2015 NFL Season: Pokorny's Week 7 Picks

Thursday Night Football: At what point do you give in and just say, "maybe the Seahawks just aren't a very good football team."? It sounds preposterous to say, given the fact that their team is composed of largely the same talent that has been to two straight Super Bowls. Given the way their team is built, there is no way they should be letting teams off the hook in the fourth quarter. The 49ers had all the offseason chaos, but quietly, it's been the Seahawks turning into the laughingstock of the division. I'll still pick the Seahawks' talent to win out in prime time, but Colin Kaepernick's been playing awfully well the past two weeks. Seahawks 23, 49ers 17

Yahoo! What a Tease: Although it'd be much more convenient to have this game air on my television, I'll probably tune in on Yahoo, if for nothing more than to test how well the feed looks and holds up. The Bills' defense has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of this still-young NFL season. What happened to "building a bully?" Heck, the Dolphins became more of a bully with a mid-season coaching change than the Bills have been all year. Fortunately for Buffalo, Jacksonville hasn't been an opportunistic defense and they don't have a "home-field advantage" to work with in London. Bills 24, Jaguars 10

Another Big Day for Freeman: It looks like Devonta Freeman is going to be the ultimate stat-compiler in 2015. The Falcons are committed to running the ball (130 yards rushing per game) and have an explosive receiver in Julio Jones to go along with that, while the Titans' defense allows an average of 4.66 yards per carry. Marcus Mariota is getting sacked on 11.83% of his pass attempts, which is way too high. Falcons 31, Titans 13

They Have Me Intrigued: Who is "they?" Well, both teams, really. The Texans got a productive day from Brian Hoyer last week, and unlike his time in Cleveland where it was believed that he wasn't working with playmakers around him, he has two dynamic players in DeAndre Hopkins and Arian Foster. The Dolphins, meanwhile, after playing awful all year, just brought the house last week to the Titans. I'm not buying into the Dolphins too hard, because we saw how Cleveland's defense was even able to rip Tennessee apart, but I'll roll with Miami keeping their momentum up for another week. Dolphins 21, Texans 20

Rinse & Repeat: No stat line in the NFL was more surprising to me last week than Adrian Peterson's 26-carry, 60-yard day. How did the Chiefs hold him to such a low average with so many touches? I also think the Vikings deserve credit for sticking with the running game when they had the lead, despite the lack of success Peterson was having on the ground. The Lions got their first win on the board last week, but it took a couple of near-miracles. Their defense won't be equipped to stop Peterson, who will have make up for his "lost yardage" last week. Vikings 28, Lions 24

Outside Wins = Double Important: The AFC South is seen as very much a pushover division this year, and that even extends to the Colts, especially after their ridiculous fake punt attempt last Sunday night against the Patriots. Whenever a team in the AFC South can get a win outside the division, it becomes double as important simply because of how rare they are. The Saints have found a bit of a rhythm in winning two of their past three games, and both of these teams are pretty even with their strengths and weaknesses. I'll defer to the home team this week. Colts 34, Saints 21

Game of the Week: I thought the Bills vs. Patriots would be the game to look forward to a couple of weeks ago, but after seeing the AFC East shake out one-third of the way into the season, it's actually the Jets vs. Patriots again that presents the most intriguing matchup. The Jets' defense has played very well, Chris Ivory has been a lightning bolt of energy on the ground, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is holding down the veteran leader role well. The Patriots score the most points per game (36.6) while the Jets allow the least points per game (15.0). I'll continue to roll with the Patriots, but anything could happen in this one. Patriots 21, Jets 14

Underestimated: While most others had high expectations for Pittsburgh heading into the year, I must admit that I far under-estimated the team that they have. I won't go as far as to say they are an elite team, but they are definitely a good team after being able to win their past two games with two backup quarterbacks. The Chiefs, meanwhile, continue to hit rock bottom with no sign of optimism in sight. Steelers 26, Chiefs 20

Defensive Battle? Sometimes, you can't just look at the stats, because stats would tell you that this is a matchup of the 5th best defensive team and the 8th best defensive team in the NFL. While the Redskins are a fairly respectable defense, the Buccaneers still have a long way to go. Jameis Winston will be coming off of his first bye week, but his in-game mistakes aren't fixable with one week of time off. The Redskins will come out on top in a low-scoring affair. Redskins 17, Buccaneers 13

Not Feeling Sorry: Any time I start to feel sorry for the Chargers suffering so many last-second heart-breaking losses, I remember that one of their dramatic last-second wins came against Cleveland. Ugh. Both of these teams beat Cleveland, in fact. Regardless of what happens on Sunday, both teams will be at least three games behind the division-leading Broncos, a gap that neither of them will have any shot at overcoming. I'll go with the Chargers to come out on top of another down-to-the-wire game. Chargers 28, Raiders 24

Backup QB Doesn't Matter: Jerry Jones should just stop talking about his backup quarterbacks. Neither one of them are going to succeed until they have a playmaker at their disposal, and I'm talking about Dez Bryant. The Giants put up a disappointing offensive effort in prime time last week, but will rebound at home in a Week 1 rematch that they lost at the final horn. Giants 28, Cowboys 21

Panthers Prove Doubters Wrong: The Panthers were viewed as the weakest of the unbeaten teams, but they played with a purpose to accomplish the impressive feat of rally against the Seahawks in Seattle. The Eagles are now on top of the NFC East, improbably, but Sam Bradford is still playing at a very low level. Bradford's struggles will continue to shine through against the Panthers' defense. Panthers 24, Eagles 20

Monday Night Football: The Ravens are approaching the territory of being the worst team in football, which goes to show you that sometimes, maybe a franchise quarterback isn't everything you need. The Ravens' foundation was built on a tough defense over the years, but now that has disappeared. Arizona had plenty of offense last week against Pittsburgh, but couldn't convert those yards into points. That'll change this week in a Monday Night blowout. Cardinals 35, Ravens 17

Not Enough Offense? The Rams have an impressive defensive front, but in non-division games this year, they aren't even averaging 10 points per game. My full preview and prediction of the Browns vs. Rams game will be posted this Saturday on DBN.