NFL Picks Week 4: Updated Lines and Final-Score Predictions for All Games

It may be tough to fathom, but the quarter mark of the 2014 NFL season is nearly upon us.

After three weeks of NFL action, there are just three undefeated teams remaining: the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.

Of those three, only the Eagles have a true NFL outsider in charge.

Head coach Chip Kelly is in his second year of serving up the good for an NFL franchise—the Cardinals' Bruce Arians and Bengals' Marvin Lewis have spent much more time in and around the league—and his methods will be put to the test against another coach recently brought in from the college ranks, Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers.

This game should prove to be a firecracker, but there are 12 other tilts on the Week 4 table worthy of a look at the odds, as well as some final-score predictions.

Away	Home	Point Spread	Prediction	Reason
New York Giants	Washington Redskins	WSH -3.5	WSH 31-21 NYG	Cousins continues to show why he can be long-term starter, outplays Eli Manning.
Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	GB -1	GB 27-20 CHI	Rodgers takes advantage of Bears' rash of injuries on defense. Nelson has a big game.
Buffalo Bills	Houston Texans	HOU -3	BUF 17-10 HOU	EJ Manuel plays game manager role, avoids pass rush. Houston offense struggles.
Tennessee Titans	Indianapolis Colts	IND -9	IND 28-14 TEN	Luck puts on a show, Richardson gets into a groove and Titans can't keep up.
Carolina Panthers	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3	CAR 24-21 BAL	Panthers defense holds tough against Ravens RB committee.
Detroit Lions	New York Jets	EVEN	DET 28-17 NYJ	Stafford has a bounceback game against Jets, who struggle on offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -9	PIT 28-20 TB	Lovie Smith is a good coach and rallies his troops, but they still fall short in Steeltown.
Miami Dolphins	Oakland Raiders	MIA -4	MIA 20-17 OAK	Raiders' lack of discipline gives Mike Wallace, Lamar Miller enough opportunities to shine.
Jacksonville Jaguars	San Diego Chargers	SD -14	SD 35-17 JAX	Chargers injuries don't hurt them at home against incompetent Jaguars.
Philadelphia Eagles	San Francisco 49ers	SF -5.5	PHI 34- SF 31	Eagles offense too much for Kaepernick to keep up with.
Atlanta Falcons	Minnesota Vikings	ATL -2.5	ATL 27-17 MIN	Bridgewater struggles without a solid running game, Ryan rolls.
New Orleans Saints	Dallas Cowboys	NO -3	NO 35-31 DAL	Brees gets his mojo back in a shootout.
New England Patriots	Kansas City Chiefs	NE -3.5	KC 21-20 NE	Knile Davis is the real deal, helps Chiefs win a stunner at home.

 Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Tuesday, September 23. 

Game of the Week: Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers (1-2) can't afford to fall behind the Arizona Cardinals (3-0) and the Seattle Seahawks (2-1) in the NFC West. It's rare that three playoff teams emerge from the same division, so this matchup is about as much of a must-win game as there could possibly be in just the fourth week of the NFL season.

Much has been made of the Eagles' late-game heroics. They've outscored opponents 74-24 in the second half of games this year, and their comeback victories set a record in the process, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Cornerback Cary Williams made waves with some of his comments regarding Chip Kelly's practices.  

"I'm burnt out. Burnt out. I'm not the only guy that feels burnt out," Williams said, via CSNPhilly.com's Andy Schwartz. "I'm just a guy that's man enough to stand up for players and just say that we're burnt out."

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Williams apologized for his statements, via ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan, who also took time to shed light on some of Kelly's mad scientist methods and how they differ from the NFL's conventional wisdom.

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The Eagles are one of very few NFL teams that practice on Tuesdays. They did so last week even though they played a Monday night game in Indianapolis. Williams said Sunday it was hard to play hard for 60 minutes on Sunday after battling to get through the high-speed practices all week.

Kelly bases everything he does on sports science. Many players cited his practice methods as the reason they felt fresher and healthier late in the 2013 season, the first with Kelly. Williams was the first to voice public concern.

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Williams, of course, doesn't speak for everyone on the team, but it will be interesting to see if Kelly's methods are better suited for long-term gains rather than short-term boosts. Neither team is playing on a short week, and the Eagles do have to make the long trip from the Northeast to Northern California for the game. 

The 49ers will have to attack them early and often. Forcing the Philadelphia Eagles defense to chase Colin Kaepernick on bootlegs and play-action rollouts, while mixing in runs up the middle from veteran Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde, could help the Niners establish the tone early and draw the Eagles into a physical contest.

Of course, the 49ers have shied away from the run this season. Gore has just 35 carries so far on the year as the team's first-string running back and toted the ball just six times on the ground in the team's 23-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

This appears to at least partially be a result of the 49ers' new-look offense, featuring a healthy dose of five wide receiver sets. The offense may not be here to stay, as the team didn't win and it was more of a personnel issue, at least according to Harbaugh, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle: 

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Harbaugh said the 49ers implemented the uncharacteristic attack because tight ends Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald were sidelined with injuries. The 49ers’ running game features a heavy dose of two-tight-end formations, and the Cardinals’ defense gave them another reason to change tactics. Arizona allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL in 2013.

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The Eagles' run defense hasn't proven to be as tough as the Cardinals' this year, but it still ranks 13th in the league after three games.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Maximizing the wide receiver trio of Stevie Johnson, Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree is tempting, so it's possible Gore will still see limited opportunities in this one. This means it's up to Kaepernick to outduel Eagles QB Nick Foles, a difficult task.

Player	CMP/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	FUM	RSH YDS
Foles	75/123	978	7.95	6	2	3	34
Kaepernick	66/94	694	7.38	4	3	1	129

There is also a good chance the Eagles' second-half boost comes into play again, doubly dangerous if Kaepernick struggles with the game winding down, as noted by NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano:

He should get a boost from tight end Vernon Davis, who Harbaugh is optimistic can play in Week 4, per the team's official Twitter account:

Playing keep away from Kelly's offense, which sometimes seems capable of teleporting downfield with a relentless pace and play calls that often spring players for big gains, is the key to winning this matchup. Kaepernick will have to cut down on the turnovers if he wants to deliver a victory.

But it may prove to be just impossible to keep up with the Eagles without a clear, sound offensive strategy in mind. Philly is averaging 419 yards per game on offense, sixth best in the NFL. All-world running back LeSean McCoy hasn't even maxed out his potential this year. He is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry in 2014, a Ferrari spinning its wheels in the mud and struggling to gain traction.

The Niners have the seventh-ranked rushing defense, so this may not be the week he breaks out, but if he gets better, then the Eagles will win this contest. It won't be close, as the desperation of the 49ers and the frenzied home crowd will keep them in the game and potentially rattle this Eagles team.

Prediction: Eagles win