NFL Week 4 predictions, picks: Our experts face off on week’s top games and bets, including Packers-Cowboys

There was plenty of chaos in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season. Sunday was the first day in league history with multiple interceptions, blocked field goals and punts returned for touchdowns. They say the game isn’t over until it’s over, and Week 3 certainly showed that. 

The Los Angeles Rams (+3.5) were up 26-7 over the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half, but lost and didn’t cover the spread thanks to one of those aforementioned blocked field goals returned for a touchdown. Additionally, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew a 23-6 fourth-quarter lead against the New York Jets but were able to get the game-winning field goal, and we also saw the Green Bay Packers, who looked oh so dominant across the first two weeks of the year, blow a fourth-quarter lead to the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos blow a fourth-quarter lead to the Los Angeles Chargers. It was madness. 

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There are plenty of other exciting matchups on tap for Week 4. We got things started with a Seattle Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football, and the action begins bright and early on Sunday with the first ever NFL game in Ireland. Sunday wraps up with the “Micah Parsons Game,” as the star edge rusher leads the Packers against his former team in Dallas on Sunday Night Football.

Looking to wager on any of Sunday’s NFL games? Who should you back and who should you be fading? CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Steven Taranto are here to break down the biggest games of the weekend. Odds for these selections are from FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users can get $300 in bonus bets:

Dajani (Seahawks -1.5): The Seahawks, who have won seven straight meetings vs. the Cardinals, dropped a whopping 38 points on the New Orleans Saints in just the first half last week. Yes, I know it was the Saints, but that was still very impressive. The Cardinals, on the other hand, average 276.3 yards of total offense per game, which is behind teams like the Carolina Panthers and Browns, and Kyler Murray just lost James Conner to a season-ending injury. Seattle is 6-1 against the spread in its past seven matchups vs. Arizona, so I’ll take them. Prediction: Seahawks 23, Cardinals 21

Taranto (Seahawks -1.5): Arizona is in an unenviable position here, having to play another game just four days after a gut-punch loss to the 49ers highlighted by continued issues with drops for Marvin Harrison Jr. and a gruesome season-ending injury to running back James Conner. It’s bad timing for the Cardinals to now run into the Seahawks, who are coming off two wins in a row, including a 44-13 beatdown of the Saints, and have won seven straight road games dating back to Week 7 of 2024. Speaking of seven, that’s the amount of consecutive wins Seattle lords over Arizona dating back to the end of the 2021 season. Prediction: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 20

Editor’s Note: The Seahawks won 23-20. This post has been updated since this game concluded.

Dajani (Vikings -2.5): I’m all in on Carson Wentz creating a quarterback controversy in Minnesota, and this Vikings team whooped the Cincinnati Bengals so bad last week I think they’ve been relegated to the UFL. The Steelers needed the New England Patriots to turn the ball over five times to win their Week 3 matchup, as Aaron Rodgers and Co. haven’t looked good since the season opener. Did you know the Vikings are 4-0 in international games? Now you do. Prediction: Vikings 16, Steelers 12

Taranto (Steelers +2.5): Kevin O’Connell has sprinkled pixie dust on yet another quarterback written off as damaged goods, as Carson Wentz turned in a performance that turned back the clock to his early days on the Eagles in a 48-10 win over the Bengals. But the offense’s performance was complemented by an outstanding defensive performance with multiple touchdowns by Brian Flores’ unit, which isn’t sustainable against a team like the Steelers that isn’t down its backup quarterback and enters this game on the strength of a 2-1 record. A relatively neutral site of a game on foreign soil (the Rooney family’s deep ties to Ireland notwithstanding) might be preferable to having to play in Pittsburgh itself, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough to keep the Wentz Wagon revival rolling. Prediction: Steelers 24, Vikings 10

Dajani (Eagles -3.5): The Buccaneers are undefeated, 4-1 against Jalen Hurts, playing at home AND getting the hook at +3.5? Seems like an auto-bet, right? No! It’s a trap. Baker Mayfield has lost two starting offensive linemen, and wide receiver Mike Evans has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Saquon Barkley hasn’t looked like an MVP candidate through three games, but that’s fine. I’m looking at A.J. Brown to be a factor in this one. He had 109 receiving yards just in the second half last week. Prediction: Eagles 27, Buccaneers 23

Taranto (Buccaneers +3.5): Sometimes, history is just too much to overcome. The Bucs will always be able to boast that Ronde Barber shut down The Vet in the 2002 NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, and this generation of Eagles — for all their dominance otherwise — struggles against this current iteration of Tampa Bay football. The Buccaneers have handed the Eagles two playoff losses in the past five years, and beat them like a drum in their last regular season matchup around this time a year ago. All of those games were played in Tampa, making Raymond James Stadium a house of horrors for Jalen Hurts & Co., who are currently winning more on sheer talent than they are on ingenuity or creativity on offense. Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Eagles 16

Dajani (Rams -3.5): The Colts are 3-0 ATS while the Rams are 2-1 ATS. The hook looks attractive, but the Rams are easily the best team the Colts have played thus far. I’m worried about Indy’s secondary after the Colts lost Kenny Moore to injury, and DeForest Buckner missed practice Wednesday due to a back injury. Here’s the key stat to know: 3-0 teams as underdogs vs. non 3-0 teams are 1-10 ATS since 2014. Crazy, right? Prediction: Rams 30, Colts 24

Taranto (Colts +3.5): Those who have wanted to rationalize Daniel Jones playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL to start the season have cited how his outstanding performances have come against lesser competition, namely the Dolphins and Titans, whose head coaches are both on the brink. That won’t be the case against the Rams, but the Rams completely blowing it against the Eagles last week is surely a blow to that team’s psyche. Now, they’re up against a Colts team with all the confidence in the world — and a quarterback who is now doing all the things everyone in New York said he couldn’t do. Prediction: Colts 24, Rams 17

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Dajani (Chiefs +2.5): The Ravens were simply outplayed by a talented offense that took advantage of the fact that Baltimore was missing three important starters on defense. The Chiefs are expected to get Xavier Worthy back this week, which is a huge lift. I don’t know if Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike will be back for Baltimore. Patrick Mahomes is 11-5 SU and 12-3-1 ATS in his career as an underdog, including playoffs. He’s 5-1 all time against Lamar Jackson, so I’ll take the Chiefs at plus money. Prediction: Chiefs 26, Ravens 23

Taranto (Ravens -2.5): This is a matchup based on reputation and not on the actual state of each of these two teams. The Chiefs got their first win of the season in Week 3, but they didn’t exactly hang a number on a lousy Giants team and Steve Spagnuolo’s defense didn’t have to do anything especially creative to stymie a deep-ball-or-nothing Giants offense. The Ravens are 1-2 on account of how in both games they’ve played against good competition, their defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone. The difference is that compared to the Chiefs, the Ravens can score, as they’ve put up at least 30 points in each of their three games so far this year. Prediction: Ravens 27, Chiefs 20

Dajani (Packers -6.5): The Packers completely bungled that matchup vs. the Browns, but they are set up for a rebound performance in Dallas. This Cowboys defense is terrible. They rank bottom six in yards allowed per game (397.7) and points allowed per game (30.7). Over the past two games, the Cowboys secondary has allowed quarterbacks to complete 71% of their throws for 360 yards per game, seven touchdowns and one interception. Plus, CeeDee Lamb is expected to be out due to his high ankle sprain. Yikes. Matt LaFleur is 22-11-1 ATS in prime-time games — the best cover percentage by a head coach since 2000. His team covered vs. Washington on “Thursday Night Football” a couple weeks ago, and will do so again on Sunday night. Prediction: Packers 27, Cowboys 17

Taranto (Packers -6.5): This is a classic revenge game where the chickens come home to roost. With the Cowboys’ trade of Micah Parsons leaving them without any real threat of a pass rush, their secondary hasn’t been able to be as aggressive as they’ve been in the past, and now they can’t cover a soul. Dallas’ defensive performances against offensively-challenged Giants and Bears teams bode very poorly for them against the Packers, who have always been a well-oiled machine on offense and who have always been a terrible matchup for Dallas in particular. Add CeeDee Lamb’s injury to the mix, and Dak Prescott‘s individual heroics might not be enough to save the Cowboys from the consequences of Jerry Jones hardballing his best player in contract negotiations to the point of alienating him. Prediction: Packers 41, Cowboys 13

Dajani (Dolphins -2.5): The Dolphins showed some fight against the Buffalo Bills last week. Mike McDaniel is coaching for his job, and he can still beat lesser teams with speed. The Jets should be a popular upset pick this week, but the Dolphins got quite the mini-bye having played last Thursday night. Prediction: Dolphins 17, Jets 13

Taranto (Jets +2.5): It’s easy to bite on the “Same Old Jets” narrative, but this particular iteration of Gang Green strikes me as a little different from years’ past. While Week 2 offered more of the same in terms of the Jets looking completely hapless and incompetent, their other two games this year have both been rip-your-heart-out losses decided by being on the wrong end of a late field goal. The Dolphins may be coming off a competitive effort against the Bills that stabilized the situation surrounding embattled coach Mike McDaniel, but if the Jets can manage to get on Miami early, I think they might be able to frustrate them and make them quit. Prediction: Jets 23, Dolphins 10

Dajani (Broncos -7.5): I’ve been a sucker for the Broncos this year. They covered for me in Week 1, lost to the Colts on a bogus penalty in Week 2 and then gave away a fourth-quarter lead to Justin Herbert and the Chargers on Sunday. I went back and watched the film on Bo Nix; his mechanics look off, as he missed three would-be deep-shot touchdowns. I still have faith in him. After all, he is 3-0 following a two-game losing streak, with the Broncos outscoring opponents 102-13 in those games. This Denver squad needs a good game against a team coming off a 48-10 loss to Carson Wentz. Prediction: Broncos 30, Bengals 20

Taranto (Broncos -7.5): I’m going to echo what Jordan said here in that I lack confidence in Bo Nix, but feel fairly good about the rest of the Broncos as a whole. Denver is always a tough place to play for visiting teams, especially one dealing with as much adversity now as the Bengals currently are. Even if Jake Browning gets off the mat after last week, it’s going to take a Herculean effort for him to get the best of Sean Payton. Prediction: Broncos 34, Bengals 17

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