Week 4 NFL Picks: Predictions for Midweek Odds and Spreads

The NFL season has started to take shape.

We are three weeks in, and stories are being written. The New England Patriots are playing as if they would like to mimic their 2007 regular season and keep a "0" in the loss column all season long.  

The Cincinnati Bengals look like a team that can dominate in all areas and play a complete 60-minute game. Is this the year they hold it together all season?

The NFC South was the laughingstock of the league last year as the Carolina Panthers took the division title with a 7-8-1 mark. Critics complained that teams with losing records didn't deserve to be in the playoffs. That was last year.

Early in the 2015 season, the Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons are both 3-0. While both teams may have a hard time at certain points during the season, they are both playing excellent football at the start of the year.

These and other NFL stories will come into sharper focus as the weeks move along. In this piece, we look at the point spreads and totals at midweek, and offer suggestions to handicappers. All of the betting information is courtesy of Odds Shark.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Prediction
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	Balt. -2.5	43.5	Pittsburgh; Over
N.Y. Jets vs. Miami (London)	Even	41.5	Miami; Under
N.Y. Giants at Buffalo	Buff. -5.5	46.5	N.Y.Giants; Over
Oakland at Chicago	Oak. -3	44.5	Oakland; Under
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	Ind. -10	4748	Indianapolis; Over
Houston at Atlanta	Atl. -7	47	Atlanta; Under
Carolina at Tampa Bay	Car. -3	40	Tampa Bay; Under
Kansas City at Cincinnati	Cin. -3.5	44	Cincinnati; Over
Philadelphia at Washington	Phil. -3	47	Philadelphia; Under
Cleveland at San Diego	SD -9	45	San Diego; Under
Minnesota at Denver	Den. -7	42.5	Minnesota; Under
Green Bay at San Francisco	GB -9.5	48.5	San Francisco; Under
St. Louis at Arizona	Ariz. -7.5	42.5	Arizona; Over
Dallas at New Orleans	NL	--	Dallas
Detroit at Seattle	Sea. -10	43	Detroit; Under

Can Dolphins find their game while competing at Wembley?

If you can't get enough football in your system, than Week 4 will be to your liking. In addition to a Thursday night game, three windows on Sunday and a Monday night game, diehard fans will get a Sunday morning game.

The NFL loves to send its football teams to Wembley Stadium in London, and this week the Jets and the Dolphins are set to do battle at the classic football venue at 9:30 a.m. ET. 

As nearly all fans know, English football is American soccer. And while that sport is the king of the hill in England, there are a number of British fans who have an interest in American football.

The Dolphins have been quite disappointing so far. After opening their season with a narrow win over the Washington Redskins, they were beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars and pummeled on their home field by the Buffalo Bills.

Many thought the Dolphins would have a chance to compete with the New England Patriots for the AFC East title, but they have looked more like a tail-ender than a contender.

The Dolphins have big-time talent on the defensive line with Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, and they should be able to shut down Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets. 

Fitzpatrick has helped get the Jets off to a 2-1 start, but he may be arm weary after his 35-of-58-283-2-3 effort in the Week 3 loss to the Eagles.

Getting out of the country may be the best thing for the Dolphins, and they need to come up with a strong effort if they want to get back to the .500 mark.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Giants ready to jump all over Bills

The Buffalo Bills were one of the most impressive teams in Week 3. After getting trounced by the New England Patriots on their home field, the Bills went to Miami and throttled the Dolphins 41-14.

The Bills return home and get to play a New York Giants team that has blown double-digit fourth-quarter leads in two of its first three games.

If you think it looks easy for the Bills, it's time to think again. They are coming off emotional back-to-back games against divisional opponents, and they may not have as much left in the tank as they need for a full 60-minute effort.

Additionally, the high-powered Giants offense will likely have rehabbing wideout Victor Cruz back (torn patellar tendon) in addition to explosive Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle. 

The Bills usually have a hard time holding up the week after playing the Dolphins. They are just 5-14 vs. the spread in their last 19 after playing Miami.

The Giants have more than enough to cover the 5.5-point spread and will probably win the game.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals will continue to roll against low-power Rams

If the New England Patriots have been the most impressive AFC team in the young season, it's hard to find an NFC team that has looked better than the Arizona Cardinals.

Head coach Bruce Arians' team is a juggernaut right now, having rolled to victories in their first three games. The Cardinals offense is running smoothly under the direction of quarterback Carson Palmer, while the defense has been opportunistic as it has scored three touchdowns in the last two games. 

The Rams have struggled after coming up with an impressive win over the Seattle Seahawks in the opener. They have lost games to the Redskins and Steelers in the last two weeks.

The loss at home to Pittsburgh in Week 3 was particularly depressing because they held the high-powered Steelers to 12 points and should have been able to win under those circumstances. However, all the Rams could manage was two field goals.

That's not acceptable for head coach Jeff Fisher, and much more has been expected from quarterback Nick Foles. He completed 19-of-28 passes for 197 yards against the Steelers, but he did not look comfortable when the Rams had the ball in Pittsburgh territory.

He may figure it out, but not this week in the desert. The Cardinals should roll at home and continue their unbeaten ways.