NFL Power Rankings: The 10 Most Important Games of Week 4
Well, as Week 3 starts to wind down, it's time to start looking forward to Week 4. It's our first round of bye weeks, there are some big division clashes, and some teams are going to be looking to keep slim playoff hopes alive.
Will surprises keep surprising or will they fall back down to Earth? Will some of the disappointments step it up and remind people why they were picked to succeed before the season?
Any games you think we should have our eyes on? Leave them in the comments.
No. 10: Houston at Oakland
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Why This Game Is Important
The Texans need to rebound and prove that their dismantling at the hands of the Cowboys on Sunday was just a fluke. They need to prove Houston is the team that some thought it would be after its Week 1 beatdown of the Colts.
Since then, I haven't been too impressed with Houston, especially its defense. The Texans also need to get more consistent quarterback play from Matt Schaub, who didn't look good on Sunday.
Keys to the Game
The key is going to be the health of Andre Johnson. Johnson was limited this week against Dallas with his ankle injury, and it hurt the Texans passing game. Houston doesn't have many legit threats after Johnson, and losing the best wideout in the game will always hurt a team. Houston will need to hope he gets healthy enough to play better than he did this week and open up the passing game for Schaub.
Prediction
Houston 38, Oakland 13
No. 9: Cincinnati at Cleveland
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Why This Game Is Important
With Pittsburgh playing Baltimore this week, a win for the Bengals would help Cincy gain some ground on a divisional opponent. You know the Bengals have to be pulling for the Ravens after Cincy beat Baltimore in Week 2. It's going to be a slugfest in the AFC North, and the Bengals can't afford to lose gimme games like this.
Keys to the Game
Carson Palmer has to play better. He's been so underwhelming it isn't even funny anymore. You'd think with Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens he'd be making more plays, but he looks like he's holding the offense back at this point.
Palmer is one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the league and really hasn't been the same since that knee injury a couple of years ago.
Prediction
Cincinnati 27, Cleveland 17
No. 8: Seattle at St. Louis
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Why This Game Is Important
With the NFC West's major contender (is that an oxymoron at this point?), San Francisco, totally falling flat out of the gates, it left the door wide open for a team like Seattle to step right in. Arizona looks bad, and St. Louis still looks a little bit away. Meanwhile, Seattle has beaten San Fran and San Diego in blowouts. A win could mean big things for the NFC West picture.
Keys to the Game
Seattle won on two long kick returns for scores by Leon Washington. The Seahawks can't win like that every week.
The Seahawks need to start making more plays on offense. Matt Hasselbeck needs to find some room to throw down the field to keep teams honest. Seattle's running game is mediocre at best, and the Seahawks must make plays in the passing game to win on a weekly basis.
Prediction
Seattle 20, St. Louis 17
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No. 7: Denver at Tennessee
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Why This Game Is Important
This game is important for the Titans because with Houston and Indianapolis in the AFC South, not to mention the Wild Card contenders in the AFC East and North, the Titans need as many wins against beatable opponents as possible, and Denver certainly fits the bill.
Meanwhile, Denver has the door wide open for itself in the AFC West with San Diego struggling this year. The Broncos need to take advantage while they can.
Keys to the Game
The Titans need to trust Vince Young. Tennessee barely threw the ball at all on Sunday, but when they did, Young made plays with his arm. The Titans must throw, even if Young makes mistakes, because Chris Johnson is going to get killed out there if they don't.
Javon Ringer must also see some touches in the backfield. Tennessee has been so unbalanced on offense it's unbelievable.
Prediction
Tennessee 24, Denver 20
No. 6: San Francisco at Atlanta
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Why This Game Is Important
If this isn't a must win for San Francisco, then I don't know what is. The 49ers have disappointed this season after plenty of people saw them as clear favorites in the NFC West and possible sleepers after that.
Since then, it's just been a ton of mistakes and errors for San Fran, and it's getting ugly out west. If the 49ers don't win this week, I don't know how much longer Mike Singletary can keep his job. The team just has no discipline or maturity on the field.
Keys to the Game
The 49ers need to have more poise during the course of the game. San Francisco has had awful clock management and just no grasp of what to do in certain situations. Not only that, but there are so many mental mistakes that have cost the 49ers games. If San Francisco can eliminate those, it'll be in a great position to win the game.
Prediction
Atlanta 30, San Francisco 21
No. 5: Chicago at NY Giants
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Why This Game Is Important
The Giants are on the point of no return right now. After getting slapped around by the Colts and then giving a game away against Tennessee, not to mention all of the talk about the state of the organization, it's just a mess. Tom Coughlin may have lost this team, and the Giants need a win badly. New York's only win came against a hapless Carolina squad, so a win over Chicago, which has been a nice surprise this year, would do wonders for the health of the locker room.
Keys to the Game
The stupid mistakes just have to stop. The Giants did so many stupid things on Sunday it was almost comical. Aside from the awful penalties, Eli Manning trying to throw a pass left-handed into coverage was almost unreal in terms of how dumb it was. New York needs to go back to basics and hope that Jay Cutler doesn't torch its weak secondary.
Prediction
Chicago 30, New York 20
No. 4: Arizona at San Diego
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Why This Game Is Important
San Diego looked to be the favorite in the AFC West, and now after losses to Kansas City and Seattle, the Chargers are essentially two and a half games back in the division and need to make up some ground in a hurry. The Chargers have struggled early on in the season before, but without a real running attack, things need to turn around soon.
Keys to the Game
Philip Rivers cannot do it all for San Diego. Rivers has thrown until his arm has almost fallen off and the Chargers' replacement for LaDainian Tomlinson, Ryan Mathews, has struggled and missed last week's game with an ankle injury. Mathews needs to get back in the lineup and produce to make San Diego more of a threat on offense.
Prediction
San Diego 42, Arizona 13
No. 3: Washington at Philadelphia
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Why This Game Is Important
I shouldn't really have to outline this for anyone. It's Donovan McNabb's return to Philadelphia after his trade to Washington. Not only that, but the Eagles are the current leaders in the NFC East and a win for the Redskins would put them at 2-0 against divisional opponents. A win for the Eagles puts room between themselves and the rest of the field.
Keys to the Game
The Redskins must stop Michael Vick and his offensive weapons. Washington got torched by Houston through the air and then just laid a total egg against St. Louis. The Redskins should be able to get pressure on Vick, but they have to make plays in order keep the defense from breaking down and giving up a large gain.
Prediction
Philadelphia 28, Washington 10
No. 2: New England at Miami
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Why This Game Is Important
The AFC East is a logjam right now with the Patriots, Jets, and Dolphins all at 2-1. Both teams in this matchup are trailing the Jets after losing in back-to-back weeks to Gang Green. A win will put one team closer to the driver's seat in the division. Each AFC East game is going to carry a ton of weight, and this is going to be another slugfest.
Keys to the Game
The Patriots need to do a better job of executing for a full 60 minutes. I'm not sure we've seen that from them this year, and struggling against Buffalo is a bit of a red flag heading into this week's matchup.
Meanwhile, for Miami, the Dolphins need to let Chad Henne try and make some plays, because Henne looked great last week when they opened the offense up for him. Miami has a great running game, but don't ignore Henne either.
Prediction
Miami 24, New England 17
No. 1: Baltimore at Pittsburgh
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Why This Game Is Important
The Steelers are one of the biggest surprises in all of football, starting 3-0 without Ben Roethlisberger under center; they have a chance to run the stretch of games without their franchise quarterback undefeated, something no one projected. They'll have to go through Baltimore, a contender for the AFC North crown, to do it, though.
A Baltimore win would put the Ravens into a tie for first place. They will try to keep up the offensive production they had this past week against Cleveland.
Keys to the Game
Joe Flacco has to protect the ball against this Pittsburgh defense. The Steelers haven't just controlled the game defensively, they've dominated it. It's been suffocating to be an offense lined up across from them. There are so many playmakers, it's hard to find a place to attack that defense. Flacco has weapons, we'll see if he can utilize them.
Prediction
Pittsburgh 17, Baltimore 14
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