NFL Week 7 has arrived and it offers a ton of promise throughout the schedule. From epic primetime games to potential shootouts between star players, there is something for everyone from Thursday through Monday.
Expect it to be exciting immediately. We’re poised for a fantastic “Thursday Night Football Game” between two fun teams, but the action won’t stop there. Division battles between great teams could lead to an upset and we might have the highest-scoring NFL game of the 2021 season, too.
Let’s dive into our bold predictions for NFL Week 7.
Odell Beckham Jr. is electric on Thursday Night Football
Expectations for this Thursday Night Football matchup between the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns. After a 3-0 start, Denver enters on a three-game skid and one of the best defenses in the NFL suddenly looks nothing like it. Meanwhile, the Browns have lost two in a row and could be without Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb.
Once a run-heavy team, Cleveland will turn to the run in this matchup. In the Broncos’ last three games, their secondary has allowed 888 passing yards with a 114.9 passer rating, 10.2 yards per attempt and a 5-0 TD-INT ratio. Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. will take notice of that.
It’s been a few years since OBJ erupted for a huge game. While fans will remember his big 2020 performance against the Dallas Cowboys, he didn’t finish that day with 100 receiving yards. The last time he eclipsed 100 receiving yards, Oct. 13, 2019 against the Seattle Seahawks. Expect this wild drought to end in NFL Week 7.
Aaron Rodgers throws four TDs, Green Bay Packers drop 40-plus in NFL Week 7
Before this season, reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams facing off against the Washington Football Team defense seemed like a terrific chess match. Fast forward to NFL Week 7, it projects to be an entirely lopsided duel between elite players vs. a hapless group.
Opposing quarterbacks are averaging a 104.4 passer rating, 309.5 passing yards, and a 65.3% completion rate against Washington’s secondary. Patrick Mahomes just cooked Washington for 397 yards and two scores, in a game that included an interception off Tyreek Hill’s hands and another pick on a baffling mistake.
Even if the Green Bay Packers don’t get All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari back for this game, they should roll at Lambeau Field. Adams will cook William Jackson (92.3 passer rating allowed in coverage), Randall Cobb scores a touchdown and Green Bay wins big.
Cincinnati Bengals stun the Baltimore Ravens
Sunday’s AFC North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens is the must-see NFL Week 7 game. Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP-caliber level and Baltimore’s defense is coming off a huge performance, but don’t sleep on a 4-2 Bengals team.
Entering as a 6.5-point underdog, there are ways Cincinnati can pull off the upset. Marlon Humphrey might shadow Ja’Marr Chase, but that still leaves Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd in man coverage against Tavon Young (50.5 PFF grade in coverage) and Anthony Averett (27 receptions allowed, 14.6 yards per catch).
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The Bengals have the talent to put up 24-plus points against Baltimore’s defense. So, it comes down to Cincinnati’s ability to stop the run. Allowing the eight-fewest yards per carry (3.9) and grading as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best run defense, this won’t be a mismatch. Don’t be surprised if the Bengals win, taking first place in the division.
Matthew Stafford torches former team, Jared Goff gets benched
The relationship between Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions is in a good place. Detroit let him choose a trade to the Los Angeles Rams and he left the organization on good terms. Needless to say, Jared Goff doesn’t share those same warm feelings towards Sean McVay.
This will certainly be labeled as a revenge game. Giff wants to prove his former coach wrong and Stafford intends to show what would have happened if the Lions built a better team around him. It’s fair to say both these quarterbacks will have very different experiences on Sunday.
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Playing at home, Stafford will carve up a Lions’ secondary allowing the highest average passer rating (113.8) and passing yards per game (9.8). While he throws touchdowns and racks up the yards, Goff will be facing a defense that knows all his bad habits and will be more than happy to prove their head coach was right.
Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans eclipse 1,000 total yards, 70 combined points
If given the ability to flex NFL games, the Kansas City Chiefs vs Tennessee Titans duel would be moved to Sunday Night Football. When Kansas City controls the football, we’ll witness an offense with three All-Pro talents (Mahomes, Hill and Travis Kelce). After they score, a Titans’ offense with Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown will take the field.
Good defenses have problems stopping the Titans and Colts. Fortunately for fantasy managers and fans who love highlights, Tennessee and Kansas City have two of the worst defenses in the NFL. The Chiefs allow the sixth-most rushing yards (133.2), fifth-most points (29.3) per game and opponents score on 48.3% of their drives.
As for Tennessee, this defense surrenders a 100.3 average passer rating, the fourth-highest yards per pass attempt (8.4) and are the fifth-most blitz-heavy team in the NFL. Against a quarterback with a 114.0 passer rating and 17-2 TD-INT ratio when blitzed, that won’t end well. This is going to be the shootout of NFL Week 7.