Week 7 already! Just like everyone predicted, the Romo- and Bryant-less Cowboys and the Bridgewater- and Peterson-less Vikings are looking like top contenders in the NFC… and of course, those Seahawks, too.
Here’s this week’s slate:
GAME OF THE WEEK – Seattle Seahawks (5-1) at Arizona Cardinals (3-3), ARZ by 1.5 – The Seahawks have quietly restored themselves to dominance. In the meanwhile, however, the Cardinals are looking like they’ve rebounded after a really rough start to the season. This makes this week’s primetime matchup in Glendale especially interesting. Look for this one to go down to the wire, but I think the Seahawks are just the better team this year. UPSET! – Seahawks 23, Cardinals 17
THURSDAY NIGHT – Chicago Bears (1-5) at Green Bay Packers (3-2), GB by 8 – Last year, an underperforming Packers team went into a Thursday night home matchup against a bad Chicago Bears team as heavy favorites and wound up laying a big-time egg with the whole country watching on Thanksgiving Night. This year, a flat-out pathetic offense, a quarterback who is officially done as a pro bowl-caliber player in this league, and a defensive secondary that has been torn to shreds by injuries are facing that same bad Bears team. But this time, I won’t be caught expecting anything other than a shitshow by this poorly coached team that has absolutely no heart. UPSET! – Bears 24, Packers 13
New York Giants (3-3) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-3) in London, NYG by 3 – The second of this year’s London games could very well be a tight matchup. These teams stack up pretty evenly. But I think the OBJ connection, plus the Rams’ inability to win games out of the division, will be the deciding factor. Giants 27, Rams 20
Minnesota Vikings (5-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-2), MIN by 2.5 – The league’s last undefeated team is coming off a bye to face an Eagles team that is fading fast. Smart money is on Minnesota. Vikings 27, Eagles 17
New Orleans Saints (2-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-2), KC by 7 – The Saints have never been an especially great road team. Now they’re taking on a Chiefs team that has finally got Jamaal Charles back and is amped up after an important divisional win against Oakland. Chiefs 30, Saints 24
Washington Redskins (4-2) at Detroit Lions (3-3), DET by 1 – Interesting game here. It’s really hard to know what to make of the Lions, which I’m sure is the source of much frustration for DBSOT, haha. Also tough to know exactly how good the Redskins are. But the Redskins beat an Eagles team that many people thought was better than them. The Lions have been winning some close games this year, and this one promises to be another close one. We’ll see what they’re made of once again. UPSET! – Redskins 23, Lions 20
Cleveland Browns (0-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-4), CIN by 10 – Browns. Bengals 27, Browns 6
Buffalo Bills (4-2) at Miami Dolphins (2-4), BUF by 3 – The Bills are quickly becoming one of the league’s hottest teams. A surprise victory against Pittsburgh doesn’t change the fact that the Dolphins are outgunned in this one. Bills 31, Dolphins 17
Oakland Raiders (4-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3), JAX by 1 – Not sure about this point spread. I get that the Raiders historically haven’t been great on the road, but that’s changed over the last couple years, and they’re clearly better than the Jaguars. ]UPSET! – Raiders 34, Jaguars 27
Indianapolis Colts (2-4) at Tennessee Titans (3-3), TEN by 2.5 – The Colts should be able to win this one to temporarily stop fans from wanting to burn down Lucas Oil Stadium, but you’ve gotta think Pagano’s a goner after this year. UPSET! – Colts 23, Titans 14
Baltimore Ravens (3-3) at New York Jets (1-5), NYJ by 1 – The Jets could very well be the league’s worst team right now. How they’re favored in this one is beyond my comprehension. UPSET! – Ravens 28, Jets 13
San Diego Chargers (2-4) at Atlanta Falcons (4-2), ATL by 6.5 – Tough loss for the Falcons in Seattle, but a date with the Chargers should cure what ails them. Falcons 33, Chargers 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) at San Francisco 49ers (1-5), TB by 2 – The 49ers are going to have to win another game sooner or later, but I dunno. Tough one to call here. The Bucs already took down an underperforming Panthers team. Surely they can do the same to a bad Niners team? Bucs 20, 49ers 16
New England Patriots (5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2), NE by 7 – This would have been a really intriguing, fun game before Big Ben’s injury. Now it’s just an easy win for the Patriots. Patriots 27, Steelers 10
Houston Texans (4-2) at Denver Broncos (4-2), DEN by 7.5 – Yeah, this one is probably going to get ugly. Have fun, Brock. Broncos 26, Texans 12
BYES: Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys
