NFL Week 4 Predictions: Early Projections for Vegas' Odds, Lines and Spreads

As we head into Week 4 of the NFL season, we have a strong understanding of what each team can become this year.

By the time the fourth week of the season is over, and all but two teams have played four games, the coaching staffs know what they are dealing with and have a clear picture of how to get the best out of their players.

Injuries and other issues inside the locker room will also have a huge impact on how the season plays out, but there won't be a lot of surprises from that point forward. 

One thing we have learned is that Bruce Arians may have a juggernaut on his hands in the desert. The Arizona Cardinals are coming off back-to-back blowouts of the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, and they may be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals seem to be developing a character that has rarely been displayed by the team in the past. Coming back and earning a third consecutive win after giving up a fourth-quarter lead to a desperate Baltimore Ravens team is a sign of true progress.

In this feature, we take an early look at the Week 4 schedule and make picks on all the games. All lines are provided by OddsShark.

Game	Line	Prediction
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	Balt. -2	Pittsburgh
N.Y. Jets at Miami	Even	Miami
N.Y. Giants at Buffalo	Buff. -5.5	N.Y.Giants
Oakland at Chicago	Oak. -1	Oakland
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	Ind. -8.5	Indianapolis
Houston at Atlanta	Atl. -5	Atlanta
Carolina at Tampa Bay	Car. -3	Tampa Bay
Kansas City at Cincinnati	Cin. -3	Cincinnati
Philadelphia at Washington	Phil. -3	Philadelphia
Cleveland at San Diego	SD -7	San Diego
Minnesota at Denver	Den. -4.5	Minnesota
Green Bay at San Francisco	GB -9.5	San Francisco
St. Louis at Arizona	Ariz. -6	Arizona
Dallas at New Orleans	NO -7	Dallas
Detroit at Seattle	NL	Seattle

Giants have the weapons to slow down Buffalo express

The New York Giants should be 3-0 right now, but their own poor clock management in the fourth quarter has turned them into a 1-2 team.

They had double-digit leads in their first two losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, but they could not hold on. While the critics were howling in New York, the Giants got it together and beat the Redskins 32-21 in Week 3.

The Giants have flaws that make going into Buffalo a difficult assignment. However, Eli Manning is throwing the ball well (64.8 percent completions, 4-0 TD-interception ratio), and he has one of the most spectacular receivers in the league in Odell Beckham Jr.

The likely return of Victor Cruz to the lineup should make them even more spectacular. The salsa-dancing receiver has been a special playmaker in the past, and he can take quite a bit of pressure off of Beckham.

"

Victor Cruz says he'll make season debut for Giants in Week 4 vs. Bills http://t.co/lFdQshiSA4

— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) September 27, 2015"

The Bills have one of the most dangerous defenses in the NFL, and the combination of Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes is capable of shutting down any team in the league. The key for the Giants will be to hold the defensive line in check and to give Manning adequate time to find Beckham, Cruz and No. 3 receiver Rueben Randle.

This should be a back-and-forth game that could come down to the last possession. The Giants are getting 5.5 points, and we like them to stay within the spread if not win the game outright.

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Chargers nearly in must-win situation as they return home 

After starting the season with a memorable come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Lions at home, the Chargers lost two tough games on the road to Cincinnati and Minnesota.

While both of those teams have been impressive in the early going, the Chargers lacked the ability to finish either one of those games and compete for 60 minutes

They come home and find themselves in a must-win situation against the Cleveland Browns. Week 4 games should generally not be considered must-win, but if the Chargers can't beat the Browns at home, what does it say about their prospects for the rest of the season?

The AFC West looks like a battleground this year. Denver has one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Chiefs have a power-running game with Jamaal Charles to go with a nasty defense led by Justin Houston and the Raiders look like one of the most improved teams in football.

The Browns appear to be set up for a loss. While the Chargers have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Philip Rivers, the Browns have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Johnny Manziel led them to a Week 2 victory, but he was replaced by Josh McCown prior to their Week 3 loss to the Raiders.

Head coach Mike Pettine may have a public-relations mess on his hands, and he may have to answer a lot of questions. That could impact his team's preparation for a tough road game.

"

The @Browns head into halftime without a TD. Will we see Johnny in the 2nd half? Vote: #ManzielNow or #ManzielNever pic.twitter.com/yqea3Fifgh

— NFL Now (@NFLNow) September 27, 2015"

Look for the Chargers to come out hard against Cleveland and build a big lead before daring the Browns to come back behind McCown or Manziel. That's unlikely, and the Chargers will get back on track.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Cardinals have it rolling early in the season.

Three games into the season, the Arizona Cardinals look like a juggernaut.

If you remember, the Cardinals got off to a 9-1 start last year before injuries tore Bruce Arians' team apart.

The Cardinals are healthy now, and they are coming off back-to-back blowout wins over the Bears and 49ers. While those two teams may not be contenders this year, the impressive aspect of both games was the confidence displayed by Arizona.

Arizona scored two defensive touchdowns in the first six minutes and took the heart out of the Niners. After building a big lead, the Cardinals refused to dial it down. Chris Johnson ran for 110 yards to show that the Cardinals could get it done on the ground, while veteran wideout Larry Fitzgerald had his second big game in a row, as he caught nine passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

"

The @AZCardinals are the 1st @NFL team in 70 years (1945 Green Bay) to have 2 INT-TDs, a safety & score 40+ points in a game

— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) September 27, 2015"

The Rams have a solid defense that held the Pittsburgh Steelers to 12 points, but all they could manage was two field goals while playing at home. The Rams have to do better than that if they are going to stay close to the Cardinals in this game.

Nick Foles may not have the game to do that. The Cardinals come with pressure, and that's going to force Foles to get rid of the ball quickly.

The Cardinals have a long season ahead of them, and they haven't proven anything yet. However, they are playing like they know they can't be stopped, and that's half the battle.