NFL Week 4 Picks: Vegas Odds and Predictions Before Thursday Night

It's difficult to see the Chicago Bears turning it around anytime soon.

The Bears are off to a painful 0-3 start. They appear to lack comparable talent to a majority of the 31 other teams in the NFL and have also been beset by injuries.

That combination is deadly, and Chicago has not come close to playing effectively for 60 minutes this season.

A visit from the Detroit Lions might seem to be the right medicine. But the Lions have won six straight games in the series, and the Bears haven't been able to perform well at home.

The former Monsters of the Midway were 1-7 at home last year, and they have dropped their only home game this year. Soldier Field has become a playground for the visitors, so Matthew Stafford and Co. should be able to find plenty of wide-open spaces in the Chicago secondary.

The Lions no longer have Calvin Johnson to torment NFC North opponents, but they have a slew of pass-catching weapons, including Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, Eric Ebron and Golden Tate.

That does not bode well for a Chicago pass defense that features just one proven performer, Tracy Porter.

The Lions are 1-2 on the young season, but they could be 2-1 if they hadn't let a Week 2 game against the Tennessee Titans slip through their grasp. They also made a strong comeback against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 before falling short.

The Lions are three-point favorites in Chicago, according to Odds Shark, which should not bother them. If Stafford gets off to a sharp start, the Bears won't have enough talent to mount a serious comeback. Look for Detroit to win by at least seven points.

Game	Line	O/U	Prediction
Miami at Cincinnati	CIN -7.5	44.5	Cincinnati; Over
Indianapolis at Jacksonville	IND -2.5	49	Indianapolis; Over
Seattle at NY Jets	SEA -2.5	40	NYJ; Under
Detroit at Chicago	DET -3	47	Detroit; Under
Cleveland at Washington	WAS -7.5	46	Cleveland; Over
Tennessee at Houston	HOU -4.5	40.5	Tennessee; Under
Buffalo at New England	NE -4.5	N/A	New England; Under
Carolina at Atlanta	CAR -3	50	Atlanta: Over
Oakland at Baltimore	BAL -3.5	46.5	Oakland; Over
Denver at Tampa Bay	DEN -3	44	Denver; Under
New Orleans at San Diego	SD -3.5	53.4	San Diego; Over
Dallas at San Francisco	DAL -2.5	45.5	San Francisco; Under
Los Angeles at Arizona	ARI -7.5	43	Los Angeles; Over
Kansas City at Pittsburgh	PIT -5	47.5	Pittsburgh; Over
NY Giants at Minnesota	MIN -4.5	43	Minnesota; Under

Bills vs. Patriots

Can the New England Patriots make it four wins in a row without quarterback Tom Brady? More importantly, can they make it four point-spread covers in a row?

Steven Senne/Associated Press/Associated Press

Injured quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett both practiced Wednesday for the Patriots, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. It's a good sign that at least one of those signal-callers will be able to play when the Pats host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

The Pats are 4.5-point favorites, and Bills head coach Rex Ryan has been up to his old tricks ahead of his matchup with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, as ESPN shared:

On Wednesday, Ryan tried to act like a Buffalo News reporter named Walt Patulski when he asked Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman if he would play quarterback, per Rachel G. Bowers of the Boston Globe.

Patulski was a former Buffalo defensive end who played in the 1970s.

Belichick has fared well in his confrontations with Ryan in the past, and he should enjoy this one as well.

Look for the Patriots to play a strong defensive game and shut down the inconsistent Bills. The Pats will win at home and cover the spread.

The Patriots are 27-3 straight up and 18-10-2 against the spread when facing the Bills since 2001.

Panthers vs. Falcons

The defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers were a dominant team in 2015, rolling to a 14-0 record before they finally tasted defeat.

This year, it's a different story, as the Panthers have lost two of their first three games, and they appear to have come back to the pack a bit.

They played a solid game against the Denver Broncos in their opener, but a last-minute missed field goal kept them from winning at Mile High. After beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, they were manhandled by the Minnesota Vikings at home as the visitors recorded eight sacks.

Butch Dill/Associated Press

On Sunday, the Panthers will go to Atlanta to take on the 2-1 Falcons. The Panthers are three-point favorites, and it appears that Las Vegas has gotten it wrong in this one. The Falcons should be favored.

Quarterback Matt Ryan is comfortable at the Georgia Dome, and he should be able to get the best of the Carolina defense. Look for the Falcons to come up with the win as the home underdog.

The Falcons are 6-2 straight up in their last eight home games against the Panthers.

All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark unless noted otherwise.