Week 6 turned out to be another pretty successful one for me in picking winners on the NFL games, as I wound up with 11 correct and 2 wrong, making the season record 64-26. This week is the bye week for the Buffalo Bills, among other teams, so again it’s a partial slate of games. Here are my week 7 predictions:
Washington at Carolina – I’ve stated almost every week that I’m not a big believer in the Redskins, and their fall back to earth will continue here as Cam Newton engineers a big Panther win at home.
Seattle at Cleveland – the Seahawks are one of the hardest teams in the NFL to figure out, looking awful one week then pulling off a big upset the next. Although the Browns have not been very impressive this year, I’ll pick them to beat a team they should beat at home.
Atlanta at Detroit – this should be one of the weekend’s most competitive games, and the Lions, still feeling the sting of their loss to the 49ers last week, will pull out a win to further cement their status as a team that has arrived as a contender.
Denver at Miami – in a strange coincidence, Tim Tebow takes over as the Broncos’ starting QB at Miami in a game in which his Florida national championship team is being honored by the Dolphins. He should have a big cheering section in the stadium and I believe he’ll direct Denver to a win over the winless Fish.
San Diego at New York Jets – the Jets have struggled to find their “A” game this year, especially on offense, and those struggles will continue as the Bolts win in a close matchup.
Chicago at Tampa Bay – this game is being played in London, so there’s no home field advantage for the Bucs, but they’ll outslug the Bears and win this game.
Houston at Tennessee – with the Colts and Jaguars both having down years, this is now a marquee AFC South matchup, and I’ll give the edge to the Titans at home, mostly due to the Texans battling with injuries.
Pittsburgh at Arizona – Cardinal coach Ken Whisenhunt is a former Steeler assistant, and the up-and-down Cards will be up for this game. The Steelers aren’t the same team when they play on the road, and I’ll take Arizona to upset them here.
Kansas City at Oakland – a classic rivalry dating back to the AFL days, and even though the Chiefs are struggling they will make it close. However, the Raiders will win, with their defense dominating the game to help out new QB Carson Palmer as he tries to learn the offense.
St. Louis at Dallas – another tough test for the young Rams, and Dallas will win to keep pace in the NFC East race.
Green Bay at Minnesota – the Vikings turn their offense over to rookie QB Christian Ponder, and his teammates should energize around him. The Packers are just too good, however, and will remain undefeated with a road division win here.
Indianapolis at New Orleans – without Peyton Manning, the Colts are punchless, and New Orleans will have little trouble winning this game.
Baltimore at Jacksonville – Jaguars’ rookie QB Blaine Gabbert facing the tough Raven defense under the Monday night spotlight is not a good situation for him. Baltimore slugs out a win on the road.