NFL Super Pick ‘Em: Week 4 Locks Include Panthers, Broncos, Raiders

In hindsight, it probably was dumb to trust the New York Jets.

Tom Brady’s Emails, NESN.com’s entrant into the illustrious Westgate SuperContest as part of Team OddsShark, put together another winning record last week, but it would have been even better if not for the Jets. Thanks to an unforeseen loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (which, really, we should have foreseen, because Jets), New York cost TBE its second 4-1 week* of the young season.

*The Indianapolis Colts also failed to cover against the Tennessee Titans, but we’ve all accepted the Colts as utter and complete frauds at this point.

Thanks to a short memory, TBE’s super-picking trio of Mike Cole, Ricky Doyle and Ben Watanabe are back at it this week, sitting tied for third on Team OddsShark. Here we go!

Oakland Raiders (-3) over Chicago Bears, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Soldier Field, Chicago
The Raiders open as road favorites for just the second time since 2005, which was a long time ago. Still, they are fresh off a seven-point win over the Cleveland Browns, who are bad, so it stands to reason they can win by at least that much over the Bears, who are even worse. Jay Cutler is still out, making Chicago’s 4-15-1 record against the spread in its last 20 home games look even more daunting.

Carolina Panthers (-3) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Carolina has been a cover machine of late, beating the spread in four of its last six games (with one push). Cam Newton’s playing out of his mind, and after seeing what rookie Marcus Mariota did to Tampa in Week 1, things could get ugly. The Bucs are 2-8 against the spread in their last 10 games at home, which actually is a better figure than we would’ve guessed.

Arizona Cardinals (-7) over St. Louis Rams, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
The Cardinals are averaging 42 points per game and have covered the spreads in their three games this season by margins of 10, 23 and 33 points. Granted, they haven’t played the stiffest competition, but the Rams aren’t exactly the “Greatest Show on Turf” offensively. St. Louis’ defense is for real, but it’s tough to take a squad that’s 1-5 against the spread in its last six games and is averaging a paltry 16.7 points per game.

Denver Broncos (-6.5) over Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
The Broncos’ defense already has six interceptions and five forced fumbles, which is problematic considering Teddy Bridgewater has thrown two picks and committed three fumbles (one lost) in three games this season. That’s why we’re taking Denver, which is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games, even though the Vikes have covered in seven of their last nine games overall and four of their last six on the road.

Seattle Seahawks (-10) over Detroit Lions, Monday, 8:30 p.m.
CenturyLink Field, Seattle
The Lions can’t run the ball and Matthew Stafford can’t throw versus pressure, so this one’s pretty elementary. Detroit has covered just once in its last eight road games, and while the Seahawks haven’t exactly set the world on fire, they proved they can blow out bad teams with their beatdown of the Bears.

Thumbnail photo via Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports Images