Week 4 Panel Picks
I would hope you don’t read the panel picks for mediocrity, but if you do, week 3 was meant for you. The panel went 68-68 with Rahul and Jackson going 7-10 and the rest of us flatlining at a measly 9-8. It’s been no help that the biggest underdog of the week has won every single game so far this season (thanks to George for that stat), destroying locks and seemingly guaranteed picks.
With all of the drama of week 3 considered, most of us have still managed to maintain solid records. Here are the standings heading into week 4.
With some larger lines in week 4, the panel will look to bounce back into the win column and improve upon a 234-173 record.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: Incredibly, no duo of panelists had more than 12 picks in common.
Least alike picks: Ray and Ben differed on 11 games—the most so far this season.
Most underdogs picked: Josh led the panel with eight underdog picks.
Fewest underdogs picked: Theo only picked two upsets—the Saints and Panthers.
Most picks with majority: Jackson, despite his talk behind closed doors about being the king of upsets, was in the majority 14 times.
Most picks against majority: For the second straight week, Ben was against the majority seven times.
What Stands Out?
The Vikings, Steelers, and Seahawks were unexpected undefeated teams after three weeks, but the panel seems to believe they are all legit. The Steelers were picked across the board, the Vikings got six votes despite being underdogs, and the Seahawks got three votes and a lock on the road against the Lions.
The obvious single-game headliner is Bills vs Ravens. Although Buffalo played a nearly perfect game against Jacksonville on Monday Night Football, the Ravens’ performance against the Cowboys has instilled some confidence in the panel, giving them a 5-3 edge over the Bills. It’s not as if they needed it anyway; no team has been picked at a higher rate than Baltimore this season.
In week one, it seemed unfathomable that the Panthers would receive three votes to beat the Bengals, but we live in a world where Carolina has a better record than Cincinnati and a legitimate shot to beat them with the “Red Rifle” under center against his former team. Josh, Theo, and Ben picked them to win and I certainly flirted the upset.
Another team that has gained the confidence of the panel is the Cardinals. They’re going against a red-hot Commanders offense and even though they lost to the Lions last week, the majority of the panel still has faith in the Cards to get the job done this weekend.
Aside from the lack of faith in the Bills, the panel seems to like the AFC East this week. The Jets received seven votes and two locks, the Dolphins got six votes despite not naming their starting quarterback yet, and the Patriots received three votes and a lock against the 49ers.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here are the projected playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend.
AFC
(1) Kansas City Chiefs vs BYE | This would be the first time since 2020 that the Chiefs started the season 4-0.
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (7) Baltimore Ravens | Pittsburgh has won seven of its last eight meetings with Baltimore.
(3) Houston Texans vs (6) Miami Dolphins | Neither team has appeared in he AFC Championship Game in the last 30 years.
(4) New York Jets vs (5) Buffalo Bills | These two teams face off in weeks 6 and 17.
NFC
(1) Minnesota Vikings vs BYE | The last time the Vikings finished the season as the 1 seed was in 1998.
(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs (7) New Orleans Saints | Philadelphia beat New Orleans 15-12 last week.
(3) Seattle Seahawks vs (6) Arizona Cardinals | These two teams match up in weeks 12 and 14.
(4) Atlanta Falcons vs (5) Detroit Lions | Of these potential Wild Card games, this is the only one between two indoor teams.
Are u actually gonna send Jackson to India