If you have the guts to feel like your favorite NFL team is losing in Week 4, it might be time to look away.
Absolutely nothing in the NFL is guaranteed on a weekly basis, which is why we all watch in the first place. But that won’t stop us from making bold declarations and predictions for the coming week of action.
There are a handful of games in what has been an absolutely amazing Week 4 schedule of the NFL season, and after dissecting each matchup, there are a handful of teams that my gut tells me: Oh yes. They lost.
At the risk of having egg on my face after the week (not the first time), here are the three teams I really think about certainly lose this week.
NFL Week 4 predictions: 3 teams ‘guaranteed’ to lose their matchups
1. Carolina Panthers (vs. Lions)
When I put together my full NFL picks and predictions for this week, news had not yet broken about the Carolina Panthers placing both starting cornerbacks — Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson — on injured reserve.
Playing against the Detroit Lions, one of the best passing attacks in the entire league, it will be difficult for the Panthers to overcome the loss of two fantastic cornerbacks.
Remember, this is a Panthers team that also gave up 59 points in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Even though with both Horn and Jackson, they were shredded on the edge of the ball. It will take a ridiculous and unexpected effort from that Carolina defense to stop the Lions this week.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Packers)
It’s very rare to see multiple home teams in these “guaranteed to lose” posts every week. Usually, we pick the big underdogs on the road to be sort of the low-hanging fruit in this category.
The Buccaneers have one of two directions they can go this week.
The first direction, and the preferred direction for their fan base, is rallying backup QB and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, who will officially become the first rookie QB to start a game this season. That, in itself, is kind of hilarious considering this year’s rookie class includes a #1 overall pick, Heisman winner, National Championship winner at the QB position.
Daniels may shock the world, but do we expect that to happen against a desperate Green Bay Packers team? The Packers have been so incredible this season that they are only a 3.5 point favorite against a rookie UDFA at quarterback. Shocking.
However, I’m picking the Packers to win this easily. We’ll see how interesting Daniels can make it, if at all.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Rams)
You know what? Maybe we’ll go three-for-three.
For the first time in my history of doing these weekly posts about teams guaranteed to lose, I’m picking three home teams. That’s an unofficial tally, but I’m 99.9 percent sure it’s the first time.
The Philadelphia Eagles are another team I look up to, and I just don’t see it this year. Of course, their loss against the Chicago Bears was an eye opener. They dominated on both sides of the ball. But even before that disaster on a national stage, there were signs.
The Eagles had just 10 first downs in their win over Washington in Week 1. They needed a late comeback to beat the Titans. Now, they face a 1-2 Rams team with their backs against the wall.
I usually don’t like to predict West Coast teams to travel East, play in the 1:00 PM ET window, and get wins. That’s historically made for some pretty straightforward matchups that look…no so straightforward. But in this case, I’m pretty confident about the Eagles beating the Rams, more than I’m confident about the Rams beating the Eagles.
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