Entering Week 4 of the NFL season, we enter with an unblemished 9-0 record after wins by Buffalo, Kansas City, and Indianapolis last weekend. There are seven undefeated teams in the NFL, but two of them will clash in Week 4 so that number will be reduced entering Week 5.
In the American Football Conference (AFC), the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, and the Los Angeles Chargers are perfect at 3-0, while the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter Week 4 without any losses in the National Football Conference (NFC). Philadelphia battles Tampa Bay in the afternoon window, so that NFC number of unbeaten squads will not be the same next week.
With that said, our goal here is to survive and advance. If you’ve followed my advice, you are still alive and well in your survivor pool and/or elimination challenge. Let’s try to get you that Week 4 win by sleuthing out the best game choices this week so that you can continue playing into the second month of the NFL campaign.
Detroit Lions (vs. Cleveland Browns)
After being shut down by the Green Bay Packers in their season opening loss, the Detroit Lions have responded by scoring 90 points in two games – a 52-21 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 2 and a 38-30 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. QB Jared Goff has completed 78% of his passes this season for a total of 761 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he will be facing the 4th-best defense against the pass as the Cleveland Browns defense has allowed 147 YPG through three games. Can the veteran QB carve up another quality NFL defense in Week 4?
Goff should have some help from the Lions dual threat rushing attack of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs has received the heavier workload with 180 yards on 43 carries, while Montgomery has slashed defenses for 233 yards on 34 rushing attempts. Both running backs have entered the painted turf three times to secure a touchdown for Detroit in 2025.
The Browns prevailed 13-10 over Green Bay on a game-winning field goal from kicker Andre Szmyt as time expired to secure their first win of the season. Cleveland’s defense neutralized the Packers in the second half which allowed QB Joe Flacco to lead the 13-point comeback victory in the fourth quarter. Cleveland will not want to replicate that gameplan against a talented Detroit squad who is expected to score more than 10 points at home.
Los Angeles Chargers (vs. New York Giants)
The Chargers have defeated each member of the AFC West division in their opening three contests. Now, they square off against a winless New York Giants squad in the classic “trap game” on the NFL schedule following a gauntlet against divisional foes. The Chargers have averaged 23 points per game (PPG) in their three wins this season, while the Giants defense have conceded nearly 28 PPG. It might be a very tall task to ask a rookie QB for at least three touchdown drives in his first opportunity to sling the football against against NFL defenses.
If Jaxson Dart pulls off a miracle at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, he will need some help from the New York rushing attack. The Giants running backs have averaged 96 YPG this season. With starting RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. out of the lineup, the pressure moves to Cam Skattebo and Devin Singletary to find some yards on the ground against the Chargers. Los Angeles enters Week 4 allowing less than 95 yards to opposing running backs, so the Giants RB duo will need to break that trend to help Big Blue find a win on Sunday afternoon.
Washington Commanders (@ Atlanta Falcons)
Admittedly, there haven’t been many risky picks against the spread thus far, but that changes in Week 4. Washington enters the contest as a 2.5 point underdog (per FanDuel) without their star quarterback, Jayden Daniels. That was not an issue in last weekend’s 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. If the Commanders are serious about returning to the NFC Championship game, they will need to fight through the adversity of losing their starting QB early this season, even if that absence is just for a few weeks.
Last week’s triumph over Las Vegas was a good start for Washington. Backup QB Marcus Mariota finished the win with 15-of-21 completed passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Running back Jeremy McNichols averaged 19.5 yards per carry against the Raiders, but I wouldn’t expect that stat to be replicated any time soon as he finished with 78 yards on just four carries last Sunday.
Keep an eye on Raiders WR Tre’Monie Tucker in this one. He recorded eight catches for 145 yards and all three touchdown catches in Las Vegas’ loss last weekend. The third-year pro has 13 catches for 211 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. While he likely won’t celebrate multiple touchdown scores again, Tucker will be someone Washington’s defense will need to focus on as he comes into the contest white hot after last weekend’s performance.
Avoid: Baltimore at Kansas City Matchup
This potential AFC Championship preview kicks off in the 4:25 p.m. window and is a toss-up between a pair of sub-.500 squads with difficult opening schedules. Kansas City started with a pair of losses to the Los Angeles (Chargers) and Philadelphia before defeating New York (Giants) for their first win last weekend. Baltimore split a pair of losses to Buffalo and Detroit by winning their Week 2 matchup against Cleveland.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid has had the better of Ravens sideline boss John Harbaugh with wins in six of seven matchups dating back to 2015. Their last contest in the regular season was the 2024 opener, a 27-20 Chiefs victory that was a 10-point K.C. lead with five minutes to play before a late Baltimore touchdown. In the 2024 AFC Championship game, Kansas City scored all their points in the first half of a 17-10 victory to claim a spot in Super Bowl LVIII in Feb. 2024.
Coach Harbaugh and QB Lamar Jackson will likely be seeking revenge against K.C. for the playoff loss, even if they would never speak those words into the universe. The Ravens offense is averaging 37 points per game (PPG) compared to only 20 PPG for the Chiefs in 2025 so the easy option would be to take Baltimore in this contest. However, things are never that easy against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, so it’s best to avoid this matchup entirely this week with better choices on the Week 4 schedule to survive and advance.
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