After a month of football, the Philadelphia Eagles are the only undefeated team, the talented but injury-prone Saquon Barkley is the top rusher in the league, and the Dallas Cowboys are undefeated without Dak Prescott. If someone told you that all these things would happen in the 2022 season, you would probably tell them they need to see a psychiatrist. However, all these things happened through week 4 of this NFL season. The fact that all these headlines have emerged from the much-maligned NFC East that many mockingly called the NFC “Least” tells you we have enjoyed quite a ride so far. As we head into Week 5, we have 15 of 32 teams have a 2-2 record. Let that sink in. Yes, nearly half the league! At some point though, we would expect that the genuine contenders will separate themselves from the pretenders, and week five on paper, looks like a prime opportunity to begin the process. In this article, we predict the five hottest games.
1. Green Bay Packers versus New York Giants-Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)
The teams head into this matchup in London with identical 3-1 records. However, the Giants are handicapped in this game with the potential of missing Daniel Jones (ankle) and Tyrod Taylor (concussion). It means that Davis Webb will likely start the game, and the Packers’ plan will be to prevent Saquon Barley from beating them in the run game. It is hard to imagine Webb upstaging Aaron Rodgers to grab this win. However, I think it will be a low-scoring matchup because the Giants’ defense has held teams to 20 points or less. I have the Packers winning this game in their first game in England.
Packers 20-Giants 14.
2. Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)
Believe it or not, quietly the Atlanta Falcons are tied with the Buccaneers for the top of the NFC South with a 2-2 record. The Falcons have been one of the big surprises after winning the last two games and losing their first two games by a combined 5 points. However, the Buccaneers must see this as a game to get their season back on track. They have been dealt a tough start to the season in facing the Cowboys, Saints, Packers, and Chiefs. Brady and the offense looked to be back to their best last week, and Tom is 9-0 with 26 touchdowns and three interceptions against the Dirty Birds. The defense got shredded last week but it is still one of the best units in football when they don’t face Patrick Mahomes.
Bucs 31-Falcons 20
3. Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals-Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
The Cardinals are one of the most unpredictable teams in the NFL. Their two wins are on the road in a miraculous comeback against the Raiders down 20 and a come-from-behind win last week against the Panthers. At home, they were destroyed by the Chiefs in week one and easily handled by the Rams in week 3. So if we look at the flip-flop nature of their season, I expect them to lose to the Eagles at home on Sunday. The Eagles are flying high heading into this matchup with a great unit offensively and defensively. Jaylen Hurts, and the offense will score a lot against this lowly-ranked defense and put this game out of reach.
Eagles 35-Cardinals 27
4. Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams-Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)
The Rams have been struggling this season, and the offensive line was exposed against the 49ers. Matthew Stafford struggled to get the ball out because he was sacked seven time in the contest. A big concern for Sean McVay is the lack of running game by his offense and Stafford not trusting any of his receivers other than Cooper Kupp. In this matchup with the Cowboys, the offensive struggles will likely continue with Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence making the defense formidable. The unit has taken the pressure off Cooper Rush, and he has made the plays in key moments without turning the ball over. I think the winning formula continues in week 5 with the Cowboys winning at Sofi.
Cowboys 24-Rams 20
5. Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
This game will be the most exciting game of the weekend because it will be in primetime, and likely to be a shootout. Lamar Jackson is proving that he deserves the big payday because he has put his team in the position to be 4-0, only for his defense to collapse in two games. Joe Burrow and the Bengals have rebounded from losing the two opening games of the season, and their defense is playing better than their divisional foe. I have the Bengals winning a high-scoring game.
Bengals 36-Ravens 34.
Last Week: 3-2
Overall: 11-9