Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The week that was Week 6 was a good week for picks as I had a - record. It feels like the crop of teams are starting to pull away with good records vs teams with bad records. There still is a large group of teams that are at 3-3 and are in the middle ground. Games I'm keeping an eye on this week are the Broncos-Saints, Lions-Vikings, Eagles-Giants, Chiefs-49ers and Ravens-Buccaneers matchups. In this post, I will do a preview of the week ahead, my picks for the games, and the Early & Late Game Broadcast pairings that FOX and CBS will have. Let's get to work!
Week 7 Preview
The seventh week of the National Football League's regular season will start in New Orleans, Louisiana and finish up in Glendale, Arizona. The week will have a 15-game slate where 30 teams will play. Teams on a bye will be the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys. The week will feature a Thursday night game, a Sunday morning game, seven early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and two Monday night games. For matchups, there will be six interconference games, three division games, four AFC games, and two NFC games. The doubleheader will be carried by FOX while CBS will have the single, regional game this week.
Week 7 Picks
Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me.
Denver (3-3) @ New Orleans (2-4) (Amazon; 8:15 pm)
Pick: Broncos
The Broncos lost to the Chargers and the Saints lost to the Buccaneers last week. Denver had been on a winning streak this season. Much to a lot of surprise of the pundits. I had felt that the Broncos were missing pieces that they needed to be where they are at right now. At least for now, the Broncos are ahead of schedule. Bo Nix and the offense has been improved but he's about the only offense that the Broncos use. I would like to see Javonte Williams go a bit more in games and take over them. The Denver defense has been the biggest surprise of the season for the Broncos. They are holding down teams to keep their offense in games.
New Orleans last week hit their lowest low it seems. The defense let the Buccaneers walk over them and put up 51 points at home. The highest scoring offense through two weeks of the season now has a point differential of +20 now. The sad part is that Derek Carr will not be able to play until likely Week Week 11 or 12. Spencer Rattler will be the quarterback that will lead the way. He will have a challenge this week. The Saints defense is currently ranked dead last in yards/game with 395.8 yards/game. I think the Saints will have a hard time in this game.
All-time series: Broncos lead 9-3
New England (1-5) @ Jacksonville (1-5) (NFL Network; 9:30 am)
Pick: Patriots
The Patriots lost to the Texans and the Jaguars lost to the Bears last week. New England made the bold move to start Drake Maye last week. The rookie's debut was promising but not guaranteed. The quarterback threw three touchdowns but threw two costly interceptions. I think with a solid offensive line, I think the quarterback can do even better. The rest of the team kind of fell apart, especially the defense. Keep in mind that Jerod Mayo is a defensive minded head coach. Definitely seems that if they had a solid defense, they could win more games. The lack of Rhamondre Stevenson hurts the Patriots running game from going off.Jacksonville is the other 1-5 squad in the AFC that has seen a tough start to their season. The Jaguars are a strange team, their offense should be a lot better than it should be. They just haven't had a good start on offense and carry it to a win. Fortunately the Patriots defense is an average unit when it comes to giving up yardage. Defensively, they could either find a tough challenge in taking on Drake Maye who has a small sample size of film to study on. Perhaps if they can blitz a lot maybe they can ravage them. If they can shut down the running game like the Texans did, they could come away with a win. I don't trust either team but I like the Patriots.
All-time series: Patriots lead 12-2
Cincinnati (2-4) @ Cleveland (1-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Bengals
The Bengals beat the Giants and the Browns lost to the Eagles last week. Cincy had a must win situation in New York and they took it with a grain of salt. They didn't win in spectacular fashion but they made a few key plays in the win. What they face this week is a Browns team that is going downhill. The Bengals defense will have a tall task to be had in this game but the Browns offense is kind of rough around the edges. The Bengals just need to sustain the drives to keep the Browns defense on the field.Cleveland has had a rough time this season. Much to everyone's surprise, DeShaun Watson has been playing pretty rough football in the 2024 season. Sadly the contract that he was given is pretty much a guaranteed reason why they have to play him. Gotta get some value from him. The Browns should get some help coming back. Nick Chubb will be returning to the fold to try his hand in getting the Browns a win. I am not sure if it'll be enough. I'll go with the Bengals.
All-time series: Bengals lead 53-48
Detroit (4-1) @ Minnesota (5-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Lions
The Lions beat the Cowboys and the Vikings were on a bye last week. Detroit got a big win against the Cowboys. They didn't just win in a back-and-forth fashion, they won in a blowout fashion by taking advantage of Cowboys turnovers and had their way with the Cowboys defense. The thing with the Lions offense is that they are not afraid to be versatile. They have so many players that can hurt you. We will have to see if the loss of Aidan Hutchinson will be a factor in this game. Hutchinson got injured in the blowout win against Dallas.
Last time we saw Minnesota was in London in a win against the Jets. The Vikings looked alright but kind of looked vulnerable. Despite the turnover fest that Aaron Rodgers was offering to the Purple Gang, they only won by six points. I think the plus side for the Vikings is that they can stop the run well. Which is also something that the Lions do good at. I don't think we've seen Sam Darnold face adversity before yet this season. I think the Vikings might see their undefeated season come to an end at home.
All-time series: Vikings lead 80-43-2
Houston (5-1) @ Green Bay (4-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Packers
The Texans beat the Patriots and the Packers beat the Cardinals last week. A marquee game in the CBS early slot. CJ Stroud looked a bit rough around the edges in the early part of the season. It almost seemed like he was having a sophomore slump. Last week's win was a pivotal one as the running game got going. Joe Mixon got going last week and the Texans will need him to do well this week. The offense will face off its bigger test in the Packers defense. A defense that only allowed 13 points last week.
Green Bay looks to be a good team that has a solid balanced offense. Their wide receiving corp isn't full of big names but they get it done. Josh Jacobs is a solid #1 running back. If Jordan Love gets injured again, Malik Willis just comes off the bench and just fires off touchdowns like he was just playing for 20 seasons. The defense has been a bit of a concern for the Pack. Particularly their run defense. They somehow managed to shut down the Cardinals running game. Perhaps the fact the offense was putting up points like a pinball was a factor as well. Joe Mixon could be a problem. I think the Packers take down the Texans.
All-time series: Packers lead 4-1
Miami (-) @ Indianapolis (-) (FOX; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Colts
The Dolphins had a bye and the Colts beat the Titans last week. Last time we saw Miami was a struggle but a win nonetheless against the Patriots. Their offense did enough to get the win while holding the Patriots to just 10 points. Tua Tagovailoa won't be able to play until next week at the earliest as he is on the Injured Reserve. Tyler Huntley will be starting again. Fortunately, the Colts defense isn't really good. Another problem is the health of De'Von Achane as he is the workhorse of the Dolphins running game. It might be a struggle for the Dolphins.
The Colts have had a decent start to the season. It could've been worst. Anthony Richardson is out for a good portion of the time and Joe Flacco is back in the fold to throw passes again. The veteran has been a solid contributor to the Colts passing game. The Colts running game has played decent and the wide receiving corp has been enjoying the passes from Flacco. The defense hasn't been playing up to par that they should. Their rush defense is 2nd to last. The Dolphins running game might be trying to go a bit more to relief the pressure on Tyler Huntley. I think the Colts are still the better team but I will take them by a field goal.
All-time series: Dolphins lead 48-28
Philadelphia (3-2) @ NY Giants (2-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Eagles
The Eagles beat the Browns and the Giants lost to the Bengals last week. The rivalry renews as Saquon Barkley returns to New York where he was drafted and played for so many seasons. The Eagles didn't really show to be a great team against the Browns. At least didn't blow out the Browns as well as they should. Their defense kept the Browns to 16 points. The Eagles didn't really show that they were the team to beat but a win is a win. I think the offense will need to play better.
New York had looked like a good team for at least a hot second. The loss to the Bengals proved that them in primetime in the Daniel Jones era is pretty bad. Fortunately for the G-men, this game is a 1:00 pm game. Tyrone Tracy Jr. is a solid option at running back and could provide a good option to help Daniel Jones out. Malik Nabers has been fun to watch but he has missed a few games due to a concussion suffered in the Cowboys game. I think the Giants will need to keep driving down the field to win this game. Keep Jalen Hurts on the sideline. I'll take the Eagles.
All-time series: Eagles lead 93-88-2
Seattle (3-3) @ Atlanta (4-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Seahawks
The Seahawks lost to the 49ers and the Falcons beat the Panthers last week. Seattle has had a rough time in the last few weeks. Their defense when they were at 3-0 was in the 10's in the points/game column. Since then they've given up 30+ points. Not a good sign as they head down to Atlanta with an offense that is pretty good. The running game needs to get back together and run it down the Falcons throats. Geno Smith deserves some of the blame but when you can't stop an opposing defense, its kind of difficult to win games.
Atlanta has been playing pretty well of late. It helps when you got Kirk Cousins. The offense is pretty good as they have a balanced attack. Drake London is an underrated receiver and is probably Cousins favorite target. The tandem of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier is a versatile duo at running back. I think the defense might have a challenge in facing Kenneth Walker III as the Falcons rush defense is ranked 25th in the league by allowing 142.7 yards/game. I feel the game is a toss-up, I'll take the risk and take the Seahawks.
All-time series: Seahawks 12-9
Tennessee (1-4) @ Buffalo (4-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm)
Pick: Bills
The Titans lost to the Colts and the Bills beat the Jets last week. Tennessee is a strange team. They can look good for one moment and then look bad the next. Will Levis isn't a great quarterback, he's more of a below average quarterback at most times. A bright spot on the team is Tony Pollard as he helped the Titans get a touchdown. The Titans defense is actually a decent unit with just allowing 110 points so far this season. Only the Steelers have allowed opponents score less. This game will be a big one for Will Levis as they are facing against the class of the AFC other than the Chiefs.
Buffalo had its issues earlier in the season. Certainly all teams have that lows of low at times. The offense is still pretty good as Josh Allen can beat you with his arm and his legs. Despite no James Cook in the lineup, the Bills have a good option in Ray Davis. Obviously, James Cook is the better option as he can both run and catch the ball. The Bills got a boost in their wide receiving corp as they got Amari Cooper from Cleveland to solidify a corp that hopes to help overthrow the Chiefs come January. I'd like to see the Bills throw the ball a bit more as they have a chance to test the Titans #1 ranked pass defense. I'll take the Bills.
All-time series: Titans lead 30-20
Carolina (1-5) @ Washington (4-2) (CBS; 4:05 pm)
Pick: Commanders
The Panthers lost to the Falcons and the Commanders lost to the Ravens last week. Carolina has been what their record has shown: pretty bad. The offense hasn't really shown any improvement from last year it seems. They've only scored just 103 points so far this season. Though the offense has seen some improvement with Andy Dalton, I don't think they're lighting up the scoreboard much. The defense isn't that much better either. Chuba Hubbard has been the best option for them on offense other than Andy Dalton. The offense should do okayish in this game but I fear the defense will be ran over in this game.
The Commanders have been a nice surprise so far this season. Jayden Daniels looks like to be the frontrunner of rookie of the year for offense. The thing that makes the Commanders nasty is their physical style of running the ball. Both Brian Robinson and Jayden Daniels has 300+ rushing yards with five and four touchdowns respectively. The defense will have a decent test as they are facing off against Chuba Hubbard which isn't a slouch at running back. The defense of Washington should try to get some turnovers in this game as they are tied for worst with seven interceptions and seven fumbles. lost. I'll take the Commanders.
All-time series: Commanders lead 10-7
Las Vegas (2-4) @ LA Rams (1-4) (CBS; 4:05 pm)
Pick: Rams
The Raiders lost to the Steelers and the Rams had a bye last week. Las Vegas has had a tough go of it of late. The team traded Davante Adams to the Jets for a 3rd (or possibly a 2nd) round pick to the Jets. Their quarterback situation is kind of a mess. The running game isn't getting a lot of yardage. The defense is not doing a whole lot either. Maxx Crosby getting involved in coaches' personal space. Hard to say if the Raiders can overcome this but it's not great in Raider nation.
The last time we saw the Rams it was a close loss to the Packers at home. The offense kind of kept pace with the Pack while the defense held the Packers to just 24 points. The injury situation to their wide receiver group is a bit of a question. Cooper Kupp has been injured since Week 2 and Puca Nacua hasn't yet played yet this season. Kupp is likely going to return at some point this season. Suffice to say, I think the Rams can win this game with a running game plan geared towards giving Kyren Williams the ball. Tutu Atwell should see some more catches as well. I'll take the Rams.
All-time series: Raiders lead 8-7
Kansas City (4-1) @ San Francisco (3-3) (FOX; 4:25 pm)
Pick: Chiefs
The Chiefs had a bye and the 49ers beat the Seahawks last week. Last time we saw the Chiefs was a beatdown on the Saints on Monday night. They did not have Rashee Rice in that game but they did get Travis Kelce going in the game. Certainly joyful for Taylor Swift. The defense has kept up where they left off last season. The offense is much of the same but did get a boost in the wide receiver group in JuJu Smith-Schuster coming back. Oh and this is also a Super Bowl rematch.
The 49ers have had their ups and downs this season. Suffice to say the defending NFC champs are still a formidable team. Their running game has been one of their strong suits despite Christian McCaffrey being injured and not likely going to play until Week 10. Jordan Mason has been the solid contributor to their team. The Niners will need him and Isaac Guerendo to step up against the Chiefs. Brock Purdy has stayed relatively the same. I think its more of their game plan with a lead that has been their struggle. They haven't quite closed out games like they should. Example is the losses to the Rams and Cardinals. They cannot let off the gas against the Chiefs, they will not let themselves beat themselves up. I'll take the Chiefs in a rematch.
All-time series: Chiefs lead 9-7
NY Jets (2-4) @ Pittsburgh (4-2) (NBC; 8:20 pm)
Pick: Steelers
The Jets lost to the Bills and the Steelers beat the Raiders last week. New York decided to go in a different direction last week in head coach and offensive coordinator. Despite the changes, the Jets didn't win their game against Buffalo last week. It seems that the Bills are still the class of the AFC East. The Jets got Davante Adams via trade. Further proving that the Jets should be the New York Jetpackers. Will it make that much of a difference in this game? I'm not sure but Aaron Rodgers and Adams has had history together.
Pittsburgh got a bit of news on the starting front. Russell Wilson will suit up as he becomes the #1 starter for this game. Justin Fields was a good option but the passing game was somewhat lacking compared to the rushing attack. Eventually it was going to happen I felt. In terms of veteran presence Wilson definitely has that over Fields. The defense will surely appreciate a boost in scoring. It'll give them a break for sure. I don't trust the Jets even with the new addition. I'll take the Steelers.
All-time series: Steelers lead 20-7
Baltimore (4-2) @ Tampa Bay (4-2) (ABC; 8:15 pm)
Pick: Ravens
The Ravens beat the Commanders and the Buccaneers beat the Saints last week. Baltimore played well against the Commanders. The game was what to expect from two teams that are good. The running game has been their strong suit and Derrick Henry has been their tank. The running back has had a bit of a renaissance as well. The defense has been playing well as well. The Lamar Jackson case for MVP has been never been better. The Ravens will face another test in the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay had a chance to win against the Saints. They proved to be more of a chance against them as they put up 51 points. It was a game that despite the turnovers they still put the hurt on the Saints. Oddly enough it was a 31-27 game and then all hell broke loose. The Saints offense couldn't tackle at all. The Buccaneers offense is good but I question how well they can do against the Ravens. Could this game be a Super Bowl preview? I think the key for the Buccaneers is better ball protection. If the offense can keep the Ravens off the field, they should handle themselves well. I'll take the Ravens.
All-time series: Ravens lead 5-2
LA Chargers (3-2) @ Arizona (2-4) (ESPN+; 9:00 pm)
Pick: Chargers
The Chargers beat the Broncos and the Cardinals lost to the Packers last week. This game will only be on ESPN+ and not on TV. Kind of a dick move NFL. The Chargers got Justin Herbert back last week and looked good for the most part. With a week of rest in his belt, I think Herbert will get better. I think the Chargers running game has been the part that has impressed me most. Getting JK Dobbins in free agency has been solid as the runner as scored three touchdowns and has 438 yards rushing. Gus Edwards hasn't been bad either. I think we'll see how good the Chargers defense is in this game.
Arizona had looked promising going into the game against Green Bay. Then people forgot how rough around the edges their defense is. They're currently ranked 29th in rush defense in allowing 153 yards/game from the ground. Might spell good news for JK Dobbins. The rushing game of the Cardinals should try to get going in this game. At least give some help to Kyler Murray. The defense will have its trials in this game. I think I'll go with the Chargers.
All-time series: Chargers lead 11-4
Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings
Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings
FOX Early
Philadelphia @ NY Giants
FOX Late
Kansas City @ San Francisco
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady
CBS Single
Houston @ Green Bay
For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2024: Week 7 Maps
Records
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11
2019: 161-94-1
2022: 166-103-2
2023: 161-111
See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 7 Recap! Enjoy the games!
-Tom
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