NFL Week 7 Predictions of the 2023-2024 Season

Dolphins vs Eagles is the Biggest Game of the Season So Far, Who Takes It?

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints

The big question this week is the availability of Trevor Lawrence after he went down with an injury late in last week’s win. From the reports, he is expected to play, and in the end that is the big decider of the game, even if he's not 100% the Jaguars keep rolling.

For the Saints, last week was a big disappointment as they had a chance to really get momentum on their side and they came up short. While their defense has played well this season their offense has not been consistent enough by any means to be impressive.

Prediction: Jaguars 24, Saints 20

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Falcons and more specifically Desmond Ritter finally lost at home which is bad news as whatever level of mystique they had at home is gone and they’re worse on the road. They lack the firepower and are going against a defense that’s going to get after them on Sunday.

The Buccaneers offense is just not good. Their run game is really bad and they have some weapons in the air and it seems like their success is week to week but they’re going to have to find consistency in one of the two areas if they’re going to have success further into the season. They can’t keep relying on their defense, for this week they can though.

Prediction: Buccaneers 20, Falcons 16

Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears

For both of these teams, it’s most likely that backup, young quarterbacks will be filling in. In the Raiders case Aiden O’Connell, who played very well in the preseason but struggled in his regular season appearance against the Chargers. It should be easier this week against the Bears passing defense which has continuously struggled.

For the Bears, they lost the dynamic part of their offense and it’s going to be hard to find continued success on drives without Fields’s legs to move the chains. Tyler Bagent had a couple of flashes last week and It is against a below-average defense that may help them but it’ll most likely not be enough for the Bears

Prediction: Raiders 24, Bears 17

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts

What a win for the Browns even if there were some questionable calls late in the game that went their way. It’s still a massive win and there is a good chance that Deshaun Watson plays this week. Even if he doesn’t their top-tier defense will do enough to secure another win barring a meltdown.

Anthony Richardson is now out for the season, and that dynamic ability will not be returning and this offense will be limited with Gardner at quarterback. It’ll be a tough Sunday for them going against that defense.

Prediction: Browns 27, Colts 13

Washington Commanders at New York Giants

This game could swing either way, no team is generating any buzz as a superbly talented team which includes the Commanders. Their defense could be a lot better, especially their run defense which could really hurt them going against a healthy Saquon Barkley.

The Giants played hard and it was surprisingly close against the Bills last week. It is still hard to give them a vote of confidence in pulling out a win considering how poor their offense is, but I believe Saquon makes enough big plays to sneak out a win at home.

Prediction: Giants 17, Commanders 16

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens

A good win last week for the Lions as they continue to impress and intimidate the rest of the league. Their offense did enough last week against a good Bucs defense and their defense looked great against a poor Bucs offense. This week should be harder for them as the Ravens have a lot more to offer on the offensive side but they’ll do enough to keep their win streak alive and move to 6-1.

The Ravens got a much-needed win last week against the Titans. If they were going to come into this matchup 3-3, there would’ve been a high chance for them to move below .500. Still, even with some momentum they have not been impressive enough to get the nod over the better team.

Prediction: Lions 27, Ravens 23

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

Not a great week for the Bills despite the victory. It was just one of those weeks the Bills seem to have every once in a while where they can’t get into a rhythm. A habit they need to break if they have any chance of making a deep playoff run. This week should be a game where they’re back on track against a bad team.

The Patriots just can’t get the job done, they couldn’t put 20 points up against the Raiders who don’t have a good defense by any means. It just gets harder this week as the Patriots continue to fall behind the league in offensive creativity.

Prediction: Bills 30, Patriots 13

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals have really fallen back down to earth after the huge upset over the Cowboys. Kyler Murray has returned to practice but is not expected to play yet so their offense will still heavily rely on their running game. Match that with them going against an angry Seattle team, it could be more of the same this week for the Cardinals.

A tough loss last week against their Bengals. Their defense had a good performance and made Joe Burrow look like he did the first part of the season. Unfortunately, their offense struggled equally as the Bengals did. It should be a big bounceback this week as the Cardinals do not have the same caliber of defensive players the Bengals do.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Cardinals 17

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams

It’s actually impressive the Steelers have a winning record in spite of how bad their offense is. They’re going against an average to below-average defense in the Rams. That still might be enough to stop them and it’ll be hard for the defense to continuously stop Cooper Kupp and Puka.

Stop TJ Watt if you’re the Rams and it’ll be a win. Obviously, it’s a hard thing to do but the Rams must commit to trying to take him out of the game. Running on the opposite side of him, doubling him, chipping him with tight ends, anything to slow him down. If they do that, Stafford will find his guys enough to get a win for the Rams and move over .500.

Prediction: Rams 26, Steelers 16

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

A tough loss for the Chargers who played a close game against the Cowboys. Maybe Justin Herbert’s injury is bothering him, a couple of passes that were near misses usually connect for him, and if they hit it is most likely a win. It would’ve been huge as they’re most likely overmatched on the road this week.

Chiefs have won five straight and are tied with the best record in the NFL despite not getting fully on track on offense this season. Only putting up 19 points against the Broncos was surprising but hey it’s the NFL, things happen. Regardless they’re still winning and this week should be another notch for them in a fun game.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Chargers 23

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos

Man do the Green Bay Packers need Aaron Jones to come back this weekend. Their offense against the Bears to open the season was a big outlier this season. Jordan Love has somehow regressed this season which was expected to be the opposite. He really has not played well at all the last few weeks and the Packers have to rely on their run game to open up some passing lanes to help their young quarterback out.

Can the Broncos finally get another win? It should be possible for sure against a shaky Packers team. The only problem is they’re even more shaky and have given no confidence that they’ll come away with a win. It’s more likely they fall short again this week in a grueling game.

Prediction: Packers 21, Broncos 20

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles

Definitely the biggest game of the week and thankfully it’s on Sunday Night football so everyone can catch it. It’s also probably the hardest one to pick for this week. A lot of analytics would point to the Dolphins coming away with a huge win this week as their offense has been spectacular. Still, though, their defense is not good, and the last time they played in a huge marquee matchup like this they got rolled over by the Bills so it makes the pick all that much harder.

Eagles still, still have not reached where they should be right now despite the 5-1 record. A sloppy game and a really bad interception last week cost them their undefeated record. Even with that, it’s at home, it’s on primetime and the Eagles seem to rise in these types of games so I’m expecting them to come away with a win in a thriller of a game.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Dolphins 31

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings

The 49ers got dealt a tough hand last week. Three of if not their best players went down with injuries and some horrible calls by the referees went against them. Thankfully all those players are day-to-day and could suit up Monday and they’re playing against Kirk Cousins on Monday Night Football.

That’s not a slight against Kirk this season, he’s been overall impressive this season but he’s notably struggled on Monday nights for whatever reason and he’s going against the most talented team and best team in the NFL without Justin Jefferson. All signs point to a 49ers win on Monday night.

Prediction: 49ers 28, Vikings 17