NFL 2024 (Week 4)

The NFL season is only three weeks old, but there are already a bunch of teams feeling the pressure.  The Bengals are 0-3.  The Jaguars are 0-3.  The Ravens and 49ers, both considered to be Super Bowl contenders, are 1-2.  The Cowboys were 1-2 heading into their Thursday night game against the Giants, where they got the win, but still have a lot of unanswered questions.  And the pressure will only mount if some of the other teams I mentioned don't join them in the win column this week.

Thursday Night: Dallas (Win)

Saints (2-1) at Falcons (1-2): New Orleans-After scoring 91 points in their first two games, the Saints were held to 12 by the Eagles last week.  So, that offense clearly isn't as good as the first two weeks indicated.  I don't think it's as pedestrian as the Eagles made it look either, though.  It's probably somewhere in the middle.  Atlanta, meanwhile, has its fourth straight tough opponent to start the season.  The Falcons fortunately got that win over Philadelphia.  Otherwise, they'd be staring at 0-4.

Rams (1-2) at Bears (1-2): Rams-Of all those teams I listed above, the Rams are certainly one that might've salvaged their season by winning last week.  I'm not sure they would've been able to make a run after an 0-3 start.  The schedule sure hasn't done them any favors, either.  It's Week 4 and they're already playing their third road game.  They'll obviously benefit from it later on with their back-loaded home schedule.  In fact, they're home for the entire month of October.  So, if they beat the Bears, they're in good shape.

Vikings (3-0) at Packers (2-1): Green Bay-Jordan Love will evidently be back for this one.  An incredible development since they sure made it seem like he'd be out a while.  The Packers won both of their games without him, though, and his return only makes them better.  The undefeated Vikings, meanwhile, have been one of the biggest surprises in the league.  Expect them to fall down to Earth eventually.  Starting with this season's visit to Lambeau.

Steelers (3-0) at Colts (1-2): Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh's not just in first place.  The struggles of the other three AFC North teams have helped the Steelers already build a two-game division lead.  They've mainly done it with their defense, too.  That's why I think they can keep their hot streak going.  Especially against an Indianapolis team that they're better than.

Broncos (1-2) at Jets (2-1): Jets-This is what the Jets had in mind when they traded for Aaron Rodgers.  They didn't even play that well against the Patriots.  They still won rather easily.  Next week, they head to London for a game against the Vikings.  They should head there on a three-game winning streak.  Although, the Broncos did pull off the shocker last week by dominating the Bucs in Tampa, so the Jets had better be ready and not looking ahead to their trip across the pond.

Eagles (2-1) at Buccaneers (2-1): Philadelphia-Just think, if the Eagles hadn't run that idiotic 3rd down pass to Saquon Barkley in the Falcons game, they'd be 3-0 right now.  Frankly, Tampa Bay should be 3-0 right now, as well.  They hosted Denver last week in a game they should've won and instead lost 26-7.  How will they bounce back?  More importantly, how badly were they affected by the hurricane, which I'm sure screwed with their practice schedule all week?

Bengals (0-3) at Panthers (1-2): Cincinnati-If you'd told me one of the teams would enter this game 0-3, I wouldn't have been surprised.  If you'd told me that team would be the Bengals, I certainly would have.  What's even nuttier is that it's Cincinnati's former quarterback, Andy Dalton, who engineered the Panthers' first win in quite a while.  Was that really the start of a turnaround in Carolina?  Either way, this is a game that Cincinnati absolutely must win.

Jaguars (0-3) at Texans (2-1): Houston-Houston's got a real chance to run away with the AFC South.  Of course, the Jaguars, who still consider themselves the Texans' biggest competition in the division, could have something to say about that.  Or the Texans can build a three-game cushion over Jacksonville after only a month.  Both of these teams got smacked around pretty good last week, too, so it's a good opportunity for a bounce back.

Commanders (2-1) at Cardinals (1-2): Washington-Washington hasn't exactly played the toughest schedule.  But, even with that in mind, the Commanders actually may not be that bad!  And they've got another winnable game this week.  Of course, Arizona views it as winnable, too, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.  The fact that Washington has to travel on a short week could make a difference, but probably not enough of one to affect the result.

Patriots (1-2) at 49ers (1-2): San Francisco-When the 49ers beat the Jets in Week 1, it looked like this season would be business as usual.  Then they went on the road and lost twice, first to the Vikings, then to the Rams.  Back home, against the Patriots, they should be able to get their groove back.  Especially if New England plays the way it did against the Jets.

Browns (1-2) at Raiders (1-2): Cleveland-Cleveland lost to the Giants last week.  Las Vegas lost to the Panthers last week.  That's the state of both these teams.  So, yeah, not great.  The real question is how they'll bounce back from last week's lackluster performances.  I still think the Browns are better than the Raiders, so I'm giving them the nod.

Chiefs (3-0) at Chargers (2-1): Kansas City-It hasn't been easy, but the Chiefs are 3-0.  They haven't been their typical dominant selves, but they've managed to get the job done.  This will be their toughest test so far on the road against Jim Harbaugh's Chargers.  It wouldn't totally shock me to see these two tied for first (with the Chargers as the technical division leaders) after this one.  With the way the Chiefs have won their first three games, though, I'm not betting against them.

Bills (3-0) at Ravens (1-2): Buffalo-While it might be a bit of a stretch to call them the "best" team in football, the Bills have certainly been one of the most impressive through three weeks.  They were absolutely dominant against Jacksonville on Monday night.  The Ravens had an impressive showing themselves last week.  For a half.  Until they let Dallas back in it and almost gave it all away.  I know I picked them to make it to the Super Bowl, but Baltimore really needs to show me more.

Titans (0-3) at Dolphins (1-2): Miami-I'm not ready to anoint Tennessee as the worst team in the league, but they're definitely up there.  Their first two games were close, but last week was not, and they're one of three winless teams left.  As for Miami, I still have no clue what's going on!  I'm honestly not sure if the Dolphins are any good.  I do think they're better than the Titans, though.  Plus, the ESPN Monday night game is in Miami.  That's why the Dolphins are the call.

Seahawks (3-0) at Lions (2-1): Detroit-Monday night game No. 2 features two of the best teams in the NFC.  Seattle is undefeated, with three wins over AFC opponents.  The Lions are by far the best opponent they've faced this season.  Detroit, meanwhile, is making its way through the NFC West.  It's Week 4 and they've already played everybody in the division except the 49ers.  That one's not until the end of the season.  As for this week's matchup, expect Detroit and Seattle to have the same record after the game.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-9
Overall: 28-21