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Week 4 Picks:
TB @ WAS:
Winner:Redskins
I know, they lost to the Lions. However:
1.Keep in mind Leftwich was benched for John Johnson after being shut out by the giants this last week. First start of his career, first time he passed the ball in a regular season NFL game was against the Giants, going 4/10 for a measly 36 yards against a Redskin's pass defense that's 11th in the NFL in the run, not the best but definitely a force to be reckoned with.
2. I bet nothing fueled the Skins more for getting a W this week, than breaking the Lion's losing streak, and being 'that team' the Lions beat. Look for some improvements within the Redskins, especially with Jason Cambell. Not much makes you want to improve more than losing to a team that until then, hadn't won a game in almost 2 years.
BAL @ NE
Winner:Ravens
Yep, picking against the Pat's at home. I feel that all the Brady worshipers aside, the Raven's have a much more complete team than the Pat's, and that the Atlanta win can be misleading. If you think Fred Taylor, is going to net the same 100+ yards on this Baltimore defense, opposed to the crappy Falcon's D of last week, you're mistaken. Look for Brady to be forced to go through the air, and the Raven's to be ready for that. On the other side of the ball, this Raven's offense has been absolutely dominant, being 2nd for average points scored per game in the league. Between Ray Rice and Willis McGahee, they should be able to set up a formidable running game, allowing Flacco to air it out for big plays. It will be close but the Raven's should be able to outscore the Patriots here and fully establish themselves as the team to beat in the AFC. Brady will have a good game, but he won't be able to do it himself.
DET @ CHI
Winner:Bears
The Bears simply have a better team, plus the home field advantage doesn't help the Lions. This will be close as usual for a division rivalry game against the Lions, which the Lions seem to have a knack for, despite not being able to post a W against them for awhile. The Bears are performing fine without Urlacher so far, in fact looking at it now, I don't think Urlacher is as needed now as he was a few years back, when he was the dominant playmaker on defense.
However, if the Lion's manage to put up a 2 possession lead early, which they are honestly very good at, the Bears will be in deep trouble. The Lions have been getting better at not completely blowing games in the second half, which they have been infamous for during this losing streak. They managed to stick in there to the finish against the Redskins, these improvements, tailored with Cutler tendendcy to lose his composure when having to construct a drive to come back from behind, they will find it hard to come back if Detroit comes out on top early.
TEN @ JAC
Winner:Titans
The Jags aren't that hot of a team. They have multiple facets they need to work on. Despite being 0-3, the Titans are still a team with a lot of potential.
Unfortunately, they've not been able to come back and win the 3 games they lost, all within a touchdown to at least tie against a strong Jets team and budding rookie QB Sanchez. Look for Collins and the Titans to take out their win-less frustrations on the Jaguars. The fact this team is 0-3 is surprising enough, them going 0-4 against the Jags would be even more surprising.
OAK @ HOU
Winner:Texans
The Texans have been having a rough season so far. However, the Raiders are simply an absolutely terrible team. The occasional flashes of defense the Raiders show will not be nearly enough to keep them from getting dismantled.
JaMarcus Russell continues to get worse as the season continues, and the hapless Davis and Cable don't appear to even want to do a thing about it.
Easy win here for the Texans.
CIN @ CLE
Winner:Bengals
The Browns still can't figure out a lot of things with their team, highlighted by their complete lack of an offense and ability to put points on the board. While on the flipside, the Bengals begin to turn heads every week, recovering nicely from their week 1 unlucky loss to the Broncos and emerging as a strong and competitive team.
Bengals should have no problems here, and should put up some very good fantasy numbers this week for you Ochocinco owners.
SEA @ IND
Winner:Colts
Another easy call. Peyton Manning should be able to put plenty of points on the board while on the other side of the ball, Even if Seattle gets luck and they are miraculously able to start Hasselbeck, he won't be 100% and he'll start feeling that cracked rib in no time, affecting his game performance obviously. Seahawks are simply are outgunned in the offensive weapons department in this one. Also, the Colts defense with their amazing stamina will give the offensive weapons that they do have, a full 4 quarters of difficulty. |