A Gander Across the Gridiron: Week 7

A look around the league and my predictions

Oct 23, 2020

In the wise words of George Kittle, WOOOOOOO! It took me predicting a loss against the Rams, but the Niners won against a competent team. It took a hit to my pride, a fantasy football disaster, and my terrible job predicting last week. The world doesn’t want me to have those and a Niners win, but I don’t care. I’ll take it any week and I’m ready to watch the Patriots game. Now here’s hoping I do better this week with my predictions!

Last Week’s Scores: 8-5

Last Week’s Lines 5-7

Overall Scores: 59-25-1

Overall Lines: 42-41

Giants @ Eagles

5:20 pm (TNF) PT PHI -5

Oh yay, we get to start off the week with a Thursday NFCE battle. The Eagles almost came back against the Baltimore Ravens last week, only to mess up a 2-point conversion by running a RPO. A really bad RPO attempt where the entire team seemed unprepared, with Doug Pederson later stating that he should have called out a timeout to pick a better play. It’s games like this that show that Wentz still can be a good QB, but is held back by his coaches. The good news for Wentz is that he gets Desean Jackson back this week. The bad news is Miles Sanders is out. The Giants are coming off a close win against Washington, but showed nothing very inspiring. The Eagles should win and add to their 7-game winning streak against the Giants.

Shana’s prediction: PHI wins 25-17

Lions @ Falcons

10:00 am PT ATL -2.5

The Falcons managed to get a win! Good for them, and right after Quinn was fired. Julio Jones made a huge difference in reviving the offense, and fellow receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage both played and are getting healthy again. The Falcons are set to do a repeat of their past seasons: Start horribly and ensure they miss playoffs, then play better in the second half so they worsen their draft position. Their defense is still terrible, which is good for Matthew Stafford. He did well in beating up a bad Jaguars team as he should do. Winning a shootout against Atlanta will be much tougher.

Shana’s prediction: ATL wins 36-32

Browns @ Bengals

10:00 am PT CLE -3

As soon as I buy into the Browns, they are absolutely crushed by the Steelers. Their vaunted offense scored a whole 7 points. The Bengals are coming off a loss where they blew a 24-7 lead, allowing Phillip Rivers to finally score touchdowns this season. It almost seems poetic to see the second Ohio Bowl after the week 6 disappointments. Last time, the Browns beat the Bengals by 5 after running over Cincinnati with Chubb and Hunt. This time, Chubb is out and Hunt is banged up (ribs). Starting Bengals running back Joe Mixon missed two practices this week and is questionable (foot). I think both teams will look better than last week, but Cleveland’s superior talent will win out.

Shana’s prediction: CLE wins 30-23

Steelers @ Titans

10:00 am PT TEN -1

Thankfully, this game will be broadcasted in most of America. A week 7 game between two undefeated teams is too good to pass up. The Steelers are coming off a dominant win against the Browns, and the offense will be healthy against Tennessee. Unfortunately, this is at the cost of stud second-year linebacker Devin Bush tearing his ACL. Defending a hot Derrick Henry more difficult, but the Steelers still have the top run defense in the league. The Titans have a very suspect defense, and the Steelers look like the perfect match against them on paper.

Shana’s prediction: PIT wins 35-23

Panthers @ Saints

10:00 am PT NO -7

Maybe this is finally the week where Michael Thomas returns. He is currently listed with a hamstring injury, and did not practice Thursday. With Thomas, the Saints should easily beat the Panthers. Even if he is unavailable, the Panthers are weak against the run and will have trouble beating Alvin Kamara. They had a chance to prove they weren’t a fluke against the Bears, and failed. Add in that the Saints are coming off a bye, and I see little hope for Carolina.

Shana’s prediction: NO wins 33-21

Bills @ Jets

10:00 am PT BUF -12.5

The Bills have had a rough couple of weeks. Allen played poorly against Tennessee, and then lost to the Chiefs. I don’t blame the Allen too much for the latter. He was coming off a short week because of Tuesday football, while the Chiefs weren’t. It was raining. And the Chiefs are just tough to beat. He’ll have no trouble against the Jets, who just got shut out by the Dolphins. We’ve all heard about the Jordan Willis trade and Le’veon Bell release, but they also sent Steve McLendon to the Buccaneers. He was a good player for Jets standards, and New York needs all the help it can get.

Shana’s prediction: BUF wins 35-9

Cowboys @ WFT

10:00 am PT DAL -1

I know I shouldn’t be happy about a division rival getting a win, but watching Dallas suck in Jerry World on Monday was entertaining. Without Dak Prescott, the Cowboys are doomed and their only saving grace is a weak division and good receivers. Ezekiel Elliott needs to stop fumbling, and the defense is horrible. Aldon Smith is hurt with a neck injury and Zack Martin has a concussion. Luckily, they are playing a team that lost to the Giants and is led by Kyle Allen. Andy Dalton is a better QB than Allen, which should be enough for Dallas to get an ugly win.

Shana’s prediction: DAL wins 27-24

Packers @ Texans

10:00 am PT GB -3.5

A-aron , you done messed up. You had 3 pumps in that celebration, ignoring the flag making the celebration pointless, and then did nothing the rest of the game. Granted, his line played terribly and he lost David Bakhtiari. The Texans pass rush is weaker than the Bucs, and Rodgers should be able bounce back. I am impressed that Houston was able to play Tennessee so closely, and the team really has looked so much better without BOB. But playing a contender from a different conference is different from playing a contender that’s a division rival, and Houston will have a much more difficult time on Sunday.

Shana’s prediction: GB wins 33-19

Buccaneers @ Raiders

1:05 pm PT TB -4

I have two memories from my first season of watching NFL football. TO’s sharpie celebration against Seattle, and the Bucs beating the Raiders in the Super Bowl. In this iteration of the Gruden Bowl, both teams are scary but volatile. The Raiders are off a bye and have a good offense based on strong line play and a running game. Problem is that Trent Brown and the rest of the O-line got sent home from practice Wednesday because Brown got placed on the Covid list. Even if the line can play on Sunday, they are missing valuable practice time and are up against one of the scariest D-lines. It is very bad timing for Vegas, but better safe than sorry.

Shana’s prediction: TB wins 27-17

Chiefs @ Broncos

1:25 pm PT KC -9.5

The Broncos managed to defeat a Patriots team that has barely been able to practice because of Covid-Related issues, so I can’t get positive about them. Lock looked terrible, and I don’t see the Broncos being able to keep up with the Chiefs. Mahomes played well in the rain, and will look good against the Broncos like he always does.

Shana’s prediction: KC wins 37-17

Jaguars @ Chargers

1:25 pm PT LAC -7.5

The Jaguars offense of the early weeks is gone. Minshew was responsible for two turnovers against the Lions and the defense has given up at least 30 points in every game since week 2. The Chargers are known to choke in close games, but I doubt this will be very close. Receiver Keenan Allen left mid-game against the Saints with back spasms last week and has had two limited practices this week. He’s been crucial to Herbert’s performance, and his potential absence is something to look out for.

Shana’s prediction: LAC wins 35-13

Seahawks @ Cardinals

5:20 pm PT (SNF) SEA -3.5

The Cardinals have a reputation for beating the Seahawks, but most of those games happen in Seattle. In Arizona, the Cardinals haven’t won since 2012, plus a tie in 2016. Jamal Adams is still questionable to return and has not practiced yet. Kyler Murray should be torch Seattle, but Russell Wilson can do the same to Arizona easily. Plus, he’s coming off a bye. And to no one’s surprise, the Seahawks are looking into signing Antonio Brown after week 8. Just pray Mr. Big Chest does something else stupid or another team grabs him.

Shana’s prediction: SEA wins 38-33

Bears @ Rams

5:15 pm PT LAR -6

The Rams are better than what we saw on Sunday. Cooper Kupp is a good player, and won’t drop every pass against the Bears. And I doubt they only generate two pressures again (yes the line played that poorly against the Niners). But they do need to get more consistent on the edge and with linebackers. However, the Bears are stupid lucky and keep somehow keep winning. They should be able to run well against the Rams, and Mack will ruin Goff’s day. Ramsey should shut down Allen Robinson, but the Bears can get around that. I still think Chicago isn’t better team than the Rams, but they match up well and can absolutely get an upset win.

Shana’s prediction: CHI wins 24-23

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