Injuries have wreaked havoc on depth charts across the NFL, forcing acclaimed prognosticators like myself to dig deep for insights.
Welcome to “Mac’s Picks for Week 4.”
New York Jets (1-2) at Chicago Bears (2-1)
Sunday 1p FOX
For those of you who enjoy gaming, the good news is you have until kickoff to monitor the injury reports. Unfortunately for me, I’ve given myself an arbitrary “Thursday 3p ET” deadline for getting my picks in!
As of this writing, the Chicago Bears are likely to start 38-year-old Case Keenum for the injured Caleb Williams. A few days ago, that looked like a gift wrapped in a green-and-white bow. However, the journeyman signal caller — nine teams across 14 years — is coming off a magical performance in the Bears’ 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Meanwhile, the Jets are likely to play without five offensive starters — WR Omar Cooper Jr, RB Breece Hall, WR AD Mitchell, LG Dylan Parham, and TE Mason Taylor. Plus, TE Kenyon Sadiq, who is coming off a breakout game in Detroit, was limited in Wednesday’s practice with an undisclosed injury.
With so many injuries, smart handicappers will stay away from this game. For the rest of you, I’m expecting the home team to pull out a win in a defensive battle.
Chicago Bears 20 New York Jets 17
Mac’s Pick — Jets (+3.5)
Arizona Cardinals (1-2) at New York Giants (2-1)
Sunday 1p CBS
Last November, Jameis Winston threw for 567 yards and two TDs in starts against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. He wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by his 57% completion percentage and two INTs, but he was competent. That’s more than you can say for how he’s fared since QB Jaxson Dart went down two weeks ago.
Now, adversity has hit the defense with the season-ending injury to 2025 All-Pro LB Brian Burns. While Big Blue needs Winston to step up offensively, on defense it’s an opportunity for Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter to start living up to their Top 5 draft positions.
Despite the injuries, I am surprised that the Giants find themselves home underdogs. The Arizona Cardinals are below average through three games on both offense and defense. Plus, in a close game, I’m putting my money on John Harbaugh over Mike LaFleur.
New York Giants 24 Arizona Cardinals 16
Mac’s Pick — Giants (+2.5)
MAC’S PICKS SEASON RECORD
Versus the point spread: 4-2
On the moneyline: 4-2
MAC’S PICKS DISCLAIMER
Mac’s Picks is written for entertainment purposes only. While “Mac” comes from gambling lineage, he knows he can’t actually predict the future. Therefore, use this information at your own risk.
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