NFL Week 7 Predictions
By Michael Luciano
Week 7 of the 2019 NFL season will still go on as planned despite the absolute travesty that was Patrick Mahomes' knee injury. During this week's slate, first place in the NFC East will be up for grabs, two of the best young quarterbacks in the league square off in Indy, and one of the fiercest rivalries in the league will be renewed in primetime. Let's get to the predicting, shall we?
Raiders at Packers
Mahomes' injury has given the 3-2 Raiders a legit shot at the AFC West crown this season. Their first step toward proving their legitimacy comes against the Green Bay Packers, who were bailed out by the officials during the most controversial result of the season in a 23-22 win over the Lions. Green Bay hasn't been unstoppable at home late, and their receivers are banged up, but they should be able to move the ball against the Raiders easily, while Oakland struggles to overcome the loss of Tyrell Williams.
Packers 30, Raiders 24
Rams at Falcons
The newly-acquired Jalen Ramsey has the toughest possible matchup in his first game as a Ram, as he will be asked to shadow Julio Jones in Atlanta. Jared Goff and the offense have struggled mightily over the last few games, but a matchup against a Falcons defense that can't stop a nosebleed could be the perfect remedy for their offensive woes. If Matt Ryan and the Falcons get blown out by a struggling Rams team at home, head coach Dan Quinn likely won't have a job on Monday morning.
Rams 35, Falcons 17
49ers at Redskins
Kyle Shanahan has Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers playing some inspired football, as they remain the NFC's only undefeated team at 5-0. They should be in line for an easy win against the Redskins, who had difficulty putting away a Dolphins team that's trying to lose. Robert Saleh's swarming defense has proved almost impossible to penetrate, and an offensive attack of Case Keenum and Adrian Peterson isn't likely to make much of a dent in that unit, despite the best efforts of Terry McLaurin.
49ers 31, Redskins 13
Vikings at Lions
The Lions are a hungry, motivated side sitting at last place in their division rather than first thanks to some egregious officiating. They get the chance to take out their frustration on Kirk Cousins and the Vikings, who hung 38 on the Eagles last week. Damon Harrison and a stout Detroit defense line should do a fine job of locking down Dalvin Cook, which will force Cousins to win the game with his arm. He can do it every once in a while, but now twice in a row, and Detroit will likely take advantage of one or more mistakes from Cousins.
Lions 27, Vikings 24
Texans at Colts
In what might be the best game of the 1:00 p.m. slate, Deshaun Watson will travel to Indianapolis to face off against the only other quarterback to beat Patrick Mahomes this season. As good as Jacoby Brissett has been this season, Watson has been a borderline miracle worker, winning games in spite of Bill O'Brien and a poor offensive line. What gives Houston the edge in this game is their defense, which has finally learned how to generate pressure without Jadeveon Clowney. These two offenses will both put points on the board, but Watson and the Texans will deal the Colts a painful home loss in the final minutes.
Texans 30, Colts 27
Jaguars at Bengals
In this all-jungle cat matchup, both teams come in with whatever the exact opposite of momentum is. The Bengals have yet to win a game this season, while Gardner Minshew is coming off of his first extremely poor start during a loss against the Saints. Cincinnati's defense remains as patchwork as there is in the league, which should allow Minshew to get back into a groove. The Bengals offense, which still can't figure out how to properly use Joe Mixon, will struggle against Todd Wash's squad as they have to endure an 0-7 start to Zac Taylor's first season.
Jaguars 23, Bengals 16
Cardinals at Giants
Two of the top six picks in the 2019 draft will square off as Kyler Murray's Cardinals, winners of two straight, face off against Daniel Jones' Giants. While getting Saquon Barkley back obviously makes the Giants the favorites in this one, Pat Shurmur's crew could still easily be upset. They have one of the worst pass defenses in all of football, and Murray has thrown for 240+ yards in five of his first six games. The Cardinals aren't exactly the '85 Bears, so expect plenty of points in this one, with Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals barely eeking out a tough win on the road.
Cardinals 31, Giants 30
Dolphins at Bills
Oh boy, this one could get rough. While Josh Allen still has some problems as a passer, he should be in for a fairly painless afternoon against Miami. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will have to contend with a ferocious Bills defense, and a tough secondary in particular, that gave Tom Brady plenty of trouble. That situation is made even worst by their constant flip-flopping at quarterback between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will start this week. The Dolphins will be unable to move the ball against this defense to save their life, which should give Buffalo a 5-1 record to start the year.
Bills 24, Dolphins 6
Chargers at Titans
The first game of the post-Marcus Mariota era will go down this Sunday. However, the change to Ryan Tannehill will do little to improve Tennesse's chances in this game. Their offensive line remains awful, and they will have to contend with one of the best pass rush duos in all of football in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. An offense with Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon isn't going to stay stuck in neutral for too long, and a matchup against Tannehill could be exactly what they need to start finding themselves again.
Chargers 24, Titans 14
Ravens at Seahawks
In what might be the marquee game of the week, Lamar Jackson takes his historically good Ravens running game to Seattle to battle MVP frontrunner Russell Wilson. The Seahawks play a Cover 3 zone that Chargers DC Gus Bradey used to confuse Jackson and the passing game during their playoff matchup. Time will tell if Jackson has learned how to beat this coverage. Even if he does have another solid day through the air, Lamar is going up against a guy who is playing some record-setting football in Wilson, and he looks poised to ruin Marcus Peters' first game in a Baltimore uniform with another tremendous passing day.
Seahawks 30, Ravens 27
Saints at Bears
It remains to be seen if Mitchell Trubisky, who has been out since Week 4 with a shoulder injury, will start in this game over Chase Daniel. Even if Trubisky is back in the lineup, he'll have quite the challenge in front of him. The Saints haven't lost since Drew Brees went down, thanks in part to some efficient play from Teddy Bridgewater and some lockdown defense. As long as Bridgewater can stay on his feet and avoid getting wrestled to the turf by Khalil Mack, New Orleans should win their fifth straight without Brees.
Saints 20, Bears 14
Eagles at Cowboys
Dallas has lost three straight games after a torrid start to the season, and now face off against Carson Wentz and the Eagles with first place in the division on the line. The Eagles might be a more talented team if we're comparing the 53-man roster, but the Cowboys have a huge advantage in the secondary. You can't find a starting cornerback duo in the league worse than Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones. With or without Amari Cooper, Dak Prescott will put up some solid numbers early on, and the Cowboys will ride him and Ezekiel Elliott to a win in primetime.
Cowboys 34, Eagles 28
Patriots at Jets
New York is ecstatic that Sam Darnold's return has finally given them something resembling a professional offense (and rightly so), but they could come crashing back down to earth this week against New England. The Patriots have chewed up and spit out every quarterback that has faced them so far this year, and facing an Adam Gase offense once again will be no different. Darnold and Le'Veon Bell will give the Jets some life, but not enough to beat Bill Belichick and New England.
Patriots 27, Jets 17