Week 7 Picks

Cincinnati Bengals @ Atlanta Falcons (21-13)


Carson Palmer has been so bad that I trust Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, and Vince Young more. He’s never returned to his 2006 form, and at this point I doubt he will. If he can’t pass effectively with weapons such as Terrell Owens, Chad OchoCinco, and Cedric Benson then he’s hopeless. If you’re not convinced yet Atlanta is 15-3 at home during the Matt Ryan era, and leads the league with eleven interceptions. And we all know how much Carson Palmer likes to throw balls to the other team…

Washington Redskins @ Chicago Bears (27-17)

Chicago’s offensive line is so dreadful that I’m running out of adjectives to describe it. They lost to the freakin’ Seahawks at home because of it! Washington’s defense has been pretty bad thus far, but it isn’t because they’re not getting pressure on the quarterback (tied for 11th in the league with 13 sacks) and with a pass rusher as skilled as Brian Orakpo I don’t see a reprieve for Jay Cutler and the Bear’s offense. The Skins’ can score with the best of them (maybe a slight overstatement) so if by some stretch Chicago can get into a rhythm offensively; Washington can match them point for point. Ultimately, I like Washington’s defense to manage the Bear’s passing attack and for their offense to score enough to pull out the win.

St. Louis Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17-14)

As good as St. Louis has looked at times, they are young and inexperienced which leads to erratic play (blowout loss in Detroit comes to mind). Just when you think they’re for real they drop a game they have a real chance of winning. That’s what I see happening here as they travel to Tampa Bay to play a Bucs team that holds its own against the bottom half of the league (is that a good thing or a bad thing?).

San Francisco 49er’s @ Carolina Panthers (20-6)

Could the 49ers win two straight…is that even possible? Probably not unless locusts are involved. But considering how awful Carolina’s offense has been San Fran should be able to pull out a win (going on seven weeks I’ve clung to the hope the 49er’s are a decent team). The Panthers won’t score many points (even with the return of Steve Smith)…especially against a San Francisco defense that’s ranked 7th by the football outsiders (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/). As long as the 49ers can control the clock with Frank Gore and limit their turnovers like they did last week against Oakland (you would have an easier time making Bill O-Reilly shut up), they should come away with a win and inch closer to not making Jed York look like the biggest moron since David Kahn.

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens (41-10)

The Bills suck; the Ravens are good…enough said. Put it this way: I’ll eat my underwear if Buffalo wins.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans (23-20)

The Eagles have sustained a couple of key injuries including star wide receiver DeSean Jackson and starting left tackle Jason Peters. Peters in particular weakens their offensive line which could be a problem against one of the strongest defensive fronts in football. You also have to like Chris Johnson’s chances against the 21st ranked rushing defense in the league that has let the Washington Redskins of all teams rush for 169 yards. Regardless, with the injury to Jackson the Eagles have lost a considerable amount of their offenses explosiveness and for that reason I like Tennessee in a close one.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Kansas City Chiefs (24-14)

Kansas City is blossoming right before our eyes; doesn’t it bring a tear to your eye? They’ve been in every game they’ve played this year and are in contention for a playoff spot in the underachieving AFC west. The Chiefs are the anti-Cowboys: they play hard every game, they’re tough, don’t make mistakes, and commit few penalties. If Matt Cassel can play like he did against the Texans every week (as unlikely as Brett Favre keeping his pants on) they’ll really have a chance to make waves in the postseason. In other news, the Jaguars are pretty bad…especially on the road. Barring a miracle kick by Josh Scobee they would have a mere two wins. Expect them to struggle against an excellent Chief’s defense and for Matt Cassel to have an efficient day with the two headed monster of Charles and Jones leading the way.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins (24-20)

Pittsburg looked like the best team in the league with Charlie Batch at quarterback…imagine how they will look when Roethlisberger returns to form. Their defense is tremendous…among the top three in the league, and they shut down the running game better than anybody. Miami’s greatest strength happens to be the one-two punch of halfback Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams…so the Steeler’s defense figures to give them trouble. And don’t forget to factor in James Harrison: the human missile! How many other players will fall to this apparent AARP member? Factor in Miami’s woes at home, and struggles in the passing game and the pendulum swings in Pittsburg’s favor.

Cleveland Browns @ New Orleans Saints (34-20)

The Saints seemed to hit their groove Sunday against Tampa Bay, but I won’t trust them until they can put together two strong performances in a row. With Cleveland coming to town that shouldn’t be a tremendously difficult task. Although the Brown’s grit and effort is commendable, it’s evident they don’t have the talent yet to beat the top teams in the league. Look for the Saints to score a lot of points and firmly put themselves atop the struggling NFC.

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks (28-20)

Seattle won a game on the road! Savor that win hawks’ fans because it doesn’t happen too often. Thankfully they’re at home this week where they seem to put together their stronger performances. Seattle’s defense has performed surprisingly well (9th in the league in team defense), and with rookie quarterback Max Hall at the helm for Arizona look for the Seahawks to frustrate him all day. Seattle’s offense has also been effective and should be better with the two-headed monster of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett (I’m being only moderately sarcastic).

New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers (31-24)

Is this the week San Diego finally plays well? It very well could be as New England is coming off a dramatic win against Baltimore and had to travel to the west coast…definitely something to consider for an east coast team. But with several key members of the Chargers offense hurting (namely number one wideout Malcolm Floyd and star Tight-end Antonio Gates) it looks like the the Patriot’s defense may, may be able to at least restrain San Diego’s explosive passing attack. We all know how proficient the Pat’s offense has been (number one in the league in offense DVOA) so this has the look of a high scoring affair. Despite all the makings of an upset I like New England to continue its strong play and return home with a win.

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos (31-16)

Oakland has the league’s 29th ranked pass defense going up against the league’s best aerial attack. With how poor the Raiders’ offense has been (yeah Jason Campbell!) this looks like a blow-out. Throw in that Oakland has to play in Mile-High stadium and the return of halfback Knowshon Moreno to Denver’s pass happy offense and this one should get ugly fast.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers (24-22)

If you would recall, Brett Favre once played for the Packers…just thought I’d make sure everyone remembered. Back to the game: the Packers have sustained so many injuries that it’s only a matter of time before they hold open tryouts…do you think I have a chance? I do get the feeling that Green Bay isn’t half the team they will be come December when they’re healthier and not committing 18 penalties in a game, although the long term loss of Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley is troublesome. But after two tough losses in overtime, I think the Packers will have a strong game against a Minnesota team that has failed to get pressure against the quarterback: a deadly weakness when facing Aaron Rodgers.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys (27-24)

Dallas is like a caged animal…powerful, strong, yet subdued and desperate. You would think at some point they would escape and reap some vengeance…but that might be asking too much with Wade Phillips as coach. Former Cowboys wideout Patrick Crayton had this to say about Phillips, “Wade is very, very laid back to where you'd want him to tighten up on some of the young guys and he wouldn't. And just when you think he is, he backs off and wouldn't say anything.” He’s just who we thought he was…but based on Dallas’s immense talent pool I’ll give them one more shot. You would think they realize the stakes, right? Right?

Last Week: 9-5

Overall: 41-33

Upset of the Week: Dallas Cowboys OVER New York Giants

Pounding of the Week: Baltimore Ravens OVER Buffalo Bills

Lock of the Week: Atlanta Falcons OVER Cincinnati Bengals