NFL 2011: Week 4

The fourth week of the NFL commences tomorrow, and this will be the last week that all 32 teams will play until mid-November.

BIG GAME OF THE WEEK:
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (both 2-1) or Rex Ryan Bowl II
The Jets travel down I-95 to play the Ravens, a defense that Jets head coach Rex Ryan coached for years. This will be a great game.
Pick: Ravens 31, Jets 10

BIG EARLY GAME OF THE WEEK:
Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1) or The Battle of the Thanksgiving Hosts
The last time the Detroit Lions were 3-0, disco was fading off into the past, Dallas was the # 1 show on television (and we were still wondering who shot J.R.), Ronald Reagan was challenging incumbent Jimmy Carter, and the Rubik's Cube was born. Yup, 1980 was the last time the Detroit Lions started this good. Can they make it 4-0 as they play Dallas in the battle of the Thanksgiving Day NFL Hosts? Um, no. The Cowboys both gave San Francisco and Washington their only losses of the year. It's hard not to root against Big D at their home field.
Pick: Cowboys 27, Lions 13

MISMATCH OF THE WEEK:
Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
The last time the Bengals beat the Bills was the 1988 AFC Championship. The last time the Bengals played the Bills, the game was blacked out (as is tomorrow's- the only place to see the game will be in Buffalo, as Columbus is showing the Clowns), and the Bengals jumped out to an early 31-14 lead, only to be outscored 35-0 after that. Former Bengals receiver Terrell Owens said in a postgame press conference that the Bills "embarrassed us". The Bills are 3-0 for the first time since the 1990s, and are surprisingly the lone AFC unbeaten team remaining after snapping a 15-game losing streak to the New England Patriots last week. Chan Gailey has the Bills believing in themselves, a la the Jim Kelly/Thurman Thomas/Bruce Smith/Marv Levy days of the team. The Bengals, are a complete mess, from off-the-field distractions (Cedric Benson and Jerome Simpson), to not completing 3rd Down Conversions (2-for-21 in last three games on 3rd Down conversions). They need to improve, but fortunately for the Bengal Stripes, they have shitty Jacksonville and really bad Indianapolis in the next two weeks. They'll win those two for sure, but the Bills will bring another can of whoopass tomorrow.
Pick: Bills 41, Bengals 0

UPSET PICKS:
New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders (both 2-1)
The Raiders 2-1? The Patriots (and Raiders both) losing to Buffalo? Whodathunkit? Nobody. But, the Raiders have not been red hot since their last Super Bowl appearance. Last year, they got on the right track finishing 8-8, but that wasn't enough to save Tom Cable his job. The Patriots, heavily favored (surprise, surprise) again in the AFC, struggled last week against Buffalo as Tom Brady threw four passes to Buffalo defenders, including a 27-yard pick six by Drayton Florence, which helped fuel the Bills comeback, as the Pats blew a 21-0 lead, and the Bills (is this a surprise) came clawing back to win. This will be a great game.
Pick: Raiders 19, Patriots 17

Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans (both 2-1)
Arian Foster may be back for the Texans, but that may not be enough to stop Pittsburgh or Big Ben.
Pick: Steelers 31, Texans 20

EARLY GAMES:
Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (2-1)
Pick: Bears 21, Panthers 17

Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns (both 2-1)
Pick: Clowns 34, Titans 13

Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs (both 0-3)
Pick: Vikings 20, Chiefs 13

Washington Redskins (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)
Pick: Redskins 28, Rams 19

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)
49ers kicker David Akers returns to the stadium where he kicked for 13 years, but that's not the headline here, as the Eagles are experiencing "Overhypeness", because of their all-star cast.
Pick: 49ers 17, Eagles 13

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
Pick: Saints 35, Jaguars 6

LATE GAMES:
New York Giants (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Pick: Giants 37, Cardinals 17

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks (both 1-2)
Pick: Falcons 30, Seahawks 15

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-0)
Pick: Packers 38, Broncos 17

Miami Dolphins (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1)
Is this the end for Tony Sparano? This could be, as Sparano has a big target on his back, because the once-mighty Dolphins (yes, the Dolphins of old) are now a joke of themselves. The team that gave us Don Shula, Dan Marino, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Nick Buonticonti, and the NFL's only perfect record at 17-0, that team is a shell of its former selves. If the Dolphins get shocked by the Chargers, Tony Sparano, we hardly knew ye...
Pick: Chargers 35, Dolphins 13

MONDAY NIGHT LIGHTS:
Indianapolis Colts (0-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
The last time the Colts started 0-3, Peyton Manning was a senior at the University of Tennessee, and the Colts stumbled to 3-13. Of the last 10 times the Colts started 0-3, they failed to win more than three games in at least seven of those occasions. As mentioned before, "One man's impact touches the lives of many others". With that said, Curtis Painter is making his first-ever NFL start on Monday night.
Pick: Buccaneers 31, Colts 0