Week 3 provided fans with even more confusion after several
upsets. With that in mind, which teams need a victory the most in Week 4?
There might have not been a more shocking upset in the last
decade of NFL play than what we witnessed on Sunday in Minnesota. The Buffalo
Bills entered the game as 17-point underdogs, and emerged with a victory over
the Vikings. This upset reminds us all that anything can happen on any given
Sunday. Which teams will shock the league this week?
Last week’s picks for “must win” teams included the Houston
Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh
Steelers. Three of those five teams earned much-needed victories in Week 3.
Atlanta lost in a heart-breaking overtime game against the Saints while the
Texans lost a head-scratcher against the New York Giants.
Heading into Week 4 one would think that the picture is
getting clearer, but the opening few weeks of this season have been hectic and
confusing. With no sense of true consistency thus far, which teams need a win
the most this week?
Let’s kick it off with the Green Bay Packers who are facing
the Bills, hot off of their riveting first win of the season.
5. GREEN BAY PACKERS
The Packers are 1-1-1 heading into Week 4, which is
impressive given that Aaron Rodgers has been playing on one leg since the
second half of their Week 1 game against Chicago. The NFC North is wide open as
no team has really cemented themselves as the favorite. Detroit has been
inconsistent, as have the Chicago Bears. Minnesota seemed to be the favorite,
but lost horribly to the hapless Bills last week.
If Green Bay has high expectations for this season, like say
winning the division or making the playoffs, they need to be able to take care
of business against the Bills. Perhaps their win against the Vikings wasn’t a
fluke and they are actually a good team. Ha, who am I kidding. In all
seriousness, the Packers should definitely be able to beat the Bill and earn
their second win of the season.
A win would go a long way in terms of divisional standing as
the Vikings have a tough game against the Rams and the Bears play the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
4. TAMPA BAY
BUCCANEERS
Speaking of the Buccaneers, they could really use a victory
in Week 4. The amount of mystery surrounding the team right now is ridiculous,
and a win would go a long way in answering some of their questions. The biggest
elephant in the room is obviously in regards to the starting quarterback
situation.
Their cornerstone franchise piece, Jameis Winston, just
wrapped up three-game suspension and is eligible to play in Week 4. His
off-field issues have swayed how some view the talented quarterback and his job
is not set in stone. Temporary or what was thought to be temporary, starter
Ryan Fitzpatrick was a revelation in the first two weeks before coming back
down to Earth against the Steelers last week.
Had Fitzpatrick put up some stinkers and played poorly, this
decision would have been easy to make. However, he has truly done enough to continue
starting, and I believe that is the direction the team is leading as well.
A good defense like Chicago’s is a good litmus test for
Fitzpatrick to see if he is actually the right fit for Tampa Bay. He benefited
from playing some pretty poor defenses in New Orleans and Pittsburgh, but the
Bears should be able to give him a challenge. A win, led by Fitzpatrick, should
end the debate about who should start, and that would be an ideal scenario for
the Buccaneers.ms this week and the Bears play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
3. LOS ANGELES
CHARGERS
The Los Angeles Chargers are 1-2 after facing two very tough
opponents in the Chiefs and Rams (who are both looking like Super Bowl
contenders). Their lone win came against the Bills, which should not fill
anyone with confidence. However, the Chargers have the easiest remaining
schedule, and it just got a bit easier.
The Chargers play the San Francisco 49ers at “home” this
week and the 49ers will be without their franchise quarterback Jimmy Garropolo
who tore his ACL last week. Facing back-up CJ Beathard should be essentially a
cake walk for the Bolts as they look to right the ship. Moving to a 2-2 record
heading into a Week 5 match up with the rival Oakland Raiders would be much,
much better than heading in with a 1-3 record.
Philip Rivers has looked confident and has shown no signs of
slowing down. Promising young wide receiver Mike Williams had a two-touchdown
performance last week and could have another good week against a banged up
49ers secondary.
A win over a reeling team does not magically solve the
Charger’s issues, but it would have them trending in the right direction. A
popular pick to win the AFC West in the offseason, the Chargers have yet to
live up to expectations. Getting back to a .500 record would be a step in the
right direction.
2. JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS
The honors for the second most embarrassing defeat last week
go to the Jaguars, who lost to the Tennessee Titans. Neither team found the end
zone, and the game finished 9-6 in favor of the Titans. Not a good look for a
Jaguars team that has aspirations of winning the AFC South again and making
another run in the playoffs.
However they have a very winnable game in Week 4 against the
New York Jets. This will clearly be a defensive battle, but Jacksonville’s offense
will need to step up if the team wants to bounce back after a tough loss. Blake
Bortles struggled against the Titans, and he doesn’t get a break as the Jet’s
secondary is unquestionably their strongest unit.
If the Jags are able to put pressure on rookie quarterback
Sam Darnold (which they will) he will surely make a couple of errors that the
defense can capitalize on. It will simply come down to which quarterback makes
fewer mistakes, one would think Bortles would be able to win that battle against
a rookie, but then again, it is Bortles.
Sitting at 2-1, the Jaguars need to keep the pressure on the
Titans who are currently tied with them. With the injuries on the Titan’s
roster, the Jags should be able to win the battle of attrition. However if they
tally together a couple of bad losses, the Titans could pull away. The Jaguars
need a win on Sunday to re-energize their roster, and get them back on track.
1. NEW ENGLAND
PATRIOTS
Wow, the Patriots being on a “must win” list is quite a
surprise, right? Well, when the most dominant franchise for the last two
decades starts their season 1-2, something is wrong. Their two losses have come
against the Jaguars and oddly, the Detroit Lions. Add in a Week 1 game against
the Houston Texans that was much closer than it needed to be, and the Patriots
so far have not looked like themselves.
This weekend the Patriots host the division leading Miami
Dolphins who are a miraculous 3-0 heading into Week 4. If the Patriots are
unable to beat the Dolphins and fall to a 1-3 record, people may start to
actually freak out. Headlines will read “The Patriots Era is Finally Over” or
something similar, and that would be a horrible look for the franchise as they
already deal with enough media drama surrounding Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
A win against the Dolphins would be enormous for the
Patriots for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it would end their two-game
losing streak and would get them back to .500. Second, it would bring their
division rivals back down to Earth, and hand them their first loss of the
season. Finally, as mentioned, a win would help erase the notion that the
Patriots have lost their way and are on their way to a rebuild.
A loss would make matters worse, so the easy option is to
just, win? Obviously Belichick will have an ace up his sleeve and will put on a
coaching clinic at the expense of Miami’s head coach Adam Gase. Brady will
surely have his best game of the season, and the Patriots will be “back.”
Right?
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