Seattle at Arizona – Thursday, 8:25 – This is a mismatch between two NFC West teams. Seattle (5-1) hasn’t looked particularly sharp in recent weeks, but they have the defensive firepower to give Arizona (3-3) fits this week. The Cardinals have a decent defense, but they’re the far worse team in this game. Seattle will cruise in the desert.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta – Sunday, 1:00 – Tampa Bay’s 2013 campaign has been reminiscent of the days when the Bucs were more often referred to as the “Yucks.” In Week 6, Tampa (0-5) got a decent outing from rookie signal-caller Mike Glennon, but it wasn’t enough to take down Philly, and a coaching change may be imminent. Atlanta (1-4) has underachieved mightily this year and was dealt a tough blow this week with Julio Jones being ruled out for the year, but the Falcons have enough weapons to get by Tampa. Atlanta will keep their faint playoff hopes with a win in Tampa.
Buffalo at Miami – Sunday, 1:00 – In keeping with tradition, the Bills (2-4) cannot seem to catch a break this year. With EJ Manuel out, journeyman Thad Lewis was under center, and performed well above expectations. However, Buffalo couldn’t pull out a win, and wound up losing to a solid Bengals team in overtime. Even worse, Lewis suffered a foot injury during the game that could limit him this week. Miami (3-2) is coming off of its bye, and they shouldn’t have much trouble with the Bills, as they have had two weeks to gameplan. The Dolphins defense should keep points off the board, and they should get enough out of their offense to come up with a victory. Miami will take down their division rivals at home.
New England at New York Jets – Sunday, 1:00 – A rookie quarterback is bound to have growing pains, as Geno Smith and the Jets (3-3) learned last week. Smith struggled mightily against the tricky defense of the Steelers, and he’ll need to regain his mojo for Jets to have a shot at taking down a Patriots team coming off of a huge win against the Saints. New England (5-1) is starting to put it together on offense, and I think the Patriots will put together a much better offensive performance than they did in their last game against New York. I like New England to win at the Meadowlands.
Dallas at Philadelphia – Sunday, 1:00 – Expect points galore in this battle for control of first place in the NFC East. Nick Foles turned in one of the best games of his young career for Philadelphia (3-3) against Tampa Bay in Week 6, and the Cowboy defense has been susceptible to extreme lapses this year. Without DeMarcus Ware, Dallas stands little chance of stopping the Eagles offense from putting up huge numbers. However, Tony Romo and the Cowboys should have no problem scoring against a very suspect Philly defense. This game will be close, but I like the offense of Dallas more than that of the Eagles. I’ll take the Cowboys in a shootout.
Chicago at Washington – Sunday, 1:00 – The nightmare of a sophomore season for Robert Griffin III continued last week in Dallas, as he committed two key turnovers down the stretch to sink the Redskins to 1-4. They’re in trouble again this week, as their secondary is badly outmatched against Chicago’s platoon of sizable targets. The Bears (4-2) should be able to exploit a couple of Washington mistakes and force turnovers, and they should have no problem moving the ball against a Redskin defense that does nothing well. Chicago will win and send the Washington fans into deeper misery.
St. Louis at Carolina – Sunday, 1:00 – Two teams coming off of surprising blowouts will meet in Carolina come Sunday. St. Louis (3-3) demolished the Texans in Houston, capitalizing on two defensive scores. I don’t believe in the ability of the Rams offense to consistently put up points, and the defense has its hands full this week with Cam Newton. The Panthers (2-3) QB turned in a banner performance in Week 6 against the Vikings, throwing just six incompletions. I like Carolina to carry the momentum of their throttling of Minnesota into this week and to even their record.
San Diego at Jacksonville – Sunday, 1:00 – The Jaguars (0-6) should be riding on an emotional high after miraculously covering the twenty-eight point spread in their game against Denver last week as they go into this clash with the Chargers. In all seriousness, the Jags put together a half-decent performance for the first time this year last week, but they still won’t be winning much anytime soon. The Chargers (3-3) played extremely well against the Colts on Monday night, and though they are notoriously inconsistent, I think they’re good enough to beat Jacksonville nine times out of ten. I’ll take San Diego to pick up a win on the east coast.
San Francisco at Tennessee – Sunday, 4:05 – On paper, this game shouldn’t be close, but I expect a good fight from the Titans (3-3). San Francisco (4-2) has won three games in a row, but they haven’t often looked like the Super Bowl contender they were expected to be. The Titans are limited offensively, but their defense has done an excellent job of keeping games close, and that shouldn’t change this week. Ultimately, the Titans don’t have the offensive prowess to win this game, but it should be a dogfight. San Francisco will grind out a win in the Music City.
Cleveland at Green Bay – Sunday, 4:25 – Going into last week, the Browns (3-3) were one of the league’s great stories, jumping out to a start that shocked many pundits around the league. However, it was only a matter of time before Brandon Weeden did what he does best: kill the Browns with interceptions. Cleveland was outclassed by Detroit last week, dropping a 31-17 contest, and the quarterbacking situation for the Browns figures to be dire. Green Bay (3-2) will be without key receivers James Jones and Randall Cobb in Week 7, but they should get enough out of running back Eddie Lacy to keep Cleveland honest and allow Aaron Rodgers to pick apart the opposing secondary. Green Bay will handle the Browns on the Frozen Tundra.
Houston at Kansas City – Sunday, 4:25 – Going into last week, I knew the Texans (2-4) were slumping, but I had no idea that they would look as bad as they did against a very mediocre Rams team. Houston was absolutely throttled in its own building, and at this point, the team seems to be falling apart in all phases of the game. Heading into the difficult environment of Arrowhead Stadium to take on the undefeated Chiefs (6-0) won’t help the Texans to turn things around. The KC defense should continue to shine in this game, as they should feast on the turnover-prone Houston offense. Kansas City is playing much better football right now, and they should control this matchup both offensively and defensively. The Chiefs will defend their home field and remain undefeated.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh – Sunday, 4:25 – This game is a crucial clash for AFC North positioning. Both of these teams have generally looked poor to mediocre, with the Steelers (1-4) being one of the league’s biggest disappointments. However, they earned their first win of the season last week by relying on a Pittsburgh staple: defense. Offensively, they still are searching for answers, and Ben Roethlisberger will be counted on heavily to carry on an offense with the 31st ranked rushing attack. Baltimore (3-3) has been highly inconsistent this year, but they have more offensive weapons than the Steelers, and I think the Raven defense can step up and manhandle the Pittsburgh offense. Baltimore will pick up a big rivalry game win.
Denver at Indianapolis – Sunday, 8:30 – Plenty of drama surrounds Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis. Colts owner Jim Irsay made headlines this week with comments that seemed dismissive of the Manning era in Indy, and though he may not show it, they definitely added fuel to Manning’s fire. Ignoring all the talk, the Colts (4-2) are coming off of a lackluster game in Week 6 in which they managed just nine points, and the offense of the Broncos (6-0) is absolutely unstoppable at this point. Indy should bounce back offensively against a so-so Denver defense, but they won’t outscore the Broncos. Denver will earn a victory in its quarterback’s homecoming.
Minnesota at New York Giants – Monday, 8:30 – One of these days, hopefully, I’ll learn to stop picking the New York Giants (0-6) to win a football game. It won’t be today. Minnesota (1-4) was embarrassed by Carolina last week, and on Monday they will turn to a picked-out-of-the-trash Josh Freeman at quarterback, making his first start as a Viking. Adrian Peterson will get his yards, but I think the Giants can finally put together a winning performance this week. Eli Manning should be able to bounce back to an extent against a very poor Viking defense. The Giants will finally pick up that elusive first victory of the 2013 campaign.