One more week is in the books, and as we’ve come to expect, the unexpected happened. The plucky underdog Giants kicked off the week with a shocking 34-17 victory over the defending champion Eagles. A couple of cult heroes in Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo were born overnight in the process. Those who have been following the NFL, or the Giants specifically, were already aware of the “Head Butt Bros”, but now they’re the talk of the league. Somewhat lost in the story is how truly dysfunctional the Eagles look at the moment, which opens up the entire NFC playoff picture. The biggest threat to a Philadelphia repeat appearance in the Super Bowl, the Lions, had their hands full themselves as they dropped the Sunday night game in Kansas City 30-17. Meanwhile, in the AFC, the Bills fell on Monday night to the Falcons, dropping them to second place in their own division to the Patriots, who own the tiebreaker thanks to their head-to-head win over Buffalo in week 5. The teams that sit with the best records in the NFL are currently the Buccaneers and the Colts. How many of you had a Baker Mayfield vs. Daniel Jones showdown circled as a potential Super Bowl matchup? OK, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take a look at week 7 and see if we can make heads of tails out of what’s going to happen next.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals (+5.5)
The Steelers travel to the Queen City for the Thursday Night kickoff game to take on the reeling Bengals. The Bengals dropped their 4th straight game of the season last week against the Packers. Making the change from Jake Browning to Joe Flacco didn’t seem to do much to change how the offense operates, as they still can’t run the ball. Flacco was able to feed his top two targets in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which may save a few fantasy seasons out there, but the Bengals themselves don’t appear to be so lucky. Look for the Steelers to run the ball on the Cincy defense much like Green Bay did last week, and as long as they can avoid any silly mistakes, this game should be an easy win on the road. Aaron Rodgers has taken care of the ball for the most part with just 3 interceptions thus far on the season. He shouldn’t have to do too much in this game as the Steeler defense will be all over Flacco, and their secondary, led by Darius Slay, Joey Porter, and Jalen Ramsey, should be able to keep a top on the talented Bengals receiving corps.
Steelers 23 – Bengals 13
Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars (in London) (+2.5)
The Rams and Jags travel to jolly old England for what seems like the 10th European game this season. We just love starting our Sundays at 9 am, giving us over 12 straight hours of football every week, don’t we? Well, I do. Speaking of weird things that some people actually like, the people in England actually really like the Jaguars. The Jags have been an annual fixture in these London games since the NFL started the promotion over a decade ago, as this will be their 12th game across the pond. They are one of the few teams that actually have somewhat of a home-field advantage over there. They also have a much shorter flight. I’m not sure if any of these factors will actually matter as much as the way their defense has been playing. The Jag defense still leads the league in takeaways and will look to keep it going against Matthew Stafford and company. The Rams may be without Puka Nacua, and if he misses the game, I expect the line on this game to be closer to a pick-em by Sunday. Either way, we’re taking the “home team” to win outright.
Jaguars 26 – Rams 20
Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs (-12.5)
The rumors of the Chiefs demise were greatly exaggerated, as they were able to beat down the Detroit Lions at home this past week to get their record even at 3-3. The schedule makers gave them a bit of a breather for this weekend as they welcome the 2-4 Raiders into Arrowhead Stadium with the Chiefs sitting as heavy 12.5-point favorites. When we consider that Patrick Mahomes will finally have his full complement of weapons at his disposal with the return of Rashee Rice, we have to wonder if that spread is even large enough. Maxx Crosby will do what he can to disrupt Mahomes, but it isn’t something Patrick hasn’t dealt with before. Geno Smith had a minor bounce-back game last week in a Raiders win, but it was against the hapless Titans, who responded by firing their head coach. Smith wasn’t anywhere near perfect as he managed just 174 yards and 1 TD while still throwing an interception. That makes 10 total picks thrown by the veteran on the season, leaving many to wonder if Pete Carroll will make the move to Kenny Pickett at some point. This game may push them to that tipping point, and I expect it to get ugly early and stay that way for Vegas.
Chiefs 37 – Raiders – 13
Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns (-2.5)
The NFL has become a hellscape of dysfunctional mediocrity, and these two teams stand front and center as prime examples. Both teams have talent and lots of it. They both also stand at 1-5 on the season, proving that talent does not equate to success on the field. Both teams can rush the passer, both teams have a smallish, weak-armed quarterback that needs to get the ball out of their hands quickly to be effective, and both teams have talented running backs that they will run their offenses through. OK, so where are the differences? Cleveland’s offensive line and overall defensive play are both superior to Miami. The Dolphins seem like they’ve been involved in more “close games” but have found ways to lose each week. Picking this game is the stuff of nightmares, and I would strongly suggest anybody looking to wager to avoid this game altogether. Since we are picking a winner for every game, we are going to go with the Browns to ride Quinshon Judkins all day long to squeak out a victory.
Browns 19 – Dolphins 17
New England Patriots @ Tennessee Titans (+7.5)
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present The First Place Patriots!!!! OK, it’s early, so we won’t get carried away. This week 7 matchup against a Titans team that just lost to the Raiders and subsequently fired their head coach bodes well for the Pats to hold onto that spot for another week, at least. The Pats have had an easy schedule, and they actually did lose to the same Raiders team that Tennessee just fell to, but they sit at 4-2 at the moment, thanks to their week 5 win in Buffalo. Their other big win was a 42-13 drubbing over the Carolina Panthers. Those two wins, along with one-score wins against powerhouses Miami and New Orleans, are what’s making Pats fans dream about the glory days of the past. This team isn’t that good and will likely end up finishing the season around 10-7, with a playoff appearance, but in today’s NFL, that might make them a top 5 team. You can say the exact same thing about around a dozen teams right now across the league, including the Broncos, Chargers, and Jaguars, so it’s anybody’s guess who will actually make the postseason. That’s a worry for a later date, as the Pats need to take care of the team that sits next on their schedule. The Titans are a mess right now, and a new coach isn’t going to help. They may be able to stick around in this game if the home crowd can keep them amped up, but in the end, I expect Drake Maye to make enough plays for a comfortable win.
Patriots 27 – Titans 17
Carolina Panthers @ New York Jets (+1.5)
The Jets sit as the lone winless team in the league after participating in a major snoozefest in England this past Sunday. Hopefully, the home crowd is so used to seeing low-scoring games with lots of kicking, they just thought they were watching a high-scoring soccer match. Justin Fields managed a whopping 45 yards passing for the game as Gang Green’s offense looked absolutely infected in the 13-11 loss. The bright spot would have to be the play of their defense, which held Bo Nix to just 178 yards passing and the Broncos run game to less than 100 yards. The Panthers pulled out a close win at home against the Cowboys to even their record at 3-3. Their three wins have come at home, while they’ve dropped all three of their road games so far in 2025. Look for that trend to continue and for the Jets to finally get into the win column. It may not make a ton of sense, but I expect the Jets to actually put it all together and win this one easily. The Panthers have been riding high on the recent explosion of Rico Dowdle leading their backfield, but those huge games have come against two of the worst defenses in the league, in Miami and Dallas. Look for Breece Hall and Justin Fields to combine for over 150 yards and two scores on the ground, and for the Jets defense to possibly score a TD of their own.
Jets 30 – Panthers 13
New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears (-5.5)
The Saints are one of 5 teams playing this Sunday with 1 or fewer wins on the season. This Sunday, they travel to the Windy City to take on Caleb Williams and a Bears squad that pulled out a close one on Monday night over Washington, thanks to a last-second field goal by newly signed kicker Jake Moody. It was a coming-out party of sorts for D’Andre Swift as he led the Bears in both rushing and receiving with 175 combined yards and a score. Williams did his part, leading the offense and protecting the ball as he threw for 252 yards with a score and, more importantly, zero interceptions. The Saints dropped a fairly close one at home against New England in a game they were actually leading in the second half, 16-14. The Pats rallied to put up 10 points to take the lead for good as the Saints could only manage a late Blake Grupe field goal before losing by a final of 25-19. The biggest issue that has plagued New Orleans has been finding the end zone each week. They have only scored more than 1 TD in one game this season and have repeatedly had to settle for field goals. That’s great for anybody who owns Blake Grupe in fantasy, but it’s not a recipe for success, especially playing in Chicago, where the kicking conditions can be less than ideal. The Bears should pick up where they left off on Monday night and put up a big number on this Saints team that’s been allowing about 30 points per game in their 5 losses.
Bears 31 – Saints 16
Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings (+1.5)
The Eagles started the season 4-0, and even though it was mostly ugly, many pundits defended them, saying, “This is just how Philly wins”. After two straight losses, including a prime-time debacle against their division rival Giants, those same pundits are now wondering if all is not so well in the City of Brotherly Love. Jalen Hurts has always had his critics who have said he’s really nothing more than a fullback who can throw the ball a little bit. While those critics have always seemed way off base, now the grumbling is getting louder after we’ve seen the Eagles offense struggle for a second straight week, and their passing game has been lacking all season long. This week, Philly travels to Minnesota to take on a Vikings squad that will be returning after their bye. Expect J.J. McCarthy to get the nod under center and for the Vikings offense to possibly sputter a bit as their second-year signal caller works to get his feet under him. The Eagles need this win, and much like the Chiefs were able to when their backs were against the wall, Philadelphia should be able to come out on top here. Look for Saquon Barkley to eclipse the century mark for the first time this season and to get back into the endzone once again.
Eagles 31 – Vikings 24
Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5)
The Colts currently sit at 5-1 and have the best record in the AFC. Take a deep breath in, and release. Now repeat that first sentence again and see if it makes more sense. This wasn’t a bad team last year as they finished 8-9 and in second place in the AFC South, but I don’t think any of us saw this coming. Daniel Jones kept this dream season going as he continued moving the chains while feeding Jonothan Taylor as much as was needed to put up 31 points against the Cardinals. This weekend, they get a bit of a tougher test as they travel to LA for the second time this season, this time to take on the Chargers. SoFi Stadium was actually the site of the Colts lone loss earlier this year when they dropped their week 4 matchup against the Rams. When we look at their 5 wins, we see a last-minute gift win against the Broncos and a slew of cupcakes like Tennessee, Miami, Las Vegas, and Arizona. The question remains: is this team for real? The Chargers managed to escape South Beach with a win after a last-second field goal to improve to 4-2. This team looks like it’s built to handle adversity, as it was able to win despite being without their two best linemen, their top running back, and their top wide receiver. Justin Herbert rebounded nicely after a couple of tough starts, Kimani Vidal looked the part of a feature back, and we finally saw the Ladd McConkey we were expecting when we drafted him on our fantasy teams. We’re going with the Chargers here to hold serve at home and hand the Colts their second loss of the season.
Chargers 27 – Colts 24
New York Giants @ Denver Broncos (-7.5)
The Giants’ youth movement was on center stage last week as they were able to shock the football world with a 34-17 upset over their former running back, Saquon Barkley, and his Philadelphia Eagles. Giant fans are flying high right now as their team travels to the Rockies to take on Bo Nix and the Broncos, who are coming off a scintillating 13-11 victory in London over the Jets. Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo will likely keep it fun for a while, but the Giants defense will likely struggle with stopping the Denver running game as the game wears on. True to what most Giant fans have become used to, when you’re flying high, it just hurts more when you come crashing back to Earth. I’m expecting more scoring in this matchup than we saw from the Broncos in London, and we’re picking the Broncos to win a game that should be much closer than the spread suggests.
Broncos 26 – Giants 23
Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (+6.5)
The Packers handled business last week against the Bengals, but weren’t able to really smash them the way the sports books expected. All wins count the same, but it feels like they should have won by more than 9 points against a team starting Joe Flacco with less than a week to prepare. Green Bay controlled the game after a sluggish start by scoring 10 points in the second quarter for a 10-0 halftime lead. In the second half, they basically traded punches back and forth and held on for the 9-point win after Cincinnati punched in a two-point conversion on their last score. Ho Hum, they’ll take the win and move on to the desert to take on the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Cardinals, led by Jacoby Brissett, were actually leading the Colts in Indianapolis as late as the 4th quarter, but managed to let the game slip away after a Jon Taylor late score. Kyler Murray may be out again this week, but it doesn’t seem to really affect how the Cardinals offense operates. More concerning is the concussion suffered by Marvin Harrison Jr., which knocked him out of last week’s game in the 2nd quarter, tarnishing his return to his dad’s old stomping grounds. With Harrison in the mix, the Cardinals don’t have much of a chance to win; without him, it’s going to be a bloodbath. This should be an easy win for Love and his Packers.
Packers 30 – Cardinals 17
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys (+1.5)
This classic NFC East showdown sits as the highest projected point total on the slate with a game total of 55.5. It makes complete sense because the Cowboys and their turnstile defense will be in the house, waving at anybody in an opposing uniform as they score at will. Last week, it was a familiar face in Rico Dowdle, who actually went as far as to tell the Cowboys what he was going to do to them before he went and amassed over 200 total yards for the Panthers. This week, it will be Jaydin Daniels and the Commanders who will look to get back in the win column after a heartbreaker on Monday Night against the Bears. Daniels is lined up to have a massive game as he will most likely get Terry McLaurin back to join Deebo Samuel and Luke McCaffrey in the Washington passing attack. Dak will do his part to keep the Cowboys in the game as he has every week, but in the end, it won’t be quite enough. At the very least, this should be a fun game to watch.
Commanders 31 – Cowboys 30
Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers (-2.5)
The Sunday Night game features the Falcons, fresh off a big Monday Night win over Buffalo, and the 49ers, looking to bounce back after a loss in Tampa against Baker and the Bucs. The 49ers should be getting a bit healthier with the anticipated returns of both George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall, and possibly their QB, Brock Purdy. The Falcons will try and ride Bijan Robinson again like they did on MNF, as he posted a career high 170 rushing yards on 19 carries against Buffalo. Sledding may be a bit tougher in Frisco as the 49er defense ranks in the middle of the pack in total defense as well as against the run, which is a far bit better than Buffalo’s #30-ranked run defense. As great as the Monday Night win was for Atlanta, I expect a letdown this week as they travel to the West Coast. Whether it’s Brock Purdy or Mac Jones, the San Fran offense should be able to put up enough points against this young and feisty Atlanta defense to secure the win.
49ers 23 – Falcons 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions (-5.5)
The first of our Monday Night double header games gives us a potential NFC playoff preview with Baker and his Bucs traveling to the Motor City to take on Jared Goff and the Lions. Baker has been playing at an MVP level so far, and it doesn’t seem to matter who he has playing with him. His offense has lost Tristan Werfs, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin (twice), Bucky Irving, and now Emeka Egbuka so far this season, but they haven’t missed a beat. The Lions are coming off a dud in Kansas City, where they dropped the Sunday Night game 30-17 to the Chiefs. Sometimes it feels like the Lions try and get too cute when they have the ball, and other times it feels like they aren’t as good as they’re supposed to be. We saw examples of both of these on Sunday night as they took the opening drive right down the field to the Chiefs 2-yard line before shooting themselves in the foot with a couple of penalties (one negating a touchdown run) before settling for a field goal. In the second half, as they played from behind, it looked like their receivers couldn’t get open, and Jared Goff wasn’t able to get the ball downfield. Amon Ra St. Brown was involved in the passing game with 9 receptions on 12 targets, but they only garnered a total of 45 yards. That will need to change this week against a Buc defense that can be beaten via the pass. The Lions should pull this one out at home, but there’s no way they should be favored by 5.5 points. Take Detroit in a close one.
Lions 28 – Bucs 27
Houston Texans @ Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)
The Seahawks return home after an impressive trip across the country to take down the Jaguars 20-12 this past week. Their defense showed up yet again as they held their opponent to 20 points or less for the 5th time in their 6 games. The Texans enjoyed their bye week and will now travel to the Pacific Northwest to try their luck against the Hawks and their 12th man home crowd. Houston has had some issues protecting C.J. Stroud, and this isn’t a great matchup for them if those struggles continue. Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have been amazing thus far this season, and while Houston does have a solid defense, I expect Seattle to be able to put up enough points to secure a win. Look for Houston to lean heavily on rookie, Woody Marks, in what should be a game script that ill suits the plodding, Nick Chubb. Houston may be able to get to about 20 points this week, but it won’t be enough.
Seahawks 27 – Texans 19
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