NFL Picks Week 4: Oakland Raiders and 3 Rising Teams That Will Keep Surprising

Every dog has his day, even (and, perhaps, especially) in the NFL, where the dregs of this decade are finally emerging from the doldrums of disappointment to shine in 2011.

The gravy train is bound to slow down for the league's nouveau riche at some point, though these three teams are well-positioned to keep the good times rollin' into Week 4, and possibly beyond.

Oakland Raiders

The Black Hole isn't quite as dark these days now that the Raiders actually look like a good team in the making. The firing of Tom Cable aside, the Silver and Black have gotten the Hue Jackson era in Oakland off to a solid start, following up a sloppy win in Denver and a shocking comeback loss in Buffalo with a defiant home victory over the New York Jets.

Next up, the not-so-invincible Patriots come to town, fresh off a loss to the Bills not entirely unlike the one the Raiders endured in Week 2. Like the emperor without his clothes, Bill Belichick's defense has been exposed as a unit that still struggles to rush the passer and cover up in the secondary.

The Raiders' team speed, about which Al Davis has caught a ton of flack over the years for insisting on, is unlike that of any other squad in the NFL today and, with the likes of Denarius Moore, Darren McFadden and Jacoby Ford as the chief proprietors, will give the Pats fits all day.

Then maybe, just maybe, you'll start hearing whispers about Oakland winning the AFC West elevate to semi-intelligible mutters. 

Buffalo Bills

I know, I'm getting tired of hearing about the Bills, too.

But can you really blame folks in Buffalo (and Chris Berman) for being enthusiastic that the wagons are once again circling? The Bills haven't reached the postseason since 1999 and finally look like something resembling a respectable team.

The Bengals, on the other hand, are anything but, though, to their credit, they've hung tough in their two losses.

Granted, those two losses came in Denver (24-22) and at home against San Francisco (13-8).

So, really, a win for the Bills in Cincy wouldn't exactly qualify as a surprise, though the fact that Buffalo is expected to win on the road indicates just how much the football world's perception of the team has changed in just three weeks.

The Bengals currently rank third in the league in total defense, though they have yet to face an offense with anything close to the firepower that Ryan Fitzpatrick, Stevie Johnson and Fred Jackson tote onto the field on a weekly basis nowadays.

And so, Buffalo's undefeated season will march on, if only for one more week.

Detroit Lions

As for the darlings of the NFC, the Lions should have more than enough magic left lying around to dispose of the Cowboys, even with the game in Dallas.

Tony Romo and his banged-up band of less-than-merry men won't be so fortunate to earn a "W" with six field goals against a team that can actually put the ball in the end zone with regularity.

The Cowboys secondary, still a heavily bandaged bunch, will be hard-pressed to stop Matt Stafford from putting up another performance circa 300 yards and three touchdowns, so long as they don't have corners to cover Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson.

Dallas' only chance to awaken Detroit from its dream season is to pound the ball on the ground and hope this game devolves into a sloppy, low-scoring affair. Otherwise, Romo and his ribs will spend most of the game trying to play catch-up with the NFL's fourth-best scoring offense.

Which is to say, Motor City's favorite sons will maintain their place atop the NFC just long enough to return to Michigan for a three-game home stand against Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta.

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