NFL Week 4 Preview - Early Games

Week 4 brings us our first bye week. If you're a fantasy owner, pay attention to these teams that are off: Arizona, Philadelphia, Carolina, and Atlanta. Adjust your roster accordingly.

Each time has an intriguing matchup. Today, I'm covering all the 1:00 PM games for Sunday.

Tampa Bay (0-3) @ Washington (1-2)

Tampa Bay: Head coach Raheem Morris shocked us by making a change at quarterback. In one week, Byron Leftwich goes from starter to #3. Josh Johnson will be at the helm of the Bucs offense for this matchup. Good luck. The Bucs are 25th overall in offense and are averaging only 13.7 points a game. The Bucs may be in even bigger trouble as RBs Derrick Ward (questionable, knee), Ernest Graham (probable, hamstring) and Cadillac Williams (probable, knee) are all nursing injuries. A running attack will be essential for the Bucs to stand a chance. And it's even worse on defense. The once vaunted Bucs D is 31st. It could be an extremely long day for Bucs fans even with the Redskins as their opponent.

Washington: Maybe this game will erase all the horrible memories of losing to the Detroit Lions. The offense will need to pick it up if that's to happen. The Redskins are averaging less points a game than the Bucs (13.3). QB Jason Campbell had a good stats week against the Lions. This bodes well as this may show that Campbell is gaining a tad of confidence. It better. RB Clinton Portis did not participate in practice this week due to a calf injury and the Redskins will need Portis to solidify a rushing attack if Campbell is to continue putting up decent numbers. Washington sits in the middle of the pack defensively and that may be all they need to pull off a win. If they cough up a win to the struggling Bucs, head coach Jim Zorn could be on the way out of D.C.

Baltimore (3-0) @ New England (2-1)

Baltimore: The Ravens have exploded on offense through the first three games in '09. Credit QB Joe Flacco for some of it. Did you ever think you'd see the day the Ravens had these stats? Take a look. Points per game: 34.3 (2nd), yards per game: 430.3 (2nd), pass yards a game: 273.7 (5th), rush yards a game: 156.7 (5th). Not your typical Ravens offense, is it? If the Ravens are to win this marquee matchup, it will be the defense (as usual) that will do it. And they must do it defending the pass. They are only 17th in the league in pass defense and you know the Pats will fill the air.

New England: The Pats showed a rebirth of their running game last week as they beat the Atlanta Falcons. RB Fred Taylor went over 100 yards against the Falcons, but I don't expect that this week. The Ravens are 1st defending the run. So, we turn to QB Tom Brady. No sweat. The Pats are 3rd in passing yards, but that could be a bit misleading because New England throws the ball so much. The pass seems to be a possible weakness of the Ravens D and Brady must exploit that in order to establish any form of a rush. But don't overlook the defense. Tha Pats are in the top 10 in points allowed (16.7, 7th), yards allowed (262.3, 6th), rushing yards (88.3, 10th), and passing yards (174.0, 6th). All this and "missing" seven starters from last year's unit. Amazing! Can you say plug and play?

Detroit (1-2) @ Chicago (2-1)

Detroit: The Lions finally got a win last week and it looks like the celebration will be short lived. While the stats aren't anything to write home about, the Lions are respectable considering a rookie quarterback is running the show. QB Matthew Stafford had his best game as a pro last week, but the best stat: no interceptions. If the Lions are to compete, that stat has to stay at 0. RB Kevin Smith had 101 yards against the Redskins, but the Bears D will be a tougher task. The defense will need to step up from last week. I know they won, but the D gave up too many passing yards to Jason Campbell. I said Jason Campbell, and now they have to contend with Jay Cutler. Considering the Lions are 30th against the pass...well, you get the idea.

Chicago: The Bears offensive stats will not blow you away. But if you look deeper, you can see QB Jay Cutler is adjusting. Da Bears are 13th in passing and Cutler has improved weekly. That spells doom for the Lions. Cutler's QB rating had improved each week (43.2 v. GB, 104.7 v. PIT, 126.4 v. SEA). That trend should continue, but RB Matt Forte has to get on track for the offense to become more balanced. Forte has yet to score a TD and last week was the first time that he went over 100 yards of total offense. If you gear up too much for Forte, Cutler will look for an unheralded group of receivers (Johnny Know, Devin Hester, and Earl Bennett) that continually impress. The defense is slowly returning to form that recently saw them in the Super Bowl. The main reason: head coach Lovie Smith is now at the controls. Even without LB Brian Urlacher, this D can still get you. Over the last couple of years, it was a common fact that you could pass on these guys. That's being corrected despite being banged up in the seconday.

Tennessee (0-3) @ Jacksonville (1-2)

Tennessee: What has happened to the Titans? I can see the loss to the Steelers in week 1, but to throw away a win against Houston in week 2 followed by a turnover fest in New York? It leaves you scratching your head. This week, the Titans will once again lean on RBs Chris Johnson and LenDale White...and they should. Tennessee is 6th in rushing with an average of 151 yards a game. It's the same as it's been since QB Kerry Collins has taken over as the starter...establish the run and then throw. But the Titans "downfall" can't be attributed to the offense. The D is allowing too many points. And the reason is the passing defense is 29th! The net must be tightened as Jags QB David Garrard is steady enough to exploit the Titans secondary. If you believe what LB Keith Bulluck said earlier in the week (his reference to sitting Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew if you're a fantasy owner), then look at the Titans rushing D. It's second.

Jacksonville: Once again the home folks won't get to see their Jags on TV. The Jags are coming off their first win of the season at the hands of the Houston Texans, and it was done almost entirely by RB Maurice Jones-Drew. QB David Garrard was excellent managing the game, but he must come forward as a passer this week. The Tians are vunerable against the pass and very strong against the run. Speaking of stepping up, how about the Jags D. The Titans won't normally beat you throwing the ball, but that may change this week. The Jags have the league's worst passing defense. A pass rush would help. The Jags only have three sacks. They are decent against the run so they will set it up to see if Titans QB Kerry Collins can beat them. If they go that route, cross your fingers Jags fans.

Oakland (1-2) @ Houston (1-2)

Oakland: QB JaMarcus Russell is hearing it. All indications are that he is not progressing and he's actually goping in reverse. This could be a game that Russell breaks out of his funk as the Texans offer the worst overall defense. RBs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are primed for explosive stat days against the NFL's worst running D. That could relieve a lot of pressure (and expectations) off of Russell. He better hope so. The Raiders are next to last (31st) in total offense. The fact that Russell does not have an established receiver to throw to isn't his fault, but team aere taking away his one reliable targetr, TE Zach Miller. After a good opening week against the Chargers, Miller only has two receptions. They were both last week against the Broncos. But the Raiders must find a way to stop RB Steve Slaton. They're not great against the run (28th).

Houston: On paper, it looks like the offense will have to win this game. The defense is the worst in the league and all the pressure falls to QB Matt Schaub. Or does it? This is a good week for RB Steve Slaton to discover what made him so effective last season. He showed some signs last week against Jacksonville and the Jags are decent against the run, but the Raiders are horrible at stopping the run. Look for the Texans to mix it up and keep the Raiders defense guessing, but Slaton is the key. The Raiders are stingy against the pass, and Slaton may be able to exploit that weakness of a rush defense. But the Texans have to contain a two headed monster (RBs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush) when they're on defense. From a defensive standpoint, this game will all hinge preventing the Raiders from running. Stop the run, maybe post another win.

Seattle (1-2) @ Indianapolis (3-0)

Seattle: QB Matt Hasselbeck will be sitting out again with a rib injury. Ts Walter Jones, Sean Locklear and LB Leroy Hill won't play either. These guys are banged up again this year. QB Seneca Wallace will once again lead a decent Seahawks offense. The Seahawks offense prove that stats can be misleading. They are in the top 15 in all major offensvie categories except one...scoring. They are 23rd. They can move the ball but not score TDs...or your kicker misses field goals as head coach Jim Mora sees it. That's the only real problem with the offense. The defense has played well, too. The only stat they are not in the top 15 is rushing defense. The Colts aren't going to scare you with their rush either. We've seen you can play an almost perfect game against Indy and still lose. Good luck, Seattle.

Indianapolis: We know how the offense goes. Give QB Peyton Manning two minutes and he'll scorch you. Just ask the Dolphins. The rush must continue to come around to keep Manning secure in the pocket. Those signs are evolving. The defense has let teams run the ball on them (a common and continual problem) and they are still 3rd in points allowed. If you get in the redzone on the Colts D, you have to get a TD. It's that simple. Manning will get his 250-300 yards, but you must score on the D to have hope.

Cincinnati (2-1) @ Cleveland (0-3)

Cincinnati: One thing that kind of jumps out at you: RB Cedric Benson is third in the NFL in rushing. That help QB Carson Palmer and the rest of the offense. It will keep the opponent honest. The Begals are that infamous fluke play away from being 3-0. They play like they have forgotten that. That's a sign of maturity and good coaching. The Bengals staff as a whole is underrated. The offense has been steady with both the pass and rush so you can't gear toward one. It's the same on defense, not spectacular on any one stat but the job gets done.

Cleveland: So QB Derek Anderson takes over for Brady Quinn. Will it matter? Most likely, no. The Browns just do not have the personnel. They can't score. They can't pass. They can't run. It's the same on defense. The only stat in which the Browns are not in the bottom three is pass defense. They are 16th. You gotta start somewhere.

New York Giants (3-0) @ Kansas City (0-3)

Giants: The Giants are the most complete offensive team in the league. They can run at you with RBs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. They have a steady QB in Eli Manning. Add the fact that Manning has found receivers, and the Giants are a legit offensive threat. The O gets overshadowed by the D. And that's they way the Giants beat you. But this is a trap game for New York. For the second week in a row, the Giants havbve an opponent they should easily handle. The same for next week (Oakland). Head coach Tom Coughlin won't let that happen, but the Giants do have a weakness...stopping the run. They are only 20th. Hmmm.

Kansas City: Admit it. There's no way the Chiefs can pull off the upset. They're in the bottom third of every category both offensively and defensively. There's been recent "talk" of head coach Todd Haley not being hesitant to "bench" QB Matt Cassel. Well, he can't do so now. The Chiefs traded QB Tyler Thigpen to the Dolphins and that leaves Brodie Croyle as the backup. WR Dwayne Bowe is out with a hamstring issue so the pass attack is limited. Like it would matter.