Predictions and picks for Week 4 of the 2022 NFL season

Making picks during the early part of the 2022 season has been a challenge, but here we go with our NFL Week 4 predictions in 2022. There have already been so many surprises this season that we have to be careful with our NFL Week 4 picks.

To make things more difficult, virtually every game this week has a spread of a touchdown or less, so even without a big upset, just about every game can go either way.

NFL Week 4 predictions 2022

But the beauty of picking NFL games is that even after a bad week, you can try again.

We’ve thought about each game to come up with NFL Week 4 picks against the spread and NFL Week 4 picks straight up. As always, there are no guarantees. But we feel weirdly optimistic about our NFL Week 4 predictions for the 2022 season (all odds courtesy of FanDuel on September 28).

Jaguars vs Eagles

This might be the perfect time to jump on Philadelphia’s bandwagon. This isn’t the same run-heavy team that we saw last year. With the addition of A.J. Brown during the offseason, the Eagles have turned into one of the most potent passing teams in the league behind Jalen Hurts.

Of course, Hurts and Miles Sanders also force teams to respect the run, making them particularly troublesome to face. Defensively, the Eagles have also performed at a high level since being exposed in Week 1. They’ve allowed just 15 total points over their last two games.

To be fair, the Jaguars are 2-1 on the season and fresh off a dominant 38-10 win over the Chargers last week. As Doug Pederson makes his return to Philly, he brings with him a team that’s on its way to surpassing preseason expectations.

Not only has Trevor Lawrence looked much better in his second pro season but the Jacksonville defense is doing big things, allowing just 10 points over the last two weeks. However, the Eagles present a different kind of challenge than what the Jags have seen the last two weeks. They’ll have to be close to perfect in order to hang with the Eagles on the road for 60 minutes, and they may not be ready for that just yet.

• SU Pick: Eagles (-290)
• ATS Pick: Eagles -6.5 (-110)

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Chargers vs Texans

In theory, the Chargers will be motivated to put last week’s 38-10 home loss to the Jaguars behind them. It was a truly pitiful performance that exposed some major flaws for Los Angeles. For starters, the defense was ripped to shreds. The rushing attack is also the worst in the NFL.

Of course, falling behind by multiple scores doesn’t create many opportunities to run the ball and stay balanced. But Justin Herbert has posted solid numbers thus far and should be able to rally the Chargers in a game they can’t afford to lose against the Texans.

However, the Texans shouldn’t be dismissed just yet. Lovie Smith has certainly made significant strides with the Houston defense. Unfortunately, the offense just isn’t getting it done behind Davis Mills.

Opposing teams just don’t have much reason to respect the Houston passing game. That’s why we think the Chargers will be able to get back on track as part of our NFL Week 4 predictions in 2022. But the Texans are good enough defensively to make things tough on the Chargers and prevent Los Angeles from covering the spread.

• SU Pick: Chargers (-235)
• ATS Pick: Texans +5 (+194)

Commanders vs Cowboys

It’s almost amazing how the Cowboys have managed to change their narrative in the wake of the Dak Prescott injury. With a strong defense and just enough offense, they’ve managed to win back-to-back games. Micah Parsons‘ NFL DPOY odds have already increased with the way he’s led that unit.

Even with Prescott sidelined, the Cowboys look like a team that could still go to the playoffs by holding serve against lesser teams at home.

This week’s game is the perfect opportunity to test that theory. Things have fallen off the rails for Carson Wentz and the Commanders over the past two weeks. It can’t all fall on Wentz, as the Washington defense hasn’t been helpful.

But coming off a 24-8 home loss to the Eagles, the Commanders don’t look like a team that’s capable of beating a division rival on the road. We’re as surprised as anyone that our NFL Week 4 picks include Dallas winning and covering, but we see the Cowboys winning somewhat comfortably in this game.

• SU Pick: Cowboys (-178)
• ATS Pick: Cowboys -3 (-104)

Bills vs Ravens

Odds are, we’re going to see some points in this game. The Ravens have struggled to stop teams from scoring this year, and it gets tough with Josh Allen and the Bills coming to town. Despite losing in Miami last week, the Buffalo offense should be able to bounce back against a sluggish Baltimore defense.

The caveat is that Lamar Jackson has gotten off to an outstanding start this year. Jackson’s NFL MVP odds are improving by the week. He already has 10 passing touchdowns in three games while also leading the Ravens in rushing.

While the Bills have been tough defensively this year, Jackson has been out of this world, which should be enough to keep the Ravens close. Plus, the Bills have never won at M&T Bank Stadium, so they could be vulnerable to an upset at the hands of the Ravens this week.

• SU Pick: Ravens (+146)
• ATS Pick: Ravens +3.5 (-104)

Rams vs 49ers

On paper, this should be a tough game to call. But history is fueling this as one of our NFL Week 4 predictions in 2022. If you take away last year’s NFC Championship Game, which admittedly was a big game, the 49ers have won six in a row against the Rams.

Playing the 49ers on the road has been particularly troubling for Sean McVay’s team, so we’re not going to go against that trend.

While Jimmy Garoppolo had a troubling performance in his first start of the season, the San Francisco defense is going to play well enough to win most weeks. With Matthew Stafford struggling to avoid turnovers early in the season, the 49ers have a chance to make some big plays on that side of the ball.

That should allow the San Francisco offense the opportunity to run the ball without needing Garoppolo to win the game for them. That’s the formula that will lead to the 49ers winning in primetime.

• SU Pick: 49ers (-130)
• ATS Pick: 49ers -2.5 (-106)