NFL Football Betting: Games Of The Week Rundown: Week 4

The NFL football season moves into Week 4 with a highly compelling set of games. Here are the five games which invite so many questions and rich, layered debates. Let’s dive into them.

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints

Odds: Saints -7.5

The Saints obviously figure to win this game at home against the lowly Giants, who are 0-3 and stumbling around under head coach Joe Judge. Yet, New Orleans has Jameis Winston, a quarterback who has a reputation for playing well in one week and then poorly the next. He played great in a Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers and then terribly in a Week 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Winston was solid once again in Week 3, beating the New England Patriots, but now in Week 4, will he regress? The opponent might be a favorable one, but Jameis Winston often plays well or poorly without a specific connection to the opponent he is facing. The Saints have to guard against a Jameis implosion, but if they are able to do that, they should be in good shape against the Giants, who have not only lost three games, but have lost them to the Broncos, Washington, and the Falcons, three teams which were not expected to be any good before the season began. The Broncos have had a good start, but Washington and Atlanta have not. The Giants might play several more games before they find their first win of 2021.

Cleveland Browns at Minnesota Vikings

Odds: Browns -1.5

This is a fascinating game for a lot of reasons. One is that the Browns’ head coach, Kevin Stefanski, had worked on the Minnesota Vikings’ staff under head coach Mike Zimmer. Stefanski makes his first return to Minnesota as a visiting head coach in a regular-season game since leaving the Vikings. Stefanski has established himself as one of the best and brightest coaches in the NFL. The Browns really do appear to have hit the jackpot by selecting him as coach. Stefanski has developed Baker Mayfield while also creating a power running game which utilizes the talents of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield so that Mayfield doesn’t have to do everything by himself.

In terms of the significance of this game, the Browns have a two-game winning streak after losing narrowly to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. The Browns’ next two wins have come at home against bad teams, the Bears and Texans, so Cleveland is trying to win its first road game of the regular season and beat a talented but erratic opponent. The Vikings have a lot of potential, but they let games slip through their fingers, as in Week 2 against the Cardinals when they missed a 35-yard field goal at the end of regulation. The Vikings also lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime in Week 1. The Vikings continue to find ways to sabotage their own seasons, but they have elite receivers – Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson – with a world-class running back, Dalvin Cook. They should be better than their 1-2 record, but they aren’t. They have to prove they can close down big games against good teams. Facing the Browns gives them the kind of test they have to start passing if they want to get back to the NFL postseason.

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

Odds: 49ers -3

These two NFC West teams are coming off brutal losses in Week 3. The Seahawks were shut out in the second half and lost to the Vikings in a game they led 17-7. Seattle is not getting much help from its pass rush and its secondary, which are once again giving up too many big plays and committing significant third-down penalties to keep opponents’ drives alive. The offensive line has its moments but remains volatile and undependable. The Seahawks go through stretches in games when they look unbeatable, but those stretches last 20 minutes, not 60. In the other 40 minutes, the Seahawks look terrible. That simply won’t cut it against the rest of the NFL, and it definitely won’t work against the 49ers, who engaged the Green Bay Packers in a classic Sunday night game this past weekend but were beaten at the end by Aaron Rodgers and his amazing skills. The 49ers need more from their pass rush and more from Jimmy Garoppolo if they are going to overtake the Rams in the NFC West. San Francisco should like this matchup against the reeling Seahawks, but nothing should be taken for granted in this rivalry, which has been one of the most competitive in the NFL over the past 10 years.

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos

Odds: Broncos -1

The Denver Broncos are 3-0, but they have beaten the three worst teams in the NFL: the New York Giants, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the New York Jets. Denver is getting a ton of respect here by being a one-point favorite. It is true that the Ravens have a lot of injuries – the reason the Broncos are favored – but even with some of these lineup deficiencies, the Ravens have a far better quarterback in this game: Lamar Jackson is much better than Teddy Bridgewater of the Broncos. The Ravens have an elite kicker, Justin Tucker, who nailed a 65-yard game-winning kick against the Detroit Lions this past weekend. Baltimore played poorly against the Lions. Receiver Marquise Brown dropped several passes. Assuming he and his teammates play moderately better, Baltimore should be able to handle Denver.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New England Patriots (Sunday Night Football)

Odds: Buccaneers -7

Tom Brady returns to New England for the first time in a regular season game since he left the Patriots. This game will be a national news story, and create a very emotional night for a lot of people on the sidelines and in the stands, and throughout Boston. Ultimately, though, Tom Brady is a supreme professional. He will handle his business and do what his team needs him to do. The Bucs just got thumped by the Los Angeles Rams. It is hard to imagine them losing twice in a row, especially since the Patriots are struggling under young quarterback Mac Jones.