NFL Week Four Live: Late Afternoon Games

We’ve still got football to watch this afternoon, folks, so let’s take a look at the next four games coming up.

49ers @ Cardinals

The 49ers are taking their 0-3 record to Arizona, to take on the 1-2 Cardinals. This is a NFC West matchup between two teams that—at this point in their franchise history—aren’t interesting to anyone except their fanbases. Texans fans should agree that any team that’s starting Brian Hoyer at quarterback isn’t a realistic offensive threat, so expect more of the same sad performance from San Francisco this week. That should be enough for Carson Palmer to lead the Cardinals to their second win of the season. In injury news, Carlos Hyde should play for the 49ers and John Brown should be available for the Cards.

Eagles @ Chargers

The Eagles have flown across the country to LA to face the Chargers. At this point, Carson Wentz has better stats that Philip Rivers, and the Eagles stand 2-1 while the Chargers are rocking an 0-3 record. The Chargers will be looking to get their first victory this afternoon, but the Eagles are first in the NFC East and might well stay there. Melvin Gordon should be playing for the Chargers, which should help Rivers, but it’s challenging to see this as anything other than yet another loss for LA.

Giants @ Buccaneers

The Giants have travelled south to Tampa Bay, and are wishing and hoping for their first victory. Big Blue are 0-3 and last in the NFC East, despite having Eli Manning, who, despite the memes, is a pretty good quarterback, and Odell Beckham Jr., one of, if not the, best receivers in the NFL. Jameis Winston can rely on Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Jacquizz Rodgers as he seeks to improve the Buccs’ record to 2-1 (remember they lost a game to Irma). Diehards will predict Eli to remind us that he’s elite, but, erm...

Raiders @ Broncos

These AFC West rivals both boast 2-1 records, with Denver second in the division, and Oakland third. Derek Carr and Trevor Siemian are two young quarterbacks (one far more renowned than the other) who should lead their teams for at least the next decade. Oakland’s native son, Marshawn Lynch, has returned home, and Carr can turn to Jared Cook, Amari Cooper and Jalen Richard to help cover for Michael Crabtree’s expected absence. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders remain the mainstays of the Broncos offense, and should continue to help Siemian develop. The Derek Carr fan in me desperately wants a Raiders victory, but this is probably definitely the best matchup available this afternoon.

There you have it, folks. Four games to digest and discuss. Once again, please keep Texans talk in the Texans threads and refrain from political commentary in the Comments.