Mattie T’s Week 4 NFL Predictions

Couple of HUGE AFC matchups on tap for Sunday, plus a Monday nighter that will feature some guy named Brett Favre against his old team, formerly known as the Green Bay Packers. 🙂

Week 3: 12-4

Overall: 34-14 (.708)

Detroit at Chicago.

Congrats to the Lions, as they FINALLY ended their 19 game losing streak last Sunday! But can you guess when’s the last time they won an actual road game?

It was on October 28th, 2007 against the Bears at Soldier Field.

Times have changed though for Detroit, as they no longer have Jon Kitna, Roy Williams or Kevin Jones to rely upon.

The Lions’ pass defense is horrendous (ranked 30th in NFL), so look for Jay Cutler to have a huge day as he has rebounded sharply since his 4-interception game vs. Green Bay in Week 1.

Detroit should make this game semi-competitive, but look for Chicago to notch a win & improve to 3-1 heading into their Week 5 bye.

Cincinnati at Cleveland.

Guess how many offensive touchdowns Cleveland has so far this season? If you guessed one, then you are correct!

It’s already been a disasterous 3 games for the Browns, as they will go with Derek Anderson at quarterback on Sunday over Brady Quinn.

I’m not sure how much of a chance Cleveland has with the switch, as they will face an improved Cincinnati defense that is tied for the AFC lead with 10 sacks.

Since the Browns have nothing close to a decent run defense, look for Cedric Benson to explode on Sunday & lead the Bengals to a convincing win over their Ohio rivals.

Oakland at Houston.

If the Houston Texans ever want to become a serious contender in the AFC, they must quickly find a way to fix their sagging run defense.

In back-to-back weeks, it has been burned by Chris Johnson (197 rushing yards & 2 TD’s with 87 receiving yards & 1 TD) & Maurice Jones-Drew (119 yards & 3 TD’s) & now has to face a young & promising duo of Darren McFadden & Michael Bush.

I could see the twosome having some success on Sunday, but the Raiders won’t present a challenge unless JaMarcus Russell quickly improves at quarterback.

Among starters who have appeared in all 3 games this season, Russell’s 126 yards per game, 41.3% completion percentage & 39.8 quarterback rating are all NFL-lows.

Oakland is equally as bad against the run, so look for Steve Slaton to finally bust out this week as Houston should get an easy win at home.

Seattle at Indianapolis.

If the Seahawks weren’t so banged up, Edgerrin James’ return to Indy might receive more headlines heading up to Sunday’s game.

James remains the backup to Julius Jones, as Seattle will need plenty of him on Sunday to try & provide a big upset.

Peyton Manning is off to a fantastic start & is only 2nd to Drew Brees with his 117.7 quarterback rating, while he’s just 9 passing yards behind Philip Rivers for the league lead.

Look for Indianapolis to keep it rolling & improve to 4-0 under rookie head coach Jim Caldwell.

Tennessee at Jacksonville.

Jeff Fisher’s Titans are in desperation mode after losing a tough game to the Jets to fall to a surprising 0-3 record.

Luckily for them, they get to play in front of a small Jacksonville crowd & a terrible secondary that’s ranked dead last in the NFL.

Sit back & enjoy the show that should be put on between Chris Johnson & Maurice Jones-Drew, but Tennessee will have more firepower at the end of the day to put together a much-needed win.

N.Y. Giants at Kansas City.

This one could get ugly quick, as Matt Cassel will try & get the Chiefs’ offense (24 points in the last 2 games, both losses) going against the Giants’ top-ranked pass defense.

New York also leads the NFL with a 38:11 time of possession, so look for this game to be controlled by the legs of Brandon Jacobs & Ahmad Bradshaw.

I think the Giants should win in blowout fashion on Sunday.

Baltimore at New England.

Should be a classic matchup, as Baltimore is looking to prove they are the real deal with a win on Sunday against New England at Foxboro.

These two teams are very similiar, but the Ravens are the only NFL club that ranks in the top 5 in both passing & rushing yardage.

While the defense has given up big pass plays at times, they do lead the AFC with 6 interceptions & still cannot be run on (good luck to Fred Taylor!)

This will be a very close & exciting game, but i think the Ravens are the most complete team in football which will be proven as they squeak out a close win over the Patriots.

Tampa Bay at Washington.

The struggling Buccaneers are hoping their quarterback switch will give them a fighting chance on Sunday, as Josh Johnson is set to make his 1st career NFL start.

Johnson has only thrown 10 passes in his career & will go up against a solid Washington pass defense that ranks 11th in the NFL.

Clinton Portis can make sure Johnson’s playing time is limited, as he could feast on Tampa Bay’s 31st ranked run defense provided that he’s healthy enough to play after suffering a calf injury last week against Detroit.

If Portis doesn’t play, i see this being an ugly & low-scoring game with Washington just having enough offensively to pull out a win & get back to the .500 mark.

Buffalo at Miami.

Chad Henne is set to make his 1st start for the Dolphins on Sunday & will face a Bills defense that will play without four starters.

Both teams could give up a fair share of big pass plays, but Miami’s stout run defense (ranked 3rd in NFL) will lead them to a much-needed win over Buffalo.

N.Y. Jets at New Orleans.

Now this seriously could be the best game to watch on Sunday!

It will feature the Jets’ 3rd ranked defense (256 yards allowed per game) against the Saints’ top ranked offense (leads NFL with 40 points per game & 438 yards per game).

Rex Ryan will try & make sure Drew Brees gets rattled as much as possible, as the Saints’ signal-caller leads the NFL with a 118.1 quarterback rating & 9 passing touchdowns.

This should be a real good game, but look for the Saints’ underrated defense to force Mark Sanchez into a big mistake, which should be enough to keep New Orleans unbeaten.

Dallas at Denver.

The Broncos will get their 1st big test on Sunday, as they will face a Cowboy team that leads the NFL with 193.7 rushing yards & will welcome the return of Marion Barber.

Denver will be ready for the challenge, as they sport the NFL’s 7th best run defense & 2nd best pass defense, while their 10 sacks are tied for the AFC lead.

Interestingly enough, Tony Romo is coming off a game against Carolina where he failed to throw either a touchdown pass or an interception for the first time in his career. The Broncos’ defense will certainly be after Romo on Sunday, who is known to make costly mistakes under pressure.

Dallas’ secondary still doesn’t have it together & their pass rush must improve soon if they are going to be a contender this season in the NFC East.

If Kyle Orton continues to play mistake-free football (only starting AFC quarterback without an interception this season), i think Denver will have enough to pull off a big upset at home.

St. Louis at San Francisco.

Both teams are hurting a bit on offense, as the Rams will go with California native Kyle Boller on Sunday for an injured Marc Bulger (shoulder).

For the 49ers, they will be without Frank Gore, who hurt his ankle last week against Minnesota & is expected to miss the team’s next 2 games.

Mike Singletary says that he won’t change his offense with Glen Coffee, who is set to make his 1st NFL start & will have big success against the Rams’ 27th ranked run defense.

Look for San Francisco to win this one & stay atop 1st place in the NFC West.

San Diego at Pittsburgh.

I wouldn’t want to be Philip Rivers right now.

Rivers does lead the NFL with 991 passing yards, but will face what figures to be a ticked off Steeler team that has blown back-to-back 4th quarter leads over the past 2 weeks & desperately needs a win on Sunday.

They might have to rely upon 2nd year man (and Skokie native) Rashard Mendenhall, who is set to make his 1st NFL start in prime-time in place of Willie Parker (turf toe) & should split carries with Mewelde Moore.

This will be close, but unless LaDainian Tomlinson can show springs of life against the Steelers’ 6th ranked run defense, i think that Pittsburgh will pull off a close win.

Green Bay at Minnesota.

Could anyone have ever imagined a matchup composing of Brett Favre against the Packers?

It will be real on Monday night, as Minnesota looks to trump their NFC North rivals to remain unbeaten.

The Vikings might not need for Favre to provide too many heroics against his former team, as the Packers have been burned in back-to-back weeks by Cedric Benson (141 yards) & Steven Jackson (117 yards) and will now get to face the NFL’s leading rusher in Adrian Peterson.

Peterson has done well against Green Bay in the past, as he is averaging 113 rushing yards in 4 games with 6.3 yards per carry.

That Minnesota defense will also look to wreak havoc upon Aaron Rodgers, who has been sacked a league-high 12 times this season.

Should be a Monday Night thriller, but i think Favre & his new team will have the upper hand against Favre’s old team especially with the emergence of rookie Percy Harvin, who’s scored in each of his last 3 games.

Round 1 goes to the Vikings.