Peyton Manning is only three touchdowns away from making history, Tony Sparano made the Raiders look competent last week, and Seattle is clearly not the team they were last season. Who knows maybe the Jaguars will surprise us next and win a game. Or not. Here’s Week 7:
Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts: Neither of these teams looks overly good anymore. They’ll probably both end up winning their respective divisions and then getting knocked out pretty quickly. The Bengals defense couldn’t stop Cam Newton, so they’ll definitely struggle against Andrew Luck. Since the Colts are at home they have the edge in this game.
Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins: The Titans had to block a last-minute field goal to beat Jacksonville, so going into Washington will be a little too much for them. The Redskins look horrible, but even they can beat the Titans.
Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears: The Bears offense looks good when Jay Cutler doesn’t screw up, and the Dolphins still have not been reminded that Week One wasn’t the Super Bowl. Cutler is liable to screw up at any time, but even if he does the Bears should still be able to edge out the Dolphins this time.
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars: A big win over division-rival Pittsburgh puts Cleveland in the perfect position for an upset. Fortunately for Browns and their fans they have a bye week. Sure, the Jaguars looked all right against the Titans; but does that really count? The Browns should have no problem pulling out the win, but the Jaguars may be able to keep it close.
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams: The Seahawks showed us last week that they aren’t the same team they were last season. They have trouble playing on the road, and clearly other teams are not nearly as afraid of playing in Seattle as they were last season. The Rams don’t have the talent to upset the Seahawks, but since they’re at home they might be able to keep it within a touchdown.
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers: The Panthers have been playing much better recently, and they even managed to put up 37 points against a solid Bengals defensive unit. The Packers have struggled a bit this season, but at home they’ve had no problem at home this season. Cam Newton isn’t up to the challenge of outplaying Aaron Rodgers, so the Packers should be able to pull it off.
Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens aren’t an overly good team, but the Falcons are absolutely atrocious on the road. Actually, come to think of it they can’t really win at home either. Joe Flacco certainly won’t have another five touchdowns this weekend, but he should have no problem taking down a weak Falcons defense.
Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills: Kyle Orton is a pretty good quarterback, and Teddy Bridgewater has yet to prove that he can play consistently at the professional level. After throwing three interceptions last week, Bridgewater will have to prove himself again this week. Buffalo has a pretty good defense, so that may be a little too much to ask. The Bills should be able to pull off the victory, but Bridgewater just might be able to keep the game close.
New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions: The Saints offense has not been working recently, whereas the Lions defense has greatly improved this season. However, the Saints desperately need to turn things around; and with Mark Ingram and Jimmy Graham supposedly back in the lineup this week they may finally be able to turn things around. If the Saints can’t pull this one off their season is pretty much over.
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers is having a career year, and the Chiefs only real accomplishment is beating New England; but that’s not really a big deal since the game was at Arrowhead. The Chargers are definitely going to want to crush the Chiefs this week after nearly losing to the Raiders in Oakland. Not good news for Chiefs fans.
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys: I want to say division games are usually close, but the Giants-Eagles game showed us that that is not always the case. The Cowboys are coming off a big win over the Seahawks in Seattle, and they are probably going to be pretty cocky coming into this game. New York on the other hand is coming off a bad loss to Philadelphia that included the loss of Victor Cruz for the season. Dallas will probably still pull of the win, but look for the Giants to keep it close.
Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders: The Cardinals are a good team, and with Carson Palmer back they are much better. The Raiders also showed some signs off. With Tony Sparano as the interim head coach, Derek Carr also looks much better. I don’t want to say that the Raiders will upset the Cardinals because the San Diego game could have easily been a fluke. Look for the Raiders to have a great game at home again.
San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos: The 49ers struggled to beat the Rams Monday Night, whereas Peyton Manning is only three touchdowns away from the NFL all-time touchdown record. Manning should have no problem at least tying the record on Sunday Night in front of the home crowd; in fact, he may be able to break it if the Niners are doing particularly badly.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers: After being absolutely pummeled by the Cleveland Browns last week, the Steelers know they need to start winning especially if Mike Tomlin wants to have a job at the end of the season. The Texans are decent, but any team with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback will never be good.