Week 7 News Recap
Week 7 was one for the books where we saw massive upsets and crushing blows across the league. Last week we had an amazing opener with the Eagles taking on the Giants on Prime Time Thursday Night Football. As a Philly homer, it was too scary of an ending to the game. Thankfully my Eagles pulled through to give them the first place spot in the NFC L(East). My personal favorite game of the week was the wild overtime matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. Arizona played their best game of the year in my opinion. They took advantage of the few mistakes Russell Wilson will make all year. The NFC West is really heating up now. My least favorite game to watch last week was the New England Patriots taking on the San Francisco 49ers. I had to close my eyes watching that one, I picked New England to win and to cover the spread. That was a tough loss to take in.
Last week also gave us a glimpse of the NFL Trade deadline which quickly approaching, and a few major waves were made in recent days. We saw Super Bowl contenders make moves to add as much talent as possible in order to make that final push for the best playoff spots. Some of the more noticeable moves that were made this week include Defensive End Carlos Dunlap, formerly of the Bengals who has been shipped to Seattle to help with their lack of a pass rush. The Cowboys also sent away Everson Griffith to the Detroit Lions who are extremely under the radar and should be watched as a team that just might sneak into the playoffs.
The two largest acquisition stories of the week take place at the Wide Receiver position. The Baltimore Ravens signed former All Pro Wide Receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant had been looking for his NFL comeback ever since his injury and departure from the Saints in 2018, and in 2020 his time has come. The second acquisition that took place is for a team that is making all the power moves in order to win the Super Bowl. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed one of the best receivers to ever play the game in Antonio Brown. If you thought Tampa’s offense was scary before, wait till you see what Head Coach Bruce Arians has in store for the rest of this season. This move makes Tampa my clear Super Bowl favorite.
Week 8 Game Picks
Thursday Night Football on FOX @ 8:20 PM
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers (-2.5) Panthers 27, Falcons 24
This will be the matchup that will determine who the worst team in the NFC South is for the 2020 NFL Season. Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers have played very solid all season long, and the chemistry between Bridgewater and his receivers is noticeably very strong. Both Robby Anderson and DJ Moore have played great football every week. I truly believe that with a healthy Christian McCaffrey the Panthers could really pose a threat to some of the top tier teams in the NFL. Luckily for the Panthers they are not playing a top tier team on Thursday. They will be playing the mumbling and bumbling and mentally weak Atlanta Falcons. This team that has blown more games than anyone thought possible. Matt Ryan has played decent, however it is obvious that the team set in place around him has no chemistry. Julio Jones looks like a shell of himself this season. If he can’t turn it around in this second half stretch, it would not shock me if they try to find a trade partner for him. With all that said, I’ll take the Panthers to win tonight and cover the spread.
Sunday Games @ 1 PM
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (-3.5) Bills 27, Patriots 16
The Bills are still one of the best teams in the AFC, even with recent struggles they are not a team to be slept on. Josh Allen has shown the NFL that he can be the Quarterback that this Bills team has been searching for in recent years. With a strong defense and a decent running game, they have the formula to win a lot of games this season. New England on the other hand has been struggling week in and week out. Unfortunately for the Patriots, I see another week of struggles in this matchup. Julian Edelman is out, and it looks as if Defensive Back Stephon Gilmore will be knocked out of this one as well. Those are two key injuries that will plague this team and will give them little to no chance to come out victorious. I think Cam Newton will play a lot better in comparison to last week, however it won’t be enough. Bills win with ease.
Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals (+5.5) Titans 42, Bengals 31
The Titans have played really good football all season long. In all three phases of the game they have been in the top tier amongst the NFL’s best. Derrick Henry has pummeled every defense he has faced, he now leads the NFL in rushing by over 100 yards. Even with a close loss last week to a strong Pittsburgh team, I still think the Titans are a top 5 team and I would still place them over the Steelers. They are due for a big offensive game and I think the Bengals are the perfect team to limit test against. To Bengals Nation: just be happy with the fact that you selected the right guy at QB. Joe Burrow has played very well given his horrible circumstances, and I expect that he will ball out again this week. He is all in on this franchise, and all he needs are players who are all in on him as well. The Bengals will put up some points, but it won’t be enough to take down the Titans.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Cleveland Browns (-2.5) Raiders 24, Browns 21
The Browns were finding unique ways of winning this season against some really tough opponents, which has somehow left them at 5-2. After the devastating injury to Odell Beckham Jr., I feel that this team will either sink or somehow elevate their game even higher. We will find out if OBJ hurts or helps this team. I expect Jarvis Landry to gain some more love from Baker, hopefully getting him his first touchdown of the year. I think the Browns can find their groove once Nick Chubb comes back in week 9. Till then try not to crash the car. The Raiders have had an extremely tough schedule facing great opponents week in and week out. They haven't played bad at all, but they have a lot of work to do to become a top tier team. The playoffs are still a realistic option for this team. I believe that Carr will turn in on starting against the Browns and he will stay hot for the rest of this second half of the season. I think the Raiders just need to find their perfect formula on how they win games. With a strong run game with Jacobs, and a game manager with Carr they can be very efficient and score on most drives. I'll take the Raiders to win and beat the spread. This Queen Sports Realm's Upset of the Week.
Indianapolis Colts @ Detroit Lions (+2.5) Colts 31, Lions 28
The Lions had a heroic win last week against the Atlanta Falcons, they played excellent and smart football down the stretch. Stafford has played some good ball this season and has made due with the young team set in place around him. He has found a nice connection with Tight End TJ Hockenson that they could try to take advantage of in this matchup. Stafford will play just well enough to keep them in the game and could possibly lead the team to a win at the end. The Colts are coming off a bye and I suspect they are well prepared to take on the Lions. Phillip Rivers gets some rest and I suspect he will come out slinging it this week. The Colts are a team that are heavily relying on the strength of their defense. Sooner or later the offense is going to have to step up and start putting up some points. Hopefully we can see a re-emergence from T.Y. Hilton. I'll take the Colts to win and barely cover the spread.
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers (-6.5) Packers 35, Vikings 31
The Packers have been nothing but perfect minus one game against the tough Bucc’s defense. Aaron Rodgers has come out and is making his case for another MVP season. He has elevated the play around him with Jamal Williams starting in the backfield, Robert Tonyan at Tight End and M. Valdes Scantling as his second wide out. His only reliable option is Devante Adams, and it showed last week when Adams hauled in nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. In this matchup I suspect we could be in for another show from Rogers and Adams. The Vikings have had a less than perfect season sadly. I was really high on this team just a few months ago and now it's clear to see I was wrong. The Offense of Cousins, Cook Thielen and Jefferson have been playing really well. Their problem is that the defense can't stop anything from scoring. It's obvious what they plan to address in the offseason and it starts with the secondary. The Vikings will put up some points in this one, but in the end the Packers will have out dueled them. Packers win, Vikings win the spread bet.
New York Jets @ Kansas City Chiefs (-19.5) Chiefs 45, Jets 13
Jets might be the worst team in the past 30 years within the NFL. They have no talent and motivation to play this season. I feel so bad for Sam Darnold, another wasted year for QB who has a lot of potential. The Chiefs should in all honesty sit Mahomes in this matchup. Why risk injury to your star, they could still easily drop over 30 points with him on the bench. I really hope that Le’Veon Bell gets the rock at least 20 times in this game. I want him to stick it to the Jets, he is a must start in Fantasy this week. This is just another bye week for the Chiefs, good practice for some of the younger guys for sure. I never ever take a team given a 20 point spread, but this Jets team is so bad I have to do it. Chiefs win big and easy.
Los Angeles Rams @ Miami Dolphins (+3.5) Rams 24, Dolphins 13
The Rams are in a tough battle trying to finish atop the NFC West and they need all the wins they can possibly pick up starting with this one. McVay has coached this team very well and has gotten this team to bounce back strong after last season's disappointment. Goff has played a lot safer this season and has shown a lot of poise. He is turning into a good Vet QB that can handle big situational football. The Rams are only going to be getting better as the season goes on. In recent news, the Dolphins have decided to start rookie QB Tua Tagoviloa this week. I think this is the wrong time to move on from Fitzpatrick. The Rams are going to eat this kid alive. This will be a long day for Tua and the Dolphins. I would have saved him for a little bit later in the season. This is not a matchup I would want to have my starting debut in. I'll take the Rams to mop the floor this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) Ravens 27, Steelers 24
In my eyes this is easily the game of the week. Both are divisional rivals and are entering the game at 5-1(Ravens) and 6-0(Steelers). The winner of this matchup will place themselves in a great position atop the AFC North. The Ravens have destroyed teams left and right with exception to the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar Jackson is still the best playmaker in the NFL, no team has found a way to stop him yet. On the defensive side of the ball the ravens are really scary on all three levels. They just traded for Defensive End Yannick Ngakoue. He should have a major impact in the Ravens pass rush Coming off a bye week I think the Ravens will be well prepared for this tough Steelers team. Pittsburgh is coming off a tough fought for win over the Titans. Ben struggled late into that game, and luckily he was able to keep the Steelers afloat just long enough. The Baltimore defense will be an even tougher matchup for this offense. In the end of it all I think Lamar Jackson will be too good for the Steelers defense and they will find a way to pull out the win. Steelers win the spread bet however.
Sunday Games @ 4 PM
Los Angeles Chargers @ Denver Broncos (+2.5) Chargers 34, Broncos 17
Justin Herbert has balled out this season and is putting up some competition for Joe Burrow as rookie of the year. Herbert is strong and has no fear in the pocket. He has a real good trust for his receiving core in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry. The Chargers defense too has played quite well this season. I suspect they will be able to shut down this limited Broncos offense for the most part. For the Broncos a lot of criticism has been thrown in the direction of second year QB Drew Lock. After his injury to his shoulder, Lock has not been playing as well as one might have hoped. I believe he is struggling without Courtland Sutton on the field. He has little to no reps with any of the rookie receivers. He needs to find himself and let plays develop and trust his receivers. The Broncos are just an injured mess at the moment, and I think it will show come Sunday. I'll take the Chargers to win this one. This is the Queen Sports Realm’s lock of the week.
New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears (+2.5) Saints 23, Bears 19
Every single time I have bet on Nick Foles he has truly let me down. I truly believe he can only play well when against Tom Brady. That’s a nice conspiracy theory someone should look into. The Bears won’t be able to win shootouts against most teams with Nick Foles or Trubisky. They are just going to be an average team this season. Would not shock me if they made a play for a top pick in the upcoming draft. The only highlight of the current team is the defense. They have kept games close and it has been the offense that has let them down continuously. The Saints have been far from perfect this season. Alvin Kamara has been the focal point for everything on this offense, both running and catching. They desperately need Michael Thomas back in the lineup. Drew Brees is clinging on for dear life, it sadly seems like it's going to be the end of the road for him after this season. I think they just barely pull out a win in this game to keep them tied for first in the NFC South.
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks(-3.5) Seahawks 27, 49ers 24
Russell Wilson is still my favorite to win MVP even after a poor performance last week. Wilson single handedly is making this ship sail. All he needs is some help on the defense to try and make a stop here and there. Wilson and this offense are nearly unstoppable and if they can keep up the momentum they will finish atop of this division. They just added Defensive End Carlos Dunlap from the Bengals, he will be a great help as a veteran pass rusher that can have a huge impact in any game. The 49ers have found a way to win games even with the mass of injuries they acquired over the season. Kyle Shannahan is a miracle worker and has opposing teams shaking their heads in frustration. Last week's win over New England was extremely impressive. I think the 49ers will put up a good fight in this NFC West matchup. However, I’m selecting Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to come away as the victors. The 49ers will have covered the spread.
Sunday Night Football, NBC @ 8:20 PM
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles(-6.5) Eagles 27, Cowboys 20
Another classic divisional rivalry this week between the Cowboys and the Eagles. Both teams have clearly underperformed given their talent on the roster. The Cowboys season is more or less in the tank due to the injury of Dak Prescott. Andy Dalton is not the right QB for the job, he won't be able to save this season. This season has shown how valuable Dak Prescott is to this franchise. With him out they have fallen apart completely. Zeke is playing like absolute trash, Cooper, Gallup and Lamb can’t get the ball. And it seems as if McCarthy was a horrible sub for the subpar Jason Garrett. I think they should tank and try to get the best possible addition to the roster whether it's a QB or not. Wentz has played better in recent weeks, he just pulled out a win last week and hopefully with a few of his receiving options back in the lineup Wentz’s play will rise. Despite the poor play from the Eagles, they still will win this division easily. The NFC East is so bad. Eagles will win and they too will barely cover the spread.
Monday Night Football, ESPN @ 8:15 PM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Giants(+10.5) Buccaneers 30, Giants 13
This Buccaneers team has only gotten better every week they have played together. Tom Brady has shown that he clearly still can win in this league and continue to play at a high level. Even with the injuries at the Wide Receiver position. They have found ways to win against great talent and have shown that they should be considered high favorites to come out pf the NFC. The Giants are a mess this 2020 season. They almost stole a game from the Eagles last week, however they couldn't seal the deal. The Giants wont stand much of a chance in this one, however you never truly know what to expect from this group. Daniel Jones has a bit to prove to the league and he will be extremely tested against this tough Tampa Bay defense. I don't think this game will be relatively close at all, so I'll take the Bucs to win and cover the spread.
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