Week 7 NFL Predictions
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets pulled the plug on Ryan Fitzpatrick. Geno Smith will get the start this week, and it could be an ugly week 7 for the Jets and other teams. Ben Rothelisberger will be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks with a torn meniscus. Landry Jones will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers during his absence.
When will the Minnesota Vikings lose? When will the Cleveland Browns win? I went 11 and 4 with my picks last week. I am 57 and 35 on the season.
Chicago Bears 17, Green Bay Packers 24: If Green Bay can't funk out of a slump against a lowly Bears team, they should press the panic button. Aaron Rodgers should find a groove against a bad Bears secondary. Knile Davis will probably be the number 1 running back for the Packers since Eddie Lacy is sidelined. Jordan Howard will keep the Bears in the game.
New York Giants 35, Los Angeles Rams 21: Odell Beckham Jr. saved the Giants season, and he will look to be a global star on Sunday in London. Eli Manning looked better last week, and he will torch the Rams secondary. Todd Gurley will run wild for the Rams, but Case Keenum will struggle to throw the ball.
Cleveland Browns 28, Cincinnati Bengals 24: I will take teams who work hard over teams who are undisciplined. The Cleveland Browns have been competitive in every game this season, but they don't have enough to squeak it out. The Bengals look lost. Cody Kesler is getting better every game for the Browns at quarterback.
Washington Redskins 30, Detroit Lions 26: Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford will have a ball once again throwing the football. Whichever quarterback commits fewer turnover, their team will win the game.
Oakland Raiders 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 24: The Raiders will be happy they are playing on the road. They seem to feel more comfortable and the pressure is off of them. Derek Carr will out duel Blake Bortles.
New Orleans Saints 20, Kansas City Chiefs 23: The Saints offense will face a stingy Chiefs defense. Drew Brees is going to face pressure from different angles. The Chiefs will run and pound on offense with Spencer Ware and Jamaal Charles.
Buffalo Bills 32, Miami Dolphins 17: Dream on Dolphins fans, your win last Sunday was a fluke. As for Bills fans, your dream is becoming a reality. The Bills are rolling and LeSean McCoy is running wild. He will not be slowed down, and I don't expect Jay Ajayi to out play him.
Baltimore Ravens 35, New York Jets 0: Is this going to be the laughing stock game of the week? The Ravens are furious that they lost 3 straight games. The New York Jets are a perfect team to do it against. They are starting Geno Smith and he is an interception machine. Joe Flacco and Terrance West will pummel the Jets defense.
Minnesota Vikings 27, Philadelphia Eagles 13: The Vikings pass rush will suffocate Carson Wentz. The Eagles offensive line is nothing without Lane Johnson. Sam Bradford returns to Philadelphia as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
Indianapolis Colts 24, Tennessee Titans 28: The Colts defense has been bad. The Titans defense is better. Marcus Mariota is more trustworthy than Andrew Luck.
San Diego Chargers 35, Atlanta Falcons 38: Is the defense for both teams going to be actual people or just traffic cones? Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan have the potential to put up big numbers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, San Francisco 49ers 14: If Doug Martin returns, the Buccaneers offense will be electric against a bad 49ers defense. Colin Kaepernick didn't spark the 49ers at all.
New England Patriots 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 17: The match up won't have the same feel since Rothelisberger is sidelined with an injury. Tom Brady will take care of business against a putrid Steelers secondary. Le'Veon Bell needs to carry the load on offense. Landry Jones needs to get the ball to Antonio Brown in space.
Seattle Seahawks 14, Arizona Cardinals 17: Both teams feature high flying and hard tackling defense. They will feature a solid running back battle between Christine Michael and David Johnson. The difference in the game will be the quarterback play between Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer.
Houston Texans 13, Denver Broncos 16: Brock Osweiler returns to Denver. Did they make a mistake by not resigning him or was it the right move they went with Trevor Siemian? The running game and defense will be more of a factor on both teams.
Byes: Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.
