First, LeBron James missed his shot by picking the Washington Commanders to beat the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. Then the so-called “football junkie” made another mistake by choosing the Buffalo Bills over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday. Worst of all, James told his Instagram Live audience Sunday morning that he was “going to go with the Patriots” against the Saints, only for New England to get blown out at home, 34-0.
In just the second week of posting his NFL photos on social media, James began to lose the trust of his fans.
“You’re not very good at this,” one Eagles fan whined. “There will be upheavals, King.”
Other fans also slammed the Lakers star for overlooking the underdogs on Sunday: “Bro went with the -600 favorite…shocker.”
But just when James seemed overwhelmed, the winners came pouring in. It was one thing to pick the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs over the Minnesota Vikings, but James also had the miserable New York Jets beating the Denver Broncos. . At the end of the day, James was 7-5 for the week after an impressive 12-3 record in Week 4.
And while 7-5 may seem mediocre for a four-time NBA champion accustomed to success, it’s a higher winning percentage than his Lakers had last season.
A fan was quick to remind James that Tee Higgins was inactive for the Bengals on Sunday
James claimed a 12-2 record in Week 4 despite playing 16 games on the schedule.
James chose the favored Bills over the Jags, but it was Jacksonville who won in London
James recently made the decision to start announcing his picks on Instagram Live, putting himself at risk of being ridiculed for his predictions, while others insist his predictions influenced one way or another the games that followed.
‘Why did you just curse the buffaloes until they lost them LBJ??’ asked one fan, apparently referring to the Bills.
But not only has James proven himself to be a savvy football fan, he also keeps up to date with injuries. While sipping a mysterious green juice in his 15-minute video, James discussed a series of injuries complicating his predictions this week.
“I think the Giants struggled a lot again,” he said, referring to left tackle Andrew Thoams, center John Michael Schmitz and, most importantly, Saquon Barkley. “I think (Giants quarterback) Daniel Jones really needs (Barkley) as a security blanket. You’re able to come out of the backfield or play action, or just get him in the screening game or whatever the case may be.
“I made the Dolphins win that game,” James correctly predicted.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne scores one of his two touchdowns that day.
Several fans took issue with James’ preference of choosing favorites over underdogs.
Other fans thought James was cursing the Buffalo Bills…or “Buffalos,” according to this fan
His toughest decision of the day was the Los Angeles Rams at home against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The Rams entered the week just 2-2, but with the return of All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp from injury and the emergence of rookie Puka Nacua, James trusted Matthew Stafford to guide the Rams’ offense. Los Angeles.
“Matthew Stafford has a strong arm,” James said, describing the Rams’ lineup on both sides of the ball.
But before James committed to the Rams, he admitted the Eagles’ 4-0 run was just too impressive.
“I think I’m going to have to go with the Eagles,” he said. “I think they played some of the best football in the NFL right now, with the Niners and the Bills for four weeks.
“They have everything. The running game, DeAndre Swift looked great, and (quarterback) Jalen Hurts was just a super-duper competitor, a super-duper winner.
“They’re just making plays.”
James didn’t spend the day watching football. Instead, he was seen with WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes during Game 1 of the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty.
Hurts was far from perfect in Los Angeles on Sunday, but he still threw for 303 yards and a touchdown while earning a 23-14 victory.
But the NFL isn’t quite done for the week, and so neither is James.
The 38-year-old forward predicts the visiting Green Bay Packers will beat the Raiders in Las Vegas on Monday Night Football.
“It’s been a tale of two halves for them,” James said of the Packers’ 2-2 inconsistency. “Sometimes they play well in the first half and then don’t play well in the second half. Sometimes they play well in the second half and don’t play well in the first half.
“Let’s see if they can put together 60 minutes of good football.
James didn’t spend the day watching football. Instead, he was seen with WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes during Game 1 of the Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty in Sin City.