NFL Week 7 Preview and Picks

St. Louis (0-5) at Dallas (2-3)

The Rams only bright spot this season has been the play of QB Sam Bradford.  Bradford is questionable for the game on Sunday.  The Cowboys though they played well last week against the Patriots did not win and should return to their winning ways big this week.   Dallas will win the game 35-14.

Seattle (2-3) at Cleveland (2-3)

Pete Carroll has gotten a lot of the Seahawks with very little talent.  The Seahawks defeated the Giants on the road.  The Browns and Colt McCoy are looking to stay within reach of the division lead of the Ravens and have loss the last two games.  The Browns get the win 17-14.

Denver (1-4) at Miami (0-4)

 The Broncos hope to start a Tim Tebow era with a return to Florida when the Dolphins honor the Gators for this game.  Miami in need of a quarterback after the season ending injury to Chad Henne, are in the sweepstakes for Stanford’s quarterback Andrew Luck who will be the number one pick in next year’s NFL Draft. The Broncos are bad, but the Dolphins are worst.  Broncos will win 28-21.

San Diego (4-1) at New York Jets (2-3)

The Jets have not jelled at all this season.  The Jets were expected to compete with the Patriots as the best team in the AFC.  San Diego did not get off to the normal slow start that they have in previous years.  It is hard for a west coast team to travel east and win.  Despite the poor performance the Jets displayed on Monday night against the Dolphins they are playing better.  Jets will beat San Diego 21-17.

Atlanta (3-3) at Detroit (5-1)

The Detroit Lions return to play the Falcons that are missing on every cylinder this season.  The lockout may have had the most impact on the Falcons.  The Lions led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin “Megatron” Johnson have been playing above everyone’s expectation.  Matt Ryan will have to play one of the best defenses in the NFL this weekend.  Detroit will win in a shootout 38-34.

Washington (3-2) at Carolina (1-5)

Cam Newton has been playing like a seasoned pro, but only has one win for the team.  John Beck replaced Rex Grossman as the Redskins starting quarterback.  These teams are going in different directions at the quarterback position.  The Redskins defense has been impressive, but the offense has been stagnant.  The edge goes to Carolina by being at home.  Carolina will get the win 28-24

Houston (3-3) at Tennessee (3-2)

The game will decide the leader of the AFC South.  Tennessee is coming off an off week after the loss to the Steelers two weeks ago.  The Texans are coming off a loss to the Ravens.  If the Texans can run the ball they will win the game.  The Titians will have to control the game and keep the high powered Texans off of the field.     Texans will win this game 28-24.

Pittsburgh (4-2) at Arizona (1-4)

In a rematch of Super Bowl 43 the Steelers travel to Arizona to face former Steeler Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.   Arizona enter the game with a disappointing record and are 3 games off of first place and need to get on track before it is too late.  The Steelers have been the model of inconsistency all year.  Steelers will win this game 28-17.

Kansas City (2-3) at Oakland (4-2)

The surprising Raiders pulled off another one this week with the acquisition of QB Carson Palmer.  After a 0-2 by the Chiefs, they are on a two game winning streak and looking to return to last year’s form.  Hue Jackson has the Raiders playing like the Raiders of old.  Raiders will snap the Chiefs streak 24-17

Green Bay (6-0) at Minnesota (1-5)

Green has not lost a beat since winning the Super Bowl.  Minnesota has just switched to rookie quarterback Christian Ponder as the starter.  The Vikings have the best running back in the game, Adrian Peterson, and not been able to close out games to get the win.  Green Bay will win big 35-17.

Indianapolis (0-6) at New Orleans (4-2)

At the beginning of the year this game was a marquee matchup, now it has no appeal .  The Saints should win this game with no problem. The Colts have been competitive with Curtis Painter at quarterback, but the Colts have so many issues to address this year.  The Saints have to win to keep pace with Tampa Bay and are only one game ahead of Atlanta.  Saints will win big 35-21.

Baltimore (4-1) at Jacksonville (1-5)

The Ravens have looked like a Super Bowl team this year.  The Ravens defense has lived up to their reputation, led by Ray Lewis.  The Jaguars played well last week against the Steelers and have been very competitive, but will not be a match for the well balanced Ravens.  Ravens will win 21-10.

Chicago (3-3) vs Tampa Bay (4-2) in London

In the annual game across the pond, this is a critical game for the Bears.  The Bears are in a must win game to keep their playoff hopes alive.  Tampa Bay is trying the most frequent flyers miles in the last three weeks.  Two week ago the Bucs traveled to San Francisco and was beaten soundly and now they have to travel six thousand miles to play the Bears.  The Bears will win 28-21.