Week seven is here and it’s a great thing because, well, last week was….Bad. So much happened in the NFL that was not expected. The Broncos stunk it up on Thursday night, Big Ben got hurt and the Steelers lost to a bad Dolphins team. The Panthers are horrible and I am finally conceding that they will not recover. Oakland lost a tough divisional game at home. Aaron Rodgers is a shell of himself this season. The Colts blew a 14 point lead with about three minutes left in the game to lose in overtime. It was a crazy week in the NFL, but that is why the game is so deeply loved.
The season is almost half over which means there is a good amount to judge teams on now. Sure there will still be upsets and unexpected results, but for the most part, the picture is taking shape. This week the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys are on a bye. Here are Hagan’s Haus week seven picks.
Last Week: 7-8
Season: 51-38
Thursday Night
Chicago 17 @ Green Bay 38: The oldest rivalry in the NFL takes center stage in Primetime on Thursday Night. For the most part, Thursday Night Football is atrocious. The games are usually boring and one, if not both, teams just do not look like themselves on Thursday nights. With that being said, the Packers are playing a bad Bears team that has nothing to lose. The Packers are desperate and Aaron Rodgers is going to pick apart the Bears as he usually does. Rodgers will have 300 yards passing and the Packers will make it look easy against their arch rival.
Sunday Morning
Minnesota 31 @ Philadelphia 16: Mike Zimmer and the Minnesota Vikings had two weeks to prepare for the Eagles. The Eagles have lost two straight since starting out 3-0 and it will become three straight. The Vikings defense has made great quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton look horrible. If they can do that to those MVP quarterbacks, it is scary to think what they might do to a rookie. Sam Bradford will go to Philly with a huge chip on his shoulder and out perform Carson Wentz.
New York (G) 27 @ Los Angeles 24: This is a tough game to predict, but with Odell catching fire it might be the time of the year the Giants get into a groove. The Rams have been pretty impressive this season to sit at 3-3 and in second place of the NFC West. The Giants are the better team in this game because of their passing attack.
Cleveland 21 @ Cincinnati 28: The injury to Big Ben opens up the AFC North. The Bengals are off to a rough start but now have a chance to get back into the race. They sit at 2-4, but have winnable games vs the Browns and Redskins before going on their bye. The Browns are still looking for their first win, but won’t get it in Cincinnati.
Washington 30 @ Detroit 33: This game will be one of the more interesting games of the day. The Redskins are coming off a big win against the Eagles and are looking to keep pace with the Cowboys in the NFC East. The Lions won an exciting back and forth game against the Rams at home. The Lions are 2-1 at home and this game should be a high scoring one as both offenses score over 23 points per game. Lions defend home field this week.
Oakland 34 @ Jacksonville 31: Oakland is simply the better team. Traveling to Jacksonville might be difficult, but Derek Carr is going to have a great game while trying to stay in first place. Jacksonville won a rare road game in Chicago, but the Bears are abysmal this year. The Jags play much better at home and this game will be a close one, but the Raiders will play just a tad bit better.
New Orleans 24 @ Kansas City 31: Andy Reid just continues to prove he is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Coming off a bye week, Andy Reid is 16-2 after last weeks surprising upset in Oakland. The Saints have proven they can still put up a lot of points, but as usual their defense is one of the leagues worst. It is hard to win games giving up nearly 34 points per game. The Chiefs defense will be able to slow down Drew Brees and the Chiefs will win another game at Arrowhead.
Buffalo 35 @ Miami 24: The Bills are rolling on all cylinders and look unstoppable at the moment. It is amazing how everyone was trashing Rex Ryan when they were 0-2, but have yet to give him credit for firing Greg Roman after just two games. It has been the difference for the Bills thus far as they have won four straight games. The Dolphins shocked the Steelers, but they had one decent game. They won’t be able to stop the Bills offense and the Bills will win their fifth straight.
Baltimore 24 @ New York (J) 20: Two teams match-up in which I am not fond of this season. Neither are going to make the playoffs. The Jets have announced that Geno Smith is starting this game. Since 2011 he has the worst touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL. The Jets have the better team, but Geno will commit to many mistakes that prevent his team from winning.
Indianapolis 22 @ Tennessee 27: The Colts flat out choked last week. Last week I mentioned that the Titans were better than most people realized and they will prove that again this week behind their really good defense. The Titans just need Marcus Mariota to take care of the football and they will win this game.
Sunday Afternoon
San Diego 31 @ Atlanta 36: The Falcons fought back last week to lose by just two points, but it was still a loss. The fall of the Panthers may be the reason the Falcons make the playoffs this season. The Chargers got an impressive win last week, but that is what happens sometimes in divisional games. They won’t win this one in Atlanta.
Tampa Bay 29 @ San Fransisco 18: The 49ers have looked horrible since their opening weekend win. It will be difficult to pick them for the remainder of the season. They are in a tough division and there is no part of their schedule that gets easier. The Bucs have not done anything to earn confidence or respect in their team as a whole, but the 49ers are so terrible the Bucs should win this one even on the road.
New England 28 @ Pittsburgh 18: This game looked a lot more fun before Big Ben went down with a knee injury. Now that we know Landry Jones is starting, this games is much less exciting. Tom Brady has played remarkably well since returning from suspension and it won’t stop this week. The Patriots will flex their muscles in this one, but I expect a rematch in the playoffs with a healthy Big Ben.
Sunday Night
Seattle 19 @ Arizona 16: This is a huge divisional battle that will be fun to watch. The Seahawks are doing what they have been accustomed to doing the past few seasons so far. They are winning games behind one of the best defenses in the league. Arizona has struggled somewhat this season, but they always play well against Seattle. With that being said, the Seahawks will find a way to win this divisional game on the road.
Monday Night
Houston 31 @ Denver 28: The night that Brock Osweiler has been waiting for all season is finally here. What is good for the Texans is that his confidence could not be higher after last weeks epic comeback against the Colts. It was against the Colts suspect defense, but impressive still. Osweiler is going to have so much adrenaline, but it shouldn’t stop him from having a big night. I will go out on a limb and say that Osweiler will have his best game ever as a pro returning to Denver.