NFL Week 4: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
Can you believe we're nearly through the first month of the 2015 NFL season? The Baltimore Ravens probably can't because it took them four tries to notch their first win of the season Thursday night versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Sunday, two winless teams—the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints—will try to get their first wins of the season. We'll see 24 other teams in action during a slate of 13 games.
Oh, and things kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET because the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are playing in London. Set your alarms!
Here's everything else you need to know.
Biggest Questions
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Just How Bad Are the Chicago Bears?
The Bears always seem to be who we think they are, and this year most will agree they're pretty bad.
Injuries have played a part, of course. The team didn't have starting quarterback Jay Cutler or star receiver Alshon Jeffery for last week's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
We learned, by the way, that Jimmy Clausen is not the answer.
However, the Bears' mess goes far beyond the injury report. The defense has underwhelmed (ranked 32nd in points allowed with 35 per game), the offense hasn't been much better (31st with 15.3 points per game), and the team has already resorted to shipping off personnel.
At least defensive end Jared Allen isn't bad-mouthing his former team, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer: "I don't have a bad thing to say [about Chicago]. I just—I'm not a stand-up 3-4 guy. I gave it the old college try."
Chicago will have an opportunity to turn things around Sunday when the Oakland Raiders come to town.
Just How Good Are the Oakland Raiders?
We know the Raiders are a 2-1 team, but are they for real?
Oakland was embarrassed by a strong Cincinnati Bengals team and then went on to beat the 1-3 Ravens and 1-2 Browns. That Browns game, for the record, could have been blown if Charles Woodson had not intercepted a potential game-tying touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders have talent, to be sure. Quarterback Derek Carr and receiver Amari Cooper look like future Pro Bowlers, while Khalil Mack has the potential to be one of the league's better pass-rushers.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Raiders have the league's fifth-best overall offense. When's the last time we talked about Oakland as an offensive juggernaut?
The Raiders probably aren't a playoff team just yet, but a win in Chicago would be huge for the fanbase.
Just How Good Are the Arizona Cardinals?
Yes, Arizona ranks first in the NFL with 42 (42!) points scored per game. Yes, the defense is ranked fourth in the league, allowing just 16.3 points per game. However, you do have to look at the quality of Arizona's opposition.
The Cardinals have knocked off the Saints, Bears and San Francisco 49ers. Those teams are bad. They're a combined 1-8, and all three could realistically be vying for the first pick in next year's draft.
It's hard to completely buy into the Cardinals until they start beating down quality opponents—they'll get a chance to do that against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. However, the fact the Cardinals are destroying inferior competition does suggest this is a potentially great team.
So long as quarterback Carson Palmer stays healthy, this should be a playoff team. Let's just see how the Cardinals handle a tough divisional opponent before crowning them.
What the Heck Is Wrong With Andrew Luck?
What about those Indianapolis Colts? Many expected them to be a Super Bowl contender this year, but the team has floundered on its way to a 1-2 record.
The lone win was ugly; the two losses were uglier. Surprisingly, superstar quarterback Andrew Luck has been part of the problem.
The human neck beard has thrown five touchdown passes this year, but he has also tossed seven interceptions and fumbled twice (losing one). His passer rating of 65.1 is more than 34 points lower than Johnny Manziel's.
In the words of Bleacher Report NFL Lead Writer Matt Miller, Luck seems "broken." The only quarterbacks rated lower than Luck by Pro Football Focus through Week 3 are Alex Smith, Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford.
You can argue the Colts haven't put enough talent around Luck. That offensive line is pathetic, after all. Yet, Luck still has to turn some things around on his own.
However, he might not get a chance to this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is officially questionable with a right shoulder injury.
Game of the Day
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Who: Minnesota Vikings (2-1) at Denver Broncos (3-0)
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Peyton Manning may not be the same quarterback he was a few years ago, but the Denver Broncos are undefeated for a reason.
The defense is really, really good—Pro Football Focus rates the Broncos first by a significant margin—and Manning still has the mental chops to dissect a defense and put his team in position to win.
Playing at home will give Denver a tangible advantage Sunday, but the team will be facing its biggest offensive challenge to date in the Minnesota Vikings. If you hadn't noticed, Adrian Peterson is back, rushing for 260 yards and two scores over the past two weeks.
The Vikings also have a steady presence under center in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The former Louisville star rarely makes the type of jaw-dropping plays that some of the league's elite signal-callers do, but he is smart, efficient and effective. Focusing only on Peterson would be a mistake for the Broncos.
Oh, and that Vikings defense is darn good too; Pro Football Focus rates Minnesota just three spots behind Denver.
This might be the first game of the year in which Manning has to put the Broncos on his shoulders and win a game instead of just managing it. Either way, it's going to be a good one.
Stats of the Week
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16-2
Arizona's record over the last 18 games it has played with Carson Palmer at quarterback. Keeping him healthy will be paramount this season.
The passer rating of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Chicago's Jimmy Clausen is the only quarterback with a lower rating thus far. Clausen is not a former No. 1 overall draft pick.
The number of incompletions Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw the last time he was on the road. He only had two fewer touchdown passes. Good Luck, San Francisco.
The number of points the 49ers have been outscored by over their past two contests. Now Rodgers and Co. are coming to town. Again, good luck, San Francisco.
The average number of rushing yards surrendered by the Browns per game this season. Opposing ball-carriers are averaging 4.9 yards per rush. Have fun, San Diego!
The number of times Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has been sacked already this season, the most in the league.
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Who Is Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 9:30 a.m. | NY Jets | Miami (in London) | Even |
| 1 p.m. | Houston | Atlanta | Atlanta -7 |
| 1 p.m. | NY Giants | Buffalo | Buffalo -5 |
| 1 p.m. | Oakland | Chicago | Oakland -3 |
| 1 p.m. | Kansas City | Cincinnati | Cincinnati -4 |
| 1 p.m. | Jacksonville | Indianapolis | Indianapolis -9.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Carolina | Tampa Bay | Carolina -3 |
| 1 p.m. | Philadelphia | Washington | Philadelphia -3 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Cleveland | San Diego | San Diego -9 |
| 4:25 p.m. | St. Louis | Arizona | Arizona -7 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Minnesota | Denver | Denver -7 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Green Bay | San Francisco | Green Bay -9.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Dallas | New Orleans | New Orleans -3 |
Matchups to Watch
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Adrian Peterson vs. the Broncos Run Defense
We've already mentioned the Broncos-Vikings tilt is going to be a matchup to watch, but the game within the game worth following will be Peterson against Denver's defensive front.
The Broncos are ranked sixth in run defense with 82.7 yards-per-game allowed. The Vikings have other weapons on offense such as Bridgewater, Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph. Minnesota doesn't have to rely solely on Peterson as the team has done in years past. However, he can certainly make things a lot easier.
Denver will look to limit Peterson and make the Minnesota offense one-dimensional.
Melvin Gordon vs. the Browns Run Defense
The Broncos run defense gives us a matchup to watch because the unit is very good. The Browns run defense gives us a matchup to watch because it is very bad.
Cleveland is giving up an average of 158.3 rushing yards per game. If this were a passer rating, it would be perfect, but the Browns are a long, long way from perfect.
Running back Melvin Gordon has also been far from perfect in his inaugural NFL season. He has just 190 rushing yards and no touchdowns through Week 3 and hasn't shown the same kind of explosiveness he demonstrated at Wisconsin.
If there was ever a time for Gordon to have a breakthrough performance, it is now. The only way he doesn't have a strong game against the Browns is if the Chargers don't give him the ball.
The Cardinals Offensive Line vs. the Rams Pass Rush
We didn't give it the nod as game of the day, but Cardinals vs. Rams is going to provide a fun, physical contest worth watching. The Cardinals just have to hope it isn't too physical on quarterback Carson Palmer.
He is coming off the second major knee surgery of his career, and he isn't a kid anymore at 35. Of course, the guy wasn't a scrambling wunderkind in his youth, either. He is even more like a rocket-armed statue now.
The Cardinals have to protect Palmer up front, and against the Rams pass rush, which is rated third overall by Pro Football Focus, this will be a challenge. Keeping Palmer off the injury report might even be more important than netting a win in this game.
Ryan Tannehill vs. the Jets Secondary
The 1-2 Miami Dolphins have been one of the bigger disappointments in the early 2015 season. Another team that was touted as a potential playoff contender, Miami has now lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars and been blown out by the division-rival Buffalo Bills.
Now the Dolphins get to travel to London to take on the 2-1 Jets.
The play of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is going to be important in this one. Miami has been struggling to put points on the board (only 17 of them per game, in fact). The Jets aren't an offensive powerhouse, but they are averaging nearly six points per game more than the Dolphins.
Planning to win with defense isn't likely to work for the Dolphins, either. Unfortunately for Tannehill, he'll be going up against a defense that is rated sixth overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus. That defense has also forced 11 turnovers in three games.
Good luck, Mr. Tannehill.
Injury Report
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Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts (questionable)
Luck has been limited in practice all week with a shoulder injury. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, he is officially questionable for Sunday's game.
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints (probable)
Brees should be back for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. He missed last week with a shoulder injury of his own.
Adam Jones, CB, Cincinnati Bengals (questionable)
According to Elise Jesse of WLWT Cincinnati, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones is questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City. He's been dealing with an elbow issue.
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers (doubtful)
It looks like the 49ers will be without veteran tight end Vernon Davis when the Packers come rolling in Sunday. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, Davis is officially listed as doubtful with a knee injury.
Marqise Lee, WR, and Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (out)
Thomas still isn't back from the finger injury he suffered in the preseason. Lee is out with yet another hamstring injury.
DeSean Jackson, WR, and DeAngelo Hall, CB, Washington Redskins (out)
Hall is still out with a toe injury. Jackson is still dealing with a hamstring issue. According to ESPN's Britt McHenry, Jackson is out and "not even close" to returning.
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans (questionable)
This might be the week Foster makes his 2015 debut. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Foster is officially questionable but believes he'll have a chance to play.
Jay Cutler, QB, and Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears (questionable)
Officially, both Cutler and Jeffery are listed as questionable. According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, however, Jeffery is not expected to be active Sunday.
Expert Predictions
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Each week, we'll take a look at picks and predictions from some of the top Bleacher Report NFL writers. We'll also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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