NFL Predictions Week 7: Separating the Contenders and Pretenders

As NFL players and coaches prepare for Week 7 in the NFL there are certain games on tap that look like they won't go chalk for one reason or another. We're almost to the halfway point in the NFL season, and as teams start to make changes and in-game adjustments, it's now or never for a number of teams toeing the line between contender and pretender. 

The Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts are walking those lines. How will they do this week?

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of those classic AFC rivalries that usually plays a hand in who will head to the playoffs, the AFC Championship Game and possibly even the Super Bowl. In three of the last four seasons the Ravens and Steelers have split their regular-season matchups, making this one of the more exciting rivalries in the AFC. 

This season is looking a bit different. The Ravens are 3-3 after a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 6, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling even more at just 1-4 coming off their first victory of the season against the New York Jets last week.

Though the Steelers just got their first win of the season, they'll enter Week 7 as early underdogs against their AFC North rivals. The Ravens, with a better record than the Steelers, are easy to view as the favorites in Week 7, but the Steelers are set to upset their rivals in grand fashion.

The Steelers will have the chance to exploit a Ravens pass defense that gives up over 280 yards per game. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' passing attack rank seventh in the NFL with over 277 yards per game and match up well on defense with a passing defense that allows less than 200 yards through the air per game, fourth best in the NFL. The Ravens haven't been able to get their running game going, with both Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce around just 200 yards on the ground, and have been relying on their passing game to get victories, a luxury they won't have against the stingy pass defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers passing game and pass defense will be their keys to victory in Week 7 against a Ravens team that struggled against a banged up Green Bay Packers squad in Week 6. Their records might not be even, but the Steelers could very well be shaking up the AFC North this weekend.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 21, Baltimore 17 

Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins

The Chicago Bears and Redskins are two very different teams on paper. The Bears are mediocre in pretty much every phase of the game, hovering around the middle of the pack in passing and rushing offense and rushing yards allowed, while the Redskins are very strong offensively, ranked 10th in both rushing and passing with 128 and 271 yards per game respectively. What the Redskins have offensively, they are completely lacking on defense. They allow over 270 yards through the air and 123 yards on the ground per game, both ranked in the bottom 10 in the league. 

Thankfully for the Redskins, they won't need much defense in Week 7. The Bears have given up at least 21 points in every week except one and have let poor teams like Minnesota and New York hang up big numbers already this season. 

The Bears have been in shootouts all year, with their greatest margin of victory coming at just eight points, and with Jay Cutler at the helm a shootout can either be really great or really terrible. For Week 7, it'll be really terrible. He's gone almost every other game in terms of performance, throwing no picks in Weeks 3, 5 and 6, but exploding for bad games in Weeks 2 and 4 for multiple interceptions. Cutler is overdue for a bad game, and with a tough defense across from him, the stage is set for big upset and a Redskins victory. 

PREDICTION: Washington 17, Chicago 10

Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos escaped a resilient Jacksonville team in Week 6, and while it was surprising that the Jags stuck around for so long, Denver did win by 16 to remain undefeated. The Colts weren't as lucky on Monday Night Football as they got beat up by the San Diego Chargers in prime time, losing 19-9. 

Week 7 will be the perfect opportunity for the Colts to bounce back. Peyton and the Broncos will head back to No. 18's old stomping grounds to do battle with his replacement Andrew Luck and the Colts. The Broncos come into the game as favorites, according to ESPN.com, given the nod by seven points. On paper the Broncos look like serious favorites too. 

Denver has the best passing game in the NFL paired with their running defense, which is also the best in the league. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they're taking on the Indianapolis Colts who match up pretty well. Indy isn't great through the air offensively, averaging just over 215 yards per game, but they'll be matched up with the Broncos pass defense that is the worst in the NFL, giving up over 337 yards per game. While Luck and his receivers might not average a big total number of yards, they do hit big plays downfield regularly to the speedster TY Hilton and possession receiver Reggie Wayne, both players that average over 13 yards per catch, including Hilton's long receptions of 73 and 47 yards in the season. 

On defense the Colts match up almost as good as you can against a Peyton Manning offense. The Colts defense has held it's opponents to less than 206 yards per game through the air, which will definitely come in handy against Peyton Manning who has thrown an interception in each of the last two games. 

The Broncos are an excellent team, quite obvious if you look at their record, but the Indianapolis Colts are set to cause a huge upset in Week 7. They have the tools on offense to get it done and have a passing defense that matches up against any passing offense and will meet Peyton Manning at a time when he's definitely not at his best. 

PREDICTION: Indianapolis 35, Denver 31

NFL Week 7 Picks

Date	Matchup	Prediction
Thursday, Oct. 17	Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals	SEA 31, ARI 10
Sunday, Oct. 20	Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers	GB 24, CLE 7
Sunday, Oct. 20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons	ATL 21, TB 3
Sunday, Oct. 20	Cincinnati Bengals vs. Detroit Lions	CIN 27, DET 24
Sunday, Oct. 20	Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins	MIA 13, BUF 10
Sunday, Oct. 20	New England Patriots vs. New York Jets	NE 35, NYJ 14
Sunday, Oct. 20	Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles	DAL 42, PHI 35
Sunday, Oct. 20	Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins	WSH 17, CHI 10
Sunday, Oct. 20	St. Louis Rams vs. Carolina Panthers	CAR 30, STL 24
Sunday, Oct. 20	San Diego Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	SD 21, JAX 17
Sunday, Oct. 20	San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans	SF 21, TEN 9
Sunday, Oct. 20	Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs	KC 30, HOU 13
Sunday, Oct. 20	Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT 21, BAL 17
Sunday, Oct. 20	Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts	IND 35, DEN 31
Monday, Oct. 21	Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants	NYG 21, MIN 10

Schedule Via ESPN.com