NFL Week 4: Notes and observations
This weekend, there will be plenty of games that will end up shaping the standings as the weather gets colder.
For starters, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will meet for the first of two times on Sunday afternoon, this time at M&T Bank Stadium in Charm City. Both teams started the season 2-0 before a humiliating upset loss away from home. Now, the two square off with first place in the AFC North on the line. The winner gets an early jump on its chief rival, while the loser falls down the ladder.
Meanwhile, we have a similar situation in the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs are sitting at 3-0 and taking on the Washington Redskins come Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Considering the Chiefs are a seven-point favorite at home in primetime, there’s a good chance they get to 4-0 for the second time in Andy Reid’s tenure.
With that in mind, the loser of the Raiders and Broncos game on Sunday is in real trouble. Just like Pittsburgh and Baltimore, Oakland and Denver lost in upset defeats away from home. For this game, the Raiders stay on the road, heading to the Mile High City to take on Denver. Whoever loses this game will be two games behind the Chiefs in the West, provided Kansas City takes care of business in expected fashion.
In the AFC South, we have the Houston Texans playing host to the Tennessee Titans, who are laying 2.5 points on the road. Houston has won each of the past two division titles but could be in trouble with a loss here against the Titans. The Texans would be 0-2 within the division with both losses coming at NRG Stadium.
Should the Titans win, they would put a nice distance between themselves and Houston, allowing for a slip-up down the road if something should happen.
In the NFC, we see the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings battling for a respective third win. Detroit and Minnesota are trying to keep pace with the Green Bay Packers, who romped past the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. The Vikings are hoping to get through a rough patch with Case Keenum at the helm while both Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater recover from injuries.
Lastly, which team pulls off the biggest upset of the week? The Redskins are getting seven points and could win outright against the Chiefs, although that’s a tall order at Arrowhead. Perhaps it’s the New York Giants in Tampa Bay, taking on the Buccaneers. If the Giants are going to get off the mat and make this an actual season, it’s now or never.
