NFL Picks Week 7: TV Info and Predicted Winners for Every Game

The 2014 NFL regular season is almost halfway over, but the action is just starting to heat up as more and more division matchups fill the Week 7 schedule.

With several marquee games including San Francisco vs. Denver, New Orleans vs. Detroit and Kansas City vs. San Diego, football fans around the league will be treated to a weekend full of intriguing action.

Here is the vital viewing information and predicted winners for every Week 7 matchup and breakdown for the game of the week.

Thursday, Oct. 16	Time (ET)	Watch	Predicted Winner
Sunday, Oct. 19	Time (ET)	Matchup	Predicted Winner
Monday, Oct. 20	Time (ET)	Matchup	Predicted Winner
NY Jets at New England	8:25 p.m.	CBS/NFL	Patriots
Atlanta at Baltimore	1 p.m.	Fox	Ravens
Tennessee at Washington	1 p.m.	CBS	Redskins
Seattle at St. Louis	1 p.m.	Fox	Seahawks
Cleveland at Jacksonville	1 p.m.	CBS	Browns
Cincinnati at Indianapolis	1 p.m.	CBS	Colts
Minnesota at Buffalo	1 p.m.	Fox	Bills
Miami at Chicago	1 p.m.	CBS	Bears
New Orleans at Detroit	1 p.m.	Fox	Saints
Carolina at Green Bay	1 p.m.	Fox	Packers
Kansas City at San Diego	4:05 p.m.	CBS	Chargers
Arizona at Oakland	4:25 p.m.	Fox	Cardinals
NY Giants at Dallas	4:25 p.m.	Fox	Cowboys
San Francisco at Denver	8:30 p.m.	NBC	Broncos
Houston at Pittsburgh	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Texans

Game of the Week: San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos

There are several games worthy of the billing Game of the Week, but the Sunday Night Football matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos will be stealing the headlines this week as Peyton Manning attempts to break the all-time touchdown record.

Since signing with Denver, Manning has been one of the most dangerous players in the league, picking up exactly where he left off before surgery with the Indianapolis Colts. The result has been a weekly barrage of touchdowns, and Manning now sits three away from beating Brett Favre’s record.

The official Twitter of Sunday Night Football broke down the numbers:

Despite standing on the precipice of history, Manning has remained nonchalant about the whole situation, telling the Associated Press, via the Daily Record:

"

I don’t know if any of them are big for me, necessarily, especially in the middle of the season. We’re trying to win football games. It’s tough. It’s a tough schedule. That’s all I’m thinking about, trying to find a way to win the game. If Ronnie (Hillman) wants to run for four touchdowns next week, I’m in favor of that.

"

Manning and the passing game have been red hot for the Broncos, but the rushing attack led by Ronnie Hillman was better than expected against the tough front seven of the New York Jets in Week 6. Hillman ran the ball 24 times for 100 yards, and will be looking at a similar workload against the stout defense of San Francisco.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, elite middle linebacker Patrick Willis may miss Sunday’s game due to a toe injury, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Willis has been at the forefront of San Francisco’s fifth-ranked run defense, and the team will have trouble filling such a large void on short notice.

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

The 49ers still possess the second-ranked pass defense in the NFL, and will need it to be playing at its best against Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas and the rest of Denver’s weapons.

For San Francisco, the objective will be to keep the momentum rolling after three consecutive wins. The Broncos have won back-to-back games as well and boast the league’s fourth-best passing attack, but the dual-threat ability of quarterback Colin Kaepernick helps give the 49ers one of the most dangerous offensive units in the league.

If Kaepernick doesn’t decide to beat a defense with his legs, throwing the ball to Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree or Vernon Davis is a viable option. Add in a dynamic rushing attack featuring Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde, and Denver’s high-profile defense will be in for a long night.

In the NFL, the play of the quarterback usually depicts the outcome of the games. With Manning understanding the history of the sport so well, he will not underestimate the moment and will do everything in his power to beat the record Sunday.

San Francisco won’t go down without a fight, but without Willis quarterbacking the defense, the Broncos will walk away with the victory.

Predicted Final Score: Denver 33, San Francisco 20

*Stats via NFL.com.

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