LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (9-5)

Last week we were working 9 to 5 in week six. We did not sniff out the interesting upsets like the Cardinals over the Rams. The Titans found their way into the win column. The Sexual Predator has the Browns at 4-2. I guess hell has frozen over. Now we head into lucky week 7 of the NFL. It may be the week we shine.

SEASON RECORD: (52-41)

We started out of the gates poorly. The last few weeks, despite some crazy outcomes, we are climbing the ladder. We may fall again. The NFL world in predicting these games every week compares to the game of Chutes and Ladders. The big slide is certainly in our path. Maybe we get lucky in week 7 and avoid that pot hole.

NFL WEEK 7 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-2) AT CHICAGO BEARS (4-2)

My favorite Patriots moment was watching them get crushed by the Chicago Bears back in the ’85 Superbowl season. We knew nothing about the rise of the Evil Empire decades later with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. The Patriots still have pieces in play of that old dynasty with head coach Mike Vrabel and now his stooge Josh McDaniels, the current offensive coordinator. Vrabel and McDaniels trying to resurrect the old regime into something even more deadly in the NFL worlds. This is a match up of two first round selected quarterbacks in 2024. Caleb Williams who went number 1 and Drake Maye was third QB chosen in that draft class. Williams last week looked sharp coming back from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks over the Falcons which was a Bears win. Maye has thrown 10 touchdown passes over the last three games, all wins for the Patriots. The Bears defense had their way with the Falcons most of the day before Atlanta emerged with a comeback that just fell short. The Patriots season started off poorly. Now they are running like a well-oiled machine. The Patriots will be without one of Maye’s weapons, Romeo Doubs who New England signed as a free agent from Green Bay. Maye has other bullets in the gun to use. Maye has been able to escape pressure this season being very mobile and sleek getting away from defenders. The Bears defense blitzed half the time versus the Falcons. The Patriots defense is better than the Bears, not by much, but against the pass they are vulnerable. Williams AKA the Ice-man should be able to light up the Chicago skies. Ben Johnson will out-coach the meat head Vrabel. I don’t see the Patriots like last year winning a ton of games in a row as they coasted against a lot of bad teams. The Bears and Williams will show you they are a different animal. Williams will show why he was selected number 1 as Maye came later. The Bears are at home. A short week anything can happen. Yes, anything in a Bears beat down of the Pats.

OUR PREDICTION: DA BEARS

OVERSEAS GAME

PITTSBURGH STEELERS(4-2) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS(2-4)

Both the Saints and Steelers had to rally last week for their victories. The Steelers need OT to beat the Buccaneers. The Saints escaped New York with a victory. Aaron Rodgers since week two has 11 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions. The Steelers will probably exploit New Orleans’ weakness as their defense can’t stop the run. The Steelers are expected to have another running back available as Rico Dowdle is back from an injury. The Steelers will use a two-headed monster at the running back position. As Jaylen Warren will get plenty of carries. All the overseas games this season have been close along with being too close to call. After the Saints’ win in New York, they traveled to Paris to get used to the time change and they’ve been there all week. Before the Giants game, the Saints owner made her thoughts clear to the public about how her team was playing. The Saints responded. My gut feeling tells me they will respond again overseas as well. Tyler Shough will have a clean game against a Steelers defense that relies heavily on takeaways. This will be a close game. Saints come away with the win at the end.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

NEW YORK GIANTS (3-2-1) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (2-4)

JJ Dynamite McCarthy will get the start over the Crab Man for the G-Men. McCarthy filled in for the Crab Man last week and led a comeback that fell short versus the Saints. The Texans suddenly have won two straight games. However the Houston defense is still looking hard for success on that side of the ball. The Texans on offense has been carrying this team with the play of CJ Stroud. The Texans will have Tank Dell back in the fold. Now CJ has a full arsenal of wide receivers which includes Marvin Harrison Jr, a guy Houston traded for 2 weeks ago in a deal with Arizona. I think the Texans defense will spoil McCarthy’s first start. Stroud and the Texans offense will put up plenty of points on that Giants D. This is what happened last year when the Texans got hot after a cold start of the season.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-0) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (2-4)

Can the Falcons give the 49ers their first loss? The Falcons were being dominated by the Bears last week. In the second half the Falcons mounted a comeback that fell short. The Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr finally made his presence felt with two touchdowns. The 49ers on Monday night saw the Commanders come up short in their comeback attempt. I don’t see an upset here as the 49ers will be without their wide receiver Mike Evans. It will not matter as Brock Purdy has plenty of weapons to run up the score on the Falcons. The Falcons running game will keep this a close game for a little while. The 49ers defense will have answers for Michael Peniz Jr.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (2-4) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-0)

The Colts suffered a bad loss last week giving the Titans their first win of the season. Which resulted in the Colts firing their General Manager Chris Ballard. The Vikings coming off the bye week have not lost a game to this point because of their defense. The Vikings defense have to be licking their chops facing Daniel Jones who has not been like his self from last year. More like the Giants version of himself. Many turnovers. Last year Jones had 8 interceptions in 13 games. This year in 6 games he has six interceptions. The Vikings have relied too much on their defense. I’m not impressed by Kyler Murray, who is perfect for the season but only has two touchdown passes and 2 interceptions in 4 starts. I think the Colts will respond in this one with a big game from their stud running back Jonathan Taylor. Jones will clean up his act and get it done. Murray and the Vikes offense has not done much. The Colts defense has not done much until this point as they will bend but not break. The Vikings will overlook the Colts as their schedule will be difficult weeks ahead as they face top teams in the league. The Colts give the Vikings their first loss of the year.

OUR PICK: COLTS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (1-5) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-2)

The return of Baker Mayfield is the main storyline of this NFC South showdown. If you are a Panthers fan, you are asking who cares about Baker when you have Bryce as your QB. Bryce Young in 5 games has tallied up 11 touchdown passes already. He is playing like a number 1 pick as he was selected number 1 overall a few seasons ago. Without Baker, the Buccaneers have gone 1-1 which includes the season’s only victory. I think Mayfield will provide the juice this team needs to get this derailed season turned around. This is the NFC South we are talking about where all teams have a chance to win the division and are still lobbying for it by week 18. The Buccaneers can run the ball. The Tampa Bay defense has done good things this year. Look for an upset here in Baker’s return.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

CINCINNATI BENGALS (3-2) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (4-2)

The Ravens will have X Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson for this NFC North showdown. Hendrickson has been disgruntled because the Bengals would not sign him to a long term deal. In the off-season he signed with the Bengals rival. The Ravens defense has improved from last year. Hendrickson has 2 sacks in 4 games in a Ravens uniform. However, the Ravens will not have Lamar Jackson at quarterback this week. The Ravens only mustered up 10 points versus the Browns last weekend in a loss without Jackson. The Bengals coming off a bye week as well with ignoring Vice President JD Vance when he visited the team. Many voters will like the Bengals stance just for that. Joe Burrow will out-duel the Ravens back up QB Tyler Huntley. I expect Hendrickson to make his presence known. But overall the Bengals will beat the Ravens by double digits at the end without Lamar Jackson to make this the normal too close to call match up.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-2) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1-5)

Many may be thinking that Cleveland is doing so well because the Sexual Predator Deshaun Watson is playing close to his Houston Texans version of himself. You may have to credit the Browns defense for their play holding the Ravens to 10 points during which Cleveland earned their 4th victory of the season. Meanwhile Titans QB Cam Ward found a way to get his first career division win versus the Colts in an upset last week. It was the Titans first victory of the season as well. Ward has done well with rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate who now looks like the real deal. The Browns may have one of their best pass rushers back in the fold for this road game in Nashville. The return of rookie Mason Graham, who had 4 sacks before his injury a few weeks back. Another stud on that Browns defense is Carson Schwesinger who had 13 tackles last week versus the arch rival Ravens. Schwesinger sounds like a defensive name or a beer. Schwesinger Lager. Watson has a pair of rookie receivers he has been getting involved in with the offense to generate some points. The Browns should score enough to beat this Titans defense. I like the Browns defense halting the Titans aerial attack and making them one-dimensional.

OUR PICK: BROWNIES

MIAMI DOLPHINS (0-5) AT NEW YORK JETS (2-4)

Geno Smith has never faced Malik Willis and vice versa. This QB match up is not the Clash of the Titans. The Dolphins are still looking for their first win of the season as Willis pretty much serves as a bridge gap QB for the Dolphins. Until something comes along for the fins. The next game the Jets and Dolphins face each other this season, we may have two different QB’s facing each other in this AFC East showdown as two teams avoiding last place in the division. The Jets are the better team as they have two wins, obviously. They have been in each game they played this season including an OT loss versus the Packers. The Jets defense can snuff out the run with David Baily leading the parade. He has 5 sacks and has three forced fumbles already. The Dolphins have played their opponents tough this year and have nothing to show for their hard work. They are a young team. If the Dolphins can’t run the ball, then Willis has to use his arm to win this game. That’s what the Jets want. Meanwhile Smith has played like the Seattle version of himself and most importantly, not the Raiders version. In six games he has 7 touchdown passes to only 1 interception. Miami is a young team. Many guys still getting used to the NFL game. I like the Jets earning another W in the win column.

OUR PICK: JETS

DENVER BRONCOS (4-2) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-4)

Can the Arizona Cardinals do the unthinkable and rack up another significant kill like they did against the Rams last weekend in a huge upset? The Broncos have been sputtering like on the LA highway with OJ Simpson in a Bronco chase. Everything is slow and not very entertaining. Bo Nix continues to struggle behind center. Sean Payton will be calling the plays once again for the second week in a row. It’s the Broncos defense that has saved the Broncos universe including a big win over the Seattle. The Broncos only scored 17 points. The Cardinals do have a defense that can help teams that have struggling offenses. Just don’t ask the Rams for any tips on how to exploit the Red Birds D. The Broncos offense should be able to generate just enough offense to get bye. I’m thinking like 24 points which is a huge boost to the orange crush. The Cardinals will make this game close because they have an offense. The Broncos defense once again will save the day. Last time the Cards upset a team was week 1 of the regular season and then they lost 4 straight.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

LA RAMS (2-4) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-3)

Can Captain Kirk Cousins stop the bleeding for the silver and black that have lost three straight games since starting out of the gates 3-0? The Rams were everyone’s Superbowl pick to win it all and they were upset by the Cardinals last weekend. The Rams have lost two straight games. The Rams also lost one of their top weapons in wide receiver Davante Adams, who was a former Raider at one point. Raiders menace Mad Maxx Crosby only has tallied two sacks so far in six games. Which matches his rookie season in 2019. The Raiders defense as a whole have been giving up plenty of points and plenty of big plays. The Captain will be able to put up points as well, but this Rams team is still good even though they lost to the Cardinals. I expect the Rams to play with an edge on the road versus the Raiders. I just do not see a Sean McVay team losing three straight games. Even without Adams, this team has plenty of rounds of ammunition to be fired all over the field.

OUR PICK: RAMS

GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-2) AT DETROIT LIONS (3-2)

The Packers are on fire all of sudden having won three games in a row. The Lions last time we saw them came off an impressive victory over Columbus Day weekend, which was a beat down of the Cardinals. The NFC North is the power house division of the football world where every team has a winning record. Where every team you can state in any argument that they could be a post-season team. The Lions offense is one of the best in the NFL as they rank in the top 5 in scoring. The Lions defense has been a problem. Jordan Love has found his game and the Packers should be able to score plenty of points on Detroit. This game will most likely be a shoot out. It will be a close game as well. I like the Lions at home which is a hard place to win if you are the visiting team.

Like I said in the beginning, every team has a winning record in the NFC North. The Lions will not go 3-3 to spoil, just the facts ma’am.

OUR PICK: LIONS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (5-0) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-3)

The Superbowl MVP Kenneth Walker returns to his ole stomping grounds to play his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. Walker was the MVP of the Superbowl that he helped the Seahawks win when they gave the Patriots an ole fashioned beat-down. Walker has signed with the Chiefs in the off-season and has single handedly resurrected this franchise. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are back in a new State Farm commercial. Just like the old days, the dynasty is back up and running after a one season hiatus. For the Seahawks it seems they were doing better when Drew Lock was filling in for Sam Darnold. With Darnold back from the scary injury in week 1, he has not been the same QB from last season. Turnovers are killing Seattle. The Seahawks still have one of the best defenses out there. They have not allowed a 100 yards rusher in 35 straight games which is the NFL’s current longest active streak. The Chiefs wins are against a Broncos team that has not played well yet. Then, they beat the Colts in OT. If Indianapolis would have not played conservative in OT, that could have been a loss. They beat the Dolphins. Bottom feeder. Raiders were blooming at the time the Chiefs beat them. Awful defense the Raiders have. Then the Chargers who have not won a game. Seattle has lost two straight games.They play better at home where they are 2-1. I think old Walker will be in a rude awakening coming back to town as the Seattle D will be ready. Look for Darnold to clean up his act.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

DALLAS COWBOYS(2-4) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES(2-4)

Which team will save their season? I believe the loser of this game will not make the post-season. Even the winner of this match up does not guarantee anything. Both teams are a mess right now. The Eagles have a laundry list of injuries. Including starting QB Jalen Hurts. The Cowboys offense suddenly can’t even score in a whorehouse. Will the Eagles have their stud running back Saquon Barkley back in this one? Tanner McKee will make his 4th start of his career. He is 0-1 for the Eagles this season as he made his first start of the year. I think the Eagles can generate some points off a bad Dallas defense. I think Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense finally wake up and smell the coffee. Even with the Boys on the road I think this offense will click on prime time. Dallas will stay alive as the Giants are not too far ahead of them in the standings. Dallas has to be at least hovering around the .500 mark so every week every television set will have their games on at some point of the football week.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS