DTTWSB Week 7 NFL Picks

For the first time this NFL season we are stuck with a somewhat poor slate of games. None of the games have two teams with a winning record playing in them. Sometimes you get this when people start going on bye weeks. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still excited to watch some football. Last week I went 9-4 with my picks which brings me to 55-35 on the season. I'm still struggling compared to the NFL experts on ESPN. I believe I may be able to make up some ground this wekk. I just have to slowly chip away at the block. With all that said, here are my picks for Week 7 in the NFL.

Falcons at Lions: Lions

I believe this is going to be one of the good games of the week. Expect a lot of points to be put up on the score board. Both offenses are pretty good, and other than the Detroit defensive line, they're pretty suspect in the back seven. It's imperative that the Falcons get back to running the football. They cannot drop Matt Ryan back 30-plus times or he might not survive the game. I'm expecting the Lions to come out and play hard and win a very close game. The connection of Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson has been golden for Detroit. Other then Johnson, the Lions have plenty of weapons outwide for Stafford to hit. I think he'll be given enough time this Sunday which should allow the Lions to come away with the victory.

Chargers at Jets: Jets

This is one of the better early games that will be on television this Sunday. After a war of words between Jets head coach Rex Ryan and Chargers head coach Norv Turner, you can expect both teams to come out fighting hard. The Jets are going to need to get constant pressure on Philip Rivers if they want to slow down the Chargers offense. Ground and pound is the philosophy that has gotten the Jets deep in the playoffs the past two seasons. They're going to need to come with a balanced attack if they want to win this game and beyond. Finding an identity has been tough for them this season. Last week they sort of found and identity so we'll see if it carries over. I just think they'll be able to pull this one off and get above .500.

Bears at Buccaneers: Buccaneers

For the past hand full of seasons the NFL has played one game in London each year. This year that game is between the Bears and the Buccaneers. These are two teams that are capable of beating anyone in the league, but also capable of laying absolute stinkers. Since I'm forced to pick one I'm going with Josh Freeman and the Bucs. Last week the Bears looked great but that's what scares me. You rarely see Jay Cutler play back-to-back great games. I wouldn't be shocked if he threw multiple interceptions and fumbled the ball this game. I like the momentum the Bucs have also. If they play their game they'll win this game.

Packers at Vikings: Packers

When it comes to the NFL season, there are usually games between teams where you know they're going to be good. Usually Packers-Vikings is one of them. This year I wouldn't be shocked if this game is a blowout. The Packers are coming in having won their first six games of the season and they'd love nothing more than embarassing the rival Vikings. The interesting storyline is this game is that Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder will be making his first career start. I'm not too optimistic on how he can do because Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers uses a complex blitz scheme. All signs point toward a multiple touchdown win for Green Bay.

***Upset Special***
Broncos at Dolphins: Broncos

My upset pick of the week is the Denver Broncos traveling to Miami to beat the winless Dolphins. This is an upset because nobody expects much from the Broncos since they benched their starting quarterback Kyle Orton for Tim Tebow. Yep, that's right. It's Tebow Time in Denver. I actually think they have a better chance to win with Tebow because he has the ability to extend the play and find an open receiver. Miami is a mess right now and is heavily in the running for Stanford quarterback and future number one overall pick Andrew Luck. This game will be ugly which suits the Broncos best. Tebow plays ugly, but he also wins ugly. Advantage Denver.

The rest of the week's picks:

Seahawks at Browns: Browns
Texans at Titans: Titans
Redskins at Panthers: Panthers
Chiefs at Raiders: Raiders
Steelers at Cardinals: Steelers
Rams at Cowboys: Cowboys
Colts at Saints: Saints
Ravens at Jaguars: Ravens