I am finally starting to get back on track with my picks this season after a 9-5 record last week. I had to get used to how well teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be playing this year. I still have some questions regarding the Kansas City Chiefs defense, the inconsistent Saints, and the Minnesota Vikings however.

This week, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami and Pittsburgh are on the bye week. Only the Dolphins won last week between them and will be looking forward to the return of Ricky Williams following the bye.

Let's get on with the Week 4 predictions, starting with the games of the week.

(Red = Prediction).

The AFC Championship That Wasn't
San Diego Chargers vs. New England Patriots
Before the Chargers rookie kicker "choked" under pressure against the Jets last year, the Chargers were considered a legitimate team to take on the Patriots in the Championship game. After a slow start this year, the Chargers exploded with LaDainian Tomlinson last week, who recorded four total touchdowns.

The Patriots meanwhile are coming off a huge victory, that many fans may not realize just how important the win meant. There is a very good chance that the AFC's three best teams are the Colts, Patriots and Steelers. If they tie at the end of the season, the Patriots already have the tiebreaker over the Steelers for home-field advantage. The defense looked as if it was "back" last week, despite losing Rodney Harrison for the season. This should be a comparable game to last weeks against the Steelers, where the Patriots will solidify the win in the fourth quarter.

The Kicker That Can Kick
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
With the Eagles being without kicker David Akers, this game may come down to a point where the team needs Todd France to make a clutch kick. Rather than asking for him to make the kick though, I think the Eagles would strongly consider going for a first down if they are close to the marker. Terrell Owens will be too much for the Chiefs secondary, who are coming off a bad loss to the Broncos.

Being at home will certainly help the Chiefs early on, but if they can't get the running game going against the Eagles' tough defense, then Trent Green will have to get the passing game working. While Green has thrown well in the past, he has not done anything spectacular this year. Donavon McNabb will play fine through his pain and lead his team to a big road victory.

Two Teams Coming on Strong
Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Unfortunately for the Broncos, I am predicting the Jaguars to run away with this game early on. I don't think the Bronocs will play well on the road, especially since their two victories came at home. Plummer's inconsistency will come into play, allowing Byron Leftwich to work with a short field. Plummer won't be inconsistent by himself though; the entire Broncos offense wills struggle against the Jaguars underrated defensive unit.

The Jaguars need to stay toe-to-toe record wise with the Colts if they want to make the playoffs, and this is the type of game that they need to win desperately. A 2-2 record would force the Jaguars to begin thinking wildcard already.

Two Athletic Quarterbacks
Minnesota Vikings vs. Atlanta Falcons
Is it possible that the Minnesota Vikings are back? I think the offense finally got it together last week, but the Falcons will make Culpepper earn his production this week. The Falcons running back set of DVD was unstoppable against the Bills last week and allowed them to ice the game. The Vikings could actually be one of the league's most dangerous teams at the moment if they continue to roll.

I think the Vikings' offense will click and the Falcons' offense will click. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Vick will end up with the ball last and be able to run his way into field goal territory.

And now, the rest of the week...

Buffalo Bills vs. New Orleans Saints
The Saints and Bills have been very inconsistent to start the season after Week 1 victories. JP Losman is not getting the production he needs on offense, while the Saints are looking like the high-school of years past. The Saints will be coming to their new "home" finally, but nothing is really home unless it's - home. The Bills defense, despite the loss of Takeo Spikes, will do enough for the win.

Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Unless Harrington can pull off a miracle in this one, I think the Buccaneers will demolish the Lions. Harrington has not been able to get a speck of offense going this year and the defense will not be able to stop Cadillac Williams. It's too bad Jeff Garcia is still a month away from returning.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
The last time these two teams met up, the Titans tried to make things interesting by trying a lot of wacky plays. I know I keep saying this every week, but this week Manning has got to throw at least four touchdowns. The Titans give up too many points and are a shootout type of team. Unfortunately for them, it'll be hard to even put up points with the Colts' front four hammering McNair all day.

Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
What's going on? This is about the third lopsided game I'm predicting in a row. David Carr will be running for his life all day, and Carson Palmer and the Bengals will point up 21 points in the first half, allowing themselves to cruise to yet another easy victory. When is there competition going to get tougher?

Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Redskinss
Maybe I still don't believe in the Redskins too much yet. The Seahawks may seem like underdogs heading into Washington against a defense that hasn't given up anything. The Seahawks typically do not play well on the road, but Shaun Alexander was too hot last week to bet against them. Alexander will pick up a lot of tough yards and give the Seahawks a hard-fought victory.

St. Louis Rams vs. New York Giants
I don't know how the Rams are 2-1 right now, but at the same time I do know how. I believe they have the talent offensively, but I believe they have played like crap during their first three games. On the road they have particularly struggled in the past, like the Seahawks, and will fall to the Giants. Eli Manning is on fire despite what seemed to be a lopsided loss last week.

New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens
I am not picking the Ravens to win because they will have an offensive resurgence. I am picking them because their defense will cause at least one turnover, which could allow Matt Stover to win the game 3-0. It may not be that ridiculous, but I don't expect scoring in this one unless a defense sets something up.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders have to win a game sometime. If they go 0-4, it will make you wonder if the Randy Moss team really benefited either team - even if he is producing. The Cowboys made a great comeback against the 49ers last week, but will not be able to make a similar comeback this week. The Raiders offense will get ahead early and maintain the lead the rest of the way.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Through three weeks, the 49ers actually look like a team with more heart. Josh McCown will get the start this week for the injured Kurt Warner, but that won't be why the Cardinals win. This game is basically a toss-up, but the Cardinals get the nod due to their receivers.

Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers
The Packers may very well go 0-4, and will not be able to come back like they did after a 1-4 start last year. The Panthers have been a disappointment so far defensively. Since it is still early, this is the game where they need to make the adjustment and reclaim their pride. They will be fine offensively, and Favre will make another costly mistake.

That's it for this weeks predictions. I won my survivor pick last week just barely, as the 49ers nearly shocked me again. I'd love to take the Bengals to beat the Texans this week, but I picked the Texans to lose already in Week 2. Therefore, I am taking the Indianapolis Colts to beat the Tennessee Titans. This is a good pick since the Titans can play sleeper against a lot of teams, but not against the Colts. I'll get them out of the way in a for-sure loss.

Predictions Record to Date: 25-21
Last Week: 9-5
Survivor Streak: Won 2(Pit over Hou, Dal over SF)

My Browns are on a bye this week, so here's hoping that the Indians don't depress me today.

-Chris Pokorny