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

The Chicago Bears are feeling a lot better after their Week 3 overtime win over the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chicago was coming off a one-sided defeat at Tampa Bay in Week 2, and the Bears were seemingly playing a much better team in the Steelers than they had lost to in the Buccaneers. Most expected the Bears to lose handily, as they have done so often in the John Fox era.

However, the Bears came out with aggressiveness, took the lead early and had a response every time the Steelers mounted a challenge in the heat at Soldier Field. Jordan Howard powered into the end zone for the winning touchdown in the extra session, and the Bears had a 23-17 victory.

Now they get a chance to take on their traditional rival in the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and Co. were also successful in overtime, coming from behind to register a 27-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Packers showed quite a bit of resiliency as they were confronted by the Bengals' best effort. Cincinnati had a two-TD lead in the game, but Rodgers led the comeback.

There may be some thought that the Bears will have a good chance to get the upset or cover against the Packers since they played a strong game against a top opponent. However, the Bears did not win a road game last year and were overrun by the Bucs in their first game away from home this year.

Going to Lambeau against a team that should be one of the best in the NFC is not an ideal situation for a team with limited offensive weapons.

The Packers are seven-point favorites, according to OddsShark. We expect the odds to increase before the Thursday night kickoff, so it might be smart to get in an early wager on the Packers before the line increases.

Week 4 point spreads and predictions (Line information courtesy of OddsShark)

Matchup, spread, selection

Chicago at Green Bay, GB -7, Green Bay

New Orleans at Miami, NO -2.5, Miami

L.A. Rams at Dallas, Dallas -8.5, LA Rams*

Tennessee at Houston, Tenn. -1, Tennessee

Detroit at Minnesota, NL, Minnesota

Buffalo at Atlanta, Atlanta -8, Atlanta

Pittsburgh at Baltimore, Pittsburgh -2.5, Baltimore

Cincinnati at Cleveland, Cinn. -3, Cincinnati

Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets, Jack. -3.5, Jacksonville

San Francisco at Arizona, Ariz. -7, San Francisco*

Philadelphia at L.A. Chargers, LAC -1, Philadelphia

N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, TB -4, N.Y. Giants

Oakland at Denver, Denver -1.5, Oakland

Indianapolis at Seattle, Seattle -13.5, Indianapolis*

Washington at Kansas City, NL, Kansas City.

Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons

Just like the Bears, the Bills came up with a win over a strong opponent when they faced the Denver Broncos at home in Week 3.

The Bills dictated the pace throughout the game and put the Broncos away by a 26-16 margin, and quarterback Tyrod Taylor was the key to their performance.

Taylor completed 20 of 26 passes for 213 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Taylor was given an opportunity by the coaching staff to make some plays, and he came through in surprising fashion.

The Bills had not been very effective in either of the first two weeks of the season, and they had also traded top receiver Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams in the summer. That move indicated that the Bills were more interested in building for the future than they were in winning this year.

The Bills have some momentum as they go to Atlanta to take on the defending NFC champions. Atlanta is off to a 3-0 start, and quarterback Matt Ryan seems intent on leading his team to another memorable season, even though they are supposedly battling a Super Bowl hangover.

The Falcons are eight-point favorites at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and they should be able to cover that spread with little problem.

Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman provide a sensational ground game, while Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu are one of the best receiving combinations in the league.

Expect the Falcons to shake off the Bills with relative ease and to earn a double-digit victory.

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots

Head coach Ron Rivera could have a difficult time getting his Panthers on track this season.

After a solid season-opening win at San Francisco, the Panthers struggled badly at home in a win over the Bills, and they followed that effort with a 34-13 home loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The most troubling aspect is that the Carolina offense was unable to sustain an attack against the Bills or the defensively porous Saints.

Cam Newton is struggling badly at this point in the season. He threw three interceptions and was sacked four times before he was replaced by Derek Anderson.

The Patriots are not at the top of their game, but Tom Brady directed a come-from-behind effort as New England got past the Houston Texans by a 36-33 margin.

The Patriots are having problems playing cohesively, but they are in far better shape than the Panthers. They are 8.5-point favorites in this game, and they should roll past their opponents. Look for the home team to win by three touchdowns or more.