NFL Picks Week 4: Expect Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints to Pull Off Big Wins


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NFL Week 4 Picks

NFL
(Mike Carter/USA Today Sports)

With Thursday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams right around the corner--it's time to look at the NFL Picks for Week 4.

If there's anything to take away from last weekend, it would be NFL games are never easy to pick as there were plenty of tough matchups for fans to enjoy. From the Baltimore Ravens looking like defending champions once again after blowing out the Houston Texans to the Miami Dolphins making a huge statement with a win against the Atlanta Falcons, football fans were lucky enough to see plenty of great action and hopefully that's a similar case once again in Week 4.

Two of the biggest teams to keep an eye on so far this season are the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints as they head into Week 4 looking to keep their unbeaten streak alive. While the Bears face a tough matchup against their division rivals in the Detroit Lions, the Saints will certainly have their hands full against the surprising 3-0 Miami Dolphins in the national spotlight as they're set to square off on Monday Night Football.

After going 7-9 in last week's picks, here's a look at the NFL Picks for Week 4 of the 2013 season.

Last Week: 7-9

Season: 30-18

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San Francisco 49ers (1-2) Over St. Louis Rams (1-2)

49ers
(Cary Edmondson/USA Today Sports)

It's simple--the San Francisco 49ers will not lose for the third-straight week. After looking like the team to beat in the NFC in Week 1, the 49ers have looked awful against two playoff contenders over the last two weeks and a game against the St. Louis Rams is just what this team may need.

Of course, if you look back to last season, it certainly won't be an easy task. Colin Kaepernick will need to get out of whatever funk he's been dealing with these last two weeks if San Francisco is going to have any shot at winning this game--so let's hope for the best.

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Baltimore Ravens (2-1) Over Buffalo Bill (1-2)

Ravens
(Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports)

There was a reason for concern over the first two weeks, but the Baltimore Ravens made a huge statement in Week 3 with a big win over the Houston Texans with Ray Rice watching from the sidelines. If the defending Super Bowl champions are really contenders once again, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to go on the road and defeat the Buffalo Bills.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3) Over Arizona Cardinals (1-2)

Buccaneers
(Mark L Baer/USA Today Sports)

It's been a rough couple of weeks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they're coming off an embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots. The Buccaneers could have easily won a game or two by now, but after three weeks of frustration--expect the Buccaneers to finally come through in a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Even if Mike Glennon is making his first career start, expect the quarterback to provide a spark for the Buccaneers' offense on Sunday.

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Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3) Over Minnesota Vikings (0-3)

Steelers
(Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)

Nobody expected either of these two teams to be winless heading into Week 4, but at least the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings can head into Sunday knowing at least one of them will no longer be winless. Both teams are coming off tough losses in Week 3 considering they each could have easily won, but the Steelers may have the advantage in this one.

As long as Pittsburgh can manage to shutdown Adrian Peterson--there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to pull off their first win of the season.

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Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) Over New York Giants (0-3)

Chiefs
(Howard Smith/USA Today Sports)

What's there to say about the New York Giants other than this team looked absolutely pathetic against the Carolina Panthers last weekend. With a horrendous offensive line, Eli Manning could be in for another long game against one of the biggest surprises of the early 2013 season in the Kansas City Chiefs.

If a banged-up defense like the Panthers can shutout the Giants--there's no reason why the Chiefs can't display a similar performance.

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Indianapolis Colts (2-1) Over Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3)

Jaguars
(Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)

Come on--do we really need to have an explanation for this one? If the Indianapolis Colts can go on the road and defeat the San Francisco 49ers, they should have no problem doing the same against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Houston Texans (2-1) Over Seattle Seahawks (3-0)

Texans
(Mitch Stringer/USA Today Sports)

Despite their embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, this seems like the perfect game for the Houston Texans to prove themselves as a contender. The Seattle Seahawks have looked like one of the league's top overall teams over the first three weeks and Russell Wilson has continued to show why he's emerging as one of the league's top quarterbacks, but they'll be playing in a hostile environment on Sunday in Houston.

Expect the Texans to bounce back and pull off the surprise win in Week 4.

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Chicago Bears (3-0) Over Detroit Lions (2-1)

Bears
(Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports)

Going to Heinz Field and pulling off a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a big statement for the Chicago Bears last Sunday night and they find themselves in position to take a commanding lead in the NFC North if they can pull off a win against the Detroit Lions. Of course, if the Bears are going to improve to 4-0 on the year, the defense will need to figure out a way to contain Calvin Johnson better than they did with Antonio Brown.

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Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) Over Cleveland Browns (1-2)

Bengals
(Andrew Weber/USA Today Sports)

To be honest, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Cleveland Browns put up a good battle against the Cincinnati Bengals and pulled off the win on Sunday considering these games always seem to be close between the two AFC North rivals. Despite three interceptions, Brian Hoyer did look impressive in his first start for the Browns last week and the Bengals' defense will need to figure out a way to contain Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron if they're going to have any chance.

Oh yeah, and Andy Dalton will need to figure out a way to get the ball in A.J. Green's hands earlier in the game than last weekend.

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Tennessee Titans (2-1) Over New York Jets (2-1)

Titans
(Don McPeak/USA Today Sports)

Don't let having the same record fool you as the Tennessee Titans are clearly the better team when compared to the New York Jets. While the Jets deserve credit for their surprise record so far, the Titans have looked very impressive over the first three weeks and could arguably have been 3-0 heading into Week 4.

With this game being played at home--the Titans should be able to cruise by the Jets in this one.

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Oakland Raiders (1-2) Over Washington Redskins (0-3)

Raiders
(Chris Humphreys/USA Today Sports)

At the beginning of the season, nobody would have expected the Oakland Raiders to be the favorite over the Washington Redskins, but Robert Griffin III have looked anything but impressive so far this season. If the Raiders can manage to take advantage of the Redskins horrendous defense, they may actually have a shot to get back to .500 in this one.

However, the deciding factor could be the status of Terrelle Pryor--who suffered a head injury in Week 3.

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Denver Broncos (3-0) Over Philadelphia Eagles (1-2)

Broncos
(Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports)

Peyton Manning appears to be on his way to another record-breaking season with the Denver Broncos and after throwing 12 touchdown passes over the first three games--just imagine how many he's going to throw against a defense like the Philadelphia Eagles. If Philadelphia fans were frustrated over how poorly the defense has looked so far this season, just wait until you see how bad things get on Sunday.

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Dallas Cowboys (2-1) Over San Diego Chargers (1-2)

Cowboys
(Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports)

It's crazy to think how close both of these teams were to being undefeated after three weeks of football, but that's obviously not the case heading into Sunday. The San Diego Chargers may have the advantage in this one playing at home, but if the Dallas Cowboys can play as well on defense as they did against the Rams last week--Philip Rivers could be in for a long afternoon.

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Atlanta Falcons (1-2) Over New England Patriots (3-0)

Falcons
(Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports)

The New England Patriots may be undefeated, but this is simply a game where the Atlanta Falcons know they can't afford to lose. Matt Ryan and company have one of the best offenses in the league on paper, but they've lost two tough games against teams looking like strong contenders.

If Atlanta falls to 1-3--they'll be in serious trouble when it comes to defending their NFC South title.

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New Orleans Saints (3-0) Over Miami Dolphins (3-0)

Saints
(Derick E. Hingle/USA Today Sports)

The Miami Dolphins have been one of the biggest of the 2013 season as they're off to a very impressive start with big wins over the Colts and Falcons. There's no question the Dolphins have just as great of a shot to win the AFC East as the Patriots, but when it comes to their undefeated record continuing past Week 4--that's just not going to happen.

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have one of the most high-powered offenses in the league and expect them to shine in the national spotlight on Monday Night Football.


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