Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season is now in view, so let's get started with our picks and score predictions for next week's games! Oh boy, was Week 3 entertaining or what? As I type out these words, two Monday Night Football games still have to be completed. The Jacksonville Jaguars face off against the Buffalo Bills, and the Washington Commanders face off against the Cincinnati Bengals.
These two games will conclude Week 3 of the 2024 NFL Season, but Week 4 will begin, as usual, with Thursday Night Football. At this point, teams are beginning to come into their own. The first two weeks of a given NFL season can sometimes be misleading, but we are now slowly approaching the one-quarter mark of the 2024 year.
As Weeks 4 and 5 slowly get underway, the true identities of these teams will be cemented. Let's get into our picks and score predictions for Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season.
2024 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 4 games
Dallas Cowboys (1-2) @ New York Giants (1-2)
Thursday, September 26th, 8:15 PM ET
The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of an interesting loss to the Baltimore Ravens. They nearly completed a late-game comeback, and while it was a worthwhile attempt, this Cowboys' defense has some serious issues. They seem physically incapable of stopping the run and also can't really run the ball themselves.
It's a pretty tough situation for this team to be it, and as of now, they feel more like an eight or nine-win team than anything else. The New York Malik Nabers proved me wrong in Week 3. I thought this was going to be a blowout loss for them, but they hung around and notched a crucial win against the Cleveland Browns, who have a Deshaun Watson problem.
I am still going to take the Dallas Cowboys in a shockingly close game to kickoff Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season. Dallas is the better team from top to bottom, and even though this game is away, my thoughts are that Dallas is going to come into this game with a clear game plan and will play a clean but close game.
Prediction: Cowboys win 24-21
New Orleans Saints (2-1) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
This feels like quite the evenly-matched game heading into Week 4. Oddly enough, the only NFC South team to win in Week 3 was the... *checks notes* ... Carolina Panthers. The Saints lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Falcons lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buccaneers lost to the Denver Broncos.
Well, unless there's a tie here, only one team can nab the victory. To me, I would give the Falcons a slight edge here. I actually trust Kirk Cousins a bit more than I do Derek Carr. The Saints offense came back down to earth in a big way in Week 3, and the Falcons really didn't play all that different from their Week 2 win.
The Saints have a lower floor but could possess a higher ceiling. Atlanta feels like the more steady team top to bottom, and this game being at home for the Falcons could lead them to earning a tight victory. Both teams would even out at 2-2 if Atlanta secured the home dub.
Prediction: Falcons win 28-21
Los Angeles Rams (1-2) @ Chicago Bears (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
How about the Los Angeles Rams? A fourth-quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers saved their season. The Rams, 49ers, and Arizona Cardinals are all 1-2, so the NFC West could be quite interesting. They travel to Chicago to face the Bears, who lost an ugly game to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.
The Bears' offense is just not working, and their below-average offensive line is going to doom this team and probably cost head coach Matt Eberflus his job at some point. Even with the LA Rams being as injured as they are, I do not see how this young Bears' team will be able to hold their own against the much more battle-tested LA Rams.
I would expect Matthew Stafford to lead the way here in a commanding Rams' victory in Week 4.
Prediction: Rams win 31-20
Minnesota Vikings (3-0) @ Green Bay Packers (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
Oh man, this could be the game of the week in Week 4. The Minnesota Vikings are firing on all cylinders, and their starting QB, Sam Darnold, is legitimately a favorite to win the MVP award through three games. Seriously, if the MVP had to be given out to someone today, there isn't a stronger argument than to give it to Darnold, who has eight touchdowns through three games.
The Vikings are undefeated and may face their biggest test of the season against the Green Bay Packers, who are 2-0 in starts by Malik Willis, who oddly looks amazing. I guess there are really legs to the idea that once cast-off QBs can truly succeed in the right situation.
My guess is that Jordan Love does end up coming back into the lineup for this game. The Vikings tossed aside the Houston Texans in Week 3, while the Packers took care of business against the lowly Tennessee Titans. From top to bottom, the Vikings do field the better roster on both sides of the ball, and I am not sure this Sam Darnold experience is a fluke at all.
The Packers being home at Lambeau field looms large in this one, but the Vikings feel like too good of a football team to not at least keep this game extremely close. Kevin O'Connell has done a flat-out insane coaching job. This is his third year with the Vikings and it feels like this is a coach who eventually wins a Super Bowl.
And if you want to think down the road even further, what do the Vikings do with Sam Darnold at the end of the season if he is still playing this well? Do they re-sign him and again keep JJ McCarthy on the bench? It isn't a bad situation to be in, but that thought popped into my head in Week 3.
The Vikings get the job done here.
Prediction: Vikings win 27-26
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Anthony Richardson has thrown six interceptions through three games and has completed less than 50% of his passes. He’s truly been terrible, and this may be a scenario where there may not be a path forward for the Colts and Richardson. I mean, this isn’t just “young QB” bad, this is bad.
The Colts have Joe Flacco as their backup, and I bet Flacco ends up being the starter soon. Indy has to play the fierce Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, which has held opponents to under 10 points per game through three games. The Colts’ run defense is also just horrible, so I envision the Steelers running the rock a ton and blowing out the Colts.
Prediction: Steelers win 31-13
Denver Broncos (1-2) @ New York Jets (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
The Denver Broncos may have put the league on notice a bit with their commanding victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They scored 26 points and sacked Baker Mayfield seven times. It was truly a complete performance from Sean Payton’s crew, but they may face their toughest test yet, as they’ll have to travel to MetLife to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets. While Rodgers isn’t quite as good as his pre-Achilles tear self, I would expect New York to win this game.
The Broncos could end up being a frisky team in 2024, but this game might just be too much for the young roster to handle. Starting quarterback Bo Nix was stellar on the day. He was responsible for over 250 yards and ran in a touchdown for the Denver Broncos.
It was his best game as a pro and the Broncos offense was humming all day. If the rookie can keep growing, the Broncos could end the year as one of the more complete teams in football and have a ton of promise heading into 2025.
Prediction: Jets win 24-13
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
In a rematch of one of the NFC Wild Card games from the 2023 NFL Season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bucs and Eagles both will come into this game with the same 2-1 record, but the Eagles seem to have some bigger issues. Their QB, Jalen Hurts, has been awful since Week 11 of the 2023 NFL Season.
He’s thrown 11 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and has eight fumbles. Hurts has an 81 passer rating since Week 11 of last year and just is not playing good football. He’s turning the ball over way too much and has never really been nearly as good as people think he is.
The Eagles have a quarterback problem, folks. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not. Baker Mayfield had a rough game against the Denver Broncos in Week 3, but the entire offense did, and this felt like a trap game for the Bucs the entire way.
I envision the much more polished Buccaneers holding down their home turf and getting themselves back on track a bit with a victory here.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 26-17
Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) @ Carolina Panthers (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
The Cincinnati Bengals play on Monday Night Football, and I bet they enter Week 4 with a 1-2 record. The Bengals love starting slow for some reason. It’s weird, but they always seem to put something together. However, after what we saw from the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, I am not sure this is going to be an easy game for the Bengals.
Former Bengals’ QB Andy Dalton is now the starter in Carolina, and he threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers’ Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. If the Panthers can play as good in Week 4 as they did in Week 3, they’ll win. Carolina hosts this game, so there is a bit of a home-field advantage.
Given that the Panthers and their fans may actually have something worthwhile to play for, do not be surprised if the home crowd even gets more into it.
Prediction: Panthers win 21-20
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) @ Houston Texans (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 1:00 PM ET
The Jacksonville Jaguars play on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills and look to save their season. The Jags risk starting 0-3, which is a death sentence in the NFL. Would head coach Doug Pederson be on the hot seat with a loss on MNF? I think so, honestly. Trevor Lawrence has not been great the last year and change, and he really hasn’t been nearly as good as many thought he’d be.
The Jags just feel a bit lost and are going to have some troubles in Week 3. Their Week 4 game isn’t much easier, as they travel to Houston to face the Texans. Could the Jaguars legitimately fall to 0-4 by this time next week? It seems insane, but it feels pretty likely, honestly.
This could cause some serious changes to happen in Duval, and could really have this team hanging by a thread.
After a tough Texans loss in Week 3 to the Vikings, they get back on track in Week 4.
Prediction: Texans win 34-21
Washington Commanders (1-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 4:05 PM ET
Both the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals are fun teams. The Commanders are starting a rookie QB in Jayden Daniels who has been solidly efficient as a passer this year thus far. He enters Monday Night Football with a passer rating approaching 100. He’s got to take better care of the football as a runner, but the Commanders could have something sustainable there.
The Cardinals fell to 1-2 on the season after a tough loss at home against the Detroit Lions. I am still high on the Cardinals as being a better team than people think in 2024. Kyler Murray is still playing out of his mind, and the Cardinals are going to even out their record in Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season.
Arizona is the better team at the moment.
Prediction: Cardinals win 29-17
New England Patriots (1-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 4:05 PM ET
There was truly no excuse for the San Francisco 49ers losing that game in Week 3 to the Los Angeles Rams, but here we are. The 49ers were reasonably in control for most of the game but fell behind late in the fourth quarter. The 49ers are shockingly 1-2 on the 2024 NFL Season and have already been plagued by the injury bug as well.
The New England Patriots enter this game with some extended rest after a tough Week 3 loss on Thursday Night Football. The Patriots and 49ers are clearly in different positions; New England is rebuilding from the ground up, while the 49ers have made two Super Bowl appearances since the 2019 NFL Season.
The 49ers truly need to play this game angry. I understand they entered Week 3 banged up, but the lead they had should not have been squandered the way it was. I would expect San Francisco to come into this game and take care of business.
Prediction: 49ers win 40-15
Cleveland Browns (1-2) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 4:25 PM ET
This is actually a hard game to predict. The Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders both lost in Week 3. The Browns could not stave off the New York Giants at home, and the Raiders got blown out by the Carolina Panthers. Both teams have clear weaknesses, but this may just end up being a game of who is less bad, honestly.
Both teams struggle at QB but have stingy defenses. I definitely trust Kevin Stefanski way more than I do Antonio Pierce, so the Browns could have an advantage there, but the Raiders have this game at home and could play with an edge that puts them over the top. Could this be a game where the Browns fall behind and actually turn to Jameis Winston to kickstart the offense?
I could definitely see Winston playing substantial snaps in this Week 4 contest. What the heck, let’s predict a Browns’ victory.
Prediction: Browns win 16-10
Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-1)
Sunday, September 29th, 4:25 PM ET
The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0, and this team always seems to be wrapped up in some questionable officiating decisions. They’ve scraped by against their first three opponents, recently taking down the Atlanta Falcons during Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
They will now travel to LA to face the Chargers, who endured their first loss of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers are most definitely a better and more disciplined team in 2024 than they have been in recent seasons, so I would not expect this game to be a blowout in favor of KC.
The Chiefs have played some sloppy football at times in 2024. Patrick Mahomes has thrown five touchdowns but has also thrown four interceptions and currently owns a pretty iffy 89.9 passer rating. Mahomes has put the ball in harm’s way quite a bit since the start of the 2023 NFL Season.
The Chargers might be a frisky enough team here in Week 4 to earn a victory. The Chiefs are barely winning their games but do have a formidable foe in their house, so the Chargers can win this game with a late field goal.
Prediction: Chargers win 27-24
Buffalo Bills (2-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-2)
Sunday, September 29th, 8:20 PM ET
The Buffalo Bills look to get to 3-0 on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, who probably saved their season against the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens risked starting 0-3, but I am not sure Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh were going to let that happen. The Ravens are not nearly as good as they were in 2023, but they are too good to be a bad team, if that makes sense.
Baltimore’s defense definitely misses former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, and I am not sure they will be able to contain Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense, who actually have a legitimate identity in 2024. To me, the Bills are the better football team at this point in time and can earn a victory here, potentially getting to 4-0 if they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on MNF.
Prediction: Bills win 31-26
Tennessee Titans (0-3) @ Miami Dolphins (1-2)
Monday, September 30th, 7:30 PM ET
The first of two Monday Night Football games; the Tennessee Titans look to avoid starting 0-4 against the Miami Dolphins, who are without starting QB Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, while the Titans again put up a sloppy performance, this time against the Green Bay Packers.
I am not sure the Will Levis era is going to go on for much longer. The Titans have a new coaching staff led by Brian Callahan, and it just does not feel like Levis has much of a future under Callahan. Tennessee may be cruising to a top-3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which may be high enough to take a QB like Carson Beck or Quinn Ewers.
The Dolphins have enough talent on both sides of the ball to hold off the Titans, even with a backup QB in the lineup. Tennessee is clearly one of the worst teams in the NFL and are probably not going to get much better.
Prediction: Dolphins win 20-13
Seattle Seahawks (3-0) @ Detroit Lions (2-1)
Monday, September 30th, 8:15 PM ET
The final game of Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season features the Seattle Seahawks traveling to Detroit to face the Lions. Both Seattle and Detroit did win in Week 3, but I have no idea why people are still this high on the Seahawks.
They barely scraped by against the Broncos and QB Bo Nix making his first NFL start, needed overtime to beat the New England Patriots, and were gifted a game against a backup QB in Week 3. This is the first legitimate quarterback and team that the Seahawks face.
The Detroit Lions are a very good football team and host Seattle, looking to get to 3-1 on the season. I would truly take the Lions 10/10 here. They’re a better team from top to bottom and most importantly have better quarterback play.
Give me the Lions at home.
Prediction: Lions win 30-21
There you have it, a full slate of picks and predictions for Week 4 of the 2024 NFL Season.