Fire & Ice Week 7 NFL predictions
October 23, 2016
Week seven will be headlined by the Giants and Rams making a trip across the pond, to London. Other big games include the Seahawks taking on the Cardinals on Sunday night. Monday Night Football also provides an enticing matchup as the Denver Broncos face the Houston Texans. This will be the first time Brock Osweiler faces his former team.
Last week:
Jake: 7-8
Grayson: 8-7
Overall:
Jake: 47-45
Grayson: 51-42
Bears @ Packers (8:25pm EST)
Jake: What is wrong with Aaron Rodgers? He has been a shell of his former self. The Pack also enter losing Eddie Lacy for the season. Luckily for them they are playing the Bears who are led by Brian Hoyer. Look like a team competing for the number one overall pick in the draft. The Packers should have no problem winning this one. GB:28 CHI:6
Grayson: The Packers will be without Eddie Lacy and will have a confusing backfield situation to watch. Brian Hoyer will continue his stretch of starts while Jay Cutler is out with an injured thumb. The Chicago offense isn’t as bad as people think and with Alshon Jeffery and Cameron Meredith starting as receivers they can easily stretch the field and put up points quickly. Overall the Green Bay offense will be too much for the Chicago defense and they win a great divisional game at Lambeau. GB:33 CHI:24
Giants vs Rams (London) (9:30 am EST)
Jake: The Giants enter after picking up a season-saving win last week. Odell Beckham showed why he is the best receiver in the NFL by tormenting the Ravens secondary en route to a 8 catch, 222 yard, 2 touchdown performance. The Rams enter having one of the most ineffective offenses in the league led by journeyman Case Keenum. Todd Gurley has been bottled up fro most of the year. Don’t look for anything to change against a stout Giants front seven. Giants should win a sloppy one. NYG: 20 LA:18
Grayson: The Giants squeaked out a win last week against Baltimore thanks to Odell Beckham coming alive with over 200 yards and two touchdowns. This week they will have to face off against a red hot Case Keenum who had four touchdowns last week, his best game of the year so far. If Todd Gurley gets going this could be an interesting game but I think that the Giants will come out on top. Just please Odell stop kissing the kicking net and stuff, we get it. Now stop. Its weird. NYG:34 LA:27
Saints @ Chiefs (1:00pm EST)
Jake:The Saints aren’t very good. The Chiefs are a fairly average team with a defense which slow the Saints offense down enough for their own offense to put enough on the board. The Chiefs are slowly working Jamaal Charles back into things and he should see an increased workload this week against the notoriously bad Saints defense. KC: 38 NO:27
Grayson: The Saints passing assault, aided by Mark Ingram should make things tough on the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs have been very back and forth and it’s hard to pick them because one week they are garbage and the next they are playoff material. Overall the Chiefs offense is good at just not making mistakes and they have a great run game. KC:30 NO:28
Colts @ Titans (1:00pm EST)
Jake: Marcus Mariota has quietly guided the Titans to a nice 3-3 start. Meanwhile the Colts are still struggling to put it all together. The Titans are led by a great offensive line, and a powerful run game. The Colts have all the pieces but still can’t seem to put it all together. Both teams have very suspect defenses, but I think the Titans will control the ball and win this one. TEN: 24 IND:10
Grayson: The Colts have been terrible on defense as of late, and their offense hasn’t been that much better. If Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton can consistently perform well then they could have a top ten offense but that is not the case. Their defense blew the game last week against the Texans. The Titans also have looked great, especially with their utilization of the deep ball along with their speedy receivers. Look for Demarco Murray and Marcus Mariota to have big games this week. TEN:27 IND:24
Vikings @ Eagles (1:00pm EST)
Jake: The Vikings are coming off a bye entering at 5-0, the last undefeated team remaining in the NFL. The Eagles have sputtered the last two weeks, and things get much harder this week. The Vikings defense has at least in my eyes overthrown the Broncos for best in the league. Sam Bradford has been exactly what this team has needed in managing the game. I expect the Vikings to jump to 6-0. MIN:24 PHI:3
Grayson: The 5-0 Vikings with a chance to heal up over a bye week, then play a hurt and tired Eagles team coming off of two straight losses? This sounds like a great matchup. Sam Bradford will manage the game well and the Vikings defense will secure the win. The Eagles on the other hand need some work and after dropping two games in a row after their bye week. They need to hurry up and find a solution or their high flying 3-0 start might get grounded. MIN:31 PHI: 24
Browns @ Bengals (1:00pm EST)
Jake: I think this one will be a lot closer than a lot of people think. Yes the Browns are undoubtedly the worst team in the NFL. But the Bengals have been really bad this year which has surprised a lot of people, including myself. I still think the Bengals will pull away just because they have much more star power. CIN:28 CLE:24
Grayson: Both of these teams are bottom feeders in the AFC at this point, but that’s not to say the Bengals can’t turn it around. The Browns on the other side have the capability to score a lot of points on offense with Terrelle Pryor and Isaiah Crowell. Look for Andy Dalton to have a poor game and the Browns to get their first win of the season. CLE:28 CIN:20
Redskins @ Lions (1:00pm EST)
Jake: The Redskins are riding high right now. Having won four straight, The Lions enter coming off a big win against the Rams last week. Matt Stafford has had the best statistical season so far. I expect him to keep that going vs a week Redskins defense. The Lions however don’t have a strong defensive unit themselves and I think it will end up costing them this one. WAS:35 DET:31
Grayson: Kirk Cousins and the Redskins are red hot and their defense has played better each week. Matthew Stafford had a great game last week but the rams secondary is much worse than what the Redskins bring to the table so don’t expect a big game from any of the Lions receivers (Golden Tate) with the exception of Marvin Jones. On the flip side, look for another big game from the Redskins running backs weather it be Robert Kelly Matt Jones or Chris Thompson. WAS:31 DET:24
Raiders @ Jaguars (1:00pm EST)
Jake: Two teams who everyone expected coming into the season would be making runs at their division. Neither one of them has been very good. The Raiders new-look defense has not played well at all, as they rank 32nd in the NFL. The Jags meanwhile have blow multiple fourth quarter leads costing them multiple games. I think this one will be a shootout, and the Jags will come out on top thanks to their high-powered offense. JAX:38 OAK:35
Grayson: The Raiders offense has been firing off of all cylinders as of late and the Jaguars have found a way to string together two wins in a row. Needless to say both teams are playing good football. Look for this game dominated by receivers and at the end of the day, Jalen Ramsey is the best corner of his rookie class, and might be the best suiting up in this game Sunday. If Blake Bortles and take care of the ball this game will be a huge upset and push the Jaguars back into the divisional race. JAX:35 OAK:26
Bills @ Dolphins (1:00pm EST)
Jake: The Bills enter having lost their best player LeSean McCoy to a hamstring injury, Mike Gilsllee, will take over as the starter. The Dolphins have a formidable front four. But their offense has been terrible led by Ryan Tannehill who is one bad game away from getting benched. The Dolphins lack a run game, and against a tough Bills defense I don’t see them putting up many points. BUF:23 MIA:13
Grayson: The Bills are red hot and playing great football, regardless of who runs the ball on sunday they will have a big game thanks to the front five on Buffalo and their great run blocking as of late. If the Buffalo offense can give their defense some help, get them off the field and put up points this will be another win for Buffalo. Don’t expect for Jay Ajayi to have a repeat of last weeks monumental performance. BUF:38 MIA:20
Ravens @ Jets (1:00pm EST)
Jake: The Ravens lost a heartbreaker last week at the hands of Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants. Meanwhile the Jets will be lining Geno Smith up under center in a game that is surely going to be disastrous. The Jets have been one of the worst teams in the NFL and are in line for a new quarterback. I think the Ravens should win this one no problem. BAL:27 NYJ:6
Grayson: The Jets have looked abysmal and just to fan the flames more, they are starting Geno Smith. Smith won’t perform better than Fitzpatrick and the Jets will see that their problems lie much deeper than just their signal caller. The Ravens should get a much needed win after their recent skid. BAL:26 NYJ: 17
Buccaneers @ 49ers (4:05pm EST)
Jake: Tampa Bay has disappointed me this season. I had high hopes for them this year and they have been incredibly inconsistent. The 49ers looked awful last week, I expect improvement, because I still do believe in Colin Kaepernick. However, the rest of the 49ers are terrible. Bucs should win this one easily. TB:24 SF:10
Grayson: Collin Kaepernick wasn’t that great and surprise surprise, just like I predicted, the quarterback wasn’t the problem in San Francisco anyway. The Buccaneers will come at their defense with Jacquizz Rodgers and Mike Evans and as long as Jameis Winston makes good decisions this one should be an easy game for Tampa Bay. TB:33 SF:24
Chargers @ Falcons (4:05pm EST)
Jake: The Falcons could have completed their comeback if it had not been for a blown pass interference call. However it wasn’t called and they lost. The Chargers meanwhile are riding high after picking up a huge win against the Broncos. I believe the Falcons are for real, so I’ll take them at home in this one. ATL:31 SD:17
Grayson: The Falcons very well could have won that game last week and still boast one of the best offenses in the NFL if not the very best. Matt Ryan is so far having an incredible year and this should carry into Sunday, when Atlanta hosts the Chargers. San Diego’s defense isn’t exactly elite and Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta’ Freeman will expose that. The Chargers only chance at winning lies in the hands of their secondary, and Melvin Gordon. Look for Hunter Henry to continue making an impact in the passing game for San Diego however. ATL:37 SD:27
Patriots @ Steelers (4:25pm EST)
Jake: This would have been game of the week if the Steelers had Big Ben lining up under center. They don’t. This should be a fairly easy match for the Pats. As Tom Brady will pick the Steelers apart. This one could get ugly. NE:41 PIT:17
Grayson: The Patriots have one of the best offenses in the NFL and the Steelers just came off of an absolute beating….to the Dolphins. You read that correctly, the Dolphins. With Landry Jones under center, I don’t think the Steelers stand much of a chance even with Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Tom Brady and the Patriots could have beaten Pittsburgh even with Big Ben and without him that just makes things that much harder on Mike Tomlin. NE:37 PIT:26
Seahawks @ Cardinals (8:30pm EST)
Jake: The Seahawks are coming a huge win over the Falcons last week, and face another tough test against David Johnson and the Cardinals. Russell Wilson has not looked like the same guy we saw compete for an MVP last year. Neither has Carson Palmer. I expect the Seahawks defense to carry them to a victory here. SEA:24 ARI:17
Grayson: The Seahawks and Cardinals are both coming off of wins and it seems as though the Cardinals are regaining their form from last year. Yes, even though it was against the Jets, Arizona still looked great on defense and took care of the ball on offense. The Seattle secondary will be a challenge for the Arizona receivers but the Arizona defense can compete with the Seahawks offense and at the end of the day, Arizona has the best all around player in the NFL, David Johnson. ARI:31 SEA:27
Texans @ Broncos (Monday night) (8:25pm EST)
Jake: Denver is coming off a game where they just played awful. The Texans played an excellent fourth quarter which propelled them to an overtime win over the Colts. Still Brock Osweiler is not playing like the 72 million dollar man he is and against a top defense like the Broncos, don’t expect things to change. The Broncos need Trevor Siemian to step it up, I don’t think he will but Denver should still win this one. DEN:20 HOU:14
Grayson: The Broncos lost a big one last week to their divisional rival, the San Diego Chargers, and in the complete opposite way the Texans won a big one to their divisional rival, the indianapolis Colts. That game last week was less of the Texans winning it, and more of the Colts blowing their 20-9 lead in the fourth quarter and taking the game to overtime. Lamar Miller will be the X factor for the Houston Texans seeing as Deandre Hopkins hasn’t shown up to play as of late. If Lamar Miller can get going and produce the same kind of stat line he boasted last week, Houston has a chance but otherwise the Denver defense and Trevor Siemian will be too much for the Texans.