Last week, I felt like I was on cloud nine regarding my picks. After all of the day games were said and done, my record was 8-0. It was downhill after that, as I went 2-4 to finish the week at 10-4. Overall, it was still a manageable week considering how tough some of the games were to pick. It's been a controversial week in the NFL, from Odell Thurman getting suspended for the remainder of the year to Terrell Owens rumored suicide case. Those are off-the-field issues though, so it's time to take a look at what will be happening on the field in Week 4.

After ten divisional games in Week 3, there is only one this week. That may seem like the excitement of the games will be toned down slightly, but that's anything but the case, considering there will be two games in which both teams that are undefeated. Let's start out with this week's games of the week...

(Red = Prediction)

Strongest of the NFC
Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears
In our first match-up featuring two undefeated teams, the Alexander-less Seahawks take on the resilient Bears. Last year, a strong case could have been made that the Seahawks would have trouble winning without Alexander. They won't be a better team while he nurses his broken foot, but with the way they've played the first three weeks, he has not been a major factor in their wins. The defense has been doing its job very well, while Matt Hasselbeck is getting used to a very talented group of receivers. They absolutely destroyed the Giants last week by starting the game with a 42-3 run, but Hasselbeck did throw three interceptions in the process. It is critical that he not make those mistakes against the Bears, because forcing the ball won't be necessary to win this game.

The Bears come in after a performance where Rex Grossman was shaky, but still displayed growing maturity with a late touchdown pass. Until that touchdown pass, he almost cost his team the game with an ill-advised pass from the end zone, which the Vikings took back for a short touchdown. Offensively, their running game has not been as consistent as last year, which isn't a good sign due to the strength of Seattle's secondary. Chicago will have to get both Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones rolling in the right direction out of the gates, wear the clock down, and frustrate Hasselbeck on the sideline to win. They'll do a swell job at that, but not to the point where they'll be able to squeak out a victory. Seahawks will win by a field goal.

Expect the Unexpected in Perfect Teams
San Diego Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens
At the beginning of the season, the Chargers had some doubt in their quarterback position, but I am not the least bit surprised they've won their first two games, with Phillip Rivers averaging a touchdown per game. The defense has played so well, while the offense has been able to play it safe, yet have the ability to make big plays at the same time. With the Ravens' offense still not clicking well enough, the Chargers' defense definitely has the edge heading into the game.

The Ravens showed vulnerability defensively against the Browns' passing game last week from young quarterback Charlie Frye. Offensive coordinators should take notes, because that could be the key to beating the Ravens. No one has been able to run against the Ravens yet, but the Chargers are one of the top rushing teams in the AFC and should have more success than the other teams. The Ravens' defense will keep the game close throughout, but Steve McNair will pay for a game who should've lost last week. Chargers advance to 3-0 in a close game, and Matt Stover's field goal streak ends.

No Blowouts This Time
Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets
In another re-match of the game in which the Jets blew out the Colts a couple of years ago in the playoffs, Indianapolis will still have their hands full this time around. The Colts' ground game has suffered a significant drop off since losing Edgerrin James, but the Jets have a very porous run defense, including allowing over 150 yards to Willis McGahee last week. The Jets also gave up a ton of yards to J.P. Losman through the air, something Peyton Manning will thrive off of. In all three games this year though, Chad Pennington has had the "it" factor going for his team.

His receivers have been doing well, and although the running game has struggled for the Jets, they have been running a solid set of formations on gameday. The defense has come up with big plays at opportune times to compensate for the massive amount of yardage allowed. Manning and the Colts' offense won't make those same mistakes though, allowing them to win by ten on the road. It'll still be a fun game to watch, as Pennington and Manning will trade blows early on.

Perfect as They Should Have Been
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
With Steve Smith, the Panthers are undefeated and definitely played much better offensively with him in the lineup. Smith allows Keyshawn Johnson to be the new "X" factor, as was seen with his pair of touchdowns last week against the Buccaneers. However, the Panthers still need to cut down on the mistakes. Two weeks ago, the mistake was the poor decision of trying a trick play on a punt return. Last week, the Panthers fumbled the ball three times, nearly costing them the game if it hadn't been for John Kasay. The final score doesn't do justice for what the defense did, since it was the Panthers own offense that set the Buccaneers up with good field position all game long.

Meanwhile, the Saints have started off the season better than anyone could have expected. The first two wins were on the road, but there was a feeling that they would suffer a drop-off in Week 3. That was anything but the case, as the shut down Michael Vick, including the entire running game of the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints have been very well coached by Sean Payton, showing a drastic turnaround from Jim Haslett. It'll be too tough to defend Smith on the road this time though, as the Saints will suffer their first defeat of the season - in rather convincing fashion. Panthers win by two touchdowns.

And now, the rest of the week...

Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons
I'm a big fan of Kurt Warner, but after awhile, a decision has to be made if you continuously make mistakes that cost your team the game. After a great effort in Week 1, Warner has been under pressure and turned the ball over the past two weeks, while the defense has surprisingly kept them in the game still. The Falcons will rebound from last week's loss by taking the ball out of Vick's hands and going back to establishing the run game. When Vick throws the ball more than 30 times, it usually means you're going to lose. Falcons win by a touchdown.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans
Putting the Terrell Owens controversy aside, the Cowboys will win this game. Including the Terrell Owens controversy, there is a good chance that he'll make another quick recovery from injury and play this Sunday. The point is, with or without Owens, pretty much every team in the league matches up better than the Titans do at this point. Kerry Collins played better last week, but until they give Vince Young some full-game playing time, they are merely throwing the season away.

Miami Dolphins vs. Houston Texans
I'm sure some of you have heard about it, but for those of you who haven't, guess who has the best quarterback rating after Week 3. No, it's not Daunte Culpepper, it's David Carr. The Texans defense has surrendered huge passing games to Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Mark Brunell so far, meaning Culpepper has a golden opportunity to finally have his first successful "throwing" game of the season. The Dolphins defense has prevented opposing quarterbacks from having too much success against them, which will aid them to becoming a .500 team again after a near disastrous start to the year.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills
With all due respect to the yardage the Bills put up last week, it's pretty bad when you can't turn that into more points than they did. This has been and up and down team, because they've shown some positive, yet quiet signs offensively, while having its ups and downs defensively. The Vikings have played well enough to be a 3-0 team, but that was prevented after a costly turnover against the Bears a week ago. The Vikings play a close game, something they'll have the advantage in with their veteran quarterback in this one. Vikings win by a field goal.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
After a bye week to come up with a solid game-plan under backup quarterback Damon Huard, it's pretty clear what the Chiefs will do: run the ball with Larry Johnson. If the Chiefs game-planned this correctly, Johnson could pile it on for the first 200-yard rushing game of the season, even without using the passing game. I'm not trying to get down on the 49ers' defense, as this is more of a projection with the time the Chiefs have had to put into strategizing for this contest. Alex Smith will be without his tight end Vernon Davis, hurting the offensive production he was able to provide Week 1. Chiefs win by a couple of possessions.

Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis Rams
The Rams have a chance to become the quietest 3-1 team in the league with a win over the Lions. The defensive has played well overall, but Marc Bulger has not been able to light a fire under the offense yet. Maybe facing their former head coach, Mike Martz, who is the current offensive coordinator of the Lions, will pump them up enough to get something going. Jon Kitna has been an upgrade over Joey Harrington, but it's obvious that the Lions need help at several other positions still. The Rams offense will have its best game of the season in this one, but they won't reach their potential yet.

Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders
Even a bye week won't be able to help the Raiders offense very much, which was horrendous after two games. Andrew Walter will be making his first career start on a bad football team, and will have to pull out a miracle to suddenly get this offense going in the right direction. Looking back, the Browns have actually played fairly well against three teams that are still undefeated. The Browns will be very relieved to finally face a team with some losses, but it won't be a walk in the park. Oakland will put up a fight, but the Browns won't give it up this week like they did against McNair and the Ravens a week ago.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Washington Redskins
This is my upset special of the week, as the Redskins showed the offensive spark they had a year ago against the Texans. The Jaguars' defense will be a much tougher than what Washington saw last week, but they'll be ready with the tandem of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Maurice Drew made several big plays against the Indianapolis Colts last week, but that will create some controversy among who should receive playing time between him and Fred Taylor this week, allowing for the Redskins to lead a late comeback drive after the Jaguars fail to put the game away.

New England Patriots vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Maybe it was just me, but the overall tempo of Tom Brady and the Patriots seemed very dull this past Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. They can't afford to have that against the Cincinnati Bengals, especially with Palmer continuing to build chemistry with all of his receivers. Cincinnati's defense creates turnovers in the secondary, and if Brady isn't in sync with his receivers this week, one pass could easily go the other way for six. Doug Gabriel should be worked into the offense more this week, but it won't be enough to overcome defeat in this one. Bengals win by six.

Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The past two weeks, Brett Favre has shown that the Packers can still contend this season, believe it or not. The offense has shown quick-strike ability, capable of making up for the poor defensive showings they've had. They won't be able to make up for that against a better team like the Eagles, but this should be a very fun shootout to watch nonetheless. Expect the Packers to attempt to come from behind all game long, but the Eagles will match their score on the following possessions until the game is over.

There you have it, my predictions for the fourth week of the regular season. Last week, I took the winless Washington Redskins to defeat the Houston Texans as my survivor pick, and I prevailed. There are several teams I'd be comfortable in picking against this week, but for the second week in a row, I'm going to take a winless team as my pick. I'm taking the Cleveland Browns to defeat the Oakland Raiders. I've now picked the Raiders twice and the Texans twice to lose in my survivor game, but if the matchups are right, you can't pass those opportunities up.

Predictions Record to Date: 30-16
Last Week: 10-4
Survivor Streak: Won 3 (Phi over Hou, Bal over Oak, Was over Hou.)

Last week, I picked eight teams to win on the road, and it ultimately led to my success. I'm going with the same formula this week by picking seven teams on the road. I took my first "gut-feeling" pick of the season this week by taking the Redskins over the Jaguars, which is a game I'll be following closely. It's just about the quarter point of the season, but things are just getting started in the NFL. No one is out of it yet - well, except maybe the Raiders. To all Oakland fans, yes, I will take your complaints for my series of "disses" towards your team.

-Chris Pokorny