My 2022 NFL Picks (Week 4)

The calendar has flipped to October, which means we're a quarter of the way through the NFL season.  This is usually right around the time when we start figuring out who's actually good and who isn't, but, I'll admit, I've still got no clue!  I think scheduling has had a lot to do with that, though.  Because the good teams have all played each other, and so have all the bad teams!  Then you get the random results like Colts over Chiefs!  Will we see something like that again this week?

Thursday Night: Cincinnati (Win)

Vikings (2-1) vs Saints (1-2): Minnesota-Our first London game of the season, and the first of five international games.  The fans across the pond, unfortunately, won't get to see Jamies Winston, who the Saints have officially declared out.  Without him running the offense, I think New Orleans will struggle to score points.  The Vikings, meanwhile, will have no issue doing that.

Browns (2-1) at Falcons (1-2): Cleveland-Cleveland is a prime example of what I was talking about where a bad team has a good record because of who they've played.  They put forth a good effort against the Steelers last week, but they lost to the Jets and they beat the Panthers, who suck.  The Falcons also suck.  So it's lucky for them they drew the NFC South this year.  Things are about to get a lot tougher for them after this.

Commanders (1-2) at Cowboys (2-1): Dallas-Is Dak Prescott about to get Tony Romoed?  Because the Cowboys aren't just 2-0 without him, the offense has looked mighty good under Cooper Rush.  Of course, it's not that hard to throw to CeeDee Lamb and handoff to Ezekiel Elliott, but still.  And the Dallas defense is one of the best in the league.  Carson Wentz already knows all about it from his time in Philadelphia, but he'll get a reminder in his first start against the Cowboys as a Commander.

Seahawks (1-2) at Lions (1-2): Seattle-Both of these teams have been a pleasant surprise so far.  The Lions actually look halfway decent.  They're 1-2, but their two losses are by a combined seven points to two really good teams (Philadelphia and Minnesota).  And Seattle I fully expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, which certainly hasn't been the case.  In fact, I think the Seahawks will be the one who emerges from this game 2-2.

Titans (1-2) at Colts (1-1-1): Tennessee-Last week, I was ragging on the AFC South for having one combined win through two weeks.  Then three of the four go and beat AFC West teams, including the Colts with that shocking victory over Kansas City!  As a result, Indy's just a half game behind Jacksonville and a half game ahead of Tennessee.  Those positions will flip flop after the Titans beat them on Sunday, and, with the Jaguars playing Philadelphia, Tennessee could find itself tied for first place after that 0-2 start.

Bears (2-1) at Giants (2-1): Giants-Even though the Giants lost last week, I still took a lot of positives out of that Cowboys game.  Most importantly, they aren't overmatched anymore.  They'll be in every game.  And they should be 3-1 after they play the Bears.  Sorry, Bears faithful, but their record is a mirage.  They beat the 49ers and Texans at home.  Meanwhile, their loss was a butt-kicking in Green Bay.  The real Bears team is somewhere in the middle.

Jaguars (2-1) at Eagles (3-0): Philadelphia-With the Dolphins losing on Thursday night, Philadelphia is the last undefeated team in the NFL.  That shouldn't change this week.  They take on another "first place" team in Jacksonville, but that really says much more about the AFC South than it does about the Jaguars.  The Eagles, on the other hand, are legitimately good.  And they'll be 4-0.

Jets (1-2) at Steelers (1-2): Pittsburgh-I may have been a little too high on the Steelers heading into the season.  Because I don't know how this team ever scores!  They're 1-2, but that could very easily be 0-3 if not for that overtime win in Cincinnati.  Fortunately, they play the Jets at home this week, so they don't necessarily need to be "good" to win, though.  And they need to win, too.  Because they've got Buffalo and Tampa Bay coming up, so they could be 1-5 after those two games if they don't.

Bills (2-1) at Ravens (2-1): Buffalo-You can't help but wonder if the Bills would've won last week had their entire defense not been hurt!  As it is, they still almost pulled it out.  Now they head to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that may as well join the AFC East.  This is the fourth straight week they're facing an AFC East team.  So, if the Ravens win, does that technically make them tied for first in the division?

Chargers (1-2) at Texans (0-2-1): Chargers-Not only did the Chargers lose at home to the Jaguars, they got blown out!  To say I didn't see that coming would be an understatement.  And I wouldn't be surprised if that loss ends up costing the Chargers a playoff berth.  It's only Week 4, but they can really kiss that playoff berth goodbye if they lose in Houston.

Cardinals (1-2) at Panthers (1-2): Arizona-Arizona's another one of those teams.  They should be good, but they're only 1-2.  Their losses are to the Chiefs and Rams, though, so is that why they're 1-2?  We should find out a lot about this year's eventual Super Bowl champions this week.  Because they're significantly better than Carolina.

Patriots (1-2) at Packers (2-1): Green Bay-Was last week pretty?  No it was not!  Does that matter?  Not really.  Because the Packers have the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay.  For a team like Green Bay, who you're pretty certain will end up in the postseason, that's what really matters.  Now they've got another marquee matchup against the Patriots, who are unsure of their quarterback situation with Mac Jones hurt.  Which means they need their defense to step up.  And that's a tall order against Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau.

Broncos (2-1) at Raiders (0-3): Denver-Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett sure looks like he's in over his head.  Yet, despite scoring a total of 43 points in three games, the Broncos are 2-1.  And they really should be 3-0.  The Raiders, meanwhile, are 0-3 mainly because they blew that game against the Cardinals.  But, no matter how they got there, they're the only 0-3 team in the league.  Will they become the only 0-4 team?

Chiefs (2-1) at Buccaneers (2-1): Tampa Bay-Incredibly, they were able to keep this one in Tampa after the city escaped the worst of the hurricane.  It would've been a shame, but understandable, if they had to move it, but I'm glad they didn't.  Although, the Chiefs might've preferred that.  Since the last time these two met in Tampa it wasn't too pretty for Mahomes and Co., as the Bucs defense completely shut them down in the Super Bowl.  This time, of course, it's much different.  It's only Week 4.  But they're both coming off what they would consider a bad loss, so it'll be interesting to see who comes out of this one on a two-game losing streak.

Rams (2-1) at 49ers (1-2): Rams-For some reason, every time the Rams play the 49ers, San Francisco wins.  That is until the NFC Championship Game, at least, when the Rams snapped their six-game losing streak against San Francisco.  So, I really should play the odds and go with the 49ers, especially in San Francisco.  But I think the NFC Championship Game was a turning point and this series is swinging back in the Rams' direction.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 25-23-1