Jump to a matchupMinnesota Vikings (3–0) at Green Bay Packers (2–1)Philadelphia Eagles (2–1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2–1)Kansas City Chiefs (3–0) at Los Angeles Chargers (2–1)Buffalo Bills (3–0) at Baltimore Ravens (1–2)Seattle Seahawks (3–0) at Detroit Lions (2–1)
The NFC North might be the best division in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions off to strong starts.
It’s probably too early to overlook the Chicago Bears in the division, but we will for this story because many are tired of seeing Caleb Williams get pummeled on a weekly basis due to a poor offensive line.
The Packers hosting the undefeated Vikings at Lambeau Field might be the best game of the week, which not many saw coming after Jordan Love injured his knee in Brazil during the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Malik Willis has filled in admirably in his absence, leading Green Bay to victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. But Love could be cleared to play this week, adding more intrigue to this showdown.
The Lions have had somewhat of a sluggish start, but they found a way to hold off the Arizona Cardinals last week. They now return home to face the Seattle Seahawks, one of five 3–0 teams in the NFL. The Seahawks have plenty to prove because this might be their first game against a quality opponent after defeating the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa.
Over in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills put their undefeated record on the line against the Baltimore Ravens, who avoided the dreaded 0–3 start after defeating the Dallas Cowboys last week. Allen could be the early MVP frontrunner with how well he’s played through three games.
We will also keep tabs on the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Kansas City Chiefs on the road against the banged-up Los Angeles Chargers. Here’s everything you need to know about the five best games of Week 4, including Gilberto Manzano’s key matchups, Matt Verderame’s key stats, Michael Fabiano’s who to start and who to sit in fantasy, Jennifer Piacenti’s best bets and Conor Orr’s prediction for each game.
Start ’em/Sit ’em | MMQB Staff Picks | NFL Betting Picks
SundayMinnesota Vikings (3–0) at Green Bay Packers (2–1)
When/TV: 1 p.m. ET Fox
Spread: Packers -3 (over/under 43.5)
Matchup to watch: Vikings QB Sam Darnold vs. Packers S Xavier McKinney. The Vikings’ defense has received plenty of praise, but the Packers’ defense has a league-high nine takeaways this season. Darnold will need to protect the football and keep tabs on McKinney, who has one interception in every game this season. —
Key stat: Minnesota ranks second in blitz percentage at 39.3%, and it leads the league with 16 sacks, so the Packers must get rid of the ball quickly. Last season, Love had an average pocket time of 2.5 seconds. Only five quarterbacks held the ball longer. —
Start ’em/sit ’em: Darnold is on fire, throwing six touchdown passes in his past two games. During that time, he’s averaged 21.6 points. That makes it tough to bench him, but this week’s matchup is a tough one. Green Bay’s defense has allowed an average of fewer than 14 points to quarterbacks, so this could be a mediocre week for Darnold. —
Best bet: Vikings +3. I picked the Vikings outright last week against the Texans, and this week I’m taking the points. Don’t sleep on this Minnesota defense. Love lost his only start this season, and if he play, will be just returning from injury. If the Vikings can shut down C.J. Stroud, they can get to Love, too. —
SI’s pick:Vikings. As of the writing of this article, Love has a shot to play. However, as someone who was torched by Kyle Shanahan’s fudging of the language on an injury report, I’ll believe it when I see it. Until I know Love is out there, I can’t, with any degree of confidence, bet on a QB2 against a Brian Flores defense that has torched Stroud, Brock Purdy and Daniel Jones already. —
