NFL 2024 Week 7 Prequel
Thursday, October 17, 2024, 8pm
Denver Broncos (-2) at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, October 20, 9:30am
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5 1/2) — The London game is an unofficial home game for the Jaguars in this battle of bad teams. The Patriots have lost 5 straight but both teams have won only one game. Trevor Lawrence has more experience than rookie Drake Maye. Doug Pederson has more experience than Jerod Mayo. In a battle of bad teams, expect a close game. Jaguars win but fail to cover
1pm
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (-2 1/2) — The Seahawks are reeling. Kirk Cousins has settled in comfortably with the Falcons. The Falcons have the home field and the momentum. Falcons cover
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (-8 1/2) — These teams have played instant classics over the decades, but this game is shaping up to be a horrible mismatch. The Bills are a good team at home. The Titans are an awful team on the road. Josh Allen is clicking, and has too many weapons for this game to be competitive. Bills cover
Cincinnati Bengals (-5 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — Both of these teams are bad, but the Browns are worse. Deshaun Watson has been awful. Joe Burrow is not getting enough help, but they went on the road and beat the Giants. They should not have a problem beating the Browns. The Bengals are not doing enough on offense to justify a high spread for a road team. Bengals win but fail to cover
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) — Both teams are playing good football and have young solid quarterbacks in CJ Stroud and Jordan Love. This is one where the home field matters. Go with the Cheeseheads in a battle of good teams. Packers cover
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (-3 1/2) — The Dolphins are awful without Tua Tagovailoa. Joe Flacco can still sling the ball. The Colts are an average team at best, but that is enough to beat the Dolphins and their anemic offense. Colts cover
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-2 1/2) — For the first time in decades, this game is a very big deal. The Lions are the defending NFC North division champions who just went on the road and throttled Dallas by 38 points. The Vikings are the only unbeaten team in the NFC. Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are playing far better than they did a few years ago. Detroit has a ton of talent, but go with the home crowd. Vikings cover
Philadelphia Eagles (-3 1/2) at New York Giants — The Eagles barely survived against an awful Cleveland team. The Giants were dreadful at home against a previously one win Cincinnati team. The Eagles win close games. The Giants are bad, but the Eagles are not playing well enough to justify the extra half point of the spread. Jalen Hurts is far better than Daniel Jones, and Saquon Barkley is ready to humiliate his former team. Eagles win but fail to cover
4pm
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams (-6 1/2) — Both teams are bad, but the Raiders have officially given up on the season. They traded away Davantae Adams. In the last 2 years they have gotten rid of a good quarterback, an elite running back, a good offensive line, and now the best wide receiver in the game. The Rams are not good, but they have not quit either. The Raiders on offense have. Matthew Stafford is far better than anyone playing quarterback for the Raiders. The spread is high given that this is practically a Raiders home game, but the Raiders offense seems to have no heart. Rams cover
Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders (-7 1/2) — Despite losing at Baltimore, the Commanders put up a tough fight and remain a good football team. The Panthers are awful. Forget the spread. The Commanders will be angry, at home, and ready to unleash Jayden Daniels on an overmatched Carolina team. Commanders cover
Kansas City Chiefs t San Francisco 49ers (-1 1/2) — This is the long anticipated rematch of the Super Bowl. It is odd that the 49ers are favored given that the Chiefs are unbeaten and the 49ers are struggling. Betting against Patrick Mahomes is a fool’s errand. The 49ers have plenty of talent, but when it mattered most, the Chiefs made one more play. They always seem to make just one more play. Upset special, Chiefs win outright
8pm
New York Jets (-1 1/2) at Pittsburgh Steelers — On paper it made no sense for the floundering Jets to be favored, but the trade for Davantae Adams is a game changer and a potential season changer. Rodgers has not forgotten how to throw a football, especially a Hail Mary. Expect the Jets to rally around interim coach Jeff Ulbrich. The Steelers can pound the ball, but the Jets defense is better than its recent struggles would indicate. Jets cover
Monday, October 21, 8pm
Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Both teams are playing good football. The Ravens have won four straight games and look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Buccaneers went on the road at New Orleans and put 51 points on the board. Lamar Jackson is elite, while Baker Mayfield is highly underrated. The Ravens do not blow teams out, but this is a case of good Buccaneers team and a great Ravens team. Ravens win but fail to cover
9pm
Los Angeles Chargers (-2 1/2) at Arizona Cardinals — Both of these teams are up and down. The Chargers got a good quality win at Denver in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. The Cardinals went on the road and stunned San Francisco. Jonathan Gannon is an inexperienced head coach. Jim Harbaugh is a proven winner. Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert have different styles but are both very talented. The Cardinals are too inconsistent to trust, and neither of these teams truly ever has a red home field advantage. Chargers cover