Week 4 of the 2016 NFL season is set to begin. This week kicks off the bye weeks as Green Bay and Philadelphia sit idle. For the other 30 teams I will now attempt to pick the winners of each game based off of the spreads. If you agree of disagree tweet at me @treydaubert to let me know where I’m wrong for my NFL week one predictions. *All spreads are courtesy of oddsshark.com
Thursday Night: Dolphins At Bengals (MIA +7.5)
Both teams come into Thursday night struggling at 1-2. Miami looked terrible a week ago pulling out an overtime win against dreadful Cleveland. Cincinnati faced some tough competition early in the season losing games to Pittsburgh and Denver. I expect the Bengals to right the ship in this one but not by more than 7 points. Remember Andy Dalton has been terrible in prime time games. The Bengals are too talented to lose 3 straight but don’t be surprised if the Dolphins make a game of it.
Bengals defeat Dolphins 24-19
Sunday 9:30 A.M. ET: Colts VS. Jaguars (JAC +2.5)
It’s the London Game! The Jags are 2.5 point dogs this week as they are technically the home team this week. Jacksonville seems to be playing in London every year now. This game will be interesting as Jacksonville’s 27th ranked offense will try to put up some points on Indy’s 30th ranked defense. However I’m taking the Colts. Andrew Luck seems to be in a groove now as the weather in London usually tams some of the scoring. Take the Colts.
Colts defeat Jaguars 28-21
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Panthers At Falcons (ATL +3)
Atlanta has proven to be a real playoff contender this year and currently lead the NFC South with a record of 2-1. The Panthers look to change their recent misfortunes having already lost more regular season games than they did all of last year. I expect the Panthers to bounce back after a rough showing a week ago. Take the Panthers; it is hard to repeat on a Monday night dominating performance that Atlanta showed last week. Carolina will remember Atlanta ruining their perfect season last year.
Panthers defeat Falcons 31-17
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Raiders At Ravens (OAK +3.5)
Earlier this week I called the Ravens the worst 3-0 team in the history of football. They should be bound to lose this week right? Wrong, this is just one of those instances where the match ups clearly sway in the favor of the Ravens. Baltimore’s front seven led by Terrell Suggs, Brandon Williams, and Timmy Jernigan will get pressure on Derek Carr to make life a bit more difficult Oakland isn’t going to put up a ton of points in this game after only putting up 17 on a putrid Titans defense. Jimmy Smith seems to be the perfect fit to give Amari Cooper trouble being regarded as one of the best press corners in the league. I like the Ravens in this one.
Ravens defeat Raiders 30-24
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Seahawks At Jets (NYJ +2.5)
Normally I would have taken the Jets in this match-up but not after last week. In a battle of superior defenses its clear Ryan Fitzpatrick cannot be trusted. I do worry about the health of Russell Wilson but I expect a huge emphasis on the rushing attack. Christine Michael looks very capable to get the job done. The one thing the Jets have going for them is the abundance of wide receivers that makes them difficult to cover. However we saw what the Chiefs secondary was able to do last week, expect the Seahawks to have a similar field day.
Seahawks defeat Jets 21-10
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Browns At Redskins (CLE +7.5)
Washington looks like they are rounding back into form after a nice win over the Giants last week. Kirk Cousins had a nice game for Washington and should repeat the performance against the Browns. It’s another start for Cody Kessler in Cleveland and it speaks volumes to Hue Jackson’s ability to even have him ready to start. Kessler to me was an undraftable quarterback and pretty much played like one last week. I like the Redskins here in a blowout.
Redskins defeat Browns 35-9
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Lions At Bears (CHI +3)
Both teams are a mess and will battle for the cellar dweller position in the NFC North. The question still remains on whether Chicago will have Jay Cutler back for the game. Back up Brian Hoyer proved that the team may somehow be worse without Cutler. Chicago has no offensive identity making it almost impossible to pick. I expect Matthew Stafford to throw for a bunch on a bad defense to get the win.
Lions defeat Bears 34-14
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Titans At Texans (TEN +4.5)
The Brock Osweiler signing looks like a huge bust so far for Houston. Thus far he hasn’t proven to be much of an upgrade from Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallet, T.J. Yates, and Brandon Weeden. Houston also has to overcome the loss of J.J. Watt for the entire season. After losing 27-0 last week and losing J.J. Watt in one week could prove to be too much for the Texans to overcome. Now they may have the roster to beat the Titans but 4.5 points will prove to be to much. I like the Titans regardless, the points are just gravy.
Titans defeat Texans 24-18
Sunday 1:00 P.M. ET: Bills At Patriots (BUF +6)
It appears that the Pats will have both Jimmy Garaoppolo and Jacoby Brissett active for this game. The Bills also played out of their minds last week against the Cardinals and are due for a let down performance. After playing on Thursday Night the Patriots had a few extra days to prepare for this game. I like New England’s odds who seem destined to be 4-0 in Tom Brady’s absence.
Patriots defeat Bills 38-6
Sunday 4:05 P.M. ET: Broncos At Buccaneers (TB +3)
Doesn’t this line seem odd? Tampa is only getting 3 points. It reminds me a lot of what happened a couple weeks ago when the Rams were only getting 3 points against the Seahawks. Then again it does sort of make sense. Too much has been going right for Trevor Siemian and the Denver Broncos. Could we be in for a Broncos let down against famous Jameis? Vegas seems to be hinting towards it. I’ll take the Bucs in an upset.
Bucs defeat Broncos 24-23
Sunday 4:25 P.M. ET: Cowboys At 49ers (SF +2)
This one seems like another sucker bet doesn’t it? The 49ers were just smoked by the Seahawks in a blowout while Dallas could not have looked better in the win over Chicago. Could this by Vegas’ way of saying they don’t believe in the Dak Prescott hype? I just can’t see any way that Dallas loses this game. The line is just too low to not take the Cowboys even if Dez Bryant misses the game.
Cowboys defeat 49ers 38-21
Sunday 4:25 P.M. ET: Rams At Cardinals (LA +7.5)
I’m not sure what Cardinals team is going to show up this Sunday. Will we see the one that beat Tampa 40-7 or the one that lost to Buffalo 33-18. I think this is still a very good football team that isn’t going to lose to another mediocre team in back to back weeks. I can’t see Case Keenum putting up another productive game against a strong Cards defense. There is one catch however. LA’s defense will keep it close. I think the Rams cover but barely.
Cardinals defeat Rams 30-23
Sunday 4:25 P.M. ET: Saints At Chargers (NO +4)
Both teams are very similar in this game. Aging star quarterbacks surrounded by lackluster talent. Travis Benjamin and Brandin Cooks are comparable for both teams. So are tight ends Hunter Henry and Coby Fleener. The same can even be said for tail backs Mark Ingram and Melvin Gordon. In a game of similar teams I like the points. Give me Drew Brees plus points as they get their first win on the road.
Saints defeat Chargers 38-35
Sunday Night: Chiefs At Steelers (KC +6)
Le’Veon Bell is back and you can expect a high offensive output after laying an egg against the Eagles last week. Bell will bring a needed jolt to the Steelers offense where he will lineup at running back and receiver. It also looks like the Chiefs will be missing Jamaal Charles for another week. In a game where offense will be needed, I expect they won’t put up enough points with game manager Alex Smith.
Steelers defeat Chiefs 31-20
