NFL 2007 Forecast: Week 4

Before every baseball season, you can always count on the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, Mets, Cardinals, and any National League West team vying for the post-season. The NBA has sixteen playoff spots so unless your team has a very frugal owner and/or players that are more concerned about how many tatoos and videos they can produce, then you're in.

One of the greatest characteristics of the National Football League is its parity. That unpredictable and shifty element is what adds to the thrilling and unbridled nature of this hallowed game. All it takes is an injury, attitude, or uncanny timing on or off the field to alter the landscape of the NFL from week to week.

From prognosticators to fantasy football owners, decisions and forecasts during every off-season are governed by hype and what is perceived to be common sense until this mercurial factor slithers in unrecognized and then strikes when you aren't looking.

Yes, it's frustrating and tempts you to rear back like Roger Clemens and fire your beer bottle through your TV set, but that is exactly what makes this game very unique and irresistible.

While New England, Indianapolis, Denver, Buffalo, Atlanta, and Cleveland (Oh, don't bring up the 51-point fiasco!) are strolling down the path many thought they were, there are others on the other side of the ridge that are sliding towards the cliff's edge. New Orleans and St. Louis at 0-3? Chicago and San Diego at 1-2? The jury is still out on the 1-2 Eagles as they might have blasted their way back to prominence after last week's clubbing of a very good Detroit team.

Every week in any NFL season, anything can happen.

What will happen this week?

• Green Bay Packers (3-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-2): FOX, 1pm EST - Pandamonium is sweeping across Cheeseland as The Pack are undefeated, and their immortal field general Brett Favre is having a historic season and playing like he's 25. One more TD pass, which should come vs. this Vikings bleak secondary, and he'll break Dan Marino's all-time record. Too bad it couldn't be in Lambeau. EDDIE'S PICK - GREEN BAY
• Chicago Bears (1-2) at Detroit Lions (2-1): FOX, 1pm EST - A potent offense in Motor City? As hard as it is to believe this unit is ranked #3 in the league in total offense and appears to be getting sharper with each game, but they face a Bears defense that is historically smothering. Oh wait, that is exactly what was said last week before the Dallas game. EDDIE'S PICK - DETROIT
• St. Louis Rams (0-3) at Dallas Cowboys (3-0): FOX, 1pm EST - This maimed Rams squad limps into Texas Stadium to see if they can catch the Cowboys sleeping. This is the same Dallas team that bludgeoned some Bears over the weekend. What do you think they'll do to a flock of wounded sheep? EDDIE'S PICK - DALLAS
• Baltimore Ravens (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-2): CBS, 1pm EST - The old Browns visit the new Browns as RB Jamal Lewis welcomes his former team to his new home turf as a denizen of the city of Cleveland. It's going to be very difficult for the Browns to run against the top-ranked run defense in the league so they will probably try to air it out like they did against Cincy. Not a good idea either. EDDIE'S PICK - BALTIMORE
• Oakland Raiders (1-2) at Miami Dolphins (0-3): CBS, 1pm EST - Now, this is just plain mean. QB Daunte Culpepper is rumored to be starting his first NFL game for the Raiders vs. the team that dumped him last season and allowed him to sign with Oakland. Dolphins QB Trent Green is 10-2 against the Raiders from all those years with KC in the AFC West. Both teams have sputtering offenses and average defenses while Miami has won the last six meetins. EDDIE'S PICK - MIAMI
• NY Jets (1-2) at Buffalo Bills (0-3): CBS, 1pm EST - If Buffalo loses anymore players to injury (and I'm not including Kevin Everett), there will be no one left on the sidelines but the coaches. EDDIE'S PICK - NY JETS
• Houston Texans (2-1) at Atlanta Falcons (0-3): CBS, 1pm EST - A very risky decision occurred earlier this year when the Falcons traded back-up QB Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans. Had they been able to look in a crystal ball and see Bad Newz Kennels, they wouldn't have made the deal. Instead, Schaub is leading a revitalized Texans team and faces his former teammates who are blessed to have Joey Harrington. EDDIE'S PICK - HOUSTON
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-1): FOX, 4:05pm EST - These two NFC South squads are having very similar seasons in the early going. Both offenses have been effective relying on the run while each defense has held its own despite some serious holes. Carolina's defense needs to plug the leak where points are streaming in at a 22.3 points/game pace, and Tampa has had some difficulty stopping the run. Carolina has won seven of the last eight. EDDIE'S PICK - CAROLINA
• Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-1): FOX, 4:05pm EST - The game plan is simple for the Niners as they welcome their division rival who they swept last season: Give the ball to Frank Gore. Seattle's run defense isn't great and QB Alex Smith is digressing. But, Seattle has the more balanced team and will hope that Shaun Alexander's broken wrist won't come into play. The Niners offense is just pitiful. EDDIE'S PICK - SEATTLE
• Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2): CBS, 4:15pm EST - Barring any type of serious injury to a key player or a complete meltdown, Pittsburgh should dominate this battle in the desert. Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt grew as a coach under Bill Cowher but was spurned when Mike Tomlin was hired to run the Steelers. QB Ben Roethlisberger is 11-1 vs. the NFC in his career. EDDIE'S PICK - PITTSBURGH
• Denver Broncos (2-1) at Indianapolis Colts (3-0): CBS, 4:15pm EST - Denver is the luckiest and maybe the worst 2-1 team in the league right now. You have to stop the run (or have one dynamic offense like Indy's) to win in this league. They are giving up 166 yards rushing/game, and the last I heard there was a guy by the name of Joseph Addai who is finding the end zone this year and has a horseshoe on his helmet. EDDIE'S PICK - INDIANAPOLIS
• Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-2): CBS, 4:15pm EST - After three games last season, the Chargers had given up 23 points. So far this year, they've allowed 72. The cure to this drainage just might lie playing at home vs. an inept KC offense. San Diego's squad isn't exactly dazzling either, and they'll find it difficult to change out of their Clark Kent costumes and get those capes flying vs. the league's #4 ranked defense. The Chargers are also missing their blue-collar instinct but time will tell if it's just lost or gone forever. EDDIE'S PICK - SAN DIEGO
• Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) at NY Giants (1-2): NBC, 8:15pm EST - The G-men are on life support already playing with banged-up receivers and unproven RB's led by a lukewarm QB. Their defense is riddled with holes, and the team is being coached by a man on the hottest seat in sports. Not to mention, they get to play their hated rival who are red-hot coming off their offensive explosion last week. This could get real ugly. EDDIE'S PICK - PHILLY
• New England Patriots (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2): ESPN, 8:30pm EST, MNF - For Cincy to prove to their fans and America that they are to be taken seriously as one of the AFC's elite teams, they must take care of business against the smoking hot Patriots. I was laughing just typing that. EDDIE'S PICK - NEW ENGLAND

BYE: TENNESSEE, WASHINGTON, NEW ORLEANS, JACKSONVILLE

STANDINGS:
Cris Collinsworth: 11-5, 35-13
Cris Carter: 11-5, 33-15
Eddie Chinn: 13-3, 33-15
Bob Costas: 10-6, 31-17
Dan Marino: 10-6, 31-17
*Sean Salisbury: 7-9, 28-20
Chris Mortensen: 9-7, 27-21

*Joe Thiesmann has been removed from the ESPN expert picks list for some reason. I am not complaining a bit and will replace him with Sean Salisbury in the standings. Salisbury is an ex-NFL QB who is cocky and thinks he's an actor.