Week 4 Staff Picks: Pats look for 4th win in short Brady-less era
Each week during the NFL season, theScore's NFL staff members put on their prognosticator hats and offer up selections against the spread for all of the week's games, highlighting several marquee matchups.
| Game | Thomson | McClymont | Sanderson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins at Bengals | CIN -7 | MIA +7 | CIN -7 |
| Colts at Jaguars | IND -2.5 | JAX +2.5 | IND -2.5 |
| Titans at Texans | TEN +6.5 | TEN +6.5 | TEN +6.5 |
| Browns at Redskins | CLE +8 | CLE +8 | CLE +8 |
| Seahawks at Jets | NYJ | NYJ | SEA |
| Bills at Patriots | BUF | NE | NE |
| Panthers at Falcons | CAR -3 | CAR -3 | CAR -3 |
| Raiders at Ravens | OAK +3.5 | BAL -3.5 | BAL -3.5 |
| Lions at Bears | CHI +3 | DET-3 | DET -3 |
| Broncos at Buccaneers | DEN -3 | TB +3 | DEN -3 |
| Rams at Cardinals | ARI -8 | ARI -8 | ARI -8 |
| Saints at Chargers | NO +3.5 | SD -3.5 | NO +3.5 |
| Cowboys at 49ers | DAL -3 | SF +3 | DAL -3 |
| Chiefs at Steelers | KC +5.5 | PIT -5.5 | KC +5.5 |
| Giants at Vikings | NYG +4 | NYG +4 | MIN -4 |
Marquee Matchups
Bills at Patriots
Mitch Sanderson: The Patriots don't need this win, but the temptation of an undefeated record without Tom Brady is enough to get Belichick and the boys fired up for another game-planning masterpiece. Patriots
Michael McClymont: For all his bravado, Ryan's charges do get up for battles with Belichick. Whether in New York or Buffalo, Rex has managed to make the last six matchups one-score games. But Belichick is 5-1 in those six. Patriots
Joe Thomson: This is the type of rah-rah win that Rex Ryan teams seem to get every year. Ultimately they lead to nothing aside from a fired up Ryan postgame press conference but it should be fun nonetheless. Bills
Seahawks at Jets
Thomson: The Jets need this game and couldn't play any worse than they did in Week 3. The offense will rebound and it's unlikely Russell Wilson will be healthy enough to be effective even if he plays. Jets
Sanderson: Ryan Fitzpatrick had quite possibly the worst game of his career last Sunday and he gets to face Richard Sherman and the vaunted Seahawks defense this week. I'll take the team with the recent Super Bowl. Seahawks
McClymont: The prideful Jets are already motivated to atone for their embarrassing performance in Kansas City. They'll catch the Seahawks at the right time as they'll be without their offensive leader. Jets
Chiefs at Steelers
McClymont: Le'Veon Bell and Jamaal Charles return in the same game, but Bell is ready for a full workload while Charles is coming off ACL surgery. Steelers -5.5
Thomson: The Steelers are still a big favorite after laying an egg in Week 3 against the Eagles. It seems the Chiefs are steady enough to keep this game close and their pass defense should be plenty confident after six interceptions against the Jets. Chiefs +5.5
Sanderson: After falling to the rookie-led Eagles, the Steelers have something to prove, but the Chiefs are far from an easy win. Pittsburgh may get back in the win column, but it will be a close one. Take the points. Chiefs +5.5
Wild-Card Selections
Broncos at Buccaneers
Thomson: The Buccaneers are improving but still don't have enough firepower to overcome the best defense in the league. After a disappointing loss at home to the Rams in Week 3, it's hard to see them losing by less than a touchdown to the Super Bowl champs. Broncos -3
Titans at Texans
Sanderson: With the loss of J.J. Watt and an embarrassing showing on last week's TNF, the Texans' confidence is shot. The Titans don't go away easy and are looking to capitalize on a vulnerable division opponent with points to spare. Titans +6.5
Saints at Chargers
McClymont: The 0-3 Saints now have to fly to the West Coast and withstand Philip Rivers' aerial attack. Pretty sure their only healthy defensive back is 85-year-old Roman Harper. Chargers -3.5