NFL Game Week 4 - Schedule, Picks, How to Watch, and more
The third week of the NFL season is in the books, and we now have five undefeated teams remaining. Three of those come from the AFC, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills getting off to a hot start, along with one surprise candidate. If you’d suggested just a couple of weeks ago that Justin Fields would not only be the starter, but that the Pittsburgh Steelers would be 3-0 with him, you might have gotten laughed out of the room, but here we are heading into Week 4, and the Steelers look like a playoff team.
In the NFC, rookie head coach Mike Macdonald has the Seattle Seahawks off to a hot 3-0 start, while the Minnesota Vikings join the Steelers as one of the league's most stunning franchises early in the year. Sam Darnold had a painful scare in the Week 3 win, but appears to have escaped with only minor injury, keeping Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings season on track with their new starting quarterback.
As we now approach NFL Game Week 4, these are the key games to keep an eye on, including a thriller on Sunday Night Football.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 29th, at 1:00pm EST
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
- Broadcast Details: FOX, NFL Sunday Ticket
Game Preview:
The Cincinnati Bengals slumped to 0-3 on Monday night, struggling desperately against a rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Joe Burrow was good against a weak secondary, putting up 324 yards and three touchdowns while going 28-39 passing, but that and the 33 points Cincinnati scored was not nearly enough to mask their defensive nightmares.
The Bengals cannot contain the run, and allowed Jayden Daniels to complete over 90% of his passes through the air too. Now 0-3, they’ll face a Carolina Panthers team that rebounded in a major way with the QB switch to Andy Dalton, signaling a potential trap game for the Bengals, and an opportunity for Carolina.
Dalton took over from the struggling Bryce Young early in the week, with Bryce being benched just two weeks into the season. The 14 year vet then dismantled the Raiders at the weekend, with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Chuba Hubbard ran for 114 yards on the ground. That’s not good for the Bengals, and there’s a very good chance they end up 0-4 to start the year, fighting uphill the rest of the way.
Prediction/Analysis:
The Bengals are now 0-3, and 1-2 against the spread, but they know they really need to stop the slide, and the offense was at least far better in Week 3. The return of Tee Higgins made a difference, and Ja’Marr Chase was back to his best with a primetime performance. Carolina appeared rejuvenated, but they’re going into this one 4.5 point underdogs at home.
I think Carolina covers that spread, but the Bengals steal the win by a field goal.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 29th, at 1:00pm EST
- Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
- Broadcast Details: CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket
Game Preview:
The Indianapolis Colts have looked shaky so far in 2024, and will now host a talented and aggressive defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Anthony Richardson and the offense currently rank #32 in pass completion percentage this season, with AR hitting a stunning pass on one play, but throwing a messy interception just a couple of attempts later.
They’re very hot and cold, and when you’re facing TJ Watt and the Steelers defensive unit, you have to be efficient and decisive. I don’t know that the Colts are ready for this matchup, and turnovers have been an issue for them too.
The Steelers defense will sense an opportunity to dominate here on the road, and the key will be shutting down the Colts ground game. Force the possession into Richardson’s hands, make him throw down the field on third down, and test his accuracy.
Pittsburgh are yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season, and rank second in rushing yards allowed (71.3 per game), and yards per rush (3.5). They are number #1 in third down conversions allowed (21%), and also #1 in redzone scoring allowed.
Prediction/Analysis:
Providing Justin Fields and the Steelers offense can continue to manage the game well, run the football, and put points on the board, I don’t see how they lose this game. Their defense is statistically the best in football right now in several major categories, and the Colts offensive struggles are far from nullified early on this year.
I’ve got the Steelers winning this one by at least 7, covering the 1.5 point spread on the road.
Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 29th, at 8:20pm EST
- Venue: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
- Broadcast Details: NBC
Game Preview:
The Buffalo Bills just crushed the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 on Monday Night football, putting on a clinic in front of their home crowd. Josh Allen was near perfect, going 23-30 for 263 yards and four touchdowns, surging to a monumental 34-3 lead by half time.
A lot of noise was made during the offseason with the Bills trading away Stefon Diggs, but so far this year, they haven’t missed him even slightly, and any concern over who was going to be WR1 in Buffalo has quickly faded.
Khalil Shakir has stepped up in a major way, leading the team on Monday Night with 72 yards and a touchdown on six catches. James Cook was key once again in both the ground game and through the air, and Allen’s touchdowns found four different targets in Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, Ty Johnson, and rookie Keon Coleman.
The Bills will now head to Baltimore for Sunday Night Football, 3-0 and looking to firmly establish themselves as one of the top teams in the AFC. If they win this one, the conversation around their hopes of making the Super Bowl will really start to catch fire.
As for the Ravens, a 1-2 start to the season feels a little disappointing, especially given the nature of the two losses. They could just as easily be 3-0, but needed to tidy some things up against the Chiefs and the Raiders early on. Still, they headed back in the right direction with the win over Dallas, running the football for four quarters without any answer from Dallas.
Derrick Henry had his breakout game in a Ravens uniform, rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while Lamar contributed 87 yards of his own. As a team, the Ravens posted 274 rushing yards, and controlled possession in doing so. The question now is how capable the Bills might be in slowing down the ground game on Sunday Night.
Prediction/Analysis:
This one goes to the road team in my eyes. Buffalo’s efficiency and unpredictability as an offense is making them incredibly difficult to stop, and Josh Allen looks as good as he ever has, even without what would be considered a superstar receiver.
Baltimore might have had a great day on the ground against Dallas, but the Bills defense is playing far better football than the Cowboys are this year, and just shut down Jacksonville for less than 100 total rushing yards in Week 3.
I’ll take the Bills moneyline on Sunday night.
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 29th, at 1:00pm EST
- Venue: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
- Broadcast Details: CBS, NFL Sunday Ticket
Game Preview:
This is a really good clash between two well coached football teams. The Green Bay Packers just went on the road and beat Tennessee, with Malik Willis stepping in for Jordan Love and delivering one of the week's best performances from any quarterback.
The Packers backup went out and beat the team that traded and replaced him, going 13-19 throwing the football for 202 yards and a touchdown. He ran for another 73 yards on the ground, heavily supported by both Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson, who scored his first career touchdown to put the game away.
Equally impressive though, is the Packers defensive unit, which allowed just 33 total rushing yards and forced three turnovers out of the Titans.
The Minnesota Vikings are an ever so slight underdog in this one on the road. Jordan Love is expected to return and start, making for an intense head to head between two of the NFLs most storied rivals.
Sam Darnold came back into the game in Week 3 after an injury scare, and appears good to go for the game against the Packers. He only suffered a minor knee bruise, with no structural damage, and will now get to continue his attempt at a perfect start to the 2024 season leading the Vikings.
Prediction/Analysis:
The Minnesota Vikings defense has been flawless so far this season, and Brian Flores and his players have given every quarterback they’ve faced major headaches in trying to move the football.
Right now, the Vikings have the perfect blend of efficient offense, and extremely disciplined and well executed defense. They’re scoring 28.3 points per game, good for third in the NFL, as well as converting on 45% of their third down attempts (3rd), and 70% of their redzone trips (7th). Then on defense, they allow 10 points a game (2nd), 71.3 rushing yards per game (2nd), and only 30% rushing plays from their opponents (2nd).
They are forcing teams into throwing the football every game, taking the run away and making quarterbacks throw far more than they want to. So far, it's been extremely effective, and while they give up a fair amount of passing yards, those yards are not being converted into points.
The Vikings win this one on the road in my book, so I’ll take them and the points with the spread.
Author: Venuse, Inc.