2023 Season – Week 4 – Previews & Predictions
Detroit Lions (2-1) at Green Bay Packers (2-1) (Thu) 8:15p (ET)
The Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers open Week 4 with an NFC North rivalry
showdown at Lambeau Field.
The Lions’ pass rush was all over Atlanta’s QB Desmond Ridder, and if Aidan
Hutchinson and the Lions have a repeat performance it will surely be a long night for
Green Bay. New Packers QB Jordan Love helped his team to a surprising 18-17
comeback over the Saints in Week 2. Green Bay has one of the best defensive fronts
in the league and Rashan Gary, the star of that unit, had a great game against New
Orleans.
This has all the ingredients to be one of the best games of Week 4. It feels like a true
toss-up, but I’ll take the home team by a field goal.
Final Score: Lions – 21, Packers – 24
Atlanta Falcons (2-1) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) (Wembley) 9:30a (ET)
Falcons and Jaguars are both coming off terrible performances. And they’ll want to
quickly erase Week 3 from their memories before flying overseas for a game in
London.
The Falcons are fresh off of a loss on the road against an excellent Detroit Lions team.
Atlanta’s one-dimensional offense could not develop any rhythm, as Desmond Ridder
struggles to get the offense moving forward when the team can’t run the ball efficiently.
The Jaguars are probably the biggest disappointment in the NFL so far this season.
You just don’t know what to expect from this team and, given all the weapons that they
have, why they are struggling so badly.
This could be the game where the Jaguars get back to winning ways. But it might take
Jacksonville every second of this game to come out with a close win.
Final Score: Falcons – 23, Jaguars – 26
Miami Dolphins (3-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-1) 1:00p (ET)
The game of the week is the Miami Dolphins against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park.
The Dolphins are coming off an incredible 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, the Bills obliterated the Commanders on the road, 37-3. It’s too bad the
league doesn’t flex this game and move it into prime time because both teams certainly
deserve it!
After scoring 10 TDs against the terrible Broncos defense, Miami will have to come
down to earth and make sure they reset for a massive divisional matchup on the road.
The Bills seem to have overcome their Week 1 loss and now look like the contender
everyone expected them to be in the AFC.
No disrespect to the Dolphins after what we’ve witnessed so far this season, but I’m
taking the Bills at home, by the narrowest of margins.
Final Score: Dolphins – 33, Bills – 34
Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Carolina Panthers (0-3) 1:00p (ET)
The Vikings were undefeated in one-score games in 2022 during the regular season.
This season, including their playoff matchup against the New York Giants, they have
now lost four consecutive one-score games.
Carolina’s rookie QB Bryce Young was hurt in Week 3 and Andy Dalton was forced to
play. We’ll have to wait and see what their status is for Week 4, but the Panthers don’t
look like a team that’s going to match up well against the Vikings offense.
In order for the Panthers to win this game they’re going to need a big-time performance
from either Young or Dalton and hope they can force mistakes from the Vikings’
offense.
The battle of these 0-3 teams will come down to which team can make fewer mistakes,
and I’m taking Minnesota to get their first win of the season.
Final Score: Vikings – 29, Panthers – 23
Denver Broncos (0-3) at Chicago Bears (0-3) 1:00p (ET)
In the ugliest game of Week 4, the winless Broncos travel to Chicago to face the
winless Bears.
Denver’s defense gave up 70 points and got beat by 50 in Miami. Chicago got
absolutely crushed by Kansas City, but the Chiefs’ margin of victory was only (!) 31
points. Looking at the Broncos‘ 0-3 record, a lot of people would like to put the blame
on Russell Wilson, but he’s not to blame this season. Denver’s defense deserves all
the blame, and it’s not even close. For Chicago, QB Justin Fields is receiving a lot of
criticism but the receivers that aren’t getting open and the Bears defense deserve
equal blame as well.
There’s not a lot to like about this matchup, but the good news is that someone will get
a victory. The Broncos will look better here (it’s hard to look worse) and beat the Bears.
Final Score: Broncos – 23, Bears – 20
Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-1) 1:00p (ET)
Two AFC North teams battling for the division lead should make for an exciting and
entertaining game on Sunday.
The Ravens are looking to recover after blowing a late lead against the Colts. Baltimore
lost the turnover battle (0-2), and lost that game by three points. The Browns
dominated the Titans in a 27-3 victory, in their second home game of the season.
Cleveland may have lost Nick Chubb due to a knee injury, but this team’s chances of
contending are still intact, thanks in part to their dominant pass rush. Expect the
Browns maintain their undefeated streak at home.
Final Score: Ravens – 20, Browns – 24
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (1-2) 1:00p (ET)
The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Houston for a Week 4 matchup with the Texans.
Rookie QB C.J. Stroud is coming off an excellent performance against the Jaguars in
Jacksonville. Stroud and the Texans are playing with confidence going into this game.
The key to this one will be stopping T.J. Watt coming off the edge.
After beating the Raiders in Week 3, the Steelers look for a third straight win to improve
to 3-1 on the season. This is one of those teams that are very hard to figure out
offensively. Kenny Pickett can through the ball effectively, but he’s also prone to some
bad decisions. Can the Texans force Pickett into some mistakes? Probably yes, but not enough to win
this game.
Final Score: Steelers – 26, Texans – 20
Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Indianapolis Colts (2-1) 1:00p (ET)
With rookie QB Anthony Richardson ruled out with a concussion, Gardner Minshew led
the Colts to an improbable win at Baltimore, one of the best teams in the last 2
decades playing at home. Indianapolis’ defense deserves huge praise for holding
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to just 19 points at home.
The Colts take on a Rams team that has also looked much better than many
anticipated early on this season. But with one of the youngest rosters in the league, the
Rams are still experiencing the effects of not having a playmaker like WR Cooper Kupp
out there in crucial moments of the game.
This Colts team looks great right now, and regardless of who plays at QB, I expect
them to improve to 3-1 against the Rams.
Final Score: Rams – 24, Colts – 27
Kansas City Chiefs (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2) 8:20p (ET)
It seems that the Kansas City Chiefs are back in business. Patrick Mahomes and the
offense finally played like themselves in a 41-10 win over the Bears. And it could have
been much worse for Chicago if not for Mahomes and the starters getting pulled.
The NY Jets have been struggling badly these last couple of weeks. Zach Wilson
doesn’t look an NFL-caliber QB at this point, and the running game hasn’t been doing
this team any favors either. Rodgers held the key to the Jets’ hopes and dreams this
season, and barring any surprises, all signs point to this being their third loss of the
season and third loss in a row.
The Chiefs’ offensive playmakers are awake now, and their defense has been playing
some great football. Chiefs should get a double-digit win on the road.
Final Score: Chiefs – 30, Jets – 13
Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at New York Giants (1-2) (Mon) 8:15p (ET)
MetLife Stadium gets another primetime matchup in Week 4 with the New York Giants
hosting the Seattle Seahawks to close out Week 4’s action.
Following a 30-12 loss to the 49ers on the road, the Giants certainly appreciate the
extra time to prepare for the Seahawks, another playoff team from last season.
The Seahawks have won 4 of their last 5 road games, and look for a third straight win
to improve to 3-1 on the season. Surprisingly, oddsmakers like the NY Giants in this one despite the sloppy play we’ve
seen from them at times this season. Expect Seattle to be the far more disciplined
team in this matchup, building on the second half they put together against the
Panthers and riding Kenneth Walker to a win on the road.
Final Score: Seahawks – 24, Giants – 20
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