NFL Predictions Week 4: Breaking Down 3 Marquee Clashes

Surprising as it may seem, there actually are some good matchups on tap for Week 4 of the 2011 NFL season.

I know, I didn't quite believe it myself. Not after seeing, say, Vikings-Chiefs, Panthers-Bears, 49ers-Eagles and Falcons-Seahawks, to name a few.

Then I noticed these three games, and my faith in football was restored, however temporarily.

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys and the Lions play every year on Thanksgiving, so it's only fitting that they face each other once in a while.

This time around, they'll do so when both of them are actually decent and one of them is pretty darn good. So far, Detroit has proven that it can gut out wins in close games, thanks in large part to cannon-armed quarterback Matt Stafford and terrifying defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Of course, no team has shown quite as much guts (or had their guts bashed in quite as much) as the Cowboys have. Dallas pulled out yet another ugly win, this time at home against Washington, behind smothering play by its defense and just enough offense out of the tattered trio of Tony Romo, Felix Jones and Dez Bryant.

The Cowboys defense should give Stafford and sons their toughest test of the season thus far. That being said, expect the Lions to do just enough on offense while allowing Suh to wreak havoc on Romo's ribs on the way to a thrilling win and a 4-0 start.

Prediction: Lions 21, Cowboys 17

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans

Like the Lions, the Texans entered the 2011 season as a chic pick to "surprise" and contend for a playoff berth.

And, like Detroit, Houston has thus far rewarded the faith of its supporters with strong performances in all three of its games. A 2-1 record might suggest otherwise, but, if anything, a 40-33 loss at New Orleans in Week 3 proves that the Texans can hang with the big boys of the NFL, at least offensively.

Meanwhile, the Steelers have looked like anything but the defending AFC champs through three weeks of play. Sure, Pittsburgh pounded the lowly Seahawks at home, 24-0, but that win was hardly indicative of a team that's in "good" shape.

Of greater concern in the Steel City is how the team has played in its two road games—a 35-7 debacle in Baltimore and a nail-bitingly narrow 23-20 win over the Peyton Manning-less Colts.

Pittsburgh's biggest problems? Turnovers and the running game. The Steelers have given the ball away 10 times in their two losses—seven to the Ravens, three to the Colts—and managed only 66.5 rushing yards in those games.

Seeing as how this one will be a road game for the Steelers, they figure to run into these problems once again, this time at Reliant Stadium. Either way, this one will be close, with the team on the upswing (the Texans) coming out on top against the team on the slope (the Steelers).

Prediction: Texans 24, Steelers 21

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens

Do you like smash-mouth football? Then be sure to tune in on Sunday night when the Jets travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens!

Okay, so maybe that intro is a bit too Jim Nantz-y for comfort, but it's true. These two teams are actually remarkably similar. Both butter their bread on defense and typically look to control clock by running the ball on offense.

Both have also attempted to add more a vertical element to their respective passing games, with mixed results thus far. Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez are improving, but neither has shown much in the way of consistency to suggest that he's ready to ascend to the top tier of NFL quarterbacks.

All told, expect something similar to the 10-9 slogfest the Ravens earned over the Jets in their 2010 season opener.

Prediction: Ravens 13, Jets 10

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