Streaming Defenses: Picking a Week 4 Defense

This article is part of our Streaming Defenses series.

Bengals

A week after snuffing out the Ravens run game and holding them to just 2.0 YPC, I'm eager to see what the Bengals have for the Jamaal Charles led Chiefs. The Chiefs would like for their own defense to help dictate the tempo of the game, as they play from ahead and let their running game take over, but game flow issues can derail that plan, as happened against the Packers on Monday night. Still, Charles is the straw that stirs the Chiefs' drink and shutting him down will be easier said than done, as he's involved in everything the offense does. On the season the Bengals rank 18th in YPC (3.9).

The play of Alex Smith will go a long way towards determining just how much success the Chiefs offense has though, as he often likes to pull his eyes down when he gets a whiff of pressure, and check down to Charles or his TE Travis Kelce. This season he has WR Jeremy Maclin to target down field, which helps, but he still takes too much of what's given underneath, rather than forcing the issue. He leads the league in sacks taken (13) and is 15th in YPA (7.39) on the season, which should help the Bengals through out the game, see Geno Atkins. I'll be mildly surprised if Smith doesn't throw at least one pick in this game and take a few sacks. Vegas has this over/under set at 44 with the Bengals favored by 4, which puts this at about a 24-20 game. Facing the Chiefs at home, the Bengals defense/special teams has an ownership of 25.5 percent at ESPN and 20 percent at Yahoo.

Vikings

Hi, I'm Peyton Manning and I have DirecTV, and I'm 2015 noodle arm Peyton Manning and I have cable. With DirecTV I get all the games, and with cable I get no zip on my passes and look like I should retire at half-time in some games… You get the point here, as Manning ranks 34th in the league in YPA (6.0) and 25th overall among QBs, per ProFootball Focus. He can still direct the offense, when allowed to operate out of the shotgun, but the offense is still adjusting to that and unsure of how to incorporate more of the run, as new coach Gary Kubiak wants to alleviate putting it all on the shoulders of Manning. WRs Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are exceptional, but again, this isn't the same Manning anymore.

The Broncos run game is abysmal at this point, ranking dead last at 2.6 YPC. Starter C.J. Anderson has shown nothing and is not to be feared with how the current offensive line is shuffling parts in and out. Same goes for Ronnie Hillman, who looks better at times, but still plays behind the same struggling offensive line. As for the Vikings defense itself, LB Anthony Barr and S Harrison Smith have been playing great again this season and I expect them to make a few plays in this game. I would really like this matchup if it was in Minnesota, but as is, I'm content to pick on the worst offense in the league in yards per play (4.3). Vegas has this over/under set at 42.5 with the Broncos favored by 6.5, which puts this at about a 25-18 game. Facing the Broncos on the road, the Vikings defense/special teams has an ownership of 22.3 percent at ESPN and 11 percent at Yahoo.

Redskins

After three weeks the Eagles have the second worst offense in the league, averaging just 4.5 yards per play. Chip Kelly and company looked like they snapped out of it in Week 3 scoring 24 points, but they only scored two TDs on offense and were held scoreless in the second half. QB Sam Bradford ranks 35th in YPA (5.8) and has more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three). Whatever the Eagles thought they were getting, when they traded for him, this isn't it. He has WR Jordan Matthews, but the Skins have shown to be a pretty good pass defense so far, ranking tied for fourth in YPA (6.2). The best part of the Eagles offense might be passing the ball to their backs in Darren Sproles, DeMarco Murray, and Ryan Matthews, but that will only move the chains so often, before safeties creep up and take that away.

Murray has done next to nothing with 11 rushing yards on 21 carries and will likely lose playing time to Matthews, who looked at least competent against the Jets stout run defense. Still, it might be Sproles that is the real playmaker on this offense, as he's among the most elusive in space. A divisional game at home, I'm surprised the Redskins are such an underdog. Vegas has this over/under set at 47 with the Eagles favored by 3, which puts this at about a 25-22 game. Facing the Eagles at home, the Redskins defense/special teams has an ownership of 1.7 percent at ESPN and 1 percent at Yahoo.

Steelers

On a short week, I'm concerned as to how the Steelers will rally around Michael Vick, now that Big Ben (knee) is out for at least a few weeks. So far the defense has done well to hold teams to just 17.3 points per game, with the Rams not even scoring a TD last week. Still, the tempo of the game figures to change with Vick under center. At home against the Ravens it should be a decent matchup though, as Joe Flacco continues to rely on Steve Smith Sr for the bulk of his passes down field. I love Smith's attitude, but if he has an even average game, the next best option becomes tough to identify. As a passer, Flacco ranks 25th in YPA (6.8), but knows when to step up and challenge defenses down field to his benefit and detriment.

In the run game, Justin Forsett has been pretty vanilla, averaging just 3.2 YPC. The Steelers rank ninth in YPC allowed (3.6), so this might be a stalemate of a matchup. The offensive line is partly to blame, as ProFootball Focus ranks them the worst pass blocking group and as an offense, third worst overall. I think the short week helps the Steelers more, as they're at home, but adjusting from Ben to Vick will certainly affect things. Vegas has this over/under set at 44 with the Ravens favored by 2.5, which puts this at about a 23-21 game. Facing the Ravens at home, the Steelers defense/special teams has an ownership of 10.9 percent at ESPN and 11 percent at Yahoo.

Giants

Is Tyrod Taylor really this good? He ranks third in YPA (9.2) and is sixth in completion percentage (74.4), but most importantly, he's a real threat to run and create plays with his legs. The Giants have corners Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to go against Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin, a matchup that I see favoring the Giants. As stat and data driven as I like to be, something tells me that Taylor and this passing game isn't this efficient and they're due for a clunker. I just find it hard to believe Taylor would go almost four seasons without logging real game action, then start playing and complete nearly 75 percent of his passes.

On the ground LeSean McCoy (hamstring) is still hobbled and unlikely to play this week, meaning we'll most likely see a heavy dose of Karlos Williams, who has really impressed so far with a 7.8 YPC. Typical of a Rex Ryan team, the Bills like to come at you with their ground-and-pound type attack, though missing McCoy does hurt they have Boobie Dixon and aforementioned Taylor to open things up. The Giants are tied for fourth in YPC (3.4), so it'll be interesting to see which side givens in. Vegas has this over/under set at 46.5 with the Bills favored by 5.5, which puts this at about a 26-20 game. Facing the Bills on the road, the Giants defense/special teams has an ownership of 5.1 percent at ESPN and 6 percent at Yahoo.

Here are my rankings for this week, the next four weeks, and the remainder of the season: