NFL Week 7 Predictions

NFL Week 7 Predictions

Brevin Fleischer and Ethan Katz

Last Week:

Ethan Katz- 8-6

Brevin Fleischer: 10-4

Overall:

Ethan Katz: 17-11

Brevin Fleischer: 17-11

 

Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens

Scouting Report: Joe Flacco and the Ravens are coming into this one after demolishing the Buccaneers 48-17. They’ll be going up against a struggling Falcons team whose defense can’t seem to stop anyone so far, and certainly won’t stop the Ravens here.

Pick: Baltimore-21 Atlanta-20    EK

Scouting Report: Some things just don’t mix like peanut butter and ketchup or the Yankees and the Red Sox or Matt Ryan and road games. For some reason, Ryan and the Falcons can’t seem to get it done on the road, and I expect that to continue this week against a surprisingly explosive Ravens offense led by the resurgence of Steve Smith.

Pick: Baltimore- 34 Atlanta- 20    BF

 

Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins

Scouting Report: The Redskins are struggling, there’s no doubt about it. Kirk Cousins has thrown for almost as many interceptions as he has thrown for touchdowns, and the rushing game hasn’t been too great either. These guys are 1-5, but they are looking for a bounce back game to maybe recover from a brutal start to the season, and this is the perfect game. The Redskins are at home against a poor Titans team with only one quality win on the season in week one, and look for Washington to come out firing on all cylinders and get the win.

Pick: Washington- 27 Tennessee- 17   EK

Scouting Report: Do you remember when RGIII was “struggling” and people were calling for Kirk Cousins to take his job? Well, those people got their wish and Cousins is at the helm in Washington…. and struggling. As long as Cousins is playing, the Redskins are no force to be reckoned with. Expect a big game from Tennessee Tight End Delanie Walker in a winning effort.

Pick: Tennessee- 20 Washington-13 BF

 

Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams

Scouting Report: Let’s be honest here. Not many people expected the Cowboys to come into Seattle last week and pick up the W. Well, Dallas went into Seattle last week and won, surprising many fans across the league. Don’t be fooled, however. The Seahawks are still a great football team and will bounce back this week when they go into St. Louis. The Rams are an inferior football team, and Seattle will take advantage of their weaknesses on both offense and defense.

Pick: Seattle- 34 St. Louis- 14    EK

Scouting Report: St. Louis’ chances in the NFC West went with Sam Bradford’s knee, and their pass rush simply isn’t as effective as it was last year. They may be playing hard, but I don’t know if any team is up to the task of playing this Seattle team after last week’s disappointing loss. Coach Pete Carroll will have his team hungry for a win. Although it’s been a tumultuous week for Seattle with Percy Harvin’s sudden departure, expect Marshawn Lynch to set the tone in this one and Russell Wilson to bounce back in a big way.

Pick: Seattle-27 St. Louis-10    BF

 

Cleveland Browns at jacksonville Jaguars

Scouting Report: Not a bad showing on defense for the Jaguars the last couple of weeks, giving up only 17 and 16 points to Pittsburgh and Tennessee, respectively. Nonetheless, the offense has been abysmal and the Jaguars still have not won a game, a trend that may continue for many weeks to come. They’re going up against a Browns team that has surprised many in these first six weeks of the season. They haven’t lost a game by more than three points and are above 500, with quality wins over New Orleans and Pittsburgh. Their offense, led by brian Hoyer, will prove to be too much against a weak Jacksonville team.

Pick: Cleveland- 27 Jacksonville 10    EK

Scouting Report: Johnny who? That’s right folks. The Cleveland Browns are a good football team, and Johnny Manziel isn’t a part of it. Brian Hoyer is on pace for almost 4,000 yards, and the team is playing inspired football. Look for that to continue against a young Jaguars team.

Pick: Cleveland-24 Jaguars-17      BF

 

Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills

Scouting Report: The 3-3 Bills take on the 2-4 Vikings at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Kyle Orton has done a decent job at quarterback, and the Bills defense has done a great job thus far, allowing the fewest rushing yards per game in the league. Teddy Bridgewater hasn’t been good at QB, throwing for 3 INT and 0 TD. This shouldn’t be the game where he explodes offensively, as the Bills defense should handle the Vikings offense with ease.

Pick: Buffalo- 23 Minnesota- 14    EK

Scouting Report: Two of the more uninspiring teams in the league go at it in what should be a fairly low scoring matchup. The great Bills run defense goes up against a Minnesota team without Adrian Peterson. Although not quite as strong, the Bills secondary should be able to handle QB Teddy Bridgewater who is still trying to find his bearings in the NFL. Although I am not a Kyle Orton fan by any means, I do give him the edge in this quarterback matchup.

Pick: Buffalo-17 Minnesota-13   BF

 

Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts

Scouting Report: This has all of the makings to be a phenomenal football game, maybe the best of the week. The Colts are on a four game winning streak after starting the season 0-2, with Andrew Luck picking apart defenses. The Bengals tied last week against Carolina and just won’t haven’t been the dominant team they were in the first three weeks. Indianapolis should take care of these guys and move to 5-2 on the season.

Pick: Indianapolis-30 Cincinnati-23 EK

Scouting Report: Two very strong teams with solid records face off in what should be a good matchup this week as the Bengals take on the Colts. There will be talent all over the field when these two teams square off, but one talent stands above the rest, and that talent is Colts QB Andrew Luck. Luck has 17 touchdowns on the year compared to Andy Dalton’s 6. Yes, you read that right. In five games, Andy Dalton has thrown for just 6 touchdowns, while Luck has thrown 17 in six games. That disparity at quarterback could be the difference in this one.

Pick: Indianapolis-34 Cincinnati-30    BF

 

Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears

Scouting Report: Expect a rugged, defensive battle here between two average teams. Miami has been about as decent as you can get, and Chicago has been doing okay to date. This should definitely be a close game, but the likes of Marshall, Jeffrey, and Forte will outplay the Dolphins.

Pick: Chicago-24 Miami-21 EK

Scouting Report: Every week, I look at the Bears and expect a breakout game. This team just has too much talent on the offensive side of the field. Jay Cutler has one of the best arms in the league, and he has the pleasure of throwing to Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett. That’s just unfair. The Dolphins, led by Ryan Tannehill are a less talented team with little breakout potential. Expect the Chicago defense to step up at home and give the Bears a much needed win.

Pick: Chicago-34 Miami-14   BF

 

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions

Scouting Report: Calvin Johnson, also known as Megatron, is questionable for this game, and his play could make the difference in this one. The Lions have had major offensive struggles to date; however, they could get some big plays against a rather weak Saints D. If Megatron plays, expect him not to be a huge factor, and going up against a great Saints offense with injury problems of their own (Jimmy Graham is questionable). This should be a close game, but in the end, the Saints offense is going to outscore the Lions offense, and will come out with a victory.

Pick: New Orleans-31 Detroit-21 EK

Scouting Report: This game is one of the more interesting matchups of the week, especially because, as of right now (Saturday night), we have no idea whether two of the premier player in the game (Calvin Johnson of the Lions and Jimmy Graham of the Saints) will even be on the field. What we do know is Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he is going up against a defense that is among the league leaders. The Saints have been a different team on the road in recent years, lacking the offensive fireworks that their home crowd is so accustomed to seeing.

Pick: Detroit-21 Saints-17   BF

 

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers

Scouting Report: This is another one in what seems to be an abundance of high quality games this Sunday. Aaron Rodgers has been spectacular this year, throwing for 15 TD and just 1 INT. The Packers are 2-0 at home this season, and should improve to 3-0 after this. The Panthers are a very good team, and can make a lot of noise in the NFC this season, but the Packers have been on a roll lately, and should use their home field to their advantage to win their fourth straight game.

Pick: Green Bay- 27 Carolina- 24    EK

Scouting Report: Aaron Rodgers is on another level as far as quarterbacks go. His arm strength is unbelievable, and so is his decision-making, as evidenced by his 15:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Expect Rodgers to look to WR Jordy Nelson early and often in this one on route to a victory over Cam Newton’s Panthers.

Pick: Green Bay-30 Carolina-21   BF

 

Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers

Scouting Report: Despite a less than convincing victory over a terrible Oakland team last week, the Chargers, especially Philip Rivers, have been spectacular this year, and face a Kansas City team that has played very well against playoff-caliber teams such as Denver, New England, and San Francisco. Don’t expect a lot of points to be scored today. Both of these defenses are very talented, but in terms of offense, San Diego has the edge and thus should and will be able to beat the Chiefs in this one.

Pick: San Diego- 21 Kansas City- 17    EK

Scouting Report: Just as I was ready to jump on the San Diego bandwagon, they go out and struggle with the OAKLAND RAIDERS! The Raiders! They won by three! That doesn’t happen to a top-tier team. For this reason, I cannot confidently pick the Chargers this week. I expect Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis to carve up San Diego’s defense and Alex smith to play turnover-free ball. The Chiefs have a strong defense, and defense travels.

Pick: Kansas City-24 San Diego-21    BF

 

Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders

Scouting Report: At first glance, this one looks like it should be an Arizona blowout. A 4-1 team vs an 0-5 team. Well, that’s not going to be the case here. Oakland played extremely well against a great San Diego team last week, losing 31-28. That game gave Oakland players hope and belief that they can beat good teams when playing at their best, and they’ll be sure to play at their best against Arizona. Although they’ve been able to grind out victories, the Cardinals offense has been weak this season. Even though the Raiders offense has been weak as well and they’re an inferior team, they will have what it takes to upset Arizona this Sunday and get their first win of the season.

Pick: Oakland- 24 Arizona- 20   EK

Scouting Report: Don’t expect Oakland to play Arizona as tightly as they played San Diego last week. There is no way that they put up 28 points on the Patrick Peterson-led Arizona defense. It’s not going to happen. Expect a big game from Arizona RB Andre Ellington and Arizona WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. With QB Carson Palmer back from injury, the arizona offense should be at peak performance this week.

Pick: Arizona-27 Oakland-14    BF

 

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys

Scouting Report: Another great game between two division rivals. It’s always fun to watch these two teams clash. Demarco Murray has gone into beast mode, the defense has done better than expected, and the Cowboys are 5-1. The Giants are coming off a demoralizing 27-0 loss against the Eagles last week, where nothing seemed to work on both sides of the ball. The fact of the matter is, a team that is riding a five-game winning streak and can go into Seattle and come out with a victory should be able to beat the New York Giants at home. Expect Dallas to beat New York relatively easily.

Pick: Dallas- 34 New York- 17   EK

Scouting Report: When these two division rivals square off, you can throw all records and stats out the window. This game is going to come down to “who wants it more”. The Cowboys will be riding high after their huge win over Seattle last week, while the Giants will be hungry for a win after getting shut out the previous week. This game is a must-win for the 3-3 Giants, while for the 5-1 Cowboys, this particular game isn’t so important. The Giants will use the loss of Victor Cruz as motivation, and Odell Beckham Jr. will show why he was a first round pick in last year’s draft.

Pick: New York-24 Dallas-21     BF

 

San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos

Scouting Report: This will definitely be an enticing Sunday Night Matchup between two very talented football teams. Despite injuries and absences, San Francisco’s defense has been spectacular this season, and should be able to limit a great Denver offense, but not enough to defeat Denver in the Mile High city.

Pick: Denver- 27 San Francisco- 24

Scouting Report: In easily the best matchup of the weekend, Peyton Manning’s Broncos take on Colin Kaepernick’s 49ers in Denver. This one is the definition of a toss-up with so many options for both teams on the offensive side of the ball. Although Kaepernick and Co. have been on a roll lately, it’s tough to pick against Peyton Manning at home.

Pick: Denver-37 San Francisco- 34    BF

 

Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers

Scouting Report: For some reason, no idea why, the Pittsburgh Steelers are having trouble putting up points. Antonio Brown, Leveon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger, I mean, come on! 6 points against Baltimore, 17 against the Jaguars, and 10 against Cleveland — they have to get out of their funk at some point, and this Monday Night game could be the one. The Texans have done better than expected this year, but superstar J.J. Watt can’t stop the Steelers offense all by himself. This could be a high scoring game, and the Steelers will recover from their recent struggles and get a key victory.

Pick: Steelers-34 Houston-20  EK

Scouting Report: Two 3-3 teams in search of a statement win go at this week on Monday night. There are two players who stand out among the rest in this matchup. One is WR Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers who has been unstoppable in every game no matter how poorly his teammates have played, and the other is the great J.J. Watt, who might be the MVP at this point in the year. However, just as it is the case for Brown, Watt’s teammates don’t always live up to his greatness, and that will be the case Monday night.

Pick: Pittsburgh-20 Houston-17     BF