NFL Picks Week 4: 3 Most Pivotal Matchups

There are always pivotal games in every NFL season that can distance playoffs contenders from pretenders.

It may only be Week 4, but there are three matchups in particular this week that could catapult the victors and demoralize the losers.

Here are three of the most pivotal games of Week 4 in the National Football League.

3. Steelers at Texans

The Texans may have lost to the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, but there's no question they've made their presence known through the first three weeks. With the Indianapolis Colts slipping, the Texans may very well win the AFC South this season.

As for the Steelers, they just beat the Colts, but they won by only three points and their offensive line was horrible. The AFC champions haven't looked like AFC champions thus far and are still trying to build momentum. Don't forget, however, the Steelers have always had issues and they persevere probably better than anyone in football.

But teams are 2-1.

2. Jets at Ravens

The New York Jets have a struggling running game and a banged-up secondary, but they still have a solid defense, and quarterback Mark Sanchez has shown improvement this season.

But if they play like they did in Week 3 against the Oakland Raiders, they will lose in Baltimore against the Ravens. The Jets lost by 10 points to the Raiders in Week 3 and it wasn't a fluke; the Raiders simply looked like the better team.

As for the Ravens, they defeated the Steelers in Week 1, but lost to the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 and haven't looked as good as one might expect. They do have an up-and-coming rookie receiver in Torrey Smith, however.

Both teams are 2-1.

1. Lions at Cowboys

This should be a great game.

Both the Lions and Cowboys are looking to rebound after rough 2010 campaigns and both have looked much better in 2011. In fact, they both look like legitimate playoff contenders.

There's so much to love about this game. Tony Romo. Young gun Matthew Stafford. The defensive line of the Lions. The linebacking corps of the Cowboys. Ndamukong Suh. DeMarcus Ware. Receivers Calvin Johnson, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

I could go on and on.

In previous years,this would be an easy Cowboys victory. But this ain't the same Lions. They're 3-0 and sport a much-improved squad that could tip the balance in the NFC as soon as this season. These are two teams that will likely be battling for a wild-card spot all season long.