NFL Week 4 Preview

Power Rankings:
Rank Team (Record)
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)
2. New Orleans Saints (2-1)
3. New York Jets (2-1)
4. Indianapolis Colts (2-1)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
6. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
7. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
8. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
9. New England Patriots (2-1)
10. Houston Texans (2-1)
11. Tennessee Titans (2-1)
12. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
13. Cincinnati Bengals (2-1)
14. Chicago Bears (3-0)
15. Miami Dolphins (2-1)
16. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
17. Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
18. Arizona Cardinals (2-1)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
20. Washington Redskins (1-2)
21. San Diego Chargers (1-2)
22. Minnesota Vikings (1-2)
23. Oakland Raiders (1-2)
24. Denver Broncos (1-2)
25. New York Giants (1-2)
26. Cleveland Browns (0-3)
27. Detroit Lions (0-3)
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
29. St. Louis Rams (1-2)
30. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
31. San Francisco 49ers (0-3)
32. Buffalo Bills (0-3)


Top 3 Surprises last week:

Atlanta Beats Saints in New Orleans
This was a huge game for the Falcons. The NFC South hasn’t had a division winner repeat the next season since its existence, but the defending-champion Saints are good bets to repeat. Their main opposition is the Atlanta Falcons, and the Falcons showed that they are not going to concede the division to the Saints easily.

Dallas Destroys Houston in Texas Showdown
The Dallas Cowboys were expected to compete for a Super Bowl in their own building by February. Well all those hopes and expectations were out the window if the Cowboys actually began the season 0-3 before entering a bye week. Just in time, the Cowboys defense shut down the explosive Texans’ offense to pull off the much-needed victory and to keep hysteria from reaching the national media.

Seattle Sneaks by San Diego
The Seattle Seahawks entered the season with a lot of uncertainty, and I was one of those people that expected them to be awful. However, the acquisition of Leon Washington has already paid its dividends, and the offense is running much better under Pete Carroll than it has in the past five years. I’m not declaring the Seahawks a division winner yet, but this was a huge win and they definitely will be there by the final weeks.

Week 4 Preview:
• Atlanta over San Francisco
o Most teams would be vulnerable after a huge win such as the Falcons win over the Saints last week, however, the 49ers defense won’t be able to contain Michael Turner, and the 49ers defense has been abysmal all season.
• New York Jets over Buffalo
o After shockingly releasing the starting quarterback, the Bills seem to be ready for next year’s draft, and I can’t see them beating a Jets’ team that won’t turn the ball over or make too many mistakes. This could be the big game for LaDainian Tomlinson to break out of his back-up role.
• Cleveland over Cincinnati
o I’m a huge fan of the Bengals’ pass defense, however, Peyton Hillis and Jerome Harrison are a tough dynamic duo to stop, and I can’t picture them doing that. The Browns offense is much better with Seneca Wallace, as he can run around the pocket for extra time. Also, the Bengals offense hasn’t rolled on all cylinders that they expected with the addition of Terrell Owens, and the Browns defense is better than most people think. Another interesting fact, the Browns have been winning the game in the fourth quarter of each of their three losses.
• Green Bay over Detroit
o Green Bay has to be frustrated to let the Bears sneak one by them last week, and I can’t see Charles Woodson being fooled by Shaun Hill. Jahvid Best may cause the Packers’ some problems, but will the Lions’ defense be able to stop Aaron Rodgers. I think the latter will pose more problems.
• Tennessee over Denver
o I would hate to live in Tennessee because without Chris Johnson’s long runs, I feel that this would be an extremely boring team to watch. The big key in this battle is the fact that the Titans’ defense has been solid all season thus far, and I expect it to continue in Denver. Denver’s running game is struggling right now, and without that balanced attack, I can’t see the Titans’ defense giving up too many big plays.
• St. Louis over Seattle
o I just mentioned above that Seattle is much better than I thought. The difference in this game is the maturation of Sam Bradford. Bradford is playing much wiser than his rookie status, and a major factor of the Seahawks’ beating Chargers was the kickoff return unit. If the Rams’ special teams can hold down Leon Washington, I expect it to be a close game and I’ll predict the upset.
• New Orleans over Carolina
o The Panthers’ don’t want to put too much pressure on Jimmy Clausen, as he attempted five passes in the first half last game, but when they are against the dynamic offense of the Saints, it eliminates almost all of their chances if this game becomes a shootout.
• Pittsburgh over Baltimore
o This is the game that I’ll be tuned in to. The Ravens’ offense needs to keep the pace that they had last week, but Troy Polamalu is one of the most indispensable players, and I can’t see him letting Anquan Boldin through the defense like the Browns did last week. The Steelers defense should be good enough to force this to a field position battle, and I can see Joe Flacco making more mistakes than Charlie Batch.
• Oakland over Houston
o Houston has an explosive offense, Oakland has an average defense, but for some odd reason I’m inclined to pick an upset. Brad Gradkowski brings energy to the Raiders’ offense, and Darren McFadden should have plenty of running lanes. I don’t think that the Raiders’ are a better team, but I could picture Houston struggling with Andre Johnson being covered Nnamdi Asomugha.
• Indianapolis over Jacksonville
o The Colts have been rock solid since their opening week upset, but Peyton Manning is still the same Manning, and the Jaguars offense has been stalled recently. David Garrard isn’t the playmaker he use to be, but Maurice Jones-Drew should run all over the Colts. The difference will be the ability for the Jaguars to keep up with the pace the Colts set, and I don’t see it happening.
• Philadelphia over Washington
o The biggest change in Philadelphia is the quarterback situation. For the record, I also expect McNabb to be applauded on his return (more of a mixed reaction), but I’m not a fan of Washington exploiting the Eagles’ defense, but I’m a fan of Michael Vick destroying the Redskins’ defense with his overall speed, and the explosiveness of their receivers.
• San Diego over Arizona
o The Chargers have a good offense, but their defense and special teams haven’t been up to par. Luckily, they run into Derek Anderson and his lack of decision-making. I’m not a fan of the Cardinals’ offense until they can run the ball better which should open up more space for Larry Fitzgerald. The Chargers’ could easily be 3-0, but if they can clean up their offense and its mistakes, they will pull off a win next week.
• New York Giants over Chicago
o Chicago has sneaked to a 3-0 record, but I still see plenty of flaws in their games. The Giants haven’t been playing smart football lately, but have been behind from the start in them. The Giants are an inconsistent football team, but I think they will be better in this one, as the Bears aerial attack will need to continue to be on point. However, if the Bears continue to win, how much can Lovie Smith thank Mike Martz for helping him keep his job?
• New England over Miami
o The Patriots are the same Patriots we are use to, and with that offense, it will be tough for Miami to keep up. The Dolphins have a solid offense that has been pretty consistent, and could pose problems for the Patriots’ secondary. The Patriots have a tough schedule after their bye week after this game, and need this win badly to keep pace in the AFC East.




Writer’s Note: I apologize for not updating my blog in awhile. My free time definitely not as much as last year and I will be unable to blog as much as I would like to. I will still aim to blog two to three times a week, but expect less College Football coverage, especially once College Basketball begins.