Welcome back for another round of picks! Week 4 of Thursday Night Football kicks off later tonight, with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens in a big AFC North rivalry game. This is a pretty huge divisional matchup, but played under unique circumstances. Ben Roethlisberger will sit out due to his sprained MCL and bone bruise, which means Michael Vick is starting.
I'll be posting my picks against the spread on Saturday, but for today, I have posted my straight up picks down below, as well as my ATS pick for TNF. You can view the NN pick 'em contest results over here. I put together an 11-5 week, which brings me to 29-19 for the season.
The 49ers host the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. For purposes of picking, I'm not picking the 49ers. I suppose I should pick them every week, but even I think it's a little absurd this weekend. They very well could win this game. Crazy things do happen in the NFL on a fairly regular basis. And maybe this marks the start of a huge turnaround. I don't see it, but maybe that is what happens. I guess we'll just wait and see. The 49ers are currently an 8-point underdog at the Westgate, with lines ranging as high as 9.5-points. Touchdown or more home underdogs have some good success in the recent past, so maybe they can continue that.
For Thursday Night Football, the Ravens are a two- to three-point favorite depending on your sportsbook of choice. The last time the road team was favored in this series was November 2012, and this is only the third time in ten years the road team has been favored. The Ravens will be without DE Chris Canty, TE Crockett Gillmore and offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. The Steelers will be without Big Ben and linebacker Ryan Shazier. All signs point to a Steelers loss, but I'm going with the cover. I could see this ending up an ugly game with a push, but I think the Steelers keep it close. An upset is possible, but will depend on what Le'Veon Bell can do on offense, and what the secondary can against Joe Flacco. That more than Michael Vick will be what leads to a potential Steelers upset.
Here are my Week 4 picks for our pick 'em contest.
Ravens @ Steelers: Ravens
Jets @ Dolphins: Jets
Jaguars @ Colts: Colts
Giants @ Bills: Bills
Panthers @ Bucs: Panthers
Eagles @ Washington: Eagles
Raiders @ Bears: Raiders
Texans @ Falcons: Falcons
Chiefs @ Bengals: Bengals
Browns @ Chargers: Chargers
Packers @ 49ers: Packers
Rams @ Cardinals: Cardinals
Vikings @ Broncos: Broncos
Cowboys @ Saints: Saints
Lions @ Seahawks: Seahawks