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Five outrageous predictions for NFL Week 4
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Five outrageous predictions for NFL Week 4

We are right back at you with five outrageous predictions for Week 4 of the NFL season. At the very least, the idea here is to force readers into thinking about games that would otherwise take a backseat to the more evenly-matched ones for the week.

We did hit on 40 percent of our predictions for last week. The Chicago Bears actually made a game of it in the first half against the two-time defending NFC champions. Meanwhile, Alex Smith threw his first touchdown to a receiver since disco was all the rage.

This week's article doubles down on a road team going into Seattle and keeping the game competitive. It also focuses on an Indianapolis Colts team looking to continue its dominance in the AFC South.

Here are five outrageous predictions for Week 4 of the NFL season.

1. Colin Kaepernick dominates Green Bay Packers again, leads San Francisco 49ers to upset win

Based on Kaepernick's four-interception performance last week and the 90 points San Francisco has given up in the past two games, one would be foolish to pick it against Aaron Rodgers and Co. Well, that's what makes these outrageous predictions so fun — most of them don't come true. But when they do, it's all sorts of awesome.

For his part, Kaepernick is 3-0 against the Packers in his career, including two postseason wins. In those three games, he's averaging over 400 total yards of offense and has put up eight touchdowns.

The expectation this week has to be that Dom Capers and the Packers defense will stack the box against the NFL's second-best rushing attack. If so, we could potentially see a repeat of Week 1 of the 2013 season.

Green Bay came into that game with all intentions of shutting down Frank Gore and the 49ers running back. In this, it worked out perfectly. Gore was held to 44 yards on 21 attempts. Meanwhile, Kaepernick completed 21-of-34 passes for 412 yards and three scores in a 34-28 49ers victory. It's not outside of the realm of possibility that this happens again on Sunday. It will definitely be interesting to see how Green Bay schemes against the struggling quarterback.

2. Golden Tate dominates in return to Seattle, leads Detroit Lions to first win of the season 

Tate, always known for his own type of trash-talking, will return to the city where he made his name known. He will be doing so in an attempt to help his Lions avoid a 0-4 start to the season. Interestingly, he hasn't really lobbed any pot shots the way of his former team. Instead, it looks like Tate is going to look to do his talking on the field.

Through three games this season, Tate has recorded 15 receptions without a touchdown. He's also catching 60 percent of the passes thrown in his direction — all numbers what are down from last season. With Richard Sherman slated to go up against Calvin Johnson, we can expect Tate to have a breakout performance against a corner in Cary Williams who is allowing a 125.8 quarterback rating when targeted. If so, Detroit could very well pull off a big upset, sending Seattle to a 1-3 record.

3. Derek Carr, Amari Cooper connection continues to dominate in route of the Chicago Bears

Carr is coming off his second consecutive winning performance that saw him tally 300-plus yards. The last time we could say this about an Oakland Raiders quarterback was during the Rich Gannon era. For his part, Cooper has put up two consecutive 100-plus yards performances and is leading NFL receivers in yards after the catch.

Now that this dynamic young duo will face its easiest test of the season, the expectation has to be that Carr and Cooper will continue to excel. Though, we are going to take it one step further.

Going up against a Bears defense that ranks dead last in the NFL in points allowed (35.0 per game), both Carr and Cooper will put up career-best performances. Meanwhile, the Raiders will put up their first 40-point game since hanging 59 on the Denver Broncos back in October of 2010.

4. Jameis Winston wins first career meeting with Cam Newton

Winston already went into New Orleans and beat a Drew Brees-led Saints squad in his first career road start. Now that the Saints are facing the real possibility of starting 0-4, that might not be as impressive as first imagined. As it is, Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a much better team in his first season under center.

The Carolina Panthers may be 3-0 on the season, but each of the past two games have been decided by a single score against less-than-stellar opponents. And despite Cam Newton's stellar play, there remains a nice amount of holes on this team.

How will the pass protection perform? Is Jonathan Stewart prepared to be the guy at running back? Does Newton have a consistent target to rely on at wide receiver? Depending on how these questions are answered, Carolina may be in for its first loss of the season.

5. Indianapolis Colts lose first division game since December of 2012

This becomes less outrageous if Matt Hasselbeck is forced into the lineup with Andrew Luck suffering some short of shoulder injury over the past week. Considering Indianapolis went out there and signed Josh Johnson on Friday, it might think Luck's injury is worse than the team is letting on publicly.

Officially questionable to go on Sunday, Luck leads the NFL in turnovers with eight through three games. That's not acceptable for someone who entered the season as a legit MVP candidate. And while the Jacksonville Jaguars just had 51 dropped on them last Sunday against New England, they are two weeks removed from beating the Miami Dolphins. This is a much more competitive team than we have seen in the past.

Luck seemed to turn the corner in a fourth quarter comeback against the Tennessee Titans last week. If he's able to go, the assumption has to be that he will perform well against a lackluster Jaguars defense. If not, Indy could be looking at its first division loss since falling to the Houston Texans back in December of 2012.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL

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