September 28, 2020
While Eagles fans may still be shaking their heads in disbelief over what went down at the Linc on Sunday — a 23-23 tie with the Bengals that saw Doug Pederson punt from inside the 50 with just 19 seconds left — it's almost time to look ahead to Week 4 in the NFL.
As we do every Monday, let's take a look at the early odds for every NFL game this week, including the Birds' Week 4 primetime matchup against the 49ers in San Francisco.
All of the spreads you'll see below come from TheLines.com's consensus odds, and you can click here to see how they differ slightly at three different PA sports books — FanDuel, DraftKings and Bet Rivers — to decide where the best value is in Week 4.
Without wasting any more time, let's get right into it...
Broncos (-3.5) at Jets
The first matchup of the week is a battle of two 0-3 teams in the Meadowlands as the Broncos travel to face the Jets at MetLife Stadium. It's pretty telling the Jets are more than a field goal dogs at home against a winless Broncos team with a backup quarterback, but it's also worth noting that the Broncos are just 3-11-1 against the spread in their last 15 primetime games (h/t John Breech, CBSSports.com). It's the only matchup of the night, so you'll probably want to bet on it, but be careful with this one as the Jets are also 0-3 against the spread this year. This could go either way.
Cowboys (-4.5) vs. Browns
The Cowboys (1-2) nearly pulled off another improbable come-from-behind win in Week 3, but ultimately fell short against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. The Browns, meanwhile, handled their business against Washington on Sunday and come into this one with a 2-1 record after back-to-back victories. Both of those came at home, however, and the Browns have been bad on the road dating back to last season. Then again, Dallas could just as easily be 0-3.
Titans (PK) vs. Steelers
This has all the makings of a great game, as two 3-0 teams who should contend in the AFC square off on in Week 4. That being said, the Titans are still 0-3 against the spread this year, and while this game is just a pick-em when you look at the consensus odds, two of the three PA sports books actually have this as Titans -1.5. That's certainly worth taking into consideration.
Saints (-4) at Lions
As you'll see throughout this post, there are quite a few road favorites in Week 4 after just a pair this past weekend. The Saints are coming off a rough home loss to the Packers on Sunday night, but the Lions just picked up their first win of the season. It's clear who the better team is, it's just whether or not you think New Orleans is more than four points better away from the Superdome. With both teams giving up an average of more than 30 points per game, this one could get wild. Oh, and despite what you might think, the Lions have actually won three of the last four meetings between these two teams.
Texans (-3.5) vs. Vikings
The Broncos and Jets starting 0-3? That at least makes some sense. But the Texans and Vikings, a pair of preseason contenders? That's shocking. One of the two teams will pick up their first win of the season in Week 4, and the oddsmakers seem to think it will be Houston, who has a rough schedule to start the season (Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers). They're probably better than their record suggests, but they'll need to take care of business against Minnesota to prove it.
Colts (-1.5) at Bears
After leading a fourth-quarter comeback against the Falcons on Sunday, Nick Foles has been named the starter in Chicago. Are you really going to bet against him?
That being said, the Colts are 2-1 with a +39 point differential through three games, although that was helped mightily by their 29-point rout of the Jets this past weekend. Frank Reich seems to know what he's doing down in Indy and the Colts boast the NFL's top defense right now, but this should be a tight one at Soldier Field as the Bears look to improve to 4-0.
Buccaneers (-7) vs. Chargers
All the talk in Tampa this offseason was about their re-vamped offense. But their defense has been sneaky good. And in their win on Sunday, Tom Brady looked the best he has all season while Justin Herbert crashed back down to earth a bit after a strong debut.
Ravens (-13.5) at Washington
Sure, the Ravens will be playing on a short week after Monday night's game against the Chiefs, but this most certainly could be a rout as Baltimore is nearly a two-touchdown favorite on the road in Washington. Aside from when the Jets play the Giants (or the Chargers play the Rams) is this the shortest distance any NFL team has to travel for a road game? Lamar Jackson and Co. should have little problem handling the Football Team on Sunday.
Cardinals (-3.5) at Panthers
The Cards were upset by the Lions in Week 3, but they're still good enough to be our fifth road favorite of the week. The NFC West is no joke, but the Cards will again travel outside their division to face the Panthers, who will again be without Christian McCaffrey. If he was active, this might be a totally different story.
Bengals (-3) vs. Jaguars
If Joe Burrow could get some blocking, he'd be pretty good. Heck, he's pretty damn good even without it as he's been sacked 14 times already this season but outplayed Carson Wentz on Sunday. How will he fare against Gardner Minshew, who has been sacked 10 times this season, and the Jaguars? This could be the week the Bengals and Burrow pick up their first win.
Seahawks (-6.5) at Dolphins
Another road favorite as the undefeated Seahawks travel to Miami to take on the 1-2 Dolphins, who actually have a positive point differential. But with the way Russell Wilson is playing right now, it's almost impossible to bet against him.
Rams (-11) vs. Giants
The Giants are baaaaad. And their offense can't seem to score, which is going to be a problem against a Rams team that is averaging close to 30 points per game this season.
Bills (-3) at Raiders
The Bills are 3-0 heading into their Week 4 matchup against the 2-1 Raiders, and Josh Allen has been playing like an MVP so far this season. The Raiders, who picked up their first loss on Sunday against the Pats, shocked many by beating the Saints in their home opener. Do they have more Vegas magic in store against an undefeated Buffalo team?
Chiefs (-6.5) vs. Patriots
The Chiefs will have a short week to prepare, and that's never a good thing when you're going against Bill Belichick. Still, Kansas City is the better team here and will have the benefit of playing at home. We'll be watching Monday night's game before deciding how to bet on this one.
The 49ers have injuries all over, but the Eagles, who also have their fair share of injuries, just flat out stink right now. There's no other way to put it. Will they play better against San Francisco? Maybe, but if they didn't manage to do anything more against the Bengals, can you really count on them suddenly righting the ship out west?
Packers (N/A) vs. Falcons
There are not yet any odds listed for this game. Check back later...
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