SGN Senior Editor Matt Loede’s NFL Picks for Week Four

Last Week: 9-7
Season Record: 28-19

San Francisco at Atlanta – The Niners tanked it last week losing in KC badly, and the Falcons made a statement with a huge OT win over the Saints. The Falcons are hitting their stride, while the 49ers seem to have gone backwards. They made a change at the OC spot to try and fix the issues, but it won’t matter against a solid Falcons team. Atlanta 26 San Francisco 14

New York Jets at Buffalo – The Jets played awful in two games vs the Bills last season, but seem to be back to playing good football with two straight division wins. The Bills are terrible, but did play better last week vs the Pats. The Bills looked much better on offense with Ryan Fitzpatrick, and while I think they step up and play better, the Jets are too talented to lose to Buffalo again. New York Jets 21 Buffalo 16

Baltimore at Pittsburgh – The world has suddenly taken notice of the Steelers, a team that no one expected to be 3-0 without Ben Roethlisberger. They have done it with Dennis Dixon and now Charlie Batch, and seem to have few holes on both sides of the ball right now. The Ravens need this game to not fall too far behind in the North, but have issues on defense with their run stopping, something the Steelers will do this week. The Ravens need a big game from Joe Flacco, but the Steelers won’t make it easy. Steelers go to 4-0. Pittsburgh 17 Baltimore 14

Carolina at New Orleans – The Saints were exposed last week with a home loss to the Falcons, but should get back on track against a Panthers team with a number of issues. The Saints have a new kicker in 46-year-old John Carney, and they hope that will shore up what has been a shaky kicking game. The Panthers defense has kept them in two games, but their offense is terrible and won’t have much success in the dome. New Orleans 27 Carolina 17

Denver at Tennessee – While the Broncos had a tough game against the Colts last week at home, they have been competitive in going 1-2 to start the season. The Titans are 2-1, and got on track in a sloppy win over the Giants on the road last week. The Titans should be able to run on the Broncos, which then should lead to some shots downfield for Vince Young and his wide outs. Denver will need to protect the ball, but at the end of the day they won’t have the firepower to keep up with Tennessee. Tennessee 23 Denver 10

Cincinnati at Cleveland – The Browns hung in with the Bengals last week, but in the end, it was too much Anquan Boldin in a loss to the Ravens. The Bengals have had surprising offensive issues, and a lot of them have to do with Carson Palmer, who has not played well in sometime. The Bengals need to open things up, and should be able to get a few plays downfield against the Browns corners. Palmer and the Bengals get on track in a North win to send Cleveland to 0-4. Cincinnati 30 Cleveland 14

Detroit at Green Bay – The Pack was their own worst enemy Monday night in their three-point loss to the Bears, laying down 18 penalties and fumbling late which was key in the loss. We will see if there is a hang over from that, but this is a much more favorable matchup for Aaron Rodgers and Co. vs the Lions at home. Detroit last week again had chances, but lost to the Vikings on the road. This one won’t be much better, as they will go to 0-4. Green Bay 28 Detroit 14

Seattle at St.Louis – The Hawks have played well early for new coach Pete Carroll, and that included two home wins. On the road though could be another story, as the Rams showed fight in beating the Redskins last week at home. Why do I have the feeling that the Hawks will again have major road issues, and the Rams will find a way to excite the home fans by getting to .500. St.Louis 16 Seattle 13

Indianapolis at Jacksonville – The Jags are a bad team, and despite an opening day win they have gone in the tank with two straight losses. David Garrard is a few bad plays away from the bench, and while they usually hang tough with the Colts, Manning and his gang will score plenty to walk away with their third win in four games. Indianapolis 31 Jacksonville 17

Houston at Oakland – The Raiders should have beaten the Cards last week, but a missed kick at the end cost them a shot to go to 2-1. The Texans fell in somewhat of a surprise at home to the Cowboys, and should have enough on both sides of the ball to bounce back to win in the Black Hole. Houston 23 Oakland 14

Arizona at San Diego – The Chargers are in their usual September swoon, going 1-2 to start the season. They will get back rookie back Ryan Mathews this week, which is a big key to the offense. The Cards are lucky to be 2-1, but they are, and can keep the Chargers reeling if they can score some points. Look for San Diego again to have their issues as even though we will be October come Sunday. Arizona 27 San Diego 23

Washington at Philadelphia – The long awaited return of Donovan McNabb to Philly, but it comes at a time when the Redskins are reeling. Two straight losses after a big win on opening night vs the Cowboys, the Skins will have the McNabb factor heading into this key divisional matchup. Philly is playing well with Mike Vick at QB, and I think he will be the best player on the field again this week. Philadelphia 33 Washington 20

Chicago at New York Giants – The Bears have clawed their way to a 3-0 record, while the G-Men looked sloppy and out of focus in their loss to the Titans at home last week. The Giants have to hold Jay Culter in check and pressure him, while Cutler has to be careful not to make mistakes. He could have had a couple picks if it were not for penalties last week, and this week the Giants will catch up to him and make him pay. New York Giants 19 Chicago 13

Monday Night:

New England at Miami – For whatever reason, the Pats do not play well in Miami, while the Fins need to bounce back from a bad loss to the Jets last week by 8. The Pats will look for big plays from their playmakers, while the Dolphins need to get a couple turnovers and turn them into points. The Dolphins will hand Tom Brady another Florida loss with some big plays on both sides of the ball. Miami 28 New England 17