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With several teams facing off in divisional games, Week 4 is positioned to be a pivotal point of the early season for many teams. All year, the Baltimore Beatdown staff will compete to see who can correctly forecast the most matchups. Join in and submit picks for each game in the polls at the bottom of the article.
Current standings:
- Kyle A., Kyle B. and Vas
- Frank, Jake and Baltimore Beatdown readers
- Logan
- Sage
- Dustin and Zach
An analysis of the Baltimore Beatdown staff picks
Consensus winners
- The Jaguars defeat the Jets (JAX -7.5)
- The Packers take down the Bills (GB -9.5)
- The Chargers beat the 49ers (LAC -10.0)
Entering Week 4, teams are still wildly inconsistent, with few organizations pulling away from the rest of the league. This parity is reflected in the staff’s predictions, with just three consensus picks. While the Jaguars struggled offensively in a loss to Tennessee (a stark contrast to their Week 2 success against New England), the Jets are still a team in rebuilding mode with the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL. While Josh Allen and Buffalo shocked the world last week by defeating the Minnesota Vikings, expect the Packers to be prepared and ready to get back on track coming off a loss to Washington. With Jimmy Garoppolo out for the year with an ACL injury, the 49ers should be an easy target for the Chargers.
‘Lone wolf’ picks
- Kyle A. is alone in thinking the Cardinals will secure their first victory of the season (SEA -3.0).
- Kyle B. is the only staff member who thinks the Dolphins are going to defeat the Patriots in Foxborough (NE -6.5).
- Logan is solo in his prediction that the Titans will defeat the Eagles (PHI -4.0) and the Broncos will beat the Chiefs (KC -4.5).
Sam Bradford’s latest chapter in the NFL is already closing, with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen named the starter for Arizona. Kyle Andrews, and Josh Rosen himself, are some of the few that have confidence in the Cardinals. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN writes:
He also expressed confidence in handling his new role.
”I think I’m a pretty good overall quarterback,” Rosen said, “and I’m looking forward to getting on the field.”
The Dolphins are off to an unexpected hot start, coming into Week 4 with a perfect record. Still, Kyle Barber is the only member of Baltimore Beatdown that foresees them shaking their losing streak at Gillette Stadium. Miami last beat the Patriots in New England in Week 3 of the 2008 season, when Matt Cassel was starting in place of an injured Tom Brady and Chad Pennington was quarterbacking the Dolphins.
Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz are two of the most promising young signal callers in the league, with Mahomes off to a blazing pace of 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Logan is betting against them both this week, predicting the Broncos to rebound from their loss to the Ravens and the Titans to extend their win streak to three.
How will the AFC North perform?
- Over 66 percent of the staff believes the Browns will keep the Raiders winless (OAK -2.5) and that the Steelers will hand the Ravens their second loss on the season (PIT -3.0).
- Over 55 percent of contributors predict the Bengals will win on the road in Atlanta (ATL -5.5).
There is renewed hope in Cleveland, with number one pick Baker Mayfield replacing Tyrod Taylor in Week 3 for the team’s first win since 2016. With rookie corner Denzel Ward already making a huge splash and Myles Garrett shining in his sophomore season, the majority of the staff believes Jon Gruden and the Raiders will be left searching for their elusive first victory in 2018.
While the Ravens looked drastically more polished in Week 3, Beatdown writers anticipate that Baltimore’s offense will fall short in a shoot out with a Pittsburgh offense that has found its rhythm, even without running back Le’Veon Bell. If true, the Ravens will be staring down an 0-2 divisional start.
There is less consensus on Cincinnati’s prospects for victory. The Falcons have been up and down thus far, though the offense has scored 61 points since only putting up 12 against the Eagles in the kickoff of the 2018 season. However, Atlanta’s passing defense is ranked 26th in the league, leaving room for Andy Dalton and A.J. Green to exploit their weakness.
All writers’ picks can be found in the table below.
NFL Week 4 Picks
| Games | Dustin | Frank | Jake | Kyle A. | Kyle B. | Logan | Sage | Vasilis | Zach | BB Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Dustin | Frank | Jake | Kyle A. | Kyle B. | Logan | Sage | Vasilis | Zach | BB Readers |
| Vikings at Rams | Vikings | Vikings | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Vote |
| Jets at Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Vote |
| Dolphins at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Dolphins | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Vote |
| Eagles at Titans | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Titans | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Vote |
| Texans at Colts | Colts | Texans | Colts | Texans | Colts | Texans | Texans | Colts | Texans | Vote |
| Bills at Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Vote |
| Lions at Cowboys | Lions | Lions | Lions | Cowboys | Lions | Cowboys | Cowboys | Lions | Lions | Vote |
| Buccaneers at Bears | Buccaneers | Bears | Bears | Buccaneers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Buccaneers | Vote |
| Bengals at Falcons | Falcons | Bengals | Falcons | Bengals | Bengals | Falcons | Bengals | Bengals | Falcons | Vote |
| Seahawks at Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Cardinals | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Vote |
| Browns at Raiders | Raiders | Browns | Raiders | Browns | Browns | Browns | Raiders | Browns | Browns | Vote |
| Saints at Giants | Saints | Saints | Saints | Giants | Saints | Giants | Saints | Giants | Saints | Vote |
| 49ers at Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Vote |
| Ravens at Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens | Ravens | Steelers | Steelers | Ravens | Steelers | Vote |
| Chiefs at Broncos | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Broncos | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Vote |
| Week 3 Record | 8-8 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 9-7 | 8-8 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 9-7 | 8-8 | 9-7 |
| Season Record | 22-24 | 25-21 | 25-21 | 26-20 | 26-20 | 24-22 | 23-23 | 26-20 | 22-24 | 25-21 |
Pick the winner of every Week 4 game in the polls below!