NFL Predictions Week 4: Last-Minute Odds and Picks for Every Game

There's no Super Bowl rematch highlighting the NFL Week 4 schedule. In fact, neither of last year's title representatives are in action, taking a bye along with two of the three remaining undefeated squads.

In terms of star power, this isn't the best weekend on the NFL docket. At the best, viewers can look at a couple of matchups and think "Hey, maybe that's a potential first-round playoff clash." There are two games pitting 2-1 clubs against each other, and that includes the Houston Texans against the Buffalo Bills.

But come on, it's Sunday, and there's football on TV. Do you need a better reason to park your behind on the couch and spend the day blissfully watching people risk their health for your entertainment?

Without the top juggernauts taking the field this weekend, there are very few no-brainers to pick. According to Odds Shark, only four teams are projected to lose by five or more points. That includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the only undefeated team playing in Week 4.

Let's break down the updated odds and predictions before delving into three of Sunday's most intriguing clashes.

Away	Home	Prediction
Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers (-1)	34-30 GB
Houston Texans (-2.5)	Buffalo Bills	17-16 HOU
Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)	Tennessee Titans	30-23 IND
Baltimore Ravens (-3)	Carolina Panthers	15-9 CAR
New York Jets (Even)	Detroit Lions	28-13 DET
Pittsburgh Steelers (-9)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27-16 PIT
Oakland Raiders	Miami Dolphins (-3.5)	20-10 MIA
San Diego Chargers (-14)	Jacksonville Jaguars	37-14 SD
San Francisco 49ers (-5)	Philadelphia Eagles	27-24 SF
Minnesota Vikings	Atlanta Falcons (-3)	35-17 ATL
Dallas Cowboys	New Orleans Saints (-3)	38-24 NO
New England Patriots (-3)	Kansas City Chiefs	17-13 NE

Detroit Lions at New York Jets

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When the Detroit Lions head to New Jersey to face the New York Jets—confusing, I know—the outcome boils down to the Lions passing offense versus the Jets secondary.

With the two best rushing defenses taking the gridiron, neither club can expect to make much of a dent in the ground game. Detroit also sports the third-best passing defense after combating a recently revived Eli Manning, Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers.

The Jets rank No. 9 in passing defense, a notable feat after facing Rodgers and Jay Cutler. Their high mark, however, results from limiting Derek Carr to 151 yards during his NFL debut. The two NFC North quarterbacks combined for 571 yards and five touchdowns, so Stafford will likely enjoy the same success as his division rivals.

Player	CMP/ATT	CMP %	PASS YDs	PASS TDs	INTs
Derek Carr (OAK)	20/32	62.5	151	2	0
Aaron Rodgers (GB)	25/42	59.5	346	3	0
Jay Cutler (CHI)	23/38	60.5	225	2	0

Gang Green's best hope is Calvin Johnson not playing. He missed practice this week with an ankle ailment and is listed as questionable for Sunday. Yet Fox Sports Radio's Deb Carson reported some positive news on that front.

New York defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman knows who he's dealing with on Sunday. He sung Johnson's praises to ESPN.com's Jane McManus and the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta. 

Stafford, Johnson and Co. will produce enough points against a vulnerable New York secondary on Sunday. Against Detroit's rolling defense, Geno Smith won't be able to keep up.

Miami Dolphins at Oakland Raiders

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The Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders will travel to London to compete at Wembley Stadium, with Oakland given the dubious "home" allotment despite playing in England.

Both teams are limping across the pond, with the Raiders stuck at 0-3 and the Dolphins 1-2 after upsetting the New England Patriots in Week 1.

James Jones expressed the importance of Oakland claiming a victory to CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair. 

"

To me, it's a must win. We got a lot of vets on the team and we know the percentages. You never know how the season is going to turn out, but when you go 0-4 it's hard to make the playoffs. This is a tough league to win in, so to me it's a must win. We’ve got go out here play our best game. We need to go back home 1-3 before the bye week.

"

If he truly knew the percentages, he'd realize no game in September is actually a must-win. It will stink if they lose, but it's not like a defeat eliminates them from playoff contention, therefore not making it a "must-win." Sorry, rant over.

Either way, Oakland is competing for a No. 1 draft pick more than a playoff spot. It's one of three winless squads left with a fourth-worst minus-28 point differential. Win or lose, this season isn't going anywhere.

If the Raiders ever had a chance to breaking their losing streak, it's against the Dolphins, who aren't winning the functional competition either. Head coach Joe Philbin would not commit to Ryan Tannehill as his Week 4 starter, which upset the young quarterback.

"Obviously, it doesn't feel good," Tannehill said, via ESPN.com's James Walker. "It creates a bunch of stir [and] a bunch of distraction in the locker room—mostly from the outside coming in and guys having to deal with the distraction of it. So it's not a good feeling."

Rating 32nd with 5.03 yards per attempt has created an air of doubt around the third-year starter, but three games is way too short of a leash for a perceived franchise quarterback. At least see if he can master Oakland with Lamar Miller's help.

Miami is damaged, but not beyond repair. The Dolphins have disappointed after a tremendous opening week, but that spark of superb play is enough to pick them over the desolate Raiders.

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys entered this Sunday night bout with a better record than the New Orleans Saints. Seems hard to believe, but they have manufactured two wins to the Saints' one.

Yet New Orleans is the favorite on the road, despite losing seven of its last 10 games away from the Superdome. Despite that, expect Sean Payton's squad to have little trouble meeting that spread.

They have amassed the third-most offensive yards per game. Their poor rank against the pass (No. 29) lies solely on Matt Ryan's arm. Although they lost two closely contested games by a combined five points, there's no reason to panic here. 

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Dallas just gave up 327 yards and three touchdowns to Austin Davis. Beating the Tennessee Titans and narrowly escaping defeat from the St. Louis Rams hardly feels like just cause for celebration. (And no, the Saints besting the Minnesota Vikings doesn't warrant a victory parade either.)

Despite a dull start, Tony Romo has still completed 67.4 percent of his passes. This is as good a time as ever to churn out his first 300-yard game of the season, as it will take a scoring bonanza to keep up with Drew Brees.

Prepare for a heated shootout that ends with each team perched at 2-2. The horrid Cowboys defense, which ranked last year, showed why everyone is so down on them against the Rams. The Saints are a tad better than the Rams on offense.