NFL Picks Week 4: Predicting Scores for All Afternoon Games

Week 3 wasn't kind to the NFC's preseason poster boys. The Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles both found themselves staring at 1-2 starts after stumbling against teams that made smaller offseason waves. Last Sunday wasn't particularly easy on the AFC East favorites either, with both the New England Patriots and New York Jets showing a few cracks in their armor.

Still, Week 4 provides some excellent chances for redemption. The Pats travel across the country looking to upstage the Raiders, while the Jets get a trip to Baltimore as a reward for their own loss to Oakland. And even Matt Ryan gets another shot at standing on real grass when the Falcons face the Seattle Seahawks. 

New York Giants at Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are hurting after dropping an early division game in Seattle last week. New York's headed into this one with an entirely different attitude after knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles. That's exactly when the Giants seem to lay their biggest eggs. With the game in Arizona, the Cardinals do just enough through the air to pull a huge upset.

Prediction: Cardinals 28, Giants 20

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks

Matt Ryan's outdoor issues continued last week in a loss to Tampa Bay, and Seattle might have found some momentum after upsetting the Arizona Cardinals. Still, at 1-2, the Falcons are too hungry for a win to let a sure thing slip by. The Seattle crowd won't be kind, and Ryan will likely make a few mistakes, but he'll have a big enough game to keep Atlanta from slipping to 1-3. Seattle's offense won't keep up.

Prediction: Falcons 24, Seahawks 10

Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers

Denver's searching for a signature win, but this isn't the place to look. The Broncos squandered an opportunity to get above .500 for the first time since 2009 in a loss to the Tennessee Titans. Although their defense is improved, they'll slide further from that mark today. Green Bay is due to stumble at some point, but it won't happen against a team that can't overcome Kyle Orton's late mistakes.

Prediction: Packers 31, Broncos 17

New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders

The Pats are still scratching their heads over last week's meltdown, but they won't let that loss dictate today's results. Traveling to Oakland won't be easy, and the Raiders have certainly shown up so far, but New England doesn't drop two in a row. Jason Campbell's mistake-free play has been an underrated aspect of Oakland's success, but that'll end today.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Raiders 20

Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers

The Dolphins have flirted with a few wins on their way to an 0-3 start, but the NFL's not kind to teases. A winless start is a winless start, no matter how close Miami came to closing the deal. San Diego is playing without Antonio Gates, but the ground game is humming, and Vincent Jackson can pick up a lot of slack. The Dolphins should hang around early, but they'll fade late without an offensive identity. Shocking.

Prediction: Chargers 35, Dolphins 14

New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens

Joe Flacco finally has a viable deep threat in rookie Torrey Smith, and although Smith's presence means another week without Lee Evans, this is the stronger lineup for Baltimore. Ray Rice is reaping all of Vonta Leach's benefits, and the defense looks younger than they should. New York needs a win after falling to the Oakland Raiders in Week 3, but they just don't have the pass rushers to keep Flacco from finding an early rhythm, especially if the Ravens can establish Rice. Mark Sanchez still hasn't proven he can carry this team when needed.

Prediction: Ravens 21, Jets 13