NFL: Week 4 Prediction Results (7-6)

There were some big upsets this week in the NFL and the NCAA… Overall it seemed to be an upset weekend. We say a legend do something even he had not done before, and some teams that most had pick for the bottom shock teams from the top of the list. And to be honest, I am glad I was not putting money on anything this weekend as I was off on quite a few, but still over 50% right!

My picks for week 4: 7-6

Season overall: 19-10 (I started making picks in week 3)

Sun, Sep 28

SF @ NO
My pick: NO by 10
Final: SF 17 – NO 31

Drew Brees threw for 363 yards and 3 TD’s to lead the Saints to victory. Reggie Bush was not a statistical factor, but as much attention as he requires by a defense it opened up the field for other receivers. The Saints welcomed back Deuce McAllister who carried the load with 20 carries for 73 yards and a TD.

ATL @ CAR
My pick: ATL by 7
Final: ATL 9 – CAR 24

The Panthers did what they needed to do, shut down the running game of the Falcons. The Panthers defense put a stop to all of the Falcons drives forcing them to kick 3 field goals which accounted for all of their scoring. Jake Delhomme played very great with 294 yards and 2 TD’s. The combination of Williams and Stewart accounted for 109 yards and 1 TD. But the star of the show was Muhammad; back in Carolina after leaving for a few seasons, he stepped up big in this game with 8 receptions for 147 yards and 1 TD.

HOU @ JAC
My pick: JAC by 17
Final: HOU 27 – JAC 30

This was closer than I had expected. An overtime field goal to win it by Scobee; he won it last week with a last second FG too. The Jags are scrappy and it showed in this one; they will do whatever they can to get the win, including having Garrard lead the team in rushing yards for the game. On the other side, Matt Schaub played well racking up 307 yards and 3 TD’s.

CLE @ CIN
My pick: CIN by 4
Final: CLE 20 – CIN 12

I thought that Ocho Cinco would show up in this game… and I was wrong. But, then again with Carson Palmer not playing in this one, who knew what, was going to happen? I missed that fact in my predictions by the way; I would have picked in favor of Cleveland. None-the-less, the Browns got out of this one with an ugly win, but still a win!
ARI @ NYJ
My pick: NYJ by 3
Final: ARI 35 – NYJ 56

SIX? SIX! Are you serious? Four threw six TD’s! When Brett Favre does something that he has never done before you have to stop and pay attention. Throwing 6 TD’s in a single game in today’s NFL is ridiculous! That is something that you do when playing the Madden video games. But then again this is Favre we are talking about, so we should know to expect anything. The Cardinals did show me something in this one too; they can play football when faced with adversity. Kurt Warner fell apart as he threw 3 INT’s to the opportunistic Jet’s defense.

MIN @ TEN
My pick: TEN by 10
Final: MIN 17 – TEN 30

Titans are 4-0 for the first time since moving to Tennessee and people are asking if they are for real; yes they are! They have a solid offense and defense. The rushing game being their strong point; with two running backs that complements each other very well. White is the bruising, big back that will pound the ball, while Johnson, the rookie, is the flashy speed burner that can hit the corner and be gone in a heartbeat. As we all remember, White is quite familiar with this type of tandem from his days at USC with Reggie Bush. The two did not amount for many yards in this game, only 74 between the two; but 3 rushing TD’s makes up for the low yardage totals. The Vikings could not get much going with the exception of Adrian Peterson breaking free for 2 TD runs. The Titan defense forced 4 turnovers off the Vike’s, and you can say that is what did them in.

GB @ TB
My pick: GB by 6
Final: GB 21 – TB 30

When I looked at this matchup on paper, it appeared that the Bucs could not stack up to the Packers for 60 minutes. But I did say that coach Gruden would have a game plan to stifle the Packers offense, and he did just that. Aaron Rodgers threw 3 INT’s in this game and was eventually knocked out of the game. He did return, but threw an INT on that drive. The Bucs did enough offensively to put this one out of reach; the difference maker however was kicker Matt Bryant. Bryant buried his three month old son on Saturday and flew out to meet the team to play in the game. He went 3 of 3 on his field goals and lead Tampa Bay to a nine point win.

DEN @ KC
My pick: DEN by 21
Final: DEN 19 – KC 33

I have to eat my words on this one… The Chiefs offensive fluidity shined through load and clear. Now I did make that comment while Thigpen was the starter (and he is still listed that way on the depth charts). Huard is a vet, I would have given him more credit; not enough to win this game though. The Broncos are at fault for that. Larry Johnson ran all over the Bronco defense, finishing with 198 yards and 2 TD’s. Huard made no mistakes, and the Chiefs have win number one! The Broncos did make mistakes though. Cutler threw 2 INT’s that accounted for half of the teams turnovers on the day. The Broncos will recover and contend for the division title as the season plays out, the Chiefs will contend… with the Raiders for the bottom!

SD @ OAK
My pick: SD by 14
Final: SD 28 – OAK 18

The Raiders have decided to give their fans a great show for three quarters again… someone please let them know that this is not hockey, we play four quarters in the NFL! There was a lot to be excited about for Raider fans in the early going; after all they did have a 15-0 lead at the half. But, when the Raiders were inside the 5 yard line and could not get in for the TD, they opted for the FG, it was good… but there was a defensive penalty that gave them a first down. On third down, JaMarcus Russell rolled out and had about 4 yards to the end zone; instead of using that enormous body of his to punish the defender he tried to cut and take it wide, he was tackled buy a corner back at the one! That was the turning point in my mind. Russell needed to pound that in for 6, but because he did not, they kicked the FG. The Raiders defense also needs to finish off games. They allowed this break down late in the game and let the Chargers running game get loose… and that means Tomlinson. LT finished with 106 yards and 2 TD’s. We shall see what happens with Raiders coach Lane Kiffin this week; Owner Al Davis has wanted to fire him for some time, and this could be the nail in the coffin!

BUF @ STL
My pick: BUF by 8
Final: BUF 31 – STL 14

Good news for the Rams, they allowed a season low on defense and scored a season high on offense, unfortunately they still got blown out. The Rams actually had a better statistical game on offense by over 100 yards. But the only stat that matters at the end of the day is the score.

WAS @ DAL
My pick: DAL by 13
Final: WAS 26 – DAL 24

Upset of the week! – The Redskins walked into Dallas and shocked the Cowboys on their own turf. The Cowboys are the best team in football right now and to lose at home against a division rival hurts. The Boys put up their usual numbers in the air as Romo threw for 300 yards and 3 TD’s. The ground game is where they struggled in this one; Barber had 8 carries for 26 yards (15 yards on one carry). The Redskins went toe-to-toe with the best team on paper and walked away with a huge victory. They did a lot of things right and almost let it slip away towards the end, but the onside kick at the end of the game bounced just high enough to be out of the reach of a Cowboy player and roll out of bounds. The Skins offense got the stars rolling as Portis tallied 121 yards rushing and Moss racked up 145 yards receiving.

PHI @ CHI
My pick: PHI by 17
Final: PHI 20 – CHI 24

This was obviously going to be a defensive battle, but who would have thought that the Bears Kyle Orton would have threw 3 TD’s and looked as good as he did. The stats were not gaudy, but they were enough. The Pressure applied to McNabb forced him to put balls in the dirt or too high; he could not get too comfortable, and that was obviously by design. Now the game-changer in this one was the fact that Brian Westbrook did not suit up; without the most versatile player in football, the Philly offense was missing a lot of its fire power and that hurt them a lot this week. This win gives the Skins a nice advantage in the NFC East standings.
Mon, Sep 29
BAL @ PIT – Monday Night Football
My pick: PIT by 9
Final: BAL 20 – PIT 23

Game of the Week – Defensive dominance would be the best way to explain how this game played out. With three different running backs getting injured (2 for PIT and 1 for BAL), it is safe to say that the defenses were out to hit hard. The Steelers relied on their defense to win this game. Joe Flacco was under pressure all night as the Steelers defense racked up 5 sacks and forced 2 fumbles. One fumble was picked and ran in 7 yards for a TD. That play brought new life to the Steelers, players and fans alike, as it gave them the lead. The game went to overtime, and the Steelers kicked a 46 yard field goal that barley hooked inside the upright for the win.