NFL: Week 4 (A Donovan McNabb Reunion & The Battle of Ohio)

The fourth week of the NFL season commences on Sunday, with 12 great matchups on Sunday afternoon, a Sunday night game, and of course, a Monday night game. Four teams- the Dallas Cowboys (1-2), Minnesota Vikings (1-2), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1), and Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) are off this week, and will return to play next weekend.

GAME OF THE WEEK:
Washington Redskins (1-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)- Sunday @ 4:15PM- Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
To pay homage to Seth Meyers's Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien joke on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, and giving it a Sports Corner spin: Let's say that you are married to the most gorgeous woman in town- she is so hot and you and your wife build a strong rapport with the neighbors, some of them have moved on to greener pastures. There are divorce rumors swirling around the 11th year of the marriage, because the critics think that you're unhappy in your marriage. However, you say, "That's all rubbish. I'm happy where you're at." Then, one night, a woman from a rival town decides to steal you away and make you her own. Then, you tell your wife, "Peace out, babycakes." Her alimony payment: some fourth-round draft pick, which turned out to be some lineman. And now, you and your new girlfriend are invited to a party...at your old house, where your ex-wife still lives. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, meet Donovan McNabb. In the offseason, he was traded off from the Philadelphia Eagles (his home of 11 seasons) to division rivals Washington, in what many experts called a mistakenly dumb move on the part of the Eagles. This Sunday, McNabb returns to the city he called home for 11 seasons, but on the opposite side of the field. There is no turning back, as McNabb's replacement, Kevin Kolb got injured in the season opener, and now Michael Vick is the starting quarterback, and the explosive Vick will spoil McNabb's homecoming in the City of Brotherly Love.
Pick: Philadelphia 35-14

OTHER GAME OF THE WEEK:
The Battle of Ohio, Part 74: Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-3)- Cleveland Browns Stadium/The Dawg Pound; Cleveland, OH- 1:00PM
All this energy is definitely calling me back to where it comes from, because baby, if you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me, I'm watching the Battle of Ohio- Cleveland hosting Cincinnati.

A win over the Browns could be the elixir for Carson Palmer, who is starting to show signs of age as T.O. and Chad Ochocinco would love to make a leap into the Dawg Pound. The Bengals have won 10 of the last 14 meetings against these in-state rivals, and would love to make it 11 out of 15, as their defense forced eight turnovers against Baltimore and Carolina, respectively, including five interceptions.

The Browns love to play spoiler- such as preventing the Bengals from reaching the playoffs in 2003, a 51-45 shootout win in 2007, and blocking a point-after try to force overtime last year. However, Seneca Wallace is slated to start for the Browns, another bad sign for the Browns. This is probably Cleveland's best shot at a win, dare I say it, because the Brownies- if they lose, could be staring at the barrel of 0-9, because they have Atlanta, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, (a bye week), New England, and Eric Mangini's reunion with the NY Jets, in that order, following this game. It'll be a matter of time before Colt McCoy plays. The Bengals will get their offense started and their defense will create turnovers. It doesn't make a difference who's quarterbacking the Browns (Delhomme, Wallace, Josh Cribbs, Tim Couch, Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Brian Sipe, Otto Graham), who's coaching (Eric Man "Genius", Romeo Crennel, Butch Davis, Bill Belichick, Marty Schottenheimer, Sam Rutigliano, Paul Brown), or even who's in charge (Holmgren, Lerner & Policy, Art Modell) in the front office- the Browns are screwed, plain and simple. Bonus points if a Browns QB throws a pick six.
Pick: Cincinnati 38-17

THE REST OF WEEK 4:
Other Early Sunday Afternoon Games-
New York Jets (2-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-3)- Ralph Wilson Stadium; Orchard Park, NY- 1:00PM
Ryan Fitzpatrick is now the man for the Bills, and to make that official, the Bills pink slipped Trent Edwards this week. That won't mean **** for the J-E-T-S, Jets, who are looking for their third straight win this season over a division opponent.
Pick: New York J-E-T-S, Jets 31-14

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Tennessee Titans (2-1)- LP Field; Nashville, TN- 1:00PM
The Broncos are a polar opposite from the team that jumped off to a 6-0 start last year. They've been 3-10 ever since. Not a good time to travel to Music City to play the Titans.
Pick: Tennessee 30-15

Detroit Lions (0-3) at Green Bay Packers (2-1)- Lambeau Field; Green Bay, WI- 1:00PM
The new and improved Detroit should already have a win by now (stupid refs in Week 1). They probably won't get it in Lambeau, a place where they've lost 18 straight times.
Pick: Green Bay 41-7

San Francisco 49ers (0-3) at Atlanta Falcons (2-1)- Georgia Dome; Atlanta, GA- 1:00PM (or Singletary's Last Stand?)
Every week until either Mike Singletary gets the ax or the end of the season- whatever comes first, all 49ers games will be monikered, "Singletary's Last Stand?" With that said, it might be. But after the 49ers sent their Offensive Coordinator to the unemployment line on Monday, things might go on the up and up for the Niners.
Pick: Atlanta 28-17

Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (1-2)- Edward Jones Dome; St. Louis, MO- 1:00PM
Last week, Seattle shocked San Diego, courtesy of two long kickoff returns by Leon Washington. The Rams got a rare win, as they upset Washington. However, Pete Carroll has taken Seattle on the up and up, and their defense, which came up huge in wins over San Francisco and San Diego, could put a thud to the Greatest Joke on Turf.
Pick: Seattle 37-10

Carolina Panthers (0-3) at New Orleans Saints (2-1)- Louisiana Superdome; New Orleans, LA- 1:00PM
Carolina can't get it together, just ask the Giants, Buccaneers, and Bengals. Yes, Matt Moore got benched, but last week, the Panthers lost three fumbles, and Jimmy Clausen threw a pick. The Saints are looking for a rebound win after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Falcons.
Pick: New Orleans 28-6

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0)- Heinz Field; Pittsburgh, PA- 1:00PM
In Pittsburgh's fourth and final game without a quarterback, they get a bigger test as they host the rival Ravens. This will be a great Battle of the Defenses, as both teams have only two touchdowns each (Baltimore- 41 points allowed, 27 of them were from field goals; Pittsburgh- 30 points allowed). However, Flacco may look shaky against this defense, as Flacco threw four picks a couple weeks ago in Cincinnati.
Pick: Pittsburgh 27-14

Late Afternoon Games (minus the aforementioned McNabb reunion in Philly):
Indianapolis Colts (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)- EverBank Field; Jacksonville, FL- 4:05PM
Tic-tac-toe, three in a row...three losses for Jacksonville, that is.
Pick: Indianapolis 38-0

Houston Texans (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (1-2)- Oakland Coliseum; Oakland, CA- 4:05PM
Last week, Bruce Gradkowski gave Oakland a semblance of life (too bad kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed a game-winning field goal try). However, a hungry-for-postseason Houston has too many offensive weapons (Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, etc.) for Oakland's defense to contain.
Pick: Houston 27-24

Arizona Cardinals (2-1) at San Diego Chargers (1-2)- Qualcomm Stadium; San Diego, CA- 4:15PM
The Cardinals are lucky for their win last week (see my Oakland kicker comment above), and should thank Sebastian Janikowski for missing the field goal attempt near the end, because these birds might get fried by the San Diego Super Chargers, after the Chargers themselves were electrocuted on two kickoff returns for scores last week in Seattle.
Pick: San Diego 31-21

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Chicago Bears (3-0) at New York Giants (1-2)- New Meadowlands Stadium; East Rutherford, NJ- 8:20PM
The Monsters of the Midway travel to the Big Apple to play the Giants, losers of two straight. This is a must-win for the Giants, because they travel to Houston next week.
Pick: NY Giants 24-20

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
New England Patriots (2-1) at Miami Dolphins (2-1)- Sun Life Stadium; Miami, FL- 8:30PM
The Patriots, fresh off a wild game against Buffalo, travel down to sunny Florida to play Miami, under the lights. Can the Pats stop the Wildcat?
Pick: New England 34-31