NFL Predictions Week 4: 3 Under .500 Teams That Will Continue to Slide

Week 4 is an important benchmark in the season. After next week, the season will be 25 percent complete and we'll get a better read on what we can expect.

But what teams that we viewed as preseason contenders are struggling? Anyone sitting at 2-1 is okay. Even if they have a lot of question marks, the worst they are going to be after Week 4 is 2-2. That's not too bad.

But what about the teams that are a game below that? Right now, I am not concerned with the bad teams that nobody expected anything from.

The teams I am addressing here are teams that we expected good things from that need a Week 4 win to save their seasons.

Unfortunately, the slide will continue. 

St. Louis Rams

With a bounce-back season in 2010, the Rams were touted by many as the favorites in the NFC West. After three weeks, those chances aren't looking great.

The 49ers lead the division at 2-1. San Francisco is likely to lose to the Eagles, but the Rams need to find a way to beat the Redskins. Frankly, I don't like their chances.

Washington may not be as good as their 2-1 record would suggest, but they match up pretty well to the Rams. They will be eager to come back from the Monday night loss to the Cowboys.

St. Louis looks likely to start 0-4. Even in the NFC West, that's a pretty good indicator that the playoffs aren't in the Rams' future.

Arizona Cardinals

I guess I am predicting a bad week for the NFC West. But the 49ers don't qualify because they are 2-1 and my expectations were pretty low for the Seahawks.

The Cardinals host the (somewhat) surprising New York Giants. The Cardinals have not been an impressive team.

Now, I don't see them falling too far behind. Unless the 49ers pull a big upset against the Eagles in Philadelphia, the Cardinals will only be a game back with a loss to the Giants.

Still, this is not the start that the Cardinals had in mind with the new quarterback in Kevin Kolb.

Miami Dolphins

Maybe they didn't have tremendous preseason expectations, but I can't say they don't belong here. The Dolphins impressed people in a 38-24 loss to the Patriots and then came back with a close loss to the Texans.

There was some reason for hope with Miami, even though they were 0-2. Now, they are 0-3 and the grumblings are much louder. The Dolphins will now travel across the country to take on Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

This one has potential to get ugly in a hurry. There is talk that Tony Sparano's job is in jeopardy. Quite honestly, if they can't at least be competitive against San Diego, he's probably coached his last game for the Dolphins.

They will be 0-4 with a bye week. That's usually a recipe for struggling head coaches to get their walking papers.