I know you were probably hoping for numbers or stats here but ignoring your instincts gets you knocked out, and sometimes your instincts are worth more than offensive and defensive comparisons.
Carolina Panthers at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Carolina has to be the worst 3-0 football team out there right now, they’re bound to fall at some point. Plus, here we go with that division subtext again. Jameis Winston is missing Austin Seferian-Jenkins but still has wily veteran Vincent Jackson. The Bucs still look and play like a young team, but I can’t see Carolina staying undefeated through four. On paper Carolina should win, but this one could go the other way real fast.
So that’s week four in a nutshell. Overall, I am going to take the Broncos this week. I think between the ample rest and overall comparison it’s one of the few easy ones to call this week. So if you’re following along they’re off the board now.
Week 1: Dolphins W 17-10
Week 2: Rams (Whoops)
Week 3: Patriots
Week 4: Broncos
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