NFL Picks, Week 4

Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 32-16

It’s time for another round of picks in the National Football League.

Week 4 begins the series of byes. Each team will take a week off during one of the next several weeks of the regular season. Jacksonville, New Orleans, Tennessee, and Washington are all off this week.

Without further adieu, here are this week’s picks:

St. Louis at Dallas: The Rams have been most unimpressive in an 0-3 start. Now, star RB Steven Jackson is out for this week. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have moved to the front of the NFC pack. This pick is not hard, whether I’m a Cowboy homer or not. Pick: Dallas

Houston at Atlanta: Matt Schaub returns to Atlanta, where he would have become the quarterback by default after the Michael Vick legal trouble. The Texans are better than the Falcons. It’s still hard for me to believe the Texans are better than anybody, but it’s true. Pick: Houston

New York Jets at Buffalo: Yuck. Buffalo is terrible. The Jets are mediocre. I’m glad I don’t have to watch this stinker. A stopped clock is right twice a day, and every dog has its day, so I’m going with the Bills. Pick: Buffalo

Chicago at Detroit: The Rex Grossman era in Chicago is over, at least for now. Brian Griese is now the starter in Chicago. It’s strength vs. strength, as the Detroit offense faces the Chicago defense. DET gave up 56 last week to Philadelphia. It would take the Bears three games to score 56 points, even against a sorry defense such as the Lions. Pick: DET

Oakland at Miami: Another stinker. The Raiders broke into the win column last week, blocking a Cleveland field goal at the end of the game to preserve the win. Now, they travel to sunny south Florida to take on the ‘Fins. Miami has had a couple of close losses to Washington and the Jets. Everyone loves the king of the sea… Pick: Miami

Green Bay at Minnesota: Don’t look now, but the Packers are 3-0. Brett Favre needs one touchdown pass to break the all-time record for career touchdown passes. He gets it. However, the Vikes find a way to steal this one at home. Paul the Damn Viking is happy. Pick: Minnesota

Baltimore at Cleveland: The old Browns vs. the new Browns. The Ravens are a mysterious team, as their vaunted defense has been giving up a lot of points. However, the Cleveland defense has been giving up a lot of points, as well. Ya gotta look out for CLE. Oops, wrong sport. Ya gotta look out for CLE in baseball. In football, Cleveland still stinks. The Ravens are better, even on the road. Pick: Balmer

Seattle at San Francisco: Important NFC West showdown. The 49ers went home with their heads down last week after a 37-16 thumping by Pittsburgh. Seattle got a big win over Cincinnati. These teams are really pretty even. When in doubt, pick the home team. Pick: Frisco

Tampa Bay at Carolina: This one is for first place in the NFC South. The Bucs have gotten two big wins at home, but now travel to Charlotte to face the Panthers. The Panthers may be without QB Jake Delhomme. The QB reins would then fall to David Carr, who was run out of Houston on a rail. Pick: Bucs

Denver at Indianapolis: The Broncos have stunk the last two weeks. They escaped in overtime against the sorry Raiders, then were kicked all over their home field by the Jaguars. Now, they go to the RCA Dome to face the mighty Colts. This one looks ugly. Pick: Colts

Kansas City at San Diego: The Chargers are off to a slow start, and are doubting themselves in a huge way. Think the front office knee-jerked a little too much by letting Marty Schottenheimer go after last year’s playoff debacle? I think so. By the way, Marty once coached the Chiefs as well. The Chargers get well this week. Pick: San Diego

Pittsburgh at Arizona: Steelers have rolled through three games this season, and travel to the desert to take on the enigmatic Cardinals. This could be more entertaining than it looks on the surface. Still, Pittsburgh is a better team. Pick: Steelers

Philadelphia at New York Giants: The Sunday Night extravaganza gives us a classic NFC East battle. Both teams saved their seasons last week, as Philly blasted Detroit and the Giants got a big win in Washington. Eagles should be back in their normal uniforms after last week’s fashion atrocity. This is so unpredictable. When in doubt, pick the home team. Pick: New York Football Giants

New England at Cincinnati: The Monday night special gives us a matchup that should provide plenty of fireworks. The Patriots will score exactly 38 points. That is what they have scored in their first three games. Can the Bengals outscore them? No. Pick: New England