Week 4 NFL Picks: Final Vegas Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Slate

It's almost hard to imagine that with the conclusion of Week 4, the first quarter of the 2014 NFL season will be complete. Needless to say, every NFL team—sans franchises in the midst of a bye week—faces a pivotal contest this week. In fact, Sunday may bring about the most compelling football we've seen so far this season.

Veteran wide receiver Steve Smith gets a shot at his former team, as the Baltimore Ravens play host to the Carolina Panthers. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will be looking to right the ship, but they face a red-hot Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles travel west in an effort to remain undefeated against a reeling San Francisco 49ers squad.

Hollywood couldn't have written a better script.

With three weeks in the books, we have a general idea of what each team has to offer. Combining that knowledge with recent injury news and positional matchups, we can attempt to decipher the nearly unbreakable code as written by Vegas oddsmakers. Let's try our hand at Sunday's slate of Week 4 games.

Matchup	Odds	Prediction
Detroit Lions at New York Jets	DET -2	DET, 26-20
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts	IND -8	IND, 31-17
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans	HOU -3	BUF, 18-15
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears	GB -2	CHI, 30-27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -9	PIT, 27-13
Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3	BAL, 23-20
Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders	MIA -4	MIA, 26-17
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers	SD -14	SD, 35-20
Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers	SF -4.5	SF, 27-26
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings	ATL -3	ATL, 28-22
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys	NO -3	NO, 31-27

All game odds courtesy of Bovada, via OddsShark.com, and current as of September 26.

Green Bay Packers (-2) at Chicago Bears

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Packers may be entering the game with a 1-2 record, but that didn't stop oddsmakers from favoring the visiting team on Sunday. Well, that may wind up being a bit of a mistake.

Green Bay's offense just doesn't resemble what it has looked like in recent seasons. In the team's most recent showing against the Detroit Lions, Rodgers was pressured early and often, and running back Eddie Lacy had trouble finding running room. This allowed the once-vaunted Green Bay offense to total just seven points and 223 yards. Despite the Lions turning the ball over three times, the Packers couldn't keep up.

Still Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker knows it will be a challenge on Sunday, via the Bears' official Twitter account:

Speaking of turnovers, Cutler is not producing many of them. In fact, he hasn't tossed a pick since he threw two in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, and he's thrown eight touchdown passes in that same span. While Cutler's been great, running back Matt Forte has struggled; however, that could change in Week 4 against Green Bay's 30th-ranked run defense.

Yes, Chicago is battered on the defensive side of the ball, and we can expect Rodgers to put up some points; however, with great replacements such as Kyle Fuller in the mix for the Bears, expect the Packers to fall just short of leaving Soldier Field with a win.

Prediction: Bears 30, Packers 27

Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens (-3)

David Richard/Associated Press

Through two weeks this season, the Panthers looked as legit as any NFL team. However, things took a big turn for the worse when facing the previously anemic Pittsburgh Steelers in Carolina in prime-time action. A once-heralded Panthers defense suddenly allowed 264 yards on the ground and 454 overall to a Steelers team that put up a whopping 37 points.

Now, the Panthers face a Ravens team that's still ranked eighth in rushing in the league despite a backfield carousel. Although, the running game isn't what Carolina needs to worry about—there's a certain wide receiver looking to steal the show this week.

After spending 13 years in Carolina, Smith departed to Baltimore over the offseason. He's already been a huge factor, accumulating 18 receptions for 290 yards and a score. The veteran will have a big chip on his shoulder on Sunday, according to his recent statement during an interview with Ashley Fox of ESPN.com:

"

I think the thing that hurt the most wasn't being cut. It was the way it was done, and almost it felt like the justification behind closed doors, and that was the part that really kind of was a hard pill to swallow. All the leaked stories about why I was cut and the reasoning behind why and what I was. I was this, and I was that, instead of just being...

...Nah, I can't even say that. Just how it was done.

"

Cam Newton picked his words carefully when speaking of his former wide receiver, via the Panthers' official Twitter account:

Combine Baltimore's well-balanced offense with a defense that's only allowing 16.7 points per game—good enough to rank tied for sixth in the league—and you have a team poised to notch another win at home.

Prediction: Ravens 23, Panthers 20

Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers (-4.5)

Michael Perez/Associated Press

This is a matchup that doesn't exactly look favorable for the home team. The Eagles are featuring one of the most high-flying offenses in the league. Their resilience has allowed them to come back from double-digit margins in each of their three wins. Meanwhile, the 49ers just can't seem to maintain a lead through a 60-minute game.

Around the NFL tweeted what's in store on Sunday:

Still, the Eagles have some question marks surrounding them as they head out west—the team's secondary being the biggest one. Allowing Chad Henne and the Jacksonville Jaguars' passing attack to get out in front in Week 1 was concerning. Allowing a bevy of yards to Andrew Luck in Week 2 seemed par for the course. Even Kirk Cousins' 427 yards in Week 3 seemed a little excessive, but nothing too crazy—until Thursday night.

Cousins looked absolutely dreadful against the New York Giants. He wasn't able to make any throws on a night fit for a quarterback, throwing four interceptions in the process. Could Philadelphia's secondary be a little worse off than we originally thought? We'll find out soon enough, as Colin Kaepernick will be looking to redeem himself after two brutal losses in which his team allowed comeback victories to the Bears and Arizona Cardinals.

Considering Philadelphia will be without most of its starting offensive line on Sunday, the 49ers defense becomes even more formidable, making the Eagles potential underdogs on both sides of the ball.

Still, Philadelphia is a very talented team, and San Francisco still has plenty to prove after a 1-2 start. Expect a close one with the home team finally fending off a late comeback bid.

Prediction: 49ers 27, Eagles 26