NFL Picks Week 4: An Early Look at This Week's Winners

With every week in the NFL, picking the winners from each game gets more interesting as the season progresses.

That being said, it does get a little bit easier since we begin to find out the identities of each team.
Therefore, here are picks for every Week 4 contest.

Detroit at Dallas

Even though Dallas has a solid defense, the Lions are playing with more confidence than anyone right now.

In addition, the Cowboys have many more health issues than Detroit, so The Motor City wins another big road game thanks to the defense getting pressure on Tony Romo.

Lions 23, Cowboys 16

Carolina at Chicago

The Bears continue to play inconsistent football and had to revert to trickery to get a special teams TD against the Packers.

Carolina, however, is rolling with confidence after getting their first win and has played very well in all three games.

Panthers 21, Bears 17

Buffalo at Cincinnati

After a nice Week 1 victory in Cleveland, the Bengals have pulled a 180 degree turn for the worse.

On the flip-side, the Buffalo Bills are the only undefeated team left in the AFC and have too much overall talent and experience for Cincinnati to compete with.

Bills 30, Bengals 14

Tennessee at Cleveland

Both are 2-1, but neither have really turned any heads either.

Sure Tennessee beat Baltimore, but their weak win over Denver makes that look less significant.

As for the Browns, their two wins came over Indy and Miami (combined record of 0-6), but they did beat the Dolphins without Peyton Hillis.

Browns get Hillis back and slide past the Titans at home.

Browns 20, Titans 17

Minnesota at Kansas City

The Chiefs showed some life against the San Diego Chargers on the road, while the Minnesota Vikings continue to start off well, but then falter as the game continues.

It’s one awkward game between two winless teams, and the score only epitomizes their 2011 season.

Vikings 24, Chiefs 24 (Tie)

Washington at St. Louis

It’s a trap game for the Redskins as they’ll come into this game with a winning record, while the Rams have yet to score more than 13 in a game.

Washington is vulnerable in St. Louis, but the LBs Brian Orakpo and rookie Ryan Kerrigan get a lot of pressure on St. Louis QB Sam Bradford.

Redskins 16, Rams 10

New Orleans at Jacksonville

The Saints are rolling offensively, and whenever their defense goes up against an inferior opposing offense, they perform very well.

Jacksonville drops another one, while head coach Jack Del Rio may not last the season.

Saints 35, Jaguars 17

Pittsburgh at Houston

After defeating two bad teams in consecutive weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Houston and play a very prominent Texans team.

In addition, Texans fans have a vendetta against Pittsburgh, as the Houston Oilers always had trouble with the Steel Curtain.

By game’s end, the new Houston franchise takes flight with a run-n-shoot offense that brings back memories of Warren Moon.

Texans 27, Steelers 20

San Francisco at Philadelphia

The Eagles are vehemently underachieving at this point, and they are also battling some concerning injuries.

That said, San Francisco is headed back in the right direction under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

San Fran steals one in Philly, while the Eagles have yet to find their identity despite all the talent.

49ers 17, Eagles 16

NY Giants at Arizona

New York comes off a big road win in Philadelphia while the Cardinals lost a heartbreaker in Seattle.

Arizona is still missing a few pieces and New York has found their identity at the right time—meaning, establish the run to nicely setup the pass, much like they did against Philly.

Giants 28, Cardinals 17

Atlanta at Seattle

The Falcons have yet to win on the road, while the Seahawks have yet to lose at home (although it’s only been one game).

On paper, Atlanta significantly out-weighs Seattle, but Pete Carroll’s team is feeling confident after getting a big divisional win in Week 3.

The Falcons however, pull off the W thanks to RB Michael Turner.

Falcons 24, Seahawks 20

Miami at San Diego

The Dolphins are desperate for a win, but, by the looks of things, head coach Tony Sparano will be lucky to last the year.

As for the Bolts, they got back in the win column over the Chiefs and have a bit more confidence heading into Week 4.

Chargers 31, Dolphins 13

New England at Oakland

It’s a huge game for both teams as the Raiders are coming off a solid win over the Jets, whereas New England can’t find a way to slow anyone down.

Not to mention RB Darren McFadden is a work-horse, and the Pats’ have given up so many passing yards that the reason why they only allow 91 rush yards per game is because opposing offenses can throw the ball all day.

As for Oakland, McFadden carries them to another W.

Raiders 34, Patriots 28

Denver at Green Bay

The Packers are the NFL’s best team and the Broncos are arguably the worst.

And, although upsets of this magnitude have occurred in the NFL before, it doesn’t happen this time.

The cheese-heads are far too talented and the Broncos have way too many defects on both sides of the ball.

Packers 42, Broncos 14

NY Jets at Baltimore

A year ago, this was a good game, right now, however, it’s not.

The Jets are playing better offensively, but now the defense is a concern.

As for the Ravens, they really got back on track in Week 3 and RB Ray Rice will run all over the Jets just like Oakland’s Darren McFadden.

Ravens 31, Jets 17

Indianapolis at Tampa Bay

The Colts gave the Steelers everything they had and more, and it still wasn’t enough to pull off the upset.

As for Tampa Bay, they survived a comeback from the Atlanta Falcons at home, thus giving them a big boost of confidence in clutch situations.

Buccaneers 26, Colts 16

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report.
And you can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.