Week 4 brings a lot of intriguing matchups that will make for yet another exciting Sunday. As I wrote about for Blitz Sports Media, several matchups feature teams we could see facing one another again come playoff time.
Game Previews
New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Atlanta Falcons (1-2): The Sunday slate kicks off with a rare early must-win for these NFC South opponents. The Saints look to get right after a loss last week against the Eagles. Atlanta needs a win to avoid falling to 1-3 and creating an uphill battle to compete for the division they were favored to win.
Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2): Sean McVay’s Rams got their first victory in a shocking upset of the ailing 49ers last week. Chicago lost their 2nd straight, but Caleb Williams finally resembled the number 1 overall pick the Bears were hoping for. Both teams will look to create some momentum as both were heavily picked to be in the playoffs this season.
Minnesota Vikings (3-0) at Green Bay Packers (2-1): Jordan Love appears to be playing in a huge early-season divisional game. Newly acquired backup QB Malik Willis unexpectedly went 2-0 in Love’s absence, though many wrote the Packers season off upon his injury.
Vikings journeyman QB Sam Darnold is on fire and playing as well as any other QB in the league. Backed up by Brian Flores’ 2nd ranked scoring defense, the Vikings have proven to be a tough out so far this season.
Each Head Coach is near the top of the list as play callers and QB whisperers, which just adds another wrinkle to an already exciting game.
Denver Broncos (1-2) at New York Jets (2-1): The Broncos got their first win last week in an upset against the Buccaneers. They look to keep it going against the New York Jets who have a bit of momentum themselves.
The Jets are finally clicking after an impressive 24-3 win over the division-rival Patriots. Aaron Rodgers has his squad playing the way we all expected to see last year before he tore his Achilles in week 1. I expect the Jets to continue to roll, but we’ll see if the Broncos can come up with another upset to get their season on track.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1): In a rematch of the 2023 wild card round, the Eagles will look to avenge their embarrassing 32-9 loss. They will have to do so without the help of Swole Batman and Skinny Batman (AJ Brown & DeVonta Smith), as they will both be out for this one. Thankfully, they still have the league leading rusher Saquon Barkley to lean on.
It’s an inopportune matchup for the Buccaneers who rank 25th in rushing yards allowed, 28th in YPC allowed, and 31st in rushing TDs. They’re hopeful that Baker Mayfield and his talented pass catchers can take advantage of the 23rd-ranked pass defense of the Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-2): Justin Fields appears to have supplanted himself as QB1, even if Head Coach Mike Tomlin won’t come out and say it. The Steelers are playing their best ball in years and head to Indianapolis to face a Colts team with tempered expectations after the inconsistent play of QB Anthony Richardson. Steelers’ top-ranked defense could make a long day for Richardson and the Colts.
Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-2): Panthers finally showed life thanks to the QB change and insertion of Andy Dalton into the lineup. The Bengals are showing no life, and their season appears to be slipping away already. This game feels like it could have draft order implications.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) at Houston Texans (2-1): The pressure is on in Duval and the talk all week has been about the underserving contract of Trevor Lawrence and the red-hot seat of Head Coach Doug Pederson. The chatter should only get louder as they draw a tough matchup against a Texans team that’s looking to get back on track after a 34-7 loss last week to the Vikings.
Washington Commanders (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2): Heisman winner and #2 overall pick of the Commanders put his ability on display in a big way in Week 3 on Monday Night Football. Jayden Daniels finished 23/25 for 254 yards and 2 TDs, he added rushes for 39 yards and a TD.
Tied for first place in the NFC East, Washington is off to a hot start and will look to keep it going against the Arizona Cardinals.
New England Patriots (1-2) at San Francisco 49ers (1-2): The Patriots are major underdogs (+10.5 via FanDuel) in this one, but if this season is any indication, that doesn’t bode well for the 49ers. The heaviest favorited team each week is 3-0, winning outright so far in 2024. Would anyone be that surprised if the 49ers lost this one after the way they have been looking?
Cleveland Browns (1-2) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-2): If nobody scores a touchdown in this game, would we even know it happened?
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-1): The Chiefs continue to roll along, although in unconvincing fashion. They have squeaked by each opponent thus far by less than a score and welcome a Chargers team that has been scrappy this season.
Justin Herbert will play through the pain of a high ankle sprain to give his team a chance. He’ll be without both starting tackles and impact defensive players Derwin James and Nick Bosa. It will be a tough one for Los Angeles, but I would never count a Jim Harbaugh-led team out.
Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1): The Bills head to Baltimore to face a Ravens team that seems to have found its identity after an impressive win over the Cowboys last week. Buffalo has yet to face an opponent as tough as the Ravens and will do so in an extremely hostile primetime environment at M&T Bank Stadium. MVP frontrunner Josh Allen will need to play his best ball to keep his Bills rolling to 4-0.
Bets (Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook)
| Game Lines | Player Props | Anytime TD Scorers |
| NO +3 | Allen Lazard O/2.5 Receptions | Allen Lazard +250 |
| HOU -5.5 | Luke McCaffrey O/19.5 Receiving Yds | Mike Evans +145 |
| LAR +3 | Mike Williams 30+ Yd Reception | Roschon Johnson +210 |
| NE +10.5 | CJ Stroud O/1.5 Passing TDs | Cordarrelle Patterson +320 |
| Last week hits: GB +3, DET -3, PHI/NO U 49.5 | XXX | David Montgomery -110 |
Daily Fantasy Plays (FanDuel)
| QB: Justin Fields vs IND $6,800 |
| RB: Brian Robinson vs ARI $7,300 |
| RB: Cam Akers vs JAX $6,100 |
| WR: DJ Moore vs LAR $6,500 |
| WR: Jayden Reed vs MIN $6,300 |
| TE: Mark Andrews vs BUF $6,000 |
| DST: Las Vegas Raiders vs CLE $3,700 |
Big thanks today to YouTube TV for Multiview and all its glory. We’ll certainly need it today as I see three 1:00 games that could end up being playoff games come January.
More content coming this week on JLSports and Blitz Sports Media. If you haven’t already, subscribe to JLSports to have articles emailed directly to you. Also, give Blitz Media Sports a follow on all socials. Please, share share share our content to get the word out to likeminded sports fans. Thank you for reading and as always, let’s enjoy another week of NFL football.
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