NFL - Week Four picks

Another week brought another Redskins victory, but also left many big-name players out for a few games. Jeremy Shockey, Willie Parker, Dawan Landry and Jason Taylor will all miss this week and possibly more. Also in the NFC East, Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has been suspended for two weeks for violating team rules, though a bye week for the Giants means he will only miss one game during week five.

Baltimore, Tennessee, Denver and Buffalo are a few surprise undefeated teams, although Baltimore has only played two games. Meanwhile, last week, the Dolphins ended the Patriots' regular season winning streak at 22 games in dominant fashion, with Ronnie Brown wreaking havoc in fantasy leagues across the globe.

The status of our experts remains similar, with Kevin still in the lead. From there, the remaining three experts are only separated by one correct pick, meaning that it's still anybody's game right now. Bye weeks make this week's action shorter than usual, so let's dive right in.

Standings:

	Last week	Season total
Anshul	12-4	29-18
Jon	10-6	29-18
Kevin	11-5	33-14
Sean	10-6	28-19

Sunday September 28, 2008

Atlanta Falcons (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-1)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Carolina	Atlanta	Carolina	Atlanta

Anshul says:
This is a really tough call to make. If Michael Turner keeps putting up numbers like he has been, then Atlanta has this in the bag. But the Panthers have a strong front four and a great passing game that should be able to overpower the Falcons.

Jon says:
The Falcons have the best rushing game in the NFL, yet they were demolished by Tampa Bay last week. This is a tough call, but Carolina is not putting up the stats to be able to win this one, especially with a dying defense.

Kevin says:
The Panthers have this one, no doubt. The Falcons, who have beaten two of the worst teams (Chiefs and Lions), were blown away completely by the Bucs in week two. The Panthers' high-powered offense will take care of the Falcons' sloppy defense.

Sean says:
The Falcons got beat by Tampa Bay and beat two bad teams, whereas the Panthers lost to two relatively good teams. Hmm - the Panthers wouldn't let me down here.

Cleveland Browns (0-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-3)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Cleveland	Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Cincinnati

Anshul says:
Ohio must be losing all its football fans with both their teams winless after both were expected to do well this season. Cincinnati is performing poorly in all aspects of the game, whereas the Browns have shown some signs of life this season.

Jon says:
This "Battle for Ohio" interests no one. This game is only close because they're both so bad. I will give this one to Cincinnati, who has been able to stay in the game against Baltimore and New York (so let's just ignore the 24-7 loss against the Titans). Cincinnati also lost one against the Giants in overtime. Heartbreak.

Kevin says:
If these teams were coached properly, they would not be winless. These two teams have so far been disappointments to their respective hometowns. I predict that the Bengals will beat the Browns, as quarterback Carson Palmer is finally getting warmed up to the power of his offense.

Sean says:
There can only be one highlander, or in this case lowlander, because both of these teams are uninteresting and have bad, identical records. But if I have to pick one in the buckeye/lost manufacturing jobs state, I'd pick Cincinnati because their quarterback is clearly getting better.

Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jacksonville

Anshul says:
Jacksonville's running game is getting back into shape and its defense is starting to strengthen as well. The Jags should start to get hot quickly if they can keep moving in the right direction.

Jon says:
Jacksonville has been incredibly unlucky this season. They've lost to the Titans and the Bills only, who are both 3-0. Beating the Colts last week will give them a big boost - and against the Texans, the success of the Jones-Drew/Taylor duo is a sure thing.

Kevin says:
The Jaguars, heavily underrated, take on the Texans, heavily terrible. I have no doubts about this one - worst comes to worst, kicker Josh Scobee will save the day.

Sean says:
Our brethren from Houston are still getting off to a rocky start, they can't be blamed for that. But of course, Jacksonville will take this one.

Denver Broncos (3-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Denver	Denver	Denver	Denver

Anshul says:
One of the worst offenses in the league faces the most potent. I see a blowout in the near future.

Jon says:
Denver has scored 114 points this season. Wow - not only is that the most, but it sure is a lot more than Kansas City.

Kevin says:
Quarterback Jay Cutler of the Broncos will tear the unorganized Chiefs apart. The best passing team in the nation (so far) won't stop to lick their lips in at least a 20-point margin of victory.

Sean says:
THE CHIEFS' ARROWS WILL BLOT OUT THE SUN! The Broncos will fight in the shade.

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at New Orleans Saints (1-2)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
New Orleans	New Orleans	New Orleans	New Orleans

Anshul says:
Even without Jeremy Shockey, the Saints have plenty of offensive weapons to utilize. The 49ers have the better record, but with Reggie Bush emerging as an all-around offensive threat, similar to Bryan Westbrook, the Saints should have no problem here.

Jon says:
What happened, New Orleans? With the best passing game in the NFL, why can't you win more games? Take this game - even if you're missing Shockey, there is always Bush to throw to.

Kevin says:
After the Saints were just narrowly edged out of wins for the past two games, they are sure to be hungry. The Niners can't take the Saints' offense when the players are annoyed, even if Shockey can only watch from the sideline.

Sean says:
The 49ers have been doing better, but the Saints got their victory stolen from them by the Broncos and Redskins. As sacrilegious as this seems, the Saints are out for blood and they'll get it.

Arizona Cardinals (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Arizona	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona

Anshul says:
The Cardinals are a huge passing threat with the best receiver duo in the league and a gunslinger in Kurt Warner to match Jet Brett Favre. Both these teams are capable of putting on an aerial show, but this game will show that Cardinals can indeed fly higher than Jets.

Jon says:
The Jets have had a tough schedule, but Arizona has shown up as a possible 9-7 team that will inevitably make no difference in the post-season, but have the "stuff" to make it. Sorry Brett, you're being shown up by another former-Super Bowl MVP with Warner (he's still playing football?).

Kevin says:
Favre had a poor showing last night against the Chargers. It is clear that the overpay of the Jets franchise won't help much when it comes to the end result. If the Cardinals can protect the quarterback, this next week will be a breeze.

Sean says:
Did you know that Favre is the only quarterback that has a chin-to-shoulder follow through? Did you also know that his team won't win this game? Now you know.

Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Green Bay	Green Bay	Tampa Bay	Green Bay

Anshul says:
The Packers seem to have had no trouble getting past the loss of Favre. Their passing game is looking as good as ever. A-Rodg may not be a gunslinger like Favre was, but he manages the game well, makes plays and doesn't turn the football over. That's a lot more than some quarterbacks in the league can do.

Jon says:
Green Bay lost to Dallas, but I would still keep the Pack in the top tier of the NFC. Their passing game (sans Favre) is stellar and their rushing game in Ryan Grant is coming along quite nicely. Bravo to Tampa Bay on beating Chicago - that makes this pick even harder. Because these teams are evenly matched, I will give the luck of the draw to Green Bay (maybe I'm just spiting Kevin).

Kevin says:
With the east coast winds on their side, the Buccaneers will take care of the Packers. By air or by sea, the Buccaneers have shown that they have what it takes. That's not to say that the Packers are very impressive too, but I just have a feeling they'll be upset.

Sean says:
Air or sea? The only thing that matters is land. And I'm pretty sure Green Bay would even beat the Bucs at skydiving.

Minnesota Vikings (1-2) at Tennessee Titans (3-0)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Tennessee	Tennessee	Minnesota	Tennessee

Anshul says:
The Titans' running defense is stronger than even Kanye West can imagine. The Vikings are a one-dimensional team on offense and the Titan defense will negate Adrian Peterson and force Tarvaris Jackson to make plays through the air, which I can't imagine happening.

Jon says:
The Tennessee Titans are the best football team in the NFL right now. Rushing game = solid as a rock. Defense = even better. The Titans have a knack for stopping teams with good rushing games. Just watch.

Kevin says:
Both of these teams are awesome. The Vikings are much better than their score suggests, whereas the Titans probably don't deserve the undefeated record. Seeing how the Vikings disposed of the Panthers last week, I have faith that this momentum will bring the Titans their first loss of the season.

Sean says:
I'm stronger than Kanye West can imagine, Anshul. But in all seriousness, the Titans are the second-best football team in the NFL behind a certain special team that plays in a certain town in Texas that begins with "D." Their defense is amazing, and both of their QBs are incredible. Sure, the Vikings are good too, but not quite Tennessee caliber.

San Diego Chargers (1-2) at Oakland Raiders (1-2)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
San Diego	San Diego	Oakland	San Diego

Anshul says:
Oakland still has no passing game and a one-dimensional team cannot win against talented defenses. It's that simple.

Jon says:
A few good runs may help out the Raiders, but San Diego is about to add two more wins to their belt from Oakland and Miami.

Kevin says:
This is the upset of the week. Against the Jets, the Chargers showed that they have an incredible passing and rushing potential. However, the Raiders have a developing team in running back Darren McFadden, who can bring the ground pressure that could free the passing game. If the Raiders strengthen their defense, the Chargers will have a difficult time defeating them.

Sean says:
I can tell Kevin is just getting arrogant. He thinks he can just pick the Raiders for fun just because he's ahead in the ratings but we all know that L.T. and the Chargers will steamroll the Raiders.

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at St. Louis Rams (0-3)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Buffalo	Buffalo	Buffalo	Buffalo

Anshul says:
Are the Rams this year's Miami? They were almost last year's twin of Miami, so it's possible.

Jon says:
Thank you, Rams, for making this hilarious. But just a quick note: Hey Bills! I'm so proud of you guys for proving me wrong and being undefeated. Keep it up!

Kevin says:
I'm picking against the Rams all year. They've been clearly blown out every single game of the season thus far and are most definitely the worst team in the league. The Bills, on the other hand, have been doing great.

Sean says:
The Rams are going all the way - in 2067!

Washington Redskins (2-1) at Dallas Cowboys (3-0)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Washington	Dallas	Washington	Dallas

Anshul says:
No force in the world could make me pick the Cowboys over the Redskins.

Jon says:
Redskins got lucky last week. Step aside, Washington.

Kevin says:
The NFC East will once again showcase its incredible strength. Through the greatest franchise rivalry of all time, the Redskins have the ability to take it from T.O. and his boys. Redskins, all day on Sunday.

Sean says:
"Redskins, all day on Sunday." Please. We all know the Redskins got lucky against the Cardinals and the Saints. They know it, Coach Zorn knows it and most importantly, Dallas knows it. The Redskins won't win on Texas soil for another 10 years. Keep dreaming Washington and - as always - DALLAS. ALL DAY, EVERYDAY.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) at Chicago Bears (1-2)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Philadelphia

Anshul says:
I'm adopting a new personal rule for the remainder of the season: only NFC East teams will beat NFC East teams.

Jon says:
Philadelphia's win against the Rams tells me nothing. Their resiliency on Monday night against Dallas and subsequent win against Pittsburgh keeps my faith in this strong team.

Kevin says:
This will be the blowout of the week. The Bears have once again proven that they cannot close out a game. The Bears may not even get a lead over the Eagles after the full redevelopment of Donovan McNabb.

Sean says:
The fact that the Eagles gave Dallas a flesh wound warrants my respect (but they didn't win, of course). The Bears however, do not have my respect. McNabb will nab(b) this victory.

Monday September 29, 2008

Baltimore Ravens (2-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)

Anshul	Jon	Kevin	Sean
Baltimore	Baltimore	Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh

Anshul says:
The loss of Willie Parker is going to force Rashard Mendenhall to step his game up. With a beast defense like that of the Ravens, it's going to be a long night for Pittsburgh.

Jon says:
Le'Ron McClain? Somehow the Ravens have the second best running game in the NFL and they've only played two games. Let's back up - they beat two of the worst teams in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh had high expectations, but the Steelers are not performing well even with two wins. Parker's injury for this week is tremendously huge. This eliminates Pittsburgh's game but also means I will have to hear "The Ravens are going to the Super Bowl" for another week until they are crushed by Tennessee.

Kevin says:
I have woefully underestimated the Ravens. It seems that they have grown as a team over the summer, even if they've beaten two disappointments so far. However, the Ravens stand no chance against the Steelers. The Ravens will be killed this week.

Sean says:
The Ravens haven't had a good QB since my voice first cracked. Yes, Parker is out, but Ben Roethlisberger is still in.