Week 4 Bold Predictions: Bengals Tie… Again?
It’s been a weird NFL season so far, to say the least. Preseason games were canceled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans aren’t in the stands, and Tom Brady plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We’ve seen some crazy things happen, and here, the ITH crew will see if they can predict some crazy things themselves.
Darren Braxton: Texans stay winless after a shootout with Vikings
Bold Ranking: Not Too Bold
Micah’s Analysis: Following a year in which Houston nearly made the AFC Championship game, many expected the Texans to follow up with an impressive campaign. It hasn’t been that way so far; Houston is 0-3 after getting torched by arguably the league’s toughest schedule. This week, they get to face another 0-3 team in the Minnesota Vikings. Although Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has struggled this year, both he and Watson have shown that they can engage in shootouts with the best of them. I don’t think it would surprise anyone to see the passers go toe-to-toe in a high-scoring affair, which is why I gave this a ranking of “Not Too Bold”.
Richie Dordas: Bengals tie for the second straight week
Bold Ranking: Insanely Bold
Micah’s Analysis: Since “Sudden Death” overtime rules were implemented into NFL games in 1974, no team has ever tied twice in a season, much less in consecutive weeks. Matter of fact, only four times in that span has a season ever featured multiple ties between any teams. Because this has quite literally never happened before, “Insanely Bold” is the only reasonable ranking for this. Cincinnati does get to play against another horrible team in the Jacksonville Jaguars, but I can safely assure you that these teams will finish the contest with different point totals.
Sam Kirk: Aaron Donald breaks the single-game sack record
Bold Ranking: Insanely Bold
Micah’s Analysis: The Giants offensive line is an absolute laughingstock. Aaron Donald is arguably the best defensive lineman to ever put on the pads. Put those together and you probably get a big game from Donald. But seven sacks? From an interior lineman? Insanely Bold prediction. Only two players have even hit six in the past 20 years, most recently Atlanta’s Adrian Clayborn in 2017. Offensive coordinators already lose sleep game-planning over Donald, and when you have a line this weak, you’ll take some more time to try and figure out how to neutralize the NFL’s best defensive player. Donald’s career-high in sacks is 4.0, and even against this JV unit, he will have trouble even reaching that.
Micah Jimoh: Jarrett Stidham steps in for Cam Newton and throws 3 TDs in win
Bold Ranking: Very Bold
Micah’s Analysis: With Cam Newton set to miss time after contracting COVID-19, the Patriots will turn to either Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham as they try to move to 3-1. Regardless of whoever is under center, they’re in for a rough night against Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Chiefs. Bill Belichick will always have an incredible gameplan in his back pocket, but in order to beat these guys, you have to put plenty of points on the board. I’m going with my gut and saying that the onus will fall on Stidham, and he will have one of the more impressive debuts in NFL history, directing the Patriots to a one-possession victory over KC. As you can see by some of the previous predictions, this isn’t quite “Insanely Bold”, but it is kind of crazy.
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