Week 4 Preview

There is no better sight or sound than the true NFL refs making calls with confidence and authority, as we are seeing tonight in the Browns/Ravens game. After debacles in the GB/SEA, NE/BAL, DEN/ATL, SEA/ARI (plus all the others), it is great to see. A lot of people say "how long until we boo these guys?" For me, it will be a long while. I would rather see real NFL refs make a bad call than replacement refs make a bad call any day. They won't be perfect, but the games will be so much more watchable.

Five Big Games

- Giants vs. Eagles: One of the NFL’s biggest rivalries returns in a Northeast showdown on Sunday Night Football. Giants are coming off an impressive win featuring a lot of backups stepping up while the Eagles got hammered by the vicious Cardinals defense. Despite a good record it has been a rough start for Philadelphia as they have 12 turnovers in 3 games, Michael Vick accounting for 9 (he has also been sacked 9 times behind a poor offensive line). The Eagles always seem to play well against New York, winning 6 of the last 7 meetings. Eli Manning leads the league in passing yards and is getting Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks back for this one. The vaunted Giants pass rush only has 6 sacks through three games, but they are excited with this matchup.

- Bears vs. Cowboys: Another matchup of 2-1 teams jockeying for position in the NFC playoff picture . The Bears offense has not taken off like I expected, but at least last week they put together a pretty easy win and a strong defensive performance, and Matt Forte should be back in action this week. Jay Cutler is among the bottom 3 rated starting quarterbacks in the entire league. Dallas hasn’t been doing much scoring either, tied with the Eagles for fewest points, but they have been the stingiest defense, allowing only 137 yards passing per game.

- Saints vs. Packers: A marquee game on the schedule before the season started, now the teams are combined 1-5. Regardless of the call at the end of Monday Night Football, the Packers offense has struggled mightily, scoring only 4 offensive touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers has also been sacked an NFL-high 16 times. The Saints have been able to score but haven’t stopped anyone and are making lots of mistakes. This should be a real high-scoring affair and the Saints will be desperate for a win, while the Packers certainly don’t want to lose their third.

- 49ers vs. Jets: Well, if this is the #4 game what’s that say about the schedule this week? Jets are in their first game without star Derrelle Revis, which means Alex Smith will certainly challenge Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson. San Francisco is coming off a disappointing loss and spent the week in Ohio thinking about it. Mark Sanchez has the lowest completion percentage in the NFL, and the struggling Jets offense faces their toughest test yet against a defense filled with stars, with the Texans on tap in Week 5.

- Vikings vs. Lions: Christian Ponder has been a real quiet surprise, completing over 70% of his throws helping the Vikings start 2-1, including an impressive win over the afore-mentioned 49ers last week. The Lions head back home after two road losses, including a disappointing overtime loss in which starting quarterback Matthew Stafford left with an injury. He should be back.

Upset Alert

(4-2 overall)

Rams over Seahawks
Bears over Cowboys

Miller’s Fearless Picks

(3-1 last week, 5-7 overall)

49ers over Jets. This has a 49ers beatdown written all over it. San Francisco has a methodical offense and the Jets are poor tacklers missing their best cover man. The 49ers are coming off a loss and the Jets coming off a cheap win. 30-10

Chiefs over Chargers. The Arrowhead Advantage has got to happen sometime and a division rivalry is as good a time as any. Chiefs have AFC-worst 9 turnovers and only 1 takeaway, and if that gets corrected, they are running over everybody. Just a gut call that the Chargers fall on the road. 24-23.

Buccaneers over Redskins. Bucs have played tough two road games in a row against the Giants and Cowboys, and have been the toughest run defense in the NFL, which will make it tough for RG3 to do his magic. I look for Freeman to have his first big game of the year. 27-21

Patriots over Bills. Patriots coming off two tough losses, the Bills coming off two easy wins. Welker and Brandon Lloyd finally made a big appearance against the Ravens. Along with Gronk, all three will find the endzone. 41-28

The Rest of the Games

Ravens 30, Browns 16
Rams 17, Seahawks 16
Falcons 40, Panthers 27
Lions 27, Vikings 20
Texans 37, Titans 24
Bengals 24, Jaguars 14
Broncos 31, Raiders 21
Cardinals 27, Dolphins 10
Packers 44, Saints 37
Giants 30, Eagles 28
Bears 24, Cowboys 21

(terrible 3-9 last week, 19-16 overall)