NFL 2022 Week 7 Prequel
Thursday, October 20, 2022, 8pm
New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals (-1 1/2) — Both of these teams have been inconsistent. The Saints have the better defense. Kyler Murray can make plays, and this week he gets Deandre Hopkins back from suspension. That will not solve everything that ails Arizona, but they are at home and Hopkins will provide a spark to the offense. Cardinals cover
Sunday, October 23, 1pm
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-6 1/2) — The Ravens have led by double digits in the second half of all of their losses. Despite multiple fourth quarter collapses, the Browns do not pose a threat. Lamar Jackson is far better than Jacoby Brissett. Yet given all the blown leads, it is hard to trust such a high spread. Ravens win but fail to cover
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-10) at Carolina Panthers — As awful as the Panthers are, the Buccaneers have been inconsistent on offense. Flip it around. As inconsistent as the Buccaneers have been on offense, the Panthers are awful. PJ Walker is not going to out-duel Tom Brady. The Panthers defense is not horrendous, and the spread is too high to trust Tampa Bay’s inability to repeat its playmaking ability of the last two seasons. Buccaneers win but fail to cover
Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals (-6) — The Falcons have very quietly been playing decent football. The Bengals seem to have left behind their early season struggles but have not gotten anywhere near where they were last year. This is another case of the spread being too high based on the lack of firepower from a Bengals squad loaded with talent. Bengals win but fail to cover
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys (-7) — Despite losing a tough game at unbeaten Philadelphia, the Lions do not pose a problem. The Lions put points on the board but cannot stop anyone. Cooper Rush has been playing well as a backup. Given the potency of the Lions offense, a shootout is possible. Cowboys win but fail to cover
New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) — Now that the 5-1 Giants are finally getting some respect, they have to be careful of falling into trap games like this one. The Jaguars have potential but are a year away from contending. They could be next year where the Giants are this year. Saquon Barkley is running hard. Doug Pederson knows the Giants well. Oddsmakers still do not respect the Giants. They have earned the benefit of the doubt. They will not suffer a letdown after a tough win last week. upset special, Giants win outright
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (-2 1/2) — The Colts managed a comeback at home against Jacksonville, but the Titans have gotten back to the punishing form of last year, especially running back Derrick Henry. The Titans have a defense. Matt Ryan will throw interceptions. Titans cover
Green Bay Packers (-5) at Washington Commanders — The Packers are not as good as in past years, and their offense is out of sync. Yet the Commanders are not good at all. Carson Wentz is out for several weeks with a broken finger. Chris Heiecke is a serviceable backup. This is the last time to give the Packers the benefit of the doubt after embarrassing losses to the Giants and Jets. Packers win but fail to cover
4pm
New York Jets at Denver Broncos (-3) — The Jets are surprisingly good, and Zach Wilson is back. The Broncos are surprisingly bad, and Russell Wilson in particular is struggling. The Broncos have a good defense, and the Jets enter very high on themselves after a dominating road win at Green Bay. They are due for a letdown. The Broncos win and lose ugly, so this should be close. Broncos cover
Houston Texans at Las Vegas Raiders (-7) — The Raiders are loaded with talent yet sit at 1-4. Terrible coaching in goal line and short yardage situations has killed drives. Josh McDaniels has run Josh Jacobs more, but not with the game on the line. Yet the Raiders are at home with two weeks to prepare for an anemic Texans team. If the Raiders cannot win this one, they cannot win anything. The spread is too high for a team that plays close games. The Raiders do not close out games, so this could be closer than it should be. Raiders win but fail to cover
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Chargers (-7) — The Chargers offense has underachieved. The Seahawks offense has overachieved, with Geno Smith playing surprisingly well enough. The Seahawks even played a complete game on defense last week at home against Arizona. Now comes the return to reality. Justin Herbert has enough weapons to shred the Seattle defense. Seattle has playmakers but lacks the offensive firepower to keep up. Chargers cover
Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at San Francisco 49ers — The Chiefs may be exhausted after losing a heavyweight title bout at home against Buffalo. The 49ers suffered a surprising defeat at Atlanta. These teams met in the Super Bowl three years, ago and some things have not changed. Patrick Mahomes is still all world, and Jimmy Garoppolo is still plucky and underrated. The 49ers are not as great on defense as they were. Walrus Andy Reid out-coached Kyle Shanahan when it mattered. He will again. Chiefs cover
8pm
Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins (-7) — The Steelers got a big emotional win over Tampa Bay, while the Dolphins need someone who can be healthy enough to play quarterback. The Dolphins have the better defense. Expect the Steelers to have a letdown and the Dolphins to rally around whoever can will themselves to drag their injured body on the field to lead. This game will be too ugly for a blowout either way. Dolphins win but fail to cover
Monday, October 24, 8pm
Chicago Bears at New England Patriots (-7 1/2) — In 1985, this matchup mattered. Rookie Bailey appeared has been highly effective in place of injured Mac Jones. Nobody on the Bears impresses anyone. The Patriots can run the ball and have the better defense. Patriots cover