The NFL Roundup Week 4 - The Most Fascinating Games to Watch on Sunday

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There's a certain level of comfort that comes with Week 4 in the NFL. After all, you have a solid idea of where your team is headed for the rest of the season. It's either going to be a long and ugly ride, or there's a chance they'll rack up the wins, provided of course they stay healthy, but more importantly...football is a habit for all of us once again.

Our Sundays are dedicated to the game, and our discussions with our football buddies are dominated by the game and every detail that we now pour over with the season back in full swing. There are games we simply cannot miss and we know they will have our complete attention for four quarters and with that in mind, here are the games that we believe will be downright fascinating and captivating come tomorrow. 

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TENNESSEE TITANS AT HOUSTON TEXANS

Normally you don't think to look at a game where a 1-2 team like Tennessee is facing off against a 2-1 team like the Texans, but suddenly Houston does not look as impressive on paper as they did two weeks ago. After all, the Patriots embarrassed them on Thursday Night Football, shutting out the vaunted offense, making Brock Osweiler look like a third string backup and to top it all off now, J.J. Watt is done for the rest of the season with a back issue. That means, the Titans have watched the game footage from last week, and know that the defense won't be the same without Watt, which means there is a good chance they are going to come out swinging and attack #17 and try to stun the Texans while they lick their wounds. The key to this game is what kind of adjustments Houston made to Osweiler's style of play and how they plan to attack on defense, and if they didn't make any adjustments, expect Tennessee to leave NRG Stadium with a big win. 

OAKLAND RAIDERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS

There are a couple of games that are looking to be a pair of powerhouse showdowns, and this is one of them. The Raiders are having a great start to the year at 2-1 and let's be honest, that loss against Atlanta could have been a win, considering how close that score was. As for the Ravens, they're enjoying a lovely 3-0 and have shown just how tough they are to beat. They came back from a big deficit to defeat the Browns and they utterly manhandled the Jaguars which means you know they're confident coming into this game against the Raiders. This one has the chance of becoming another offensive shootout for Oakland if they figure out how to get past the Baltimore defense, and quite frankly, I think they will. As for who wins this one, well, it's anybody's guess. But I suspect that fundamentals will be the key here and the team that executes those to a tee, gets the win.

DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS

On paper, this game looks awful. The Lions are 1-2. The Bears are 0-3, so why highlight it? Because this is a game with a lot on the line for both teams. Detroit is looking to make the playoffs this year and show that their faith in Jim Caldwell is warranted and the Bears, well they need to show they can do anything outside of disappoint their fans on a regular basis. John Fox was brought into town specifically to turn this squad around, so an 0-4 start would no doubt begin the firing talk in the Windy City and going 1-3 for the Lions, would start the same kind of discussions in the Motor City. This could be a game that sets in motion the fate of a couple of coaches as the season progresses, it may not be the most thrilling one to watch, but the stories hanging over this one are downright fascinating.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS

If I had to choose a game of the week, this would be the one. Both of these teams are 2-1, but each of them have separate goals. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to continue their trend of outright domination after taking down the Jets last week and with Jamaal Charles returning to the lineup, they know their run game will serve them well. Whereas the Steelers are looking for a rebound game to wipe the bad taste of that Philadelphia loss last week from their mouths which means...both teams will be chomping at the bit come game time. Expect Pittsburgh to play a little smarter this week and adjust as necessary to try and neutralize the KC offense and expect the Chiefs to replicate what Philly did on the field against Pittsburgh last week and wear that defense down. This should be one hell of a game, and it's only appropriate that it's the Sunday Night matchup.