GAME OF THE WEEK – Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-0), KC by 3 – A massive game for so early in the season, one that could have significant bearing on playoff seeding come January. This is the biggest defensive challenge Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense have faced so far this year, and that’s going to be the matchup that’s going to be so fun to watch – this sturdy Jacksonville defense against this surprisingly high-octane offense. I think Jacksonville will have some success in slowing the Chiefs down, but ultimately Jacksonville’s offense is going to have to get some work done too, and I think that’s where the difference will be (plus the Kansas City homefield advantage). Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. Chiefs 24, Jaguars 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Indianapolis Colts (1-3) at New England Patriots (2-2), NE by 10 – I can’t believe there were people seriously picking against the Patriots last week. Now they’ve got Julian Edelman coming back in addition to Josh Gordon getting up to speed. This team is going to keep getting better. Patriots 34, Colts 13
Baltimore Ravens (3-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1-2), BAL by 3 – The Browns definitely have much more fight in them this year, but the Ravens are looking much better than anticipated after the first quarter of the year and have shown quite a bit of toughness themselves. Ravens 23, Browns 16
Tennessee Titans (3-1) at Buffalo Bills (1-3), TEN by 3.5 – The Titans aren’t getting a whole ton of respect yet, but they’ve beaten some good teams already this year. They might not be the most exciting team to watch, but they’ve got some grit. Meanwhile, Josh Allen looks absolutely awful, and the Bills probably set themselves back several years by drafting him and relying on him to start right away. Titans 20, Bills 3
New York Giants (1-3) at Carolina Panthers (2-1), CAR by 7 – Eli Manning is done, and this Giants team is looking like a disaster. It’s mind boggling that they took a running back second overall with so many holes on this roster. The Panthers should feast. Panthers 27, Giants 10
Denver Broncos (2-2) at New YorK Jets (1-3), NYJ by 1.5 – Unsure why Vegas has the Jets here—they’ve been looking progressively worse, and Denver nearly took down the best team in the AFC, if not the league, just last week. UPSET! – Broncos 24, Jets 13
Atlanta Falcons (1-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-2), PIT by 3 – Big game for both teams, each of whom are quickly falling behind the other contenders in their own divisions. A 1-4 start would be catastrophic for the Falcons in a very competitive NFC, and the Steelers need to be able to keep pace with Cincinnati and Baltimore. But right now, the Falcons just look like a better team. They’ve had a couple close losses to good teams and had an offensive explosion last week, but just couldn’t get the defense off the field when it mattered. There’s just too much drama in Pittsburgh right now for me to pick them in a battle of teams who desperately need a win. UPSET! – Falcons 30, Steelers 20
Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) at Detroit Lions (1-3), GB by 1 – What a weird season it’s been for the Lions so far. Three winnable games they’ve lost, but they come out and shut down the Patriots on Sunday night. It’s really hard to know what to make of this team. They’ve played the Packers really well in recent years, and at home in a divisional game, they will certainly give the Packers a good run. But the Packers are just the better team right now, and coming off a game in which Aaron Rodgers decided to call out the offensive coaching in his postgame press conference, something tells me the Packers will have something to prove. Packers 27, Lions 17
Miami Dolphins (3-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-1), CIN by 6.5 – The Dolphins exposed themselves as being frauds, like they always are when they get off to a good start. The Bengals are the better team in this matchup and will demonstrate that fact this weekend. Bengals 33, Dolphins 17
Oakland Raiders (1-3) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-2), LAC by 5.5 – No real reason, just a hunch that the Raiders are going to pick this one up in what should be a much more friendly crowd for them than the home team. UPSET! – Raiders 30, Chargers 27
Arizona Cardinals (0-4) at San Francisco 49ers (1-3), SF by 4 – The 49ers may be hopeless without Jimmy Garoppolo, but the Cardinals are much worse off in the coaching department—even with some more playmakers than San Francisco has. Give me the 49ers. 49ers 23, Cardinals 17
Minnesota Vikings (1-1-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-2), PHI by 3 – A rematch of last year’s blowout NFC Championship finds both of these teams in much different situations than many expected them to be. The Vikings’ defense has gone from the best in the league to inexplicably bad—perhaps the most stunning development involving these teams so far. The Eagles still haven’t gotten back their championship swag and are looking worse on both sides of the ball. The homefield advantage favors the Eagles, but the revenge factor and the fact that the Vikings kept with the best team in the NFL last week makes me think Minnesota will pick up a huge win. UPSET! – Vikings 28, Eagles 24
Los Angeles Rams (4-0) at Seattle Seahawks (2-2), LAR by 7 – The Rams’ defense has some work to do, but their offense is so good that it’s hard for me to pick them to lose to anybody at the moment. Rams 33, Seahawks 20
Dallas Cowboys (2-2) at Houston Texans (1-3), HOU by 3 – JJ Watt is officially back in a big way, and Deshaun Watson has started playing some good ball again. Meanwhile, Dallas remembered its identity as a pound-the-rock team and made Ezekiel Elliott the focal point of their offense last week. This one could end up being quite a fun game to watch if both teams play their best. Give me the home team. Texans 23, Cowboys 20
Washington (2-1) at New Orleans Saints (3-1), NO by 6.5 – The Saints’ defense has been awful, but when you’ve got playmakers like Alvin Kamara and Drew Brees on offense, that’ll cover up a whole lot of inteptitude. Washington has been better than expected, but they’re historically garbage in prime time, especially on the road. Saints 34, Washington 23
BYES: Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers