NFL Predictions Week 4: 3 Disappointing Teams That Will Bounce Back

For every scintillating surprise that has captivated the attention of NFL fans this season, there has been another mammoth disappointment, another team that's thus far failed miserably to live up to expectations.

Luckily for the latter group, the 2011 season is still quite young and should yield more favorable results, at some point or another.

For these three teams, that point is now, or rather, this week.

Philadelphia Eagles

Good news: Michael Vick's hand is bruised, not broken.

Bad news: the Eagles' offensive line is still atrocious and, barring some sort of miraculous overnight improvement, isn't likely to offer Vick much more in the way of pass protection.

So why, pray tell, will Philly win this week? Four words: the San Francisco 49ers.

As bad as the Eagles have looked, they're still good enough on offensive to score points—with or without Vick—and build up a defensible lead. On the other end, the Eagles defense should be able to shut down a Niners offense that ranks last in the league in total yardage while scoring only five touchdowns in three games.

Not to mention the fact that running back Frank Gore will be playing on a bum ankle.

Hence, all Philly really needs to do is get ahead by a few points, put the ball in the hands of LeSean McCoy and let Trent Cole and the rest of the pass rush tee off on Alex Smith.

And if they can't do that much, well, then the Eagles can kiss their "Dream Team" season goodbye. 

Atlanta Falcons

Speaking of Philly, the Falcons' Week 2 win over the Eagles doesn't look quite as good as it did just a few days ago.

Neither does Atlanta on the whole, not after struggling so mightily to score in a 16-13 loss at Tampa Bay. Matt Ryan has looked like anything but an All-Pro-caliber quarterback this season, having already racked up four interceptions and three fumbles on the way to a queasy QB rating of 81.5.

Like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons have run into big problems on the road, which would certainly work against them as they attempt to deal with a raucous crowd in Seattle while playing the Seahawks on Sunday.

That being said, the Seahawks are pretty terrible—just terrible enough that "Matty Ice" and company should be able to alleviate the lingering headache from their embarrassing playoff loss to the Packers. 

Minnesota Vikings

I'll admit, this one's kind of a cop out since the Vikings, now 0-3, are playing the 0-3 Chiefs in Kansas City.

So, really, I could've picked either of these teams and made a case that one or the other would "bounce back."

Still, Minnesota is easily the best winless team in the NFL, having lost by an average of less than five points per game on account of second-half rallies by each opponent.

Such a streak may not favor the Vikes going into KC, but at least they can count on the fact that the Chiefs are significantly worse than any single team they've yet faced.

That is, unless anyone actually thinks the Chiefs are better than the Chargers, Lions or Buccaneers, the first two of whom KC has already lost to this season.

If nothing else, the Vikings can take comfort in the fact that they still boast quite a bit of talent on both sides of the ball, from Adrian Peterson and Donovan McNabb on offense to Jared Allen and Chad Greenway on defense.

Because, after all, big names and Pro Bowl selections still matter...right?

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