I put together an 8-7 record last week, improving my season mark to 57-35 (62%). My Week 7 NFL picks are below. Feel free to share your general thoughts on this week's games in the comments section.
Week 7 Games | Explanation | Pick | ||
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Thursday Night Upset: The Cardinals are 2-0 at home this year. The Seahawks are 2-1 on the road, having only won by slim margins in their two road wins. Carson Palmer has not been delivering as hoped (7 touchdowns, 11 interceptions), but I'll project a big day for Larry Fitzgerald in an upset win as Arizona's run defense hangs tough. Cardinals 24, Seahawks 21 |
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Don't Blame Thaddeus: I'm rooting for Thaddeus Lewis, but I also know how good the Dolphins' defense has been this season. The Dolphins have had it rough losing two games in a row, but they need a division win this week in order to set up the following week's game against the Patriots, which could be for the division title. Dolphins 23, Bills 17 |
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Not Waiting Any Longer: I kept wanting the Redskins to break out of their slump, because Robert Griffin III is fun to watch when he's at his best. We are in Week 7, though, and although we've seen a few improvements for Griffin, he just isn't the same, electrifying player he was as a rookie. I'm not buying in again until he looks like the RG III of old. Bears 31, Redskins 17 |
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Calvin's Ready for More Snaps Again: I came away very impressed with Matthew Stafford last week; he delivered a heck of a performance despite working with a banged up Calvin Johnson and a bunch of lesser-name receivers. The Bengals have rattled off back-to-back wins, but are 1-2 on the road and have still been having suspect play from Andy Dalton. Lions 31, Bengals 24 |
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What Does 0-11 Prove? So...these Eagles actually look pretty good under Nick Foles, don't they? Not so fast; Philadelphia's past two opponents have a combined record of 0-11 this season. The Eagles could still pull off a win here, since crazy things happen in this division, but the Cowboys have played the best football in the NFC East so far. Cowboys 26, Eagles 24 |
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Blowout of the Week: Who is ready for the legend of Case Keenum? Sorry, but I can't see an undrafted free agent rolling into Arrowhead with a struggling offense, only to succeed against a defense that has the most sacks and best third-down defense in the NFL. The Texans are a mess right now, and this game won't help them snap out of things. Chiefs 34, Texans 13 |
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The Mystery of Gronkowski: Here's what is funny: much is being made about the Patriots' offense and the return of Rob Gronkowski, but New England is 5-1 and among the better offensive teams in the NFL still. Gronkowski's status is still up in the air, but the reason they need him now is because their defense just got weaker: Jerod Mayo is done, and Aqib Talib could be out too. The Jets have been a hot-and-cold team, and I thought about picking them here, but ultimately stuck with the Patriots. Patriots 20, Jets 17 |
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At Least Blackmon is Doing Well: What a win for the Chargers last week against the Colts, who have played some very good football in their three wins. Justin Blackmon is proving to be a big-time threat as a receiver, but that's not enough for them to win very many games. Chargers 31, Jaguars 10 |
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It Doesn't Seem Right, Does It? How do the Rams have the same record as the Browns at this point? Their receivers still leave a lot to be desired for, as does Sam Bradford at quarterback. I guess you could chalk it up to soft scheduling? When Cameron Newton is on, the Panthers can really look like a powerhouse team offensively. Both of these teams have been inconsistent this year, so this is a game I certainly wouldn't bet on. The Panthers get the edge for being at home. Panthers 28, Rams 14 |
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Robiskie to the Rescue! Who pegged the Falcons to be 1-4 and virtually out of the playoff race to begin the year? With Julio Jones out for the year, things got so bad at wide receiver that they had to sign Brian Robiskie. The Buccaneers are 0-5 and playing even worse football, so Atlanta should be able to string together a decent performance this week. Falcons 24, Buccaneers 13 |
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The Year They Lost Jake Locker: How heartbroken must Titans fans be? With the way this team has played, they had "underdog playoff team" written all over them...but in their past two losses, not having Jake Locker at crunch time has cost them. They face another tough opponent this week, and Ryan Fitzpatrick won't do enough to prevent Tennessee from slipping below .500. 49ers 20, Titans 17 |
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Resurrected Just in Time: Sometimes, all it takes is one game to get back on track. The Steelers played a very good game defensively on the road against the Jets last week, and minimized the mistakes on offense. The Ravens continue to make too many mistakes on offense, and the Steelers' have made it a point to show they aren't rolling over just yet. I think they ride their little streak of momentum toward their second straight win. Steelers 17, Ravens 14 |
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Game of the Week: I can't wait for this one. I was really hoping that this would be a playoff game last year, but a regular season matchup at the midway point of the season with both teams on top of their division will do. I don't think last week's loss to the Chargers will play much into the outcome of this game for the Colts. It'll be interesting to see if Peyton Manning has too many jitters in his return to Indianapolis. What will happen when he throws a touchdown -- cheers or boos? We'll see enough of them in a nice back-and-forth battle. Broncos 31, Colts 24 |
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Dud of the Week: Is it possible that the Giants could go winless? The Vikings are trying to salvage their season with Josh Freeman at quarterback. I'm banking on him delivering a good performance against a terrible defense, and for Adrian Peterson to run wild too. The final score won't be the "dud," but rather the fact that the outcome of the game really doesn't matter. Vikings 30, Giants 23 |
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Battered and Bruised: The Packers will be without Clay Matthews and Randall Cobb, and James Jones might miss the game too. The Browns might have one of their best defenders in Jabaal Sheard back. Can Cleveland pull off an upset special? My full game preview and prediction will be posted on Saturday, so stay tuned. |
TBA |
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Bye Week |
Pokorny's Week 7 NFL Picks Record: 8-7
Pokorny's Record w/ Browns Games: 3-3
Pokorny's 2013 NFL Picks Record: 57-35
Survivor Pick: I am 4-2, and am finally back on a one-game winning streak after taking DEN last week. This week, I've got the other perfect team -- Kansas City -- taking out the Texans.