NFL Week 4 — Top 3 Games to Watch

With Week 4 of the NFL 2017 season underway, we give you the three most interesting games to watch this Sunday night. Only the Chiefs and the Falcons are heading into Week 4 without a loss. All the rest of the playoff favorites have made at least one mistake. Speaking of mistakes, last week’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens proved that anything is possible.

The 2-0 Ravens were destroyed by the Jags (44-7) at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Only the huge effort by WR Benjamin Watson in the fourth quarter saved the Baltimore team from recording 0 points. Now in Week 4 they face their ancient rival, the Steelers, in an intense battle.

 

3.  Los Angeles Rams (2-1) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)

 

With a 2-1 record, both teams are sitting in first place of their divisions and will be looking to get their third season victory in order to keep their lead in Week 4. Both teams know each other very well, as they have guys on their staff that were head coaches for the opposing team. Rams’ defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was the Cowboys’ head coach for three years and Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Scott Linehan led the Rams for two years.

Best Offensive Line in the NFL

 

The Cowboys have the homefield advantage and arguably the best offense in the league. We saw them with and without their superstar runningback, Ezekiel Elliott. Now that his six-game suspension is delayed once again, we expect him to give the Rams a hard time. Despite the stress that comes with the lawsuit, Ezekiel is showing great concentration on the field with nearly 200 yards so far. It is amazing how toothless the best offense in the NFL can be without Big Zeke.

But it is also amazing to see how in such hard times new heroes emerge. We saw the QB Dak Prescott get better under pressure than he was during last season and he doesn’t fear getting out of the pocket. The acrobatic touchdown against the Cardinals in Week 3 proved he’s ready to take off the Clark Kent glasses at any time and become the superman for his team.

The Los Angeles Rams are not the favorite for this game but they are not the underdog either. They are the NFL’s highest scoring team, with 107 points for 3 games. The Rams have young and emerging players in key positions, such as the 22-year-old QB Jared Goff, WR Sammy Watkins (24yo), and RB Todd Gurley (23yo). The Los Angeles Rams’ results are proof that there is a huge difference a coaching genius like Sean McVay can make in a certain team’s performance.

2.  Detroit Lions (2-1) at Minnesota Vikings (2-1)

 

The mighty Lions are heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to face one of the biggest challenges in front of them — the Vikings. The US Bank Stadium, known as «The Ship» will be the arena of the fight for the NFC North dominance. For now the Packers are leading the division but both the Lions and the Vikings have the chance to move atop.

The Vikings have the homefield advantage and the massive horn of «The Ship» is on standby to produce its glorious sound after every successful touchdown. The team from Minnesota has not one, but two great quarterbacks — Sam Bradford and Case Keenum. Keenum made a lot of NFL fantasy players happy last week, passing for 369 yards in the game against Tampa Bay. Selected by many as a backup QB, he is now among the leading fantasy points scorers and will continue the trend in Week 4.

The Vikings are the sixth-most efficient team so far this season. One of their biggest weapons is the rookie RB Dalvin Cook, drafted from Florida State in the 2017 NFL Draft. Dalvin Cook has rushed for 288 yards in the three games so far.

The Lions’ biggest hope is their QB Matthew Stafford, who is emerging as a true leader. His salary was raised and the guy earns his money. The key to the Lions’ success though, is the run game. Stafford is not superhuman and it’s hard to say how long he is going to carry his team. The Minnesota defense is tough and physical — a big thread for the Detroit QB’s health. If we see the run game with RB Ameer Abdullah improved to be more explosive, the Vikings will have a hard time defending the whole width of the field.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1)

 

The most interesting game to watch on our list is the ancient rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers. Each year both teams battle for dominance in the AFC North division. It’s the same for season 2017. Both teams are 2-1 so far and the rest of the division, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, have 3 losses each. This makes the rivalry game more important than ever.

The team from Baltimore is ready to not only receive their biggest NFL enemy, but also to clear their name of the shameful 44-7 loss to the Jaguars during the first 2017 international game at Wembley Stadium, London. The «purple birds» were dominated the whole game which raises flags about their overall performance. The Steelers are also coming off a surprising loss though. Ben’s crew allowed an overtime loss to the Bears in Week 3.

The Steelers defense is one of the best this season. The guys in black and yellow have an affinity for cross-blitzes but the Bears found a way to neutralize it with specially designed runs.

The Steelers are the favorites for this year’s rivalry but they don’t have the homefield advantage and any mistakes will be punished. The Ravens will be looking to compensate their fans for the previous loss so we are about to see a great game on Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET.