NFL 2020: Week 4

The Game Room
1

The big news this week is the positive Covid tests for 3 players (a 4th tested positive today) and 5 staff members of the Titans. They’ve closed up their facilities, as have the Vikings (who the Titans played on Sunday). In addition, the Titans/Steelers game currently scheduled for Sunday has been postponed, hopefully to be moved to Monday or Tuesday. Since it can take 2 to 5 days for the virus to manifest in tests, it could come down to the wire.

Here’s your (again, hopeful) lineup of games this weekend:

Week 4

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Denver Broncos at New York Jets (+3, 40)

Sunday October 4, 2020

Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears (+2.5, 45)
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (+4, 54)
Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (+3.5, 52)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals (-3, 48)
Cleveland Browns at Dallas Cowboys (-4.5, 55)
Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans (-3.5, 54.5)
Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins (+6.5, 54.5)
Los Angeles Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5, 45)
Baltimore Ravens at Washington Football Team (+13.5, 51)

New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams (-13, 47.5)
Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders (+3, 52.5)
New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (-7, 53.5)

Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers (-6.5, 45)

Monday, October 5, 2020

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (-7.5, 58)

Unknown:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (+1, 47)

Thursday’s game could be the worst game the season, with the Broncos starting a undrafted rookie QB and the Jets absolutely sucking all year. Maybe I’ll stop in to stare in horror like at a car-wreck on the interstate, but I doubt it will grab my attention.

Of the early games, the Minnesota v. Texans seems the most interesting to me. Although both teams are 0-3, I think they’re both better than their records indicate. I feel bad for the Texans, who’ve had to play the 3 best teams in the AFC (Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers) to start their season. I think it will be a better game than people expect. But I sure would like to see both teams actually play defense.

The late games don’t much interest me, although I remain perplexed by Mystical Moose Josh Allen. I’m thinking it’s just a run of great play (ala Flacco, Eli, Foles) and he’ll get back to being the inaccurate, easily flustered QB I know and dislike. But I could be completely wrong about him. Watching him last week, he mixes complete boneheaded plays with very nice throws in rapid succession. At least he’s interesting.

Sunday nights game is the Battle of the Injured Reserves, as both the Eagles and the Niners have been hard hit by injuries. It will be interesting to get a take on Wentz’s struggles as well as Shannahan’s coaching through adversity.

And, of course, the Packers on Monday night is a must watch. Not in a “wow, that could be a really well played game” way, but more in a “I love the Packers, they’re on Primetime” kind of way. I’m thinking they may hit triple digits scoring.

Feel free to jump on it. What do you think? Who do you like? Why can’t football players spray their own mouths with water?

2

I kinda wonder if the NFL scheduled the Jets for the Thursday game knowing they’d being going up against the baseball playoffs and decided to make it a stinker

3

I mean, hasn’t putting the crappy/unimportant primetime games on Thursday been the norm?

4

The 3-0 Bears are underdogs at home. Nice.

5

The Jets have you beat. They’re underdogs, at home, against an 0-3 team that is starting an undrafted rookie QB. That is something special.

6

To be fair, “home field advantage” this season isn’t really all that, is it? I thought it came from the crowd, not just from living close to the stadium.

7

Chiefs/Texans in Week 1 says hello.

8

Although the season kickoff game is a bit different, it’s on national tv, not the NFL Network

9

Loooooooooooong-suffering Lions fan here. I watched the first two games of the season, and they lost. I missed the game against the Cards and they won. Maybe I should take one for the team and skip the Saints game too.

10

If the NFL schedule on ESPN’s website is accurate, after this week, the TNF game will be on Fox as well as the NFL network. And while there are some crappy/unimportant games, there are also some intriguing matchups scheduled for Thursdays: Chiefs/Bills in week 6, Packer/Niners in week 9, Cardinals/Seahawks in week 11, Cowboys/Ravens in week 13.

11

They’ve started putting interesting games on TNF now they’ve gotten better TV deals, but in the past TNF has been the dumping ground so each team can get at least one prime time game. MNF, which used to be the premier game is starting to sink to the bottom.

12

Every team “gets to” play a Thursday night game, so you’re bound to get unimportant matchups.

13

Not quite right, at least this season. Neither the Lions nor the Washington Football Team appear on TNF this year. Both the Ravens and Chiefs appear twice.

The Lions, of course, host a Thanksgiving Day game, while Washington travels to Dallas on Thanksgiving this year.

14

Sunday’s game between the Steelers and Titans was just postponed. Adjust your fantasy teams accordingly.

15

The Titans/Steelers game has now been postponed to ‘later in season’.

16

I should have left off the “night” part. They’re still playing on Thursday.

17

  1. I love the Jets’ uniforms. It’s not normally something I notice or care about, but these look fricken awesome.

  2. 4 personal foul penalties in one half by the Jets. Fuck Gregg Williams, and I’m glad the Jets are winless.

  3. Can we please shut the fuck up about Joe Namath?

  4. Overall, a pretty ugly game as expected. Neither team is impressive, but there is some very nice D-line play by both sides.

18

Totally agree. I already see him at least twice a day trying to sell me a Medicare Advantage plan. I don’t need any more sightings of him.

19

I watched part of it at a bar with sound off, what the fuck were they doing talking about Joe Namath? Did he try to kiss someone again?

It’s been over 50 years, I know it’s a stinker of a game to cover but really they can find something more recent

20

Broncos coach Vic Fangio ordered his team off the field without shaking hands. Fangio could be heard on TV saying the team was going straight to the locker room with an expletive dropped in.

“There were a couple of personal fouls at the end and our sideline was pissed off and I wanted to avoid any confrontation and have it get ugly,” Fangio said. “I thought it was the prudent thing to do.”

The Jets committed six personal fouls in the game, including several roughing-the-passer penalties."

Let me reiterate: Fuck Gregg Williams.