NFL Picks Week 4

Picks for the week: 

Will this be the first time referees are actually cheered? (at least until the first call goes against Baltimore)

Ravens over the Browns.   Congrats to Baltimore for taking down the Patriots last week.  Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda, last season in the playoffs.   Though 2011 is not truly avenged until you can take them out in the postseason. Then I'l be ready to bow to my Joe Flacco Bobblehead. (wait....I have a Flacco bobblehead?.  How did that happen?).

Falcons over the Panthers.  I have seen nothing so far this season out of Cam Newton and the Panthers to make me want to pick them in this game. Atlanta looks good.

Patriots over the Bills.  This game is usually an automatic win on their schedule every season. Of course The Pats have already lost a couple that I thought they would win. A weird season so far.

Lions over the Vikings. Minnesota has looked more consistent and steady than the Lions have. Discipline and consistency has plagued this team for a bit now. Schwarz better right that ship or they'll be starting to talk problems at the top soon. This team has too much talent to be wasting it.

Chiefs over the Chargers. One of my favorite running backs in the league, Jamaal Charles, had a breakout game last week. Give this guy a crease and he can exploit it fast.

Seahawks over the Rams.  Imagine if somehow a wildcard playoff spot came down to the last week between Seattle and Green Bay, and because of the win last week the Seahawks grabbed that spot. This ref debacle is not over yet due to the implications down the road.

49ers over the Jets.  San Fran was great last year on the road on the East Coast. I think they do it again. The Jets are a mess (what's new huh?).

Texans over the Titans. Last week Tennessee was part of one of the more interesting games of the season (maybe of the decade so far). Crazy plays over 50-60 yards won it for them but that's not sustainable so they are going to need to show that they can grind it out down the field as well. Tough opponent to do that with this week.

Bengals over the Jags. A.J. Green is a beast.

Dolphins over the Cardinals. Upset of the week. Seems weird to say that about the Cardinals.

Broncos over the Raiders. Rivalry game that's lost its fire since Al Davis has died. His son seems a lot more level headed.

Packers over the Saints. This game blows. I like both of these teams and don't want either one to fall into a hole they can't climb out of for the season. Who do I root for? I think that hole gets deeper for the Saints.
One note on the call from Monday night's game. Although it was a bad call, it wasn't the worst call of all time in terms of the play itself.  What made it egregious was the terrible timing. The point in the game that it happened (deciding the outcome) and the culmination of bad calls from replacement referees gave the call and aftermath an apocalyptic feeling.   And ultimately it gave us regular referees back a week or two earlier (or maybe more).  But the call sucked.

Bucs over the Redskins.  Not sure what to think of either of these teams. Talented yes. Trustworthy no.

Giants over the Eagles.  If I'm Michael Vick, I'm already hurting as I think about the hits I'll take in this game.

Bears over the Cowboys. These two teams (perhaps more than any other two) represent the Jeckyll and Hyde syndrome that some many franchises suffer from. I like Tony Romo and I dislike Jay Cutler so I hope this one goes different than my prediction.

What are we going to whine about this weekend without the replacement referees?.....Oh right.....we'll whine about the real referees.

Last Week: 6-9
Overall: 22-25 (47%)