Week 7: NFL Picks & Predictions

As most of you know, I pick em’ every week and have for years, I’ve been doing most of my picks right here on bleacherreport.com and also over at my site at www.sports-uncut.com.

Going into last Week (6) I was a solid, if unspectacular 54-22, good for a 71.05 percent accuracy rate. Last season was my personal best of 80 percent. This year, I'm looking to improve that! It's slowly getting better and better!

I finished Week 6 with an average 9-5 record, not great....but, not bad either. My percentage did dip from 71, but only by one point. The Philly vs. Oakland game came out of left field! Regardless, this week, I’m looking to improve upon that performance greatly!

As always, I’m not picking the spread here folks, I’m picking the straight up winner. So, let’s get to it!

Record:

Record from 2 Weeks Previous (5): 11-3

Record from last Week (6): 9-5

Record coming into Week (7): 63-27 (70.0 percent)

So, let's get right to it!

Indianapolis Colts vs. St. Louis Rams

St. Louis has slowly been improving under new HC Steve Spagnuolo, and expect them to continue that trend this week. Steven Jackson should finally be able to stop the scoring drought he's suffered through this season, most likely through the air.

That said, let's be honest....there's no way whatsoever that they end up beating the Colts. Not with Reggie, Dallas and Peyton on the field. Right now, there is no player in the NFL who's a better MVP candidate than Peyton Manning, and frankly, it's not even close.

Peyton is the catalyst for the Colts, and they go as he goes. This week he goes....BIG.

VERDICT: Colts win an easy game in St. Louis!

New England Patriots @ Tampa bay Buccaneers

What Tom Brady did last week was nothing short of amazing. He shredded the Titans defense and ended the day 29 of 34 for 380 yards and 6 TD’s, 3 of which went to his old pal, Randy Moss. This week, he’s facing one of the worst defensive units in the entire league in Tampa Bay.

As I said last week, Raheem Morris has been outcoached in EVERY game so far in this young season, and it’s not getting any better anytime soon....especially with "The Hoodie" across the field. I think the Bucs brass cut Gruden loose a little prematurely, but, that’s for another dialogue.

The Bucs are completely lost on O and they're equally turned around on D. This game won’t be close, and it could be another one where Brady is on the sideline by halftime.

VERDICT: Tom Brady will again destroy his competition and will do it with relative ease.

Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers

This is going to be one of the better games this week, and I’m super excited to see this thing go down. I’m a little iffy on this one, but, I believe that my prediction will come to fruition in the end.

The Steelers right now, are a shell off what they were last year on the defensive side of the ball. Word is Polamalu will be back for sure, and that could prove to be a big help for them. I’m not sure how well they’ll perform offensively against the attacking Viking D. The Vikings can open themselves up at times on D, but overall, they're pretty solid.

Big Ben has had a really good year, and is on pace for over 4000 yards passing, but, the Viking D is very tough, expecially against the run, where they rank #9. And we all know, without a running game, the passing becomes very tough.

Minnesota will have to evenly work the pass and rush, and will need Adrian Peterson to do a lot with the carries he does get. Ultimately, I think the Steelers are going to take away the run and force Brett Favre to beat them, which may not be a bad thing for Minnesota, as the ageless one has a winning record against the Steelers in his career.

VERDICT: Minnesota goes on the road and gets a win at the Ketchup Bottle, in a close game.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs finally got out of the losing column and notched their first win last week against a Redskin team that’s in complete and utter shambles, as Jason Campbell so eloquently pointed out this week in an interview.

Meanwhile, the Chargers were blitzed, beaten up and smacked around by the Denver Broncos at home on Monday night, and still kept it respectable, especially considering how many people they’re down due to injuries, and the fact that LT looks like he’s regressed greatly in only 1 year.

In the end, Philip Rivers has proven that he’s an elite level QB in the NFL, and has made it clear that he can, and will, throw against anyone. KC’s pass rush is not anything close to what Denver’s is, and in this game, Rivers will have enough time to make some big plays down field.

VERDICT: Vince Jackson, Antonio Gates and LT will all be involved in this one, which will result in a Charger win.

Green Bay Packers @ Cleveland Browns

The Packers head into Cleveland this week and face a team that's in really bad shape in the Cleveland Browns, who have 10 guys down from the Flu.

Cleveland, to their credit has been surprisingly good against the run this season, allowing only 1 opposing rusher over 100 yards this season, and that was in week one against the Vikings, when Peterson went for 180 yards. What that means for fantasy owners is that Ryan Grant, may not be able to get much going.

So, Aaron Rodgers is going to have to be the man again this week, which shouldn’t be too hard against that Cleveland passing D. I love the Browns, but as usual, I cannot pick them in this one.

VERDICT: The Packers dominate the Browns on both sides of the ball and get a pretty easy W this week in Cleveland.

San Francisco 49ers @ Houston Texans

The single most underrated, in my opinion, RB in the league comes back this week off his ankle injury and has a new teammate in tow. Meet Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree.

The sexy pick this week is the Texans, however, they cannot run the ball at all, currently ranking 30th in rushing and they’re facing a stout Defense backfield. Matt Schaub is a good QB, however, I think he could have a tough time with the 49ers this week, who rank 20th in passing D. That stat however, is a bit misleading, as teams opt to run against them in lieu of passing.

The Addition of Frank Gore will provide a much needed spark for the 49ers, and will make all the difference in the world this week!

VERDICT: San Fran gets a big road win on the legs of Frank Gore.

Buffalo Bills @ Carolina Panthers

Let me just start by saying this game could be the most boring game of the week. That said, I do expect some fireworks in this one and I expect them to be coming from the Panthers.

Buffalo is a really bad team, with a really bad QB, and a WR in Terrell Owens who looks like he’s about as unmotivated as anyone in the league right now.

After becoming the “other” Steve Smith, I think Smith could finally find the endzone this week. I think that since he’s been pretty vocal about his discontent, Del Rio will figure out a way to get him the ball, even if it means forcing it to him. Not to mention, D-Will and J-Stew have been playing very well, and I don’t think Buffalo has an answer for any part of their offensive attack.

VERDICT: The Bills get stomped in Carolina, and we have a Steve Smith sighting

New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders

Don’t be fooled by what you saw last week. It was a fluke, and it won’t be repeated anytime soon. The Raiders harassed Donovan McNabb badly last week, and they looked impressive on the defensive side of the ball. However, I don’t think it was anything close to reality.

I think a bad week for the Eagles, just got worse as Donovan McNabb struggled. He had Maclin and Jackson wide open several times, and just couldn’t make the throw needed.

This week, I don’t think the Raiders will do the same thing to the Jets. The Jets are a solid if unspectacular team, and I expect Thomas Jones to carry a BIG portion of the offense this week.

The Raiders are coming off of two consecutive wins, one against the Eagles and one from the Charges being dropped against Cable. That said, I don’t think it’s enough to get them over the hump this week.

VERDICT: Oakland comes back down to earth and the Jets get a big win!

Atlanta Falcons @ Dallas Cowboys

Last week, I picked the Falcons to handle the Bears and got a lot of grief for it, especially since the Bears were coming off the bye, as the Falcons were 2 weeks ago when I picked them over the 49ers.

This week though, I think things might change for Atlanta. Dallas is now coming off the bye, and as I’ve said before, when a team is coming off a bye, usually it gives them a decided advantage. They have 2 weeks to prepare and gameplan and 2 weeks to get healthy. Dallas will have done both of those this week.

Jason Garrett is a one trick pony, and we all now know that. However, with a healthy Marion Barber, Roy Williams & Felix Jones, they should be coming out hot. And, Atlanta's D is definitely beatable. I think they’ve had time to assess the shortcomings and address them. I think the forgotten one, Jason Witten, will be heavily involved this week!

VERDICT: Dallas finally “gets it” and comes out swinging against the Falcons and scores the KO. Dallas in a close one.

New Orleans Saints @ Miami Dolphins

I assure you, I haven’t completely lost my mind with this pick.

I believe in the Saints D, and I believe in the Saints O. However, NO ONE has been able to solve the “Wildcat” yet, and until someone does, I find it hard to pick against the Dolphins.

The Dolphins beat a good Jets team prior to the bye last week, and they’re coming in with two weeks rest and two weeks to game plan (sound familiar?). I think Miami will have some added wrinkles in this game that the Saints D will have no clue about how to defend.

Ronnie Brown has ascended the rushing rankings and has become a legitimate stud. I think Henne showed two weeks ago that he’s ready to step in, and he’s capable of holding the starting job. Those two factors could be determinants of what happens in this one.

VERDICT: It’ll be a good game, but I like the Dolphins at home in this one. Just please....no more Marc Anthony National Anthems!?!?!

Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

I’m not a big fan of Jay Cutler. Let me just start by saying that. I think he takes too many chances and attempts too many throws, resulting in turnovers. However, I like him in this game, and I expect a good performance from him, Greg Olsen and Matt Forte.

That said, I’m not sure that I like the Bengals much either. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde thing with them. One week Cedric Benson is the workhorse and gets the ball 25-28 times, and the next week doesn’t even reach 20 carries. This week, I don’t think they’ll give Benson the ball nearly enough, and will allow Carson to pass, and that’s a problem.

The Bengals HAVE to give Benson the ball. When he touches the ball 25 times or better, the Bengals are 8-1, and for some reason Marvin Lewis seems to forget that every other week. This week, he cannot forget it, especially since Benson will be running with a little extra motivation, facing his old team.

It'll be a good game and could go either way here. But Cutler and Benson are the key players to their respective teams.

VERDICT: Cedric Benson performs well against the Bears, and gets 25 or more carries and the Bengals win at home.

Arizona Cardinals @ New York Giants

The Cardinals' defense is still ranked No. 31 against the pass, and last week, they pressured Seahawk's quarterback Matt Hasselbeck enough to limit his ability to pass the ball. This week will probably be a different story.

Eli Manning plays behind one of the best offensive lines in the league and he’s got a corps of WR’s that are very, very good. Steve Smith is no longer the “other” Steve Smith. Mario Manningham is starting to mature and Hakeem Nicks has a knack for making big plays.

Arizona is going to be without Anquan Boldin by the sound of it. Their running game is in shambles right now as Beanie Wells and Hightower have yet to assert themselves. Kurt Warner is going to have a long day against that Giant D, which currently ranks No.1 in the NFL against the pass.

New York learned a thing or two from last weeks beat down, and I think they’re coming out mad, and playing with high emotion.

VERDICT: The Giants get a big W and get back on track.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins - MNF

This one is short and sweet.

There is no way that the Andy Reid and the Eagles allow what happened last week to happen again this week. That team is MUCH better than they showed.

Washington is a team in flux, and they can’t keep up with Philly’s scoring ability or their D.

VERDICT: Eagles win an easy one in Washington.