NFL Predictions Week 7: Teams That Will Win Key Divisional Matchups

On Thursday night, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers kicked off the first of many key divisional matchups in Week 7.

With five additional marquee games still to play, the better teams will begin to distinguish themselves in the playoff race, while others with a puncher's chance will be fighting for their respective seasons.

Here are predictions for the other intriguing divisional games that the weekend plus Monday have to offer.

Washington Redskins at New York Giants

Robert Griffin III facing Eli Manning with first place in the NFC East on the line. What's not to like about that?

The fact that the Redskins are even in the conversation for first place right now seems absurd considering how awful their defense has been. That's just a testament to how much of an impact RGIII has already had, though.

Manning tends to play his best when the stakes are highest. He'll be licking his chops matching up against a secondary that yields over 328 yards per game through the air. Now that he has a viable running game to support him, Manning is leading what may be the best offense in football.

The circumstances were definitely different, but Washington beat the defending Super Bowl champions twice in 2011 with Rex Grossman under center.

The key to this game will be the Redskins offense in the red zone. Although the G-Men are 20th in yards allowed per game, they only give up an average of 19 points. Griffin and Co. score a touchdown 65 percent of time in scoring range, good for fourth in the NFL (via TeamRankings.com).

Both offenses have scored an identical 178 points through six games, but Washington gives up too many big plays.

It will be a tight one, but Manning wins the game in a shootout to ever so slightly lessen the RGIII hype.

Final score: Giants 37, Redskins 31

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fresh off of a bye, Drew Brees and the Saints will march into Tampa refreshed and looking to continue the climb out of an 0-4 hole to start the season.

The Bucs may be the hardest team to figure out in the entire league. Sitting at 2-3 is definitely not the worst spot to be in, but they have looked horrendous at times. On the other hand, they nearly beat the New York Giants on the road.

What has to be discouraging for Tampa fans is that both of the team's wins came against one-win teams. New Orleans is another one-win opponent for Greg Schiano's bunch.

Schiano's defensive philosophy seems to be clicking, as the Bucs defense did the best job containing Robert Griffin III of anyone in the electric rookie's young career.

Limiting Brees is another matter entirely, though, especially if he gets matchup-nightmare Jimmy Graham back at tight end. Despite the adversity the Saints have faced this year with the Bountygate scandal, expect them to continue rallying on the road facing a young, talented but too inexperienced Tampa Bay team.

This should be yet another shootout barring a miraculous improvement from the Saints defense, and Brees will find a way to get it done.

Final score: Saints 45, Buccaneers 34

New York Jets at New England Patriots

On the strength of a 2-0 division record, the Jets are in first place amongst the four 3-3 deadlocked teams that occupy the AFC East.

After a bounce-back, blowout win at home, Mark Sanchez can put to rest the "Tebow Time" clamoring at least temporarily. Even though he only threw for 88 yards, he played efficiently and mistake-free while the Jets finally established a running game against the Colts.

New England returns to Gillette Stadium after a last-minute loss in Seattle. Tom Brady is sure to be playing angry and at a high level facing a New York defense that won't feature shutdown-corner Darrelle Revis.

That should make life a lot easier for the Pats, even though Brady is often befuddled by the complex defensive schemes of Jets head coach Rex Ryan.

Since Ryan took over, New York is 3-4 against their rivals from Massachusetts. This may be their toughest matchup of the series under the new regime, although the sudden revival of the rushing attack may allow the Jets to control the clock and keep the sensational Pats offense off the field.

The Jets victory last week should be a mere aberration, though. This game is a mismatch in almost every way on the offensive side of the ball.

Here's the biggest difference from recent years: Stevan Ridley has given the Pats an exceptional running game, and the New York rush defense is worse than it has been since Ryan arrived.

That spells trouble for the road underdogs in this one; it could get ugly quickly.

Final score: Patriots 41, Jets 21

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

Both of these teams look to be in the midst of down years due to various injuries and surprisingly lacking running games.

The AFC North sent three teams to the playoffs in 2011, but only the Baltimore Ravens look like a playoff team right now. That is why this showdown is even more crucial. It has serious wild-card implications.

The Steelers have fielded criticism about an aging defense and a shoddy offensive line for years. Yet still, they have managed to qualify for the playoffs four of the past five seasons and even make it to the Super Bowl twice.

Cincinnati is still a young team trying to avoid a letdown after its surprising playoff run. Sitting at .500 is not the worst spot to be in since the AFC isn't very strong. But the defense has to play better.

This game will come down to the improvisational skills of QB Ben Roethlisberger, who may be without top running backs Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman. Doubtful for Sunday's game is All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, and out with a calf injury is defensive leader Troy Polamalu (via ESPN).

All the ailing players will be too much for the Steelers to overcome, even in the friendly confines of Heinz Field. The Bengals will avenge two 2011 losses to their divisional foe with a big road victory.

Final score: Bengals 23, Steelers 17

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

The two arguably most explosive quarterback-wide receiver combos in the NFL will square off in a Monday night NFC North tilt.

Fun fact: the Bears rank second in points scored with 29.8 per game and first in points allowed, giving up just over 14 per contest.

That is thanks largely to a flurry of defensive touchdowns, but it's also a product of QB Jay Cutler having the best set of receiver weapons he's ever had in Chicago. The reunion with Brandon Marshall has proven to be a massive success, as Marshall is fifth in the league in averaging 99 yards receiving per game.

On the other side, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson simply can't be stopped by anyone. It will be interesting to see how the Bears fare in covering the NFL's most physically gifted receiver.

The Lions have finally found some semblance of a running game through Mikel Leshoure in recent weeks. But Chicago's Matt Forte is clearly the top back in this one. A lot of the game's outcome will depend on how the Detroit defensive line can handle Forte.

An underachieving Lions front four finally played a monster game in Week 6, and they may produce another great outing because of the Bears' inconsistency upfront in protecting Cutler.

Two QBs with two of the strongest arms in the world will be counting on their bigs to provide them with adequate protection against ferocious front sevens. The one with the most time will likely come out on top.

According to ESPN, Stafford may be without receivers Titus Young and Nate Burleson, along with tight end Brandon Pettigrew. All are listed as questionable.

Still, Stafford has yet to play a great game in 2012. For a guy who threw for over 5,000 yards last year, it's bound to happen soon.

This should be a tight matchup, but the Lions will pull through and climb squarely back into the race for the division crown.

Final score: Lions 24, Bears 20