Walker-Sports NFL Week 4 Preview

Alright so week four of the NFL season is right around the corner and that means it’s the bye week, and we are nearly a fourth of the way through the season. Damn time flies when you’re having fun. So, let’s take a quick look at the league, make some predictions, and see what the best games are on the upcoming weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears: Yes we are talking about the 1-2 Kyle Orton led Bears. The record is not strong, but they Bears actually are not as bad as the record indicates. What the Bears have is a great running game with Matt Forte at the helm, and a reliable passing game with Orton. Granted Orton won’t burn the stat sheet up throwing the deep ball, but he handles the rock fairly well and minimizes mistakes. That could be enough. As we saw last week, the Eagles can be dragged into playing an ugly football game. The key for the Bears will be they need to dictate the tempo with their running game. Their offensive line will need to be strong against the rejuvenated Philly blitz schemes. On defense, the Bears have to be in attack mode. McNabb is practicing and will play, but there is no doubt his chest is hurting. A couple of good hits early in the game could really affect his performance. In the backfield, Westbrook is still day to day. If he is not 100% the Eagles offense is a wrap.

The Philadelphia Eagles played in one of the most exciting games two weeks ago, and apparently they left all their offense in . Last week they scratched out a game against an ailing team. Sunday night they will have their hands full once again when the Bears take the field. The key to will be the health of Brian Westbrook. Yes McNabb is important, but they have won without him in the past and they can do it again, the one constant has been Brian Westbrook. When he was banged up last year, the entire team suffered. Even if he can go and he is not 100% having his versatility is vastly important, especially as the Eagles continue to look and attempt to develop a threat at wide out. On defense the name of the game will be pressure. The Eagles must get a lead early, and then bring the heat on Orton. Make him uncomfortable in the pocket. If they were able to rattle a Super Bowl winning QB like Big Ben last week, they can get into Orton’s head on Sunday.

Titans vs. Minnesota Vikings: Much like the Chicago Bears, the Minnesota Vikings 1-2 record can be very misleading. It is especially misleading now that the Vikings have made the move to pull Tarvaris Jackson as their starting QB. Last week old man Frerotte got the job done, and got the Vikings won for the first time this season. This week, the task at hand will be a little more difficult. has an outstanding pass defense. The key for will be their ground game. Adrian Peterson has to be healthy and have a big game if the Vikings want to win. Throughout his career, Peterson has a history of disappearing a bit in some games. This cannot be one of those for the Vikings. They will need a healthy dose of AP to slow the Titians pass rush and to keep the chains moving on offense.

The Tennessee Titians are the top team in the AFC South. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming? Because I will admit that while I thought they could contend, going 3-0 was not on my blueprint for the season. Nonetheless the Titians are rolling and they are doing it with Kerry Collins at QB (will this guy ever go away?) Collins is playing controlled football. Something, the Titians desperately needed. They needed someone who could manage the offense and just give them a chance to win games with their defense. Vince Young was too inconsistent with his throws to give the Titians a chance. Too often the takeaways the Titans forced on defense were negated by Young’s turnovers. Now the Titians have a chance, and they also have one of the best defenses in the league. They are currently ranked third in the league against the pass, and they have a secondary full of playmakers that are hungry to get their hands on the ball. They will be ready to challenge Frerotte when he drops back to pass, and the passing windows will close quickly on the veteran QB.

Vikings 24 Titians 16

Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Once again the battle for the AFC North will come down to the Steelers and Ravens. The winner of the division will be the team that is still healthy come December, and that could be difficult for the Steelers at the pace they are going. The Steelers lost a gutsy game against their cross states rivals the Eagles on Sunday. More importantly the Steelers lost the services of Willie Parker during this game. Parker suffered a sprain knee, and will be out against the Ravens on Sunday. It will be up to rookie back Rashard Mendenhall to handle the bulk of the carries on Monday night. This could be trouble for , during the preseason Mendenhall had problems holding onto the football. And with the way the Steelers OLine is blocking he could get banged around early and often if he is not careful. Another concern for the Steelers is the health of Big Ben. It is known that he has a separated shoulder and he is fighting his way through that. He was punished last weekend by the Eagles, and in the process injured his hand as well. In his current state of health there is no question that he is not able to perform at his peak levels which could be trouble for the Steelers.

The Baltimore Ravens are a strange team. What I mean by that is they have convincing wins over the Browns and Bengals on the season, I think that speaks for itself. Those two teams could be combined into an Ohio All Star team and would still probably be unable to win the AFC North. Nonetheless, the Ravens seem to playing with a lot of pride and a chip on their shoulder after the debacle of last season. That is good for the Ravens and bad for whoever they are playing. Bad because the Ravens defense once though to be too old to factor into most conversations has come out with a vengeance this year. Ray Lewis has his troops fired up and they are attacking and hitting anything that comes into their sites. After seeing how bad the frontline is against the blitz, you can bet the Ravens will blitz early and often to test the health of Big Ben. On offense Joe Flacco is proving why he is the future of the Ravens offense. He has done just enough in his first two outings. Monday night will be his first true test on the football field, but if he can handle the pressure it could be the first turning point in his career and the opportunity he needs to prove himself as a starting QB in the NFL.

Ravens 17 Steelers 14

Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: The greatest rivalry in football renews itself on Sunday evening and this could be one of the biggest years for this rivalry in recent history. The Washington Redskins are arguably the hottest team in football right now. They stunk up the joint on opening night against the Giants and since then they racked up a come from behind victory against the Saints, and last week they handled with relative ease. The Jim Zorn offense is in place and as the players become more familiar with it, it is working better and better for everyone involved. To this date Jason Campbell has yet to throw a pick. Clinton Portis has talked trash about his teammates, but he has shown up and performed well on the field. Washington Redskin football is back. On Sunday they will have their hands full, and their defense will need to step up and play its best game to date. Lucky for them playing against Bolden and Fitzgerald last week is a good warm up act to the offensive fire power the Cowboys will look to showcase.

The Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football, and that is not coming from a biased opinion, it’s just the truth. Last week they got their running game going, and showed some old school talent by running over and pounding the Green Bay Packers into submission. The combination of Felix Jones and Marion Barber III is a lethal weapon, even more so than the Romo to T.O. connection. The Cowboys have the second largest offensive line in the NFL and those big boys love to block and punish opposing teams. All season long they have grated four lane highways for their backs. The Redskins are thin on their defensive front, look for the Cowboys to take advantage of that. The offensive line is also outstanding against the pass rush. Romo has had seemingly unlimited time in the pocket all season. With Jason Taylor out for , the Skins are down to one serious pass rusher in Andre Carter. The key to the Cowboys success will be Tony Romo’s performance in the redzone. So far this season Romo has had several costly picks in the redzone. Sunday he will need to minimize those turnovers and allow his team every opportunity possible to capitalize on scoring chances.

Dallas 34 Washington 27