NFL 2015 Week 4 Gameplan

Third week was the charm!

#TheNU got over the hump, finishing Week 3 at 11-5 after back-to-back 6-10 weeks. Of course, 5 down still can be better. So let’s get into a Week 3 review:

– The Ravens lost a barnburner to the Bengals, because those teams always play it close. It’s like Ravens/Steelers Jr.! (More on #TNF in a moment.)  Bengals WR A.J. Green had the game of his career so far, racking up 10 receptions for 227 yards and 2 TD. That’s one of the top-3 receiving games by anybody over the last five years.

– The Raiders won on the road for the first time since November 2013 at Houston, riding RB Latavius Murray to 139 rushing yards in a win at Cleveland. That 2013 game at Houston was also the last time a Raiders back went over 130 rushing yards in a game (Rashad Jennings).

– The Falcons have an MVP candidate through three games, and it’s WR Julio Jones. He caught 12 of 20 passes for 164 yards and 2 TD in a comeback win in Dallas, and Jones has more catches after three weeks than anybody in NFL history (34).

– Edward Jones Dome caught on fire, and the Steelers lost QB Ben Roethlisberger to a knee injury. The Rams were unable to score a TD at home against the Steelers, as Pittsburgh held a for under 200 passing yards for the first time in 9 games.

– The best pass defense through three weeks is that of the Denver Broncos, who intercepted Lions QB Matthew Stafford twice in a win at Ford Field. For the season, the Broncos have allowed an NFL-low 1 TD pass in 102 attempts, while intercepting 6 passes.

Now we have teams on bye weeks every week until Thanksgiving. We start with the Patriots and Titans:

New England: The Patriots are at 3-0 for the 2nd time in 3 years. In 2013, QB Tom Brady struggled with an all-new receiving corps on the team’s way to a 4-0 start. This year, Brady is cooking, throwing 9 TD passes without an INT after having a 4-game suspension thrown out right before the start of the season. The AFC East is the only division with 3 teams above .500 after three weeks, but the Patriots are still head and shoulders above the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins right now.

Tennessee: The Titans won their first game of the season this year and last year. The Titans wound up winning only one more time the rest of the season after Week 1 last year. Things should be better with rookie QB Marcus Mariota (8 TD, 2 INT, 109.2 passer rating), but the defense needs to be better in the 4th quarter (allowing 11.7 4th quarter points per game, ranked 29th).

2015 #NFL Week 4 picks (11-5 in Week 3, -2 for 2015): BAL, NYJ, ATL, BUF, CHI, CIN, IND, TB, PHI, CLE, ARI, DEN, GB, DAL, SEA

— Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 30, 2015

Baltimore at Pittsburgh: Here were my thoughts before the game Thursday night ->

Article out postgame for Week 4 … For #TNF… watch #Ravens NT Brandon Williams. Run D key to making things tough on backup #Steelers QB/C

— Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 2, 2015

Well, the Ravens gave up 100 rushing yards to a RB for the first time in almost 2 years. Fortunately, for them, they have a reliable kicker.

New York Jets vs Miami: The Jets are good enough in the front 7 to overwhelm the Dolphins OL; heads may roll if the Jets have success moving the ball.

Houston at Atlanta: The Texans aren’t getting enough big plays from non-Watt defenders; Atlanta QB Matt Ryan should have another big day throwing to WR Julio Jones if that’s the case again.

New York Giants at Buffalo: The Bills have to host yet another team coming off an extended rest; if Bills rookie RB Karlos Williams can continue his solid start, it will take pressure off a Buffalo offense missing WR Sammy Watkins.

Oakland at Chicago: Two straight road wins for the Raiders is definitely in sights, but I think this is the week that the Bears realize it’s RB Matt Forte’s show.

Kansas City at Cincinnati: The Chiefs haven’t won in Cincinnati in more than 30 years, losing their last 4 games there; now they have to stop A.J. Green on a short week.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: The Jaguars were the last team in the AFC South to beat the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium; even with Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck ailing (shoulder), the Colts should be fine as long as CB Vontae Davis tracks Jaguars WR Allen Robinson.

Carolina at Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers better watch Carolina TE Greg Olsen so they get the home win they need; other than their 13-game L streak to begin their franchise history, this current 10-game L streak at home is their longest in franchise history.

Philadelphia at Washington: The Eagles are going to avoid Hurricanes Joaquin, DeSean, and RGIII, but they need QB Sam Bradford to hit a deep ball. ¹

Cleveland at San Diego: The underachieving Cleveland front 7 is facing a San Diego OL that has one starter at full strength (RT Joe Barksdale); San Diego QB Philip Rivers is taking a lot of hits early this season.

Saint Louis at Arizona: Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald already has 3 more TD receptions this season than he had in all of 2014, and if he keeps it going, then the Rams will be hardpressed to keep up with their lackluster pass offense.

Minnesota at Denver: The Broncos are going to stack the box and dare Minnesota QB Teddy Bridgewater to beat the best secondary in the NFL.

Green Bay at San Francisco: Jim Harbaugh isn’t here anymore, and reigning MVP Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers hasn’t won in San Francisco yet; this could get ugly if San Francisco’s secondary doesn’t find their form from Week 1.

Dallas at New Orleans: The Saints may get QB Drew Brees back, but this is a big opportunity for Dallas QB Brandon Weeden to secure the short-term starter’s role, as New Orleans has allowed 6 TD passes without an INT this season.

Detroit at Seattle: The Seahawks are coming off a shutout and are facing a supremely confused offense that can’t protect QB Matthew Stafford; also, it’s been almost 8 years since the Seahawks lost a regular season prime time game in Seattle.

From Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin: #MNF vs the @Lions this week with my boy @ShowtimeTate coming back to town. How do you think the game will play out?” (Twitter/DougBaldwinJr)