NFL Week 4 Picks

We're just about at the quartermark of the NFL season, with Week 4 already upon us. As always, I'm here to make each and every pick, both straight up, and against the spread.

Last week was a bit ugly, so here's hoping that the real refs help bring my record back up.

Carolina Panthers (+7.5) at Atlanta Falcons -- Boy, how the mighty-ish have fallen. Cam Newton went from being savior in Carolina to being a Hello Kitty fan.

Carolina's defense has looked awful, and there's certainly no reason to believe it'll improve in Atlanta on Sunday. I'll take the Falcons to win, and to cover the spread.

New England Patriots (-3.5) at Buffalo Bills -- If the refs get the call right on Sunday in Baltimore, are the Patriots favored by more than three and a half? Probably. But here they are, in Buffalo, and almost needing a win.

I'll take the Patriots to win, and to cover.

Minnesota Vikings (+4) at Detroit Lions -- Christian Ponder has looked really, really good so far, and the Detroit Lions, well, they haven't.

Still, the Vikings are on the road, and I'm still not quite ready to buy them, yet. I'll take the Lions to win, but the Vikings to keep it close, and cover.

Tennessee Titans (+12) at Houston Texans -- I get it. The Texans are the new best team in football, after the Vikings knocked off the 49ers last weekend.

I think the Texans will win this game, but will they win by more than 12 points? No, I don't think so. Texans win, but Titans cover.

San Diego Chargers (-1.5) at Kansas City Chiefs -- Yeesh. I understand the Chargers are coming off of an embarrassing loss, and the Chiefs are coming off a huge win against a winless Saints team, but really?

Jamaal Charles is a bad ass, though, and he'll likely be enough to keep this game pretty close. I think the Chargers will win, and Philip Rivers probably taunts a toddler wearing a Matt Cassel jersey in the process. San Diego covers, too.

San Francisco 49ers (-4.5) at New York Jets -- Here we go. On paper, yeah, the 49ers are the better team, but Alex Smith is still Alex Smith, and that's simply not changing.

We have a west coast road team playing an early game here. I'll take the 49ers to win, but the Jets cover -- even without Darrelle Revis.

Seattle Seahawks (-3) at St. Louis Rams -- I sort of feel bad for Sam Bradford here. I don't think St. Louis' skill players are good enough to make plays to help Bradford escape Seattle's pass rush, and the Seahawks win this one, pretty easily.

Seahawks to win, and cover.

Miami Dolphins (+5.5) at Arizona Cardinals -- Fine, I'll drink the Cardinals Kool AId. I wasn't even after they beat New England, but after dominating the Eagles, I think I'm forced to, until they prove me otherwise.

Arizona wins, but Miami covers.

Oakland Raiders (+7) at Denver Broncos -- I'm not really sure why we're still making the Broncos touchdown favorites, but here we are. Peyton Manning has simply not looked like Peyton Manning in 2012, and I'm not sure we're ever going to see the Manning of old again... which is fine by me.

I'll take the Raiders in the upset special. Oakland is coming off of a pretty big win against the Steelers, and they'll ride that momentum into another upset win, causing a bit of AFC West chaos.

Cincinnati Bengals (-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars -- A game that I have absolutely no interest in watching, I'll take the Bengals to win, and cover. I know the Bengals are actually capable of scoring, ginger quarterback and all. I'm not quite convinced the Jaguars can score.

New Orleans Saints (+8) at Green Bay Packers -- Who had these teams at 0-3 and 1-2 headed into this matchup? Nobody? That's what I thought.

If there's one thing we've learned so far, it's that the Saints absolutely cannot play defense whatsoever. I think Drew Brees and New Orleans can score enough to cover, but the Packers ultimately win in a shootout.

Washington Redskins (+2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- I'm less and less impressed with the Buccaneers. They looked awful in the second half against the New York Giants, and I feel like a halfway decent team would have beaten the Cowboys last week.

I'll take Robert Griffin III and the Redskins to win, on the road and all.

New York Giants (+2) at Philadelphia Eagles -- Michael Vick has looked absolutely awful this year, and I'm sure there's a dog crap joke in there somewhere.

The Giants have looked better, and are the better team. Hakeem Nicks, however, is out, and I don't see Ramses Barden having another huge game. I'll take the Eagles at home, to cover and win.

Chicago Bears (+3.5) at Dallas Cowboys -- Sorry, Cowboys fans, I don't really see the Cowboys winning this one. Matt Forte is going to be back, and that'll help Jay Cutler and the Bears score just enough to beat the Cowboys.