NFL Picks Week 4: 10 Games That Could Put Teams on Playoff Life Support
History tells us that teams who start 0-3 generally don’t make it to the playoffs, while an 0-4 start is virtually a death sentence.
It may not even be four weeks into the NFL season, but there are plenty of teams who absolutely cannot afford a loss.
Some popular preseason picks find themselves in a steep hole, and losses this week would only dig them deeper.
Or even put them on life support.
Let’s rank the Week 14 games from the seemingly automatic victories for the league’s best teams to the contests that could pull the plug on a few franchises.
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills
1 of 14
In case you didn’t already know, the Buffalo Bills are not a very good football team.
My preseason picks projected the Bills to go 2-14, and they look well on their way to a first overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. I’d love to have Ryan Fitzpatrick if this were some sort of academic contest, but it’s a game against the New York Jets.
No need to sweat this one out, Jets fans.
Mark Sanchez has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions the past two weeks. He’ll keep rolling against a Buffalo team that gives up 29 points per game.
Prediction: Jets, 31 Bills, 13
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
2 of 14
As a Saints fan, this game actually scares me a little bit because the Panthers generally play the Saints pretty close.
And the New Orleans run defense has been atrocious through the first three games.
But Carolina is starting rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen, so the Saints can stack eight guys in the box to stop DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
This game will be closer than people might expect, but even a New Orleans loss doesn’t push this team out of playoff contention.
Prediction: Saints, 24 Panthers, 16
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
3 of 14
Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford won’t return this week, but the Lions passing attack ranks 12th in the league even without him.
That’s largely due to the Lions always playing catch-up. But this week Detroit won’t be able to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field. The Lions rank second-to-last in rushing yards per game and dead last in rushing yards allowed.
Rodgers will have a field day at Lambeau.
Prediction: Packers, 38 Lions, 17
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Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
4 of 14
The Colts opened up the season with a loss for the first time in what seems like an eternity, but Indianapolis has gotten back on track with two consecutive wins.
How do I describe the Jaguars? Terrible.
Jacksonville has virtually no passing game to go along with a defense that gives up 404 yards per game. If you have Peyton Manning on your fantasy football team it’s your lucky week.
Prediction: Colts, 35 Jaguars, 10
No. 10: Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
5 of 14
No one expects the Rams to do much this year, but no one really expects much of anything out of the NFC West this year.
The division winner likely won’t finish better than 8-8 or 9-7, and the Seahawks now seem like the favorite among analysts. They have to win games like this to win the division.
Bradford looks pretty good considering what help he has around him, so this is no give-me game for Seattle. Plus, the Seahawks are playing away from the 12th Man.
Prediction: Seahawks, 27 Rams, 17
No. 9: Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders
6 of 14
One of the things I find about people in my fantasy football league is that they always pick on the Raiders, saying things like, “I’m playing Philip Rivers for sure. He’s got Oakland today.”
Little do they realize that Oakland is actually pretty good on defense, giving up just 260.7 total yards and less than 129 yards through the air.
Everyone jumped on Matt Schaub and the Texans bandwagon after the first two weeks, but Houston needs this win badly.
You don’t want to hover around .500 when you’re in the Colts division and the AFC North looks like it will have two teams in the playoffs.
Prediction: Texans, 27 Raiders, 13
No. 8: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
7 of 14
Pittsburg has weathered the storm so far without Ben Roethlisberger, which shows a lot about head coach Mike Tomlin.
There was a really good chance of the Steelers starting off 1-3, but here they are at 3-0 with two big wins already against Atlanta and Tennessee. That’s exactly why Baltimore has to win this game.
Roethlisberger is only going to make the Steelers better and the Ravens need to take advantage of playing Pittsburgh without their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.
That’s asking a lot of Joe Flacco on the road at Heinz Field, but I think it will be done.
Prediction: Ravens, 20 Steelers, 17
No. 7: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
8 of 14
This is a critical matchup for both teams, as both New England and Miami sit at 1-1 in the division.
The AFC East has three legitimate playoff-caliber teams, so divisional games will be a huge part of how this season plays out. Both squads have already lost to the Jets, making Mark Sanchez look like Joe Namath in the process.
The Patriots offense is back to its typical self while Chad Henne showed that Miami might actually be able to pass the ball this year. This will be a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Patriots, 34 Dolphins, 24
No. 6: Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans
9 of 14
Despite Kyle Orton going bonkers in the passing game through the first few games, Denver sits at 1-2 and is tied for second in the AFC West.
Tennessee, on the other hand, sits at 2-1, but plays in a division with the Colts and Texans, who they’ve yet to play. The Titans are nearing a brutal stretch of the season that could extend until the end of December.
Chris Johnson needs to have another big game this week and Tennessee has to win games like this at home.
Prediction: Titans, 27 Broncos, 21
No. 5: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
10 of 14
At the beginning of the season it seemed like anyone could win the NFC East.
But a few weeks in, Washington has yet to stop anybody on defense and Michael Vick is playing like the league MVP.
The hype for this game will be about Donovan McNabb’s return to Philly. It should be about the fact that Washington’s playoff chances will be a lot slimmer without a win here.
Prediction: Eagles, 35 Redskins, 14
No. 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
11 of 14
A lot of analysts have been predicting a Cleveland upset, which would send Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco into a state of paranoia on Twitter.
The Ravens or Steelers will be leaving Week 4 with another loss tacked on their record, so Cincinnati cannot afford to blow a divisional game against one of the worst teams in the NFL.
I think we’ll see the Team Obliterator start to show his true colors if the Bengals lose a very winnable game this week.
Prediction: Bengals, 23 Browns, 20
No. 3: Arizona Cardinals at San Diego Chargers
12 of 14
Playing without Vincent Jackson and Ryan Mathews seems to be really hurting the Chargers right now.
San Diego cannot seem to find a balanced attack. Two failed late fourth quarter comebacks have left the team’s fan heartbroken. The Chargers have the perfect opportunity to get back on track against Arizona, who isn’t the same team it has been the last few years.
A loss for San Diego sends the Chargers into full-out panic mode, while an Arizona loss won’t hurt the Cardinals as much because of its weak division.
Prediction: Chargers, 31 Arizona, 20
No. 2: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons
13 of 14
Mark it down right now: if the 49ers lose and go to 0-4, Mike Singletary will have an epic blowup that will be immortalized in a Coors Light commercial down the road.
San Francisco looked beyond atrocious against Kansas City last week and the Falcons beat the defending Super Bowl champs on the road.
Atlanta needs to keep the momentum going while San Francisco needs to find some sort of spark on offense or their season is over.
Prediction: Falcons, 31 49ers, 20
No. 1: Chicago Bears at New York Giants
14 of 14
There are rumors that Tom Coughlin is losing control of the Giants locker room, but I’ve heard that one about 10 times before.
The biggest issue has been on the field, where New York has been outscored 64-27 the last two weeks and turnovers have killed the Giants.
It won’t get any easier as the Giants face a surprising 3-0 Bears team that seems to finally have Jay Cutler on track.
New York did get off to a slow start in its Super Bowl-winning season season, but that certainly doesn’t guarantee the Giants will do it again.
Prediction: Bears, 27 Giants, 21
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