The Detroit Lions will win the secret big game at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 of the NFL. In the real big game, the Miami Dolphins continue in a shootout in Philadelphia and everything goes as usual in the Chiefs’ game against the Chargers. The predictions of the week.
So type sport.de-Editor Marcus Blumberg (previous week: 7-8, overall: 55-38) the games from week 7 of the 2023 season:
NFL Predictions Week 7 2023
Bye Week: Bengals, Cowboys, Titans, Jets, Panthers, Texans
sport.de accompanies selected games on Sunday evening in the live ticker from 7 p.m.!
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2) @ New Orleans Saints (3-3) (Fri., 2:15 p.m.)
The Jaguars have now won three games in a row, particularly surprising against the Bills in London. The defense was particularly convincing against the Colts. Now it’s off to the Superdome, where the Saints last won in Week 1, albeit against another AFC South team (Titans).
It will be exciting to see who Marshon Lattimore will play against – Calvin Ridley or Christian Kirk. Both are game changers and work well together with Trevor Lawrence, who will probably play on Thursday despite a knee injury. With Lawrence, the Jaguars go into the game as favorites, even if it will be tough against the home team’s unpleasant defense.
Tip: Jaguars @ Saints 20:17
Las Vegas Raiders (3-3) @ Chicago Bears (1-5) (Sun., 7 p.m.)
Even though Jimmy Garoppolo’s back injury doesn’t appear to be as serious as feared, he could still be out for a short period of time. It is unclear whether Brian Hoyer or Aidan O’Connell would play. Based on Hoyer’s decent performance against New England, the veteran could get preference, especially since the goal in Vegas is to stay afloat.
In general, I see this game as a grab bag because who knows what to expect from rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent. He will take over for Justin Fields, who is out with a thumb injury. His debut was unfortunate with two turnovers, but a full week of preparation could help stabilize him.
The bottom line here is that we’re looking at two bad teams, both capable of being worse than the other. In the end, the Raiders’ greater overall experience may easily work in their favor.
Tip: Raiders @ Bears 16:15
Cleveland Browns (3-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-3) (Sun., 7 p.m.)
Who knows how the Colts game against the Jaguars would have ended if Gardner Minshew hadn’t consistently thrown to his former team. In any case, it’s his way of living “on the edge” and that just went wrong the previous week. However, that is also the main reason for concern against the Browns’ currently really stifling defense, which has even pulled the 49ers’ teeth out.
In addition, maybe, maybe, take a look! – Deshaun Watson returning from his shoulder injury, which would significantly improve Cleveland’s offense. Nothing against PJ Walker, but he wasn’t the reason the 49ers got beat. However, Watson did not practice on Wednesday either.
But even with only passable QB play – he simply shouldn’t throw the ball to the opponent – the defense seems to be sufficient against weaker opponents, especially since it worked against an outstanding opponent. And: like the Niners, the Colts are more likely to use the run game, which Cleveland already had under control in Week 6…
Tip: Browns @ Colts 18:16
Buffalo Bills (4-2) @ New England Patriots (1-5) (Sunday, 7 p.m. live on RTL)
What could give the Patriots hope in this game? The Bills are missing some really good defenders. Without linebacker Matt Milano, the run defense is lame, the pass rush has also weakened recently and Von Miller in particular is not yet back in form. And oh yeah: Josh Allen still has a tendency to throw unnecessary interceptions.
But realistically, the Patriots’ offense still isn’t working, even if there were positive approaches in Vegas. Their own defense will probably be strengthened this week by cornerback Jack Jones, but even with all that, New England is a big underdog and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the game was decided at halftime.
Tip: Bills @ Patriots 27:13
Washington Commanders (3-3) @ New York Giants (1-5) (Sun., 7 p.m.)
Daniel Jones says he’s “trying” to return in Week 7. Whether this is a good thing remains to be seen. What I’m asking myself after the 9:14 loss in the Sunday Night Game in Buffalo is whether the Giants were that good or the Bills that bad. Because the G-Men kept up and were ultimately unlucky at the end – inability of course also played a role before the break. But overall, the Giants are a team that can’t be completely written off thanks to still good coaching.
The Commanders, on the other hand, won convincingly in Atlanta, which once again underlined that there is definitely potential in this force. The vulture knows why they would have been ruined in Chicago before. In any case, they are capable of serious ideas. In this respect, I’m predicting a narrow away win here.
Tip: Commanders @ Giants 23:20
Atlanta Falcons (3-3) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) (Sunday, 7 p.m. live on RTL+)
The next NFC South battle is coming up and with it the question of whether the Bucs appearance against the Lions was an anomaly or a throwback to old times. Baker Mayfield saw the second-most pressures this season and was therefore less accurate than usual. He completed 10.5 percent fewer passes than expected and didn’t look good under pressure – but so far that has been his great strength.
And in the Falcons’ loss to Washington, Desmond Ridder simply threw three interceptions and once again underlined how unreliable he generally is. The Buccaneers are playing at home, which could be a factor since Atlanta hasn’t won a game away from home this year. What also speaks in favor of the Bucs is that their defense appears to be well equipped with their secondary for the more noticeable offensive weapons such as Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Tip: Falcons @ Buccaneers 16:19
Detroit Lions (5-1) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-2) (Sun., 7 p.m.)
This is probably the top game of the 7 p.m. games and rightly so. It’s no coincidence that the Lions are 5-1 and have shown very good performances on both sides of the ball recently. With Jameson Williams they have now also gained a deep threat and have become even more dangerous. Defensively, they currently have one of the best run defenses.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are currently not that good in the running game and are still vulnerable through the air because too many balls are dropped. Lamar Jackson also made one or two mistakes. I therefore expect an open exchange of blows and even see Detroit just ahead because I currently have more confidence in their offense than that of the Ravens.
Tip: Lions @ Ravens 26:23
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) @ Los Angeles Rams (3-3) (Sun., 10:05 p.m.)
Matt Canada is still employed as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, so no improvement is expected on that front. In this respect, the defense will have to take the coals out of the fire again. And a lot has to happen for that to happen. Opponents have to make mistakes, which the Ravens most recently demonstrated two weeks ago.
The Rams, on the other hand, have their best offensive player back in Cooper Kupp and have recently won two games against rather weak teams. In between there was at least a narrow defeat against Philly. Matthew Stafford is also able to hold his own against better defenses.
The offensive line is more of a concern, as it could be a disadvantage against TJ Watt and colleagues. It’s going to be a tight box, but ultimately I’m betting on Stafford not making so many mistakes that the Steelers defense could benefit from them.
Tip: Steelers @ Rams 20:23
Arizona Cardinals (1-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-2) (Sunday, 10:05 p.m. live on RTL)
The Seahawks may lack consistency, but they have shown so far this season that they are capable of defeating bad teams. So this is where the Cardinals come to the right place. The time has probably come for the league to understand how to stop Joshua Dobbs. It took longer than expected, but still.
In this respect, Seattle should be able to get back on track before things get more uncomfortable again with their opponents Cleveland and Baltimore.
Tip: Cardinals @ Seahawks 13:24
Green Bay Packers (2-3) @ Denver Broncos (1-5) (Sun., 10:25 p.m.)
If you go by DVOA from “FTNFantasy”, then both teams have about the same bad offense this season. Defensively, the Broncos are of course bottomless at the moment, while the Packers are at least performing below average. This then leads to a big surprise package.
Who knows what to expect from Jordan Love or Russell Wilson. The latter didn’t even break the 100-yard mark in KC a week ago. Love threw three interceptions in his last appearance in Vegas two weeks ago.
So my trust in both QBs and their teammates is limited. The reputation of the coaches – Matt LaFleur and Sean Payton – has also taken a few hits recently. So I’ll flip a coin and say without any conviction: the Packers are doing it because they’re a little better on defense.
Tip: Packers @ Broncos 22:20
Los Angeles Chargers (2-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) (Sun., 10:25 p.m.)
Top game in the AFC West… or something. Here’s how it’s going to go: The Chargers will put in a good overall performance, keep up for a long time and also put a lot of pressure on Patrick Mahomes with their front line. Justin Herbert will show a good performance, probably put up better numbers than Mahomes and will certainly demand everything from the KC defense.
In the end, however, the Chargers make some serious mistake and end up empty-handed. Last year, after a strong performance against the Chiefs, there was a pick-six shortly before the end. That could be it this year too. Or a fumble, whatever. So ultimately the Chiefs will win, although perhaps not convincingly.
Tip: Chargers @ Chiefs 27:30
Miami Dolphins (5-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) (Mon., 2:20 p.m.)
A cracker on Sunday evening! Basically, I trust the Eagles to keep up with the Dolphins’ high-speed offense, especially since they have what it takes to match Tua. Especially if Jalen Carter can play, he would be the ideal candidate to get after the QB through the middle. However, the secondary is banged up, which becomes a problem against Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The Eagles will definitely be able to keep up offensively if they can overcome the weak phases of the last few weeks. But in the end is that enough to win a possible shootout? At the moment I doubt that because they are not in top form at the moment.
Tip: Dolphins @ Eagles 30:28
San Francisco 49ers (5-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (2-4) (Tues., 2:15 p.m.)
The Niners appear to have been fortunate in terms of injuries to Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey. All three could possibly be involved if it goes to Minneapolis. And so they are essentially playing with a full band against an ailing opponent.
San Francisco looked anything but good in Cleveland recently, but even then a slightly better managed final phase would probably have been enough to win. However, the game showed that a lot has to go wrong to beat this team. The Vikings struggled to success in Chicago, which describes their current ceiling quite well. The Niners get back on track!
Tip: 49ers @ Vikings 27:17
Marcus Blumberg