Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr plays against the Tennessee Titans during an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Here are the top four NFL teams to bet on in Week 4 this weekend.
Raiders -2.5
The league’s only 0-3 team is favored this weekend; that isn’t a misprint. Instead, it illustrates just how bad Denver has been in their first three games. Denver is 2-1, thanks to their defense and a little bit of luck.
The Broncos will need much more from Russell Wilson and company this week as they can’t count on Derek Carr playing like Jimmy Garoppolo. They will need to put up points to stay with the Raiders, especially in Las Vegas.
All three of the Raiders’ losses have been by six points or less, and they should have held on to beat the Cardinals in the opener. Carr has looked a little off in his chemistry with Davante Adams, and the running game is yet to get going in full effect. They can turn that around this weekend as the defense holds Denver in check.
Jaguars +6.5
This is the Doug Pederson revenge game. Pederson famously won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles but was fired just a couple of years later, landing in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are having a tremendous turnaround this season, and Trevor Lawrence is making the leap at quarterback.
Coming off a win over the Chargers, look for Jacksonville to keep this game close. They have the second-best time of possession in the league this season and will look to keep the ball away from Jalen Hurts; Lawrence will use short, underneath passes to move the ball and control the clock.
The Eagles also rank 30th against the run this season, allowing 5.4 yards per carry. When they have big leads, that doesn’t matter much, but it will help the Jags control the clock. Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator helped Tampa Bay shut down hurts in the playoffs last year and look for that system to keep this one close.
Chargers -5.5
The LA Chargers are coming off a horrible game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen are both hurting, and both are questionable to play and won’t be at 100%. Defensive start Joey Bosa is out, but the Chargers are still better than average on defense.
Even so, the Texans are a mess. They flat out gave away the game in Chicago on Sunday with careless turnovers and horrible third-down execution. They also couldn’t beat a struggling Denver team in Week 2 and let the Colts off the hook in Week 1.
Houston ranks dead last in the league against the run. Look for Austin Ekeler to have a big game and carry the Chargers to a win by more than a touchdown.
Arizona +1.5
This line has flipped five points since the start of the season, given the way Arizona has looked on offense. But the good news is, they won’t have to do much to beat Carolina. Arizona ranks 31st in defense, but their three games were against top-10 offenses in Kansas City, Las Vegas, and the LA Rams.
Now they face a Carolina quarterback in Baker Mayfield, ranked dead last in the NFL in success rate and completion percentage. He also ranks in the bottom 10 in air rate and yards per attempt.
If Arizona is gonna salvage the season, they must beat Carolina and get back to .500 at 2-2. Look for Kyler Murray and company to empty the playbook while J.J. Watt keeps Mayfield in check.
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