After a losing Week 3, the NFL Picks were back in winning form in Week 4 and keeps a positive start to the 2018 season intact going into the next round of games.
I didn't have a Pick from Thursday Night Football this week, so the selections begin from the games that are being played on Sunday.
New York Giants @ Carolina Panthers Pick: The big question for the New York Giants going into the Draft back in April was whether they wanted to pick a Quarter Back with their top three selection. The decision was made that they felt there was enough of a window to build around Eli Manning, but the 1-3 start made to the 2018 season has been tough to swallow.
To say it is Manning's fault that the Giants are 1-3 would be a little harsh, although it has become clear that the Quarter Back is on the slide in his career. He doesn't have the same ability to make plays down the field as he once did, but Manning has been offered almost non-existent protection from an Offensive Line which has been forced to make changes to try and do much better.
The Offensive Line problems have also made it much tougher for Saquon Barkley to run the ball with consistency, but the rookie Running Back has shown enough to suggest he could be a big weapon for the Giants. Barkley has the opportunity to have a big game for the Giants in Week 5 against a Carolina Defensive Line who have a very strong pass rush but who have not been able to fill the gaps in run blocking that they would like after giving up 4.9 yards per carry through their first three games.
I would imagine that would have been something they would have been working on in their Bye Week, and the Panthers were a tough team to run the ball against last season. The idea for Carolina will be to prevent the Giants getting into third and short situations and instead make Manning have to drop back and find the time to hit his big time Receivers down the field which would be a huge challenge for the Offensive Line to provide the time for him to do that.
Carolina should be much more comfortable with their own Offensive plans as they will utilise a power running game to open things up for Cam Newton in the passing game. So far the Panthers have been able to run the ball very well and they should be able to get the better of the New York Giants who have struggled to giving up 4.8 yards per carry on the ground.
Newton can run the ball himself, but Christian McCafferey is proving to be a huge weapon for the Panthers and he also is a threat in the short passing game with an ability to turn those into big runs.
The Panthers Offensive Line haven't always been at their best when protecting Newton in the passing game, but they should be able to exploit play-action and the short yardage situations the rushing Offense puts them in. The Giants have some holes in the Secondary which can be vulnerable to the pass and I do think it will be tough for New York to stop a Carolina team who have scored 38 points against them in 2013 and 2015.
It is tough to back the favourite when you see the trends in favour of the Giants and the underdog in this series. However the Panthers have been very strong out of their Bye Week in recent years and New York are also in action on Thursday Night Football which lessens those concerns.
I am going to back the Panthers to win this game and cover the big number. They look to match up with the Giants pretty well and I also think they are well rested and should have been able to prepare to stop the Giants struggling Offense.
Atlanta Falcons @ Pittsburgh Steelers Pick: There would have been some people out there picking the Atlanta Falcons versus the Pittsburgh Steelers as being a potential Super Bowl Game in the 2018 season. However both teams have underachieved so far and both head into Week 5 with a losing record and sitting at the bottom of their respective Divisions.
Sometimes you can call non-Conference games as being a little less important and possibly a trappy situation for teams, but the losing team in Week 5 may already be considering that their season is over.
You have to believe there will be a lot of scoring in a game where both the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Defensive units have been absolutely terrible in 2018. Both units are going up against what has to be considered potent Offensive units.
The reliance on the Quarter Back has been evident through the first four weeks of the season, but Atlanta can at least call upon Devonta Freeman who looks to be back from an injury that has kept him out the last two weeks. It won't be easy to generate a strong rushing game in this one against a decent enough Pittsburgh Defensive Line, but Freeman offers another threat for Matt Ryan and the Falcons Offense in this one and the running game will have to be respected.
I do think Atlanta will have enough success on the ground to at least keep Pittsburgh honest and then the Secondary is likely to be exposed. Both Freeman and Tevin Coleman could be huge coming out of the backfield as Receivers for Ryan, while Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones can win their battles outside and give the Falcons every chance to move the chains with some real consistency.
Playing outdoors can be tough for a team like Atlanta who are used to playing indoors for much of the season, but I do think they can move the chains here against this Steelers Defensive Line.
The same can be said for the Pittsburgh Steelers although Le'Veon Bell's continuous holdout has dominated the headlines for them. Bell is supposed to be reporting back ahead of Week 7, but for now his absence is making it very tough for the Steelers even if their Offensive numbers have remained strong.
James Connor is simply not the threat that Bell is although the Running Back could have a strong game against a Falcons Defensive Line who have allowed 5 yards per carry. Finding the balance on the Offensive side of the ball is the key for the Steelers to give Ben Roethlisberger a little more support.
Statistically the numbers have been strong from the Quarter Back, but the connection with Antonio Brown has not been where it has been in the past. There are other Receiving threats for the Pittsburgh Steelers who are picking up their numbers and Pittsburgh should be able to make plenty of plays through the air.
One or two mistakes are likely to make the difference in this game between a cover or a non-cover. Both teams should be able to move the chains with some consistency and it is going to come down to which of the two Secondaries are able to make a big play or two that could determine which team wins.
Pittsburgh have not covered in any of their last seven home games and they were outplayed by the Ravens last week. This game is also the meat in the NFC North sandwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers and I will take the points in what could easily end up being a Field Goal game either way.
MY PICKS: Carolina Panthers - 6.5 Points @ 1.95 Bet365 (2 Units)
Atlanta Falcons + 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Baltimore Ravens - 3 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Denver Broncos - 1 Point @ 1.95 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Los Angeles Chargers - 5 Points @ 1.95 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Philadelphia Eagles - 3.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Los Angeles Rams - 7.5 Points @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
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