NFL Week Seven Predictions
Srikar Kalapala
Week six of the 2022-23 NFL season ended on Monday in what was an upset-riddled week. Hopefully this week I can bounce back after what was my worst week of predictions this year.
Overall Record: 55-38-1
Arizona Cardinals (2-4) vs. New Orleans Saints (2-4)
Cardinals. I said in this intro that I wanted to bounce back this week and proceeded to make a pick I have no confidence in whatsoever. The Cardinals offense is a hot pile of garbage right now, and people are starting to call for HC Kliff Kingsbury’s job. So why did I pick them? I think the Saints are a little too injured right now. Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Marshon Lattimore all likely won’t play, and with the return of Deandre Hopkins this week, not having Lattimore could be a problem for the Saints. I think the panic button is looming for whichever team loses this game, but I think Kyler Murray and the Cardinals can snap an eight-game losing streak at home. My only hope for this game is that it will be more fun to watch than watching paint dry.
Baltimore Ravens (3-3) vs. Cleveland Browns (2-4)
Ravens. The Ravens failed to keep a lead again in their loss against the Giants, as a late-game turnover let the Giants come back to win. The Browns on the other hand got exposed by the greatest coach of all time and got blown out last week. The Ravens and the Browns have had some battles recently, but I think the Ravens can finally keep a lead this week against the Browns.
Carolina Panthers (1-5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3)
Bucs. The Bucs are coming off a shocking loss against the Steelers, and Brady had some pleasant words to say about his o-line. The Panthers are coming off a loss to the Rams in which it looked like they could pull off an upset early, but the Rams took over. I think Brady and the Bucs’ dysfunctional offense can get their act together this week.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
Bengals. The Falcons made a statement in their win against the 49ers. The game wasn’t really that close, and Marcus Mariota had one of the most efficient games of his career. I still think the Bengals can squeak out a win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a Falcons win or if they keep it close.
Dallas Cowboys (4-2) vs. Detroit Lions (1-4)
Cowboys. The Eagles had a great plan last week against Micah Parsons: leave him unblocked and force him to make a decision on a read-option style offense. This plan worked, leaving Parsons frustrated. However, not every team can do that, and the Lions are one of them. Although they feature a good offense (with the exception of the Patriots game), they face a hungry Cowboys pass rush. Add in a potential return of Dak Prescott, and this game looks like the Cowboys have it for the taking.
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4) vs. New York Giants (5-1)
Giants. What a statement win for the Giants last week against the Ravens. Despite being down, they were able to get a touchdown late and forced Lamar Jackson into making mistakes in the clutch. This team is playing much better than they look on paper, and part of that is the tremendous job that Brian Daboll and the rest of the staff are doing. The Jaguars are coming off a loss to the Colts in a game they probably could have (and should have) won, and I think this game will actually be a close game, but I think the Giants can keep on rolling.
Washington Commanders (2-4) vs. Green Bay Packers (3-3)
Packers. Well, the Commanders got a last-minute drive to work in their favor last week against the Bears, after failing one of their own against the Titans the week before that. They won by literally an inch, and although a win is a win, the Commanders might genuinely be one of the worst, if not the worst team in the league. It was really cool seeing Brian Robinson get a touchdown after his amazing recovery though. Now, this week they face the Packers who… looked really bad offensively again. It seems like opponents have figured out how to beat this Packers offense without Davante Adams: stack the box, play man coverage across the board and make one of these receivers beat them. The defense showed up for the first half, and then they let up big plays in the second as they seemed to get less aggressive. This team needs to get their act together, and if they can’t beat this Commanders team, the playoffs will start to be in question as the schedule doesn’t get any easier.
Tennessee Titans (3-2) vs. Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1)
Titans. The Colts were finally able to beat the Jaguars in a tight one, where Matt Ryan threw the ball 58 times and nearly 400 yards. The caveat though? Ryan didn’t get sacked once last week, whereas there was constant pressure in weeks 1-5. The Titans have a great pass rush, with three players with 3.5+ sacks. I think the Titans can pull this one off at home while getting to the QB.
Las Vegas Raiders (1-4) vs. Houston Texans (1-3-1)
Raiders. If you told me the Texans would have had a better record than the Raiders through six weeks heading into the season, I would have called you crazy, but here we are. The Raiders played against the Chiefs in week five, and they probably should have won that game if it wasn’t for bizarre play-calling at the end. The Texans beat the Jaguars the last time they played, but I don’t think they will be able to stop an angry Raiders team that is looking to bounce back.
Denver Broncos (2-4) vs. New York Jets (4-2)
Jets. Even if Russ was 100% healthy for this matchup, I probably still would have picked the Jets to win this game. The Jets are coming off a statement win against the Packers, where the Broncos lost another low-scoring, hard-to-watch game. I think both defenses will play well in this matchup, but I honestly trust the Jets offense more than the Russell Wilson led offense this week. Jets country, let's fly.
San Francisco 49ers (3-3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)
Chiefs. The Niners are coming off an upset loss to the Falcons, in a game where they pretty much got destroyed. The offense has been really bad in all three losses this season, averaging only 11.3 points per game. The weirdest part is that they have been moving the ball efficiently, but can’t get points on the board, as they are 19th in the league in points per game. Even if the Niners offense starts rolling this week, I think the Chiefs will still be able to bounce back after a last-minute loss to the Bills. This Super Bowl rematch should be a fun one.
Los Angeles Chargers (4-2) vs. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
Chargers. Great win by the Seahawks last week against the Cardinals. Geno Smith is leading this team to victories (more than Broncos Country at least), even if they aren’t pretty. The Chargers also are coming off a win, but it wasn’t really a win to be happy about (kudos to Dustin Hopkins for fighting through a leg injury though). This honestly feels like one of those games where Seattle decides to show up and then take down a great team, but I still think the Chargers will be able to get their offense going this week and win this game.
Miami Dolphins (3-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)
Dolphins. What a win for the Steelers last week against the Brady-led Bucs. That is probably their statement win of the year, and the pass rush, even without TJ Watt, showed out. After a scary two weeks, Tua might return to the field for the Dolphins, marking a remarkable recovery after a frightening injury. However, I like the Dolphins to win this game against the Steelers regardless of whether Tua comes back or not, simply because the Dolphins stadium has been boiling opposing teams so much. It could be another humid day on Sunday, and that’s why I like the Dolphins to win this week.
New England Patriots (3-3) vs. Chicago Bears (2-4)
Patriots. Is Bailey Zappe actually better than Mac Jones? I don’t know, but he has been playing really well in Jones’ absence and is 2-0 in his starts. Zappe is making the throws he needs to make, and the defense has been clamping up. I think they can cruise past this Bears team that looks lost right now after a crushing loss against the Commanders.
