NFL 2023 Week 7 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! The previous week brought us two unbeatens losing in crazy fashion, there are no more unbeaten teams but yet there are still one winless team left in the standings. Carolina is on a bye this week so we shall see if they can get a win in Week 8. In matchups this week I'll keep an eye on the Jaguars-Saints, Browns-Colts, Commanders-Giants, and Chargers-Chiefs matchups. In this post, I will do a rant of the week, a Week 7 preview and picks as well as the Early and Late TV Broadcast pairings. Let's get to work!

NFL Rant of the Week

Last week's action saw us fans see two last unbeaten teams lose for the first time this season. There should be at least a live action cam of one of the 1972 Dolphins players sipping on some champagne. Can't you just picture Larry Czonka just popping a bottle and just start raving how good that Dolphins team was. Make it happen next year NFL!

Week 7 Preview

The seventh week of the National Football League's regular season will start in New Orleans, Louisiana and finish in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There will be a 13-game slate where 26 teams will play. Week 7 features a Thursday night game, six early games, four late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. The Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans have a bye this week. FOX will have the single, regional game while CBS will have the doubleheader this week. 

Week 7 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Jacksonville (4-2) @ New Orleans (3-3) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Saints

The Jaguars beat the Colts and the Saints lost to the Texans last week. The week starts off with an interesting game between AFC and NFC South teams. Jacksonville comes into this game with a huge win against the Colts and beating the Bills the week before. They seem to have a good momentum streak going for them. New Orleans enters into this game with a close loss against Houston. Their offense seems to be alright at times but I'm not sure if the Derek Carr situation is the right one. The quarterback has been injured a fair bit this season. If New Orleans can slow down Christian Kirk and make him a non-factor they can do some damage on a riding high Jaguars team. I don't see it happening. 

Atlanta (3-3) @ Tampa Bay (3-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers

The Falcons lost to the Commanders and the Buccaneers lost to the Lions last week. Atlanta had a rough time on offense in protecting the football. Desmond Ridder threw three interceptions at home which he had a undefeated streak going for him. Obviously the point going forward is to ensure that the football remains in Falcons hands on offensive possessions. They sadly didn't utilize Bijan Robinson all that much in that loss to Washington. Tampa was somewhat of a surprise this season with Baker Mayfield captaining the ship. Despite the low offensive performance, I still kind of feel good about the Buccaneers this season. They will have to go back to performing run offense and keep the pressure off of Baker. I'll take the Bucs.

Buffalo (4-2) @ New England (1-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills

The Bills beat the Giants and the Patriots lost to the Raiders last week. Buffalo has had a bit of a tough time in scoring on offense. They might have another challenge in taking on a weakened but still somewhat dangerous defense in New England. Buffalo's defense should find some solace knowing that they will have an easier time than their offensive teammates. New England has been having some rough luck as of late this season. Their offense that should've improved hasn't despite bringing in Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator. The Patriots offense showed some life against Las Vegas but they ended up losing that game in a spectacular fashion. I would be hard pressed to take New England in this one. I'll take the Bills. 

Cleveland (3-2) @ Indianapolis (3-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Colts

The Browns beat the 49ers and the Colts lost to the Jaguars last week. Cleveland probably won one of their best games since coming back to the NFL in 1999 by upsetting the undefeated 49ers. Confidence has to be somewhat high on their minds as their defense played really well. Their offense has been lacking without DeShaun Watson at quarterback. Indianapolis has been somewhat of a surprise team so far with a 3-3 record. Surprising in that they've found ways to win without Jonathan Taylor in their roster. Gardner Minshew had a rough game against Jacksonville and will need to be on his A-game against one of the best defensive units in the league. I feel a bit of a Browns letdown this week. I'll go with the Colts in a risk. 

Detroit (5-1) @ Baltimore (4-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Lions

The Lions beat the Buccaneers and the Ravens beat the Titans last week. Detroit has finally reached a mark they haven't managed to achieve since 2011 at a 5-1 start. Time will tell if they can keep it up. Their offense will face their toughest test so far this season as they go up against the 2nd best defense in the NFL in the Ravens. Baltimore has thus far only allowed 197.7 yards/game. Detroit is a passing team so something has to give. Baltimore's offense has done enough to get wins but it has been on the back of Lamar Jackson. I certainly would like to see the Ravens get more versatile options at running back. Detroit's defense is no slouch but they could have some problems in containing Jackson. I think I'll take the Lions. 

Las Vegas (3-3) @ Chicago (1-5) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders

The Raiders beat the Patriots and the Bears lost to the Vikings last week. Las Vegas could be without Jimmy Garoppolo for this game. The quarterback literally had to be taken to a hospital for a back injury. Brian Hoyer did okay in the game against New England. He didn't do much but he didn't really hurt his team either. It could be a game where the other options the Raiders have could be in play. Chicago could be without Justin Fields in this game. Tyson Bagent however didn't do much for the Bears cause as he tossed an interception last week. Outside of DJ Moore I don't know if the Bears have a solid weapon that they can use. Maybe Khalil Herbert. I'll take the Raiders. 

Washington (3-3) @ NY Giants (1-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders

The Commanders beat the Falcons and the Giants lost to the Bills last week. Washington had been doing better at the start of the season but has cooled down over the last few weeks with losing three of the last four games. Sam Howell has been kind of a hot and cold quarterback. Brian Robinson has been a solid back for them. At least it helps when you have a new regime at ownership. New York has been a solid disappointment from when they were playing very well at this point last year. Safe to say that the Brian Daboll honeymoon is long over. The Giants offense has been the main culprit to the Giants struggles. Their offense has stagnated to the point where their starting quarterback Daniel Jones has just two passing touchdowns in six games. Not great. With a decent Commanders team coming to town, I don't see the Giants rebounding. 

Arizona (1-5) @ Seattle (3-2) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks

The Cardinals lost to the Rams and the Seahawks lost to the Bengals last week. Arizona has been kind of what we were expecting this season. A team that is just trying to get through the season while likely getting a reset button at the quarterback position. Joshua Dobbs has been an alright option for Kyler Murray (yeah that guy is still around) being a sideline mainstay. At some point they should try to get Murray to play. Seattle has had a few more ups than downs this season. They really had a tough time seeing the endzone late against Cincinnati last week. They have a shot to get back into a winning column by beating one of the NFC West's dumpster team. The Cardinals could play the spoiler but I just don't see it. 

Pittsburgh (3-2) @ LA Rams (3-3) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Rams

The Steelers were on a bye and the Rams beat the Cardinals last week. It's been somewhat of an up and down season for the Steelers. They've shown some signs of offensive improvement. The defense has maintained its image of being very physical on defense. Pittsburgh's offense needs to switch it up every once in a while to keep the other team guessing. The Rams so far in their losses faced some tough teams, including a back and forth affair against the Niners. Los Angeles needs to get their offense on all cylinders as TJ Watt is always on the prowl. I'll take the Steelers in an upset.

Green Bay (2-3) @ Denver (1-5) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos

The Packers were on a bye and the Broncos lost to the Chiefs last week. Green Bay has had more downs than ups this season. Their ball protection has been the real issue with their offense. It feels that Jordan Love is forcing it at times that he shouldn't. He has some decent running backs to give the ball to. Green Bay's defense has had to pick up the slack. Denver's record has been somewhat of an expectation. They've really generated little offense. One would've thought that Sean Payton's arrival would've fixed it but I can't make things up. This game seems like a toss-up and the altitude of Denver has to be somewhat of a factor. I don't trust either team but I'll give the Broncos a benefit of the doubt. 

LA Chargers (2-3) @ Kansas City (5-1) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Chargers lost to the Cowboys and the Chiefs beat the Broncos last week. It was a rough loss for the Chargers last week. They will need to rebound quickly and play better football. They face off against the defending champs this week. Yeah good luck boys. Kansas City has continued to play some solid football on offense. Their weapons outside of Ju Ju Smith-Schuster have remained on this team. They've put up points like any other year. What makes this Chiefs team different is how many difference makers they have on defense. For once, they have a pass rush that can hurry the quarterback. It will be a challenge for Justin Herbert to produce something of a win this week. I think it'll be a Mahomes over Herbert result. 

Miami (5-1) @ Philadelphia (5-1) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins 

The Dolphins beat the Panthers and the Eagles lost to the Jets last week. Miami has been on a tear so far in 2023. Their offense has maintained its persona as an offensive team. They have a ton of weapons that Tua Tagovailoa can use. It's defense can be just as good. Philadelphia has maintained a similar persona while their defense is probably better than Miami's. The loss to the Jets last week has raised some concerns with me. Can the Eagles offense get back to playing better on ball protection? They need to ensure that Tua and the Miami offense stay on that sideline as much as possible. This should be nonetheless a great game to watch. A possible Super Bowl preview. I'll take the Dolphins. 

San Francisco (5-1) @ Minnesota (2-4) (ABC/ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: Vikings

The 49ers lost to the Browns and the Vikings beat the Bears last week. San Francisco finally fell back to earth last week. Now it comes to whether or not they can come back and play solid football again. You will fall down from time to time but the great teams always bounce back after a loss. San Fran was banged up a bit during the loss to the Browns. Trent Williams, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey might miss this game. Not a good combo. For the Vikings, they did get a win against Chicago. The Bears not a great team so have to give the Vikings some doubt whether or not they can win this game. I still think the 49ers defense can take down the Vikings. 

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

FOX Single

Detroit @ Baltimore

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Las Vegas @ Chicago

Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

Chris Myers, Robert Smith

Pittsburgh @ LA Rams (Late)

Adam Amin, Daryl Johnston

Arizona @ Seattle (Late)

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

CBS Early

Buffalo @ New England
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Washington @ NY Giants

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan

Cleveland @ Indianapolis
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

CBS Late

LA Chargers @ Kansas City
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Green Bay @ Denver
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2023: Week 7 Maps

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Total: 56-37

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Total: 60-33

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 7 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom