Week 7 of the 2016 NFL season is set to begin. This week the Panthers and Cowboys sit idle on bye weeks. For the other 30 teams I will now attempt to pick the winners of each game based off of the spreads. If you agree of disagree tweet at me @treydaubert to let me know where I’m wrong for my NFL week one predictions. *All spreads are courtesy of oddsshark.com
Thursday Night: Bears At Packers (CHI +7.5)
This game is not going to be close. Aaron Rodgers has taken a beating by the media the entire week after being outplayed by Dak Prescott. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t let it rip this game it might never happen this season. Is there a better time to try and figure out this season better than playing against the 1-5 Bears? Chicago’s a mess and probably loses by 17 in a prime time game at Lambeau Field.
Packers defeat Bears 38-21
Sunday 9:30 ET: Giants At Rams (LA +2.5)
Both teams come into the London game with identical 3-3 records. I’ll go with the Rams in this one based on chaos. The Giants have way too much off the field noise going on right now. Most of the time that doesn’t travel well. Right now the Giants will use Odell Beckham as their emergency kicker as of now. Speaking of Beckham, doesn’t he just resemble T.O. with all of these antics that are bound to cost his team wins in the long run. Take the Rams and the points, we at least know Todd Gurley and the ground game will show up for LA.
Rams defeat Giants 21-16
Sunday 1 ET: Ravens At Jets (BAL +2.5)
The Jets made a quarterback change this week and are going to roll with Geno Smith. Sure he is hot garbage but I’m going with the gang green in this one. Geno’s relief appearance didn’t fair too well Monday Night but he probably doesn’t have to score a ton of points in order to get the win. The Ravens rank 29th in yards per play (4.89) and probably will be missing quarterback Joe Flacco due to injury. It looks like it will be a Ryan Mallet vs. Geno Smith showdown. I give the advantage to the Jets defensive line.
Jets defeat Ravens 17-16
Sunday 1 ET: Raiders At Jaguars (OAK +1)
How in the world are the Raiders underdogs? Ok sure they lost to Kansas City last week, but the Chiefs are tough. Jacksonville doesn’t have a quality win all season. It has become clear that the Raiders have a franchise quarterback with Derek Carr, I’m not so sure I can say the same about Blake Bortles. I expect Carr and the Raiders to put up a boat load of points in a victory.
Raiders defeat Jaguars 35-24
Sunday 1 ET: Bills At Dolphins (MIA +3)
It looks like the Dolphins have found something doesn’t it? A week ago Jay Ajayi went off for 204 yards against the Steelers. For the Bills stud runningback LeSean McCoy has been ruled out for this match up giving a big advantage towards the Phins. Miami is also great at stopping the run holding Le’Veon Bell to 53 rushing yards last week. For a team that relies so heavily on the ground game I fear the Bills could be in some trouble this week.
Dolphins defeat Bills 26-18
Sunday 1 ET: Browns At Bengals (CLE +10)
This game is pretty interesting because Browns head coach Hue Jackson spent 3 seasons with the Bengals as an assistant. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has already been on record of saying he misses Jackson. The stats show Cincy’s offense hasn’t been the same without him. Jackson knows Andy Dalton better than anyone but doesn’t have the personnel to stop him. The Browns have one of the worst rosters in the league. I’ll take the points but they still lose to a Bengals team desperate for a win to stay in the AFC North hunt.
Bengals defeat Browns 20-12
Sunday 1 ET: Colts At Titans (IND +3)
The Titans are favored but don’t be fooled by this line, the Colts will win. Indy frankly has Tennessee’s number. The Titans have lost 9 straight games to the Colts and 14 of the last 15. Andrew Luck has never lost to the Titans and I expect that to continue as underdogs. Sure both teams stink but the Colts have the CLEAR advantage at quarterback. Expect Andrew Luck to go win this one.
Colts defeat Titans 34-18
Sunday 1 ET: Vikings At Eagles (PHI +3)
I just have a gut feeling on this one, the Eagles will pull off a surprising upset. Look the loss of Lane Johnson scares me as their offense line looks decimating without him. The Vikings front 7 might be the best in football. I just can’t seem to shake the idea of Sam Bradford struggling in his return to Philadelphia. The fans in Philly are going to be loud and reckless. Trust me Eagles fans are not fond of Sam Bradford. I think they get in his head and thank him for fetching the team a first round draft pick. The lone undefeated team receives their first loss on the heals of a gutsy win from Carson Wentz.
Eagles defeat Vikings 31-17
Sunday 1 ET: Redskins At Lions (WAS +1)
Truthfully I do not have any idea who wins this one. Vegas is calling it a pick em game for good reason. Statistically Matthew Stafford has been one of the best quarterbacks all season even without Calvin Johnson. Washington has also been on a nice little groove winning 4 straight. I’ll go with the Redskins due to coaching. When the game gets tight I do not trust Jim Caldwell to get the job done. Washington gets their 5th straight win in overtime.
Redskins defeat Lions 23-20 OT
Sunday 1 ET: Saints At Chiefs (NO +6)
Kansas City is going to smoke New Orleans this Sunday. The only way the Saints can win is if they score 40 points. That’s not going to fly with the Chiefs. The Saints rank near the bottom in every single defensive category. Now that Jamaal Charles is back in the fold I expect the KC offense to gear it up an extra level. After a dominating win over the Raiders, look for the Chiefs to keep the tone going another week.
Chiefs defeat Saints 41-28
Sunday 4:05 ET: Chargers At Falcons (SD +6)
This game has high scoring written all over it. Atlanta ranks first in the NFL in points per game with 33.2. Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan should be a head coach by this time next year. San Diego ranks 3rd in points per game with 28.8 and appear to be rejuvenated with their offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt. The Falcons are tough to beat in that dome but 6 points is too much for me to pass on. I expect Philip Rivers to hang in there until the end with the Falcons scoring a late touchdown on a Matt Ryan to Julio Jones connection.
Falcons defeat Chargers 44-38
Sunday 4:05 ET: Buccanneers At 49ers (SF +1)
The 49ers are rolling with Colin Kaepernick again this week after a 45-16 loss a week ago. I expect a similar result this week. Tampa is quietly making strides with Jameis Winston and are certainly headed in the right direction. I expect a heavy dosage of Jacquizz Rodgers in a humiliating defeat for the 49ers. San Fran is on track for the first overall pick, I can’t understand how this line isn’t more than just one point.
Bucs defeat 49ers 35-6
Sunday 4:25 ET: Patriots At Steelers (PIT +7.5)
For the first time all season I know what I’m going to get with the Steelers this week, a loss. Pittsburgh has been a roller coaster all season long either blowing teams out or being blown out. This time with Big Ben out I know they will lose. Landry Jones has no shot at beating New England. In fact I’m surprised this line isn’t higher. Seriously Bill Belichick is not going to lose to a back up quarterback. Now maybe the Steelers cover so betting this game with no line and worse odds could be your best bet. I’ll take the Pats anyway, it is New England we are talking about.
Patriots defeat Steelers 28-3
Sunday Night: Seahawks At Cardinals (SEA +2)
This game is tough to say at the moment considering we don’t know if Carson Palmer is a sure bet to play with a hamstring injury. I do know the Cards are tough to beat at home and they will have one of the best runningbacks in football David Johnson on their side. For me this game seems to be way more important to Arizona as Seattle just seems to be on cruise control thus far. If Palmer sits go with Seattle but if not I like Arizona. Russell Wilson stills seems limited to injury. That Arizona pass rush looks as good as ever with Chandler Jones leading that front.
Cardinals defeat Seahawks 32-27
Monday Night: Texans At Broncos (HOU +8.5)
Ok I admit I am excited for this one. Brock Osweiler returns to Denver to face his old team. The same guy that bolted for Houston this offseason after feeling disrespected by the Broncos contract offer. The pressure will get to the Houston quarterback and make Denver’s gm John Elway look like a smart man. Osweiler thus far has looked terrible and only seems to be able to win against the rest of the horrific AFC South. Denver bounces back with a big win after having some extra time to prepare playing last Thursday.
Broncos defeat Texans 31-9
