NFL Week 4 Preview

Week 3 of the 2024 NFL regular season is in the rearview mirror, and what a week it was. Once again, we saw massive upsets across the league, with multiple teams winning as underdogs of over 5.5 points, including stunning victories for the Panthers, Broncos and Rams, who rallied from down double digits in the final five minutes of the game to knock off the 49ers as seven-point underdogs. 

How will NFL Week 4 follow that madness? Well, it should begin with a compelling matchup on Thursday Night Football, as the New York Giants host a reeling Dallas Cowboys team in a pivotal early-season NFC East clash for both sides.

As we dive into the Week 4 slate head-on, it’s time to take a look at each of the games and target our three best bets for this weekend’s excellent schedule of games. Much like a week ago, our picks include a home underdog — in keeping with the theme of this NFL season so far — plus a couple of short favorites in good spots that we trust to get it done. Let’s get into our NFL predictions and best bets for NFL Week 4.

Arizona Cardinals -3.5 (-105) over Washington Commanders

One of the best situational spots on the board this week comes in the NFC, where the Washington Commanders are coming off their best moment on a national stage in some time after knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football to cap off Week 4.

Not only does Jayden Daniels look like the quarterback of the future in Washington, but the coaching staff has been surprisingly competent to this point, giving fans real optimism for the present and future. However, the hype train on the Commanders could slow down quite a bit after this weekend’s game in Arizona. 

This is a terrific matchup for the Cardinals offense, as Washington’s defense is one of the weakest in the NFL, particularly in the secondary. That should be music to the ears of Kyler Murray and rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Jr, who should feast against a very suspect group of cornerbacks on the outside. 

Even if Trey McBride ends up sitting this one out with a concussion, Arizona should still see success over the middle of the field thanks to Greg Dortch, who has proven himself as a very solid option out of the slot as well. The Cardinals can also hang their hat on the fact that their defense played very well in the second half against the Lions, who have a much better offensive line than what Arizona will see on Sunday. 

This line was two points higher before last Monday’s win for Washington, so we’re undoubtedly getting some value on the current number. Let’s back Arizona to cover this short number at home and improve to 2-2 on the season.

Green Bay Packers -2.5 (-110) over Minnesota Vikings

One of the more consequential games of the weekend comes in the NFC North, as the Green Bay Packers will host the red-hot Minnesota Vikings in a matchup that could go a long way into determining NFC playoff positioning down the road.

Minnesota has been a tremendous story this season, but we’re not sure that makes the Vikings a great team. Sam Darnold has impressed in his first three games of the season, and the offense appears to be just fine even without the services of Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. With that said, this is a great time to sell high on Minnesota in a very difficult divisional matchup. 

Jordan Love is expected to return under center for the Packers, and that instantly makes this Green Bay offense one of the best in football. Love has also seen plenty of success against Brian Flores in his time in Minnesota, finishing with over 250 yards and three touchdowns in the most recent meeting between these teams a season ago.

There’s also the matter of the Packers' defense under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who has instantly improved on a unit that was one of the worst in football in 2023. Darnold will have to deal with an aggressive defensive front that isn’t afraid to bring pressure and just racked up a whopping eight sacks against the Titans in Week 3. That could easily rattle a quarterback who has historically not fared well under pressure.

Overall, Green Bay is in a great position to knock off Minnesota and bring expectations back to reality for this Vikings squad.

Indianapolis Colts +2 (-110) vs Pittsburgh Steelers

For our final pick on the Week 3 slate, we’ll be taking the Indianapolis Colts +2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

We’ve reached the peak of the market on the Steelers at this point, as Pittsburgh enters the week riding off the high of three consecutive victories to open the season. However, upon further examination, it’s not like the Steelers beat a murderers’ row of offenses to this point. 

In Week 1, Pittsburgh knocked off the Falcons as short underdogs in Kirk Cousins’ first game following an Achilles tear. The following week, the Steelers dispatched Bo Nix in his second career start at the NFL level. Finally, Pittsburgh beat the undefeated Chargers in Week 3, but Justin Herbert was injured in that game and left in the third quarter after reaggravating his preexisting ankle injury. 

Therefore, while the Colts aren’t exactly one of the best teams in the AFC, Indianapolis does have a very sharp offensive coach catching points at home in a game that could thrust the Colts back in the mix in the early season AFC playoff picture. 

Anthony Richardson has been tantalizing yet frustrating to watch, but Jonathan Taylor looks as good as ever, and he should be able to see success behind this Colts offensive line. As long as Richardson can reign in his aggressiveness just a bit in the passing game, the Colts should do enough to stay right with Pittsburgh’s middling offense. 

This one should be a tight, low-scoring affair, so let’s take Indianapolis with the points on Sunday.

Read More:

• Top Teams Heading Into Week 4 of the NFL
• Best NFL Week 4 Parlay Bets