NFL week 4: Best bets and top picks for Sunday’s action

Week 4 of the NFL season is already here, and there have been surprises galore so far.

After adding star wideout Davante Adams, the Las Vegas Raiders are off to the worst start in the league (0-3). The Denver Broncos, now led by Russell Wilson, have fallen back into an uninspiring 2-1 record.

Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a shocking 2-1 and possess not only one of the league’s top defenses and boast one of the NFL’s fiercest run defenses. Even beyond these teams, there is a surprising amount of apparent parity in the league with just one undefeated team left — though it is still early.

Week 4’s matchups figure to be among the most exciting yet, and we have some of the best bets and top picks to help you join the action!

NFL Week 4 best bets

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints

The Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints kick off Sunday’s NFL action in the league’s first international game of the season.

Minnesota boasts a 2-1 record with victories over two division rivals, the Green Bay Packers and, most recently, the Detroit Lions. Removing the shellacking the Vikings took at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota has exhibited a balanced attack both by air and by land. They’ve yet to separate themselves from the rest of the NFL, but they may not have to in order to win in Week 4.

The key to this game will be how New Orleans’ replacement players fair in the spotlight. The Saints have been beaten up all season long, but Sunday will be the team’s most difficult challenge yet as they will be without three key players (Michael Thomas, Andrus Peat, and Marcus Maye) and possibly even more.

Quarterback Jameis Winston is listed as doubtful, so there’s a solid chance that Andy “The Red Rocket” Dalton spends most, if not all, of the game under center. Star running back Alvin Kamara and wideout Jarvis Landry are also listed as questionable.

If for nothing else but the lack of available starters, expect Minnesota to cover against the Saints.

Best Bet: Minnesota Vikings cover the spread -3 (-110) | Caesars Sportsbook

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Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The 2-1 Jacksonville Jaguars will make the trip to the City of Brotherly Love this Sunday to face the Philadelphia Eagles — the last undefeated team in the NFL.

Jacksonville’s improvement under Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson has been one of the pleasant stories of the young season. The secret to their success is simple, building through the trenches and formulating an offensive gameplan to get young quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a rhythm early.

Jacksonville focuses on their strong dual-back running attack while working the short and the intermediate areas of the field, rarely risking a deep throw. Because of this, the Jaguars are one of the top teams in the league when it comes to protecting the ball. They currently rank second in interception percentage and have only fumbled once — which they recovered.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, has been a group that has flipped the script from last season when they led the NFL in total rushing yards. This season, the Birds have chosen to attack their opponents threw the air. They’ve been able to do so as quarterback Jalen Hurts has begun to look the part of a franchise cornerstone — with much credit due to star receiver A.J. Brown.

The plot twist that works against Philadelphia, however, will be the weather conditions. While Sunday’s rain is expected to be light, it will be consistent. Even more impactful will be the wind, which will maintain around 10-15 MPH with gusts as strong as 30-35 MPH.

Any semblance of an aerial attack will likely be affected by the conditions and will change the game plan — more so for Philadelphia than Jacksonville.

It may not be enough to give Jacksonville a complete advantage, but it should affect the total score, which likely would not have been overly high, to begin with.

Best Bet: Jacksonville/Philadelphia u45.5 (-110) | BetMGM Sportsbook

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Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers

Early on in 2022, the Los Angeles Rams have not looked like the Super Bowl champions they were in 2022. That’s not completely unexpected, though, as repeating in the NFL is extremely difficult — nearly unnatural even.

The Rams are feeling the losses of Von Miller, Darious Williams, Robert Woods, and most importantly, future Hall of Fame left tackle Andrew Whitworth.

As much as the Rams do not look like themselves, however, the same can be said — to a higher degree even — about the San Francisco 49ers.

After choosing Trey Lance to be their starting quarterback for the 2022 season, the 49ers were forced to turn back to former starter Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 2. Initially, Garoppolo played as he always did, adequately. Against a true defensive test in Denver, however, Jimmy G crumbled.

Taking four sacks and throwing an interception while also pulling a Dan Orlovsky, Jimmy Garoppolo showed that he still cannot elevate the San Francisco 49ers; he can only manage them. Without a tenacious defense and a strong offensive line, the 49ers will struggle, which brings us to the injury report for Monday’s game.

Starting off the list of crucial names injured is star offensive tackle Trent Williams, who will miss Monday’s game due to a high-ankle sprain. The Rams may not have Von Miller anymore, but without Williams on the other side, they may not need him.

The 49ers also are at risk of both Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw missing the primetime matchup as both did not participate on Thursday. One may still play, and both may even play, but the odds of them being 100% are not incredibly likely.

With health and the quarterback battle on their side, expect the Los Angeles Rams to go into Levi’s stadium and come out with the win in a Monday night matchup.

Best Bet: Los Angeles Rams moneyline (+110) | PointsBet Sportsbook

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 19: Philadelphia Eagles Cornerback Darius Slay (2) reacts after making an interception in the fourth quarter during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles on September 19, 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)