Ravens-Patriots and Other NFL Week Four Predictions

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Last week was a great week.  We went 14-2 (assuming you all followed my advice).  Week Three was also home to perhaps the biggest upset so far this season, with a mediocre Cincinnati Bengals defeating the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in a last-second nail-biter. 

The other big game of the week was the San Francisco 49ers visiting the Minnesota Vikings.  That one ended in a gorgeous last-second pass from Brett Favre to Greg Lewis with two seconds left on the clock.

We begin bye-weeks this week, giving us only 14 games to pick.  Games to watch this week include the battle between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots in Foxborough and the “Battle of the Unbeatens” between the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints in Louisiana.

Sunday, October 4, 2009, 1:00 PM EST

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

First off, congratulations are in order.  The Detroit Lions, last week, snapped an 19-game losing streak by beating the Washington Redskins.  That said, they won’t begin a winning streak this week.  Their defense was a little off (it looked hard for them to stop the Redskins near-comeback drive at the very end of the game).

Also, Jay Cutler is actually improving every game.  This week, he should be able to exploit the Detroit defense and get another win at Soldier Field.  Also look for Devon Hester to have another big game; he wants to be the go-to guy in the Windy City.

Winner: Chicago

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

The Browns looked positively horrific in their 34-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week Three, and are now having quarterback issues again.  Until Eric Mangini can make decent decisions and get that locker room on the same page, the Browns will always be, well, the Browns.

Cincinnati had one of the most glorious last-minute wins I’ve ever seen.  While a great team would have crushed their opponent (instead of waiting until 14 seconds were left to win), even the most blasé of teams could beat the Browns.  That, and I want to see Chad Ochocinco dive into the “Dog Pound” again.

Winner: Cincinnati

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Until the Oakland Raiders realize that they have one of the worst quarterbacks ever to set foot on a gridiron, they will never win a game.  Okay, so it’s not all JaMarcus Russell’s fault, but he is pretty bad. 

The Raiders need to get some O-Line blocking for a run game (and to protect Russell), and their upper management needs to not be…crazy (see the comments they made to CBS Sports about Rich Gannon for evidence).

The Houston Texans are looking sad, but a nice, easy win in front of the home crowd should cheer them up.  They can do it, they have the offense, and you don’t need a defense against the Raiders, so have fun with your gimme, Houston.

Winner: Houston

Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts

Without Matt Hasselbeck, the Seattle Seahawks are in complete disarray.  They finally have T.J. Houshmandzadeh healthy and now have no one to throw to him.  It looks like they could have a repeat of last season, what with the Cardinals and reformed, re-energized 49ers in their division.

The Colts actually looked like they had a defense against the Cardinals last week, something I had never seen before.  That, and their offense kept getting big plays from Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark.  If they can keep it up, this week should provide them with an easy win.

Winner: Indianapolis

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee is angry and in desperate need of a win.  They’re 0-3 and not happy about it.  Jeff Fisher will not let this stand and neither will Kerry Collins (not with Vince Young waiting in the wings).  They have the passing game, and running game (with Chris Johnson), and should have the defense to pull this off.

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