NFL 2024 (Week 7)

There are some big games on tap this week.  Both undefeated teams come of their bye with a tough matchup that really makes for a great day for FOX.  FOX has lucked out pretty nicely with these NFL doubleheaders that lead into the NLCS.  Last week, they had Lions-Cowboys, which was a good one on paper at least.  This week, it's Detroit and Minnesota before the Super Bowl rematch that'll go to the entire country in the 4:25 slot.

Those two games are clearly the highlight of Week 7, but there are others worth watching.  We're coming up on the midway point of the season, so we're starting to figure out where teams stand in relation to each other.  More importantly, we're beginning to see how the standings are playing out and which games are bigger because of the impact they'll have on division races.  Like Lions-Vikings, for example.

Thursday Night: New Orleans (Loss)

Patriots (1-5) vs Jaguars (1-5): Jacksonville-This is who the NFL chose to promote the game to an international audience--the two worst teams in the league!  Or were they both exiled to London?  I mean, the Jaguars have been there for two weeks, after all.  (Yes, I know this is intentional.  Jacksonville plays a home game at Wembley Stadium every year.)  Anyway, Jacksonville is slightly less bad than New England, so London's team gets a "home" win before heading back across the pond.

Seahawks (3-3) at Falcons (4-2): Atlanta-Atlanta started the season 1-2, then played three straight division games and won them all.  As a result, the Falcons are now in first place.  The Seahawks, meanwhile, are trending in the opposite direction.  They started 3-0, but have now lost three straight, with their last two losses at home.  Don't expect either of those streaks to end.

Titans (1-4) at Bills (4-2): Buffalo-After back-to-back losses, the Bills got back on track with a 23-20 win over the Jets on Monday night.  It wasn't exactly pretty, but it got the job done.  And it was the type of gritty win good teams need to get over the course of the season.  Buffalo has plenty of tough matchups coming up, too, so taking care of business a little more easily against the Titans would probably be a good idea.

Bengals (2-4) at Browns (1-5): Cincinnati-It's been a busy weekend in Cleveland.  The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the ALCS, and now, Browns-Bengals.  Ohio's teams haven't exactly played the best football so far this season, but Cincinnati's defense was very solid last week.  Yes, it was against the Giants, but still.  And the Browns lost to the Giants (at home!).  So, that's why my pick is Cincinnati.

Texans (5-1) at Packers (4-2): Houston-Houston hasn't exactly played the toughest schedule so far, but the Texans do already have a statement win over Buffalo.  This is their chance to get another one.  And a win in Lambeau would certainly turn some heads.  Of course, the NFC North is so ridiculously close that any non-division loss for any of the four teams could end up hurting them in the long run.  What's crazier is that a loss would drop the Packers into sole possession of last place...at 4-3!

Dolphins (2-3) at Colts (3-3): Indianapolis-Are the Colts good or not?  I still can't figure out the answer.  Every game they've played has been close (the biggest margin of victory in any Colts game this season is six).  They've beaten teams you'd think they should lose to and vice versa.  So, I really have no idea what to expect from them.  A win that gets them to 4-3 would put them in early playoff position, though, as crazy as that sounds.

Lions (4-1) at Vikings (5-0): Detroit-Both of the remaining undefeated teams had their bye last week before a tough game this week.  I'm not sure if that's an advantage for the Vikings and Chiefs or not.  Especially for Minnesota, considering what the Lions have done to Seattle and Dallas in their last two games.  Detroit's on a roll and, frankly, is better than Minnesota.  The Lions take over the division lead.

Eagles (3-2) at Giants (2-4): Philadelphia-Saquon Barkley's return to MetLife Stadium.  That's really about all I've got for this one.  Amazingly, the Giants have won two road games.  Unfortunately, not only have they not won at home, their offense has been pathetically anemic at home.  At least a national audience doesn't have to be subjected to them this time since this is a regional FOX game.

Raiders (2-4) at Rams (1-4): Rams-I'm still not sure how this Brady being a part-owner of the Raiders/member of FOX's top broadcasting team is supposed to work.  The conflict of interest concerns aside, I just don't see how he can do the TV job effectively if he can't attend practices or production meetings.  And is he not allowed to cover the Raiders at all?  So many questions!  Whether they'll win this week isn't one of them.  Because they won't.

Panthers (1-5) at Commanders (4-2): Washington-When the schedule came out, this looked like it would be one of those "who cares?" matchups between two bad teams where one would have to get a win.  Well, that's certainly not the case.  Carolina obviously isn't good, but the Commanders are one of the most dynamic, exciting teams in the league.  Yeah, they lost last week in Baltimore.  So what?  Expect a bounce back this week.

Chiefs (5-0) at 49ers (3-3): San Francisco-A full national game for the Super Bowl rematch.  And you can bet the 49ers have had it circled on their calendars since even before the confetti stopped falling in Las Vegas in February.  They got a much-needed win in Seattle last Thursday and it actually moved them into first place.  The fact that the Chiefs are coming off their bye is almost completely negated, too, since they played on Monday night in Week 5, so they only have two extra days of rest.  I think the Chiefs suffer their first loss of the year.

Jets (2-4) at Steelers (4-2): Pittsburgh-They're trying something different this week and putting the Jets in primetime!  For those keeping track, that's four night games and one London game in the first seven weeks of the season.  Just in case you haven't seen enough of the Jets!  At least this week, you also get to see the Steelers, which makes it somewhat worthwhile.  It's also worth noting that two other New York teams will be playing at the same time.  The Liberty are in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals and the Mets try to keep their season alive in Game 6 of the NLCS.  So, even New Yorkers have options.

Ravens (4-2) at Buccaneers (4-2): Tampa Bay-On Monday night, we get two games, the first of which is a pretty good matchup between Baltimore and Tampa Bay.  The Ravens have rebounded nicely after their rough start, but how about Tampa?!  I thought being displaced by the hurricane would have a negative impact, but boy was I wrong!  A dominant 51-point performance in New Orleans.  Now they play their first home game since Milton.  Fortunately, their stadium wasn't damaged anywhere near to the extent of Tropicana Field.  And I can only imagine how inspiring a win here will be for the people in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

Chargers (3-2) at Cardinals (2-4): Chargers-The second Monday night game is an ESPN+ exclusive.  I'm not sure why they think this is necessary.  Are people really going to stream a Chargers-Cardinals game when there's a better game that's more widely distributed on at the same time?  This isn't the first time they've had a streaming exclusive, but the others have been the only game in their timeslot.  So, I don't get the thought process here at all.  At least pick a more worthwhile game if you want to drive people over to ESPN+ after Ravens/Bucs ends.

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 9-5
Overall: 51-42