Week 7 Predictions

San Diego 30, Buffalo 20- The Chargers look to be back on track after their 30-10 pounding of the Patriots at home last week. While the Bills defense played well in the first quarter of the season, their weaknesses were exposed in a humiliation 17-41 defeat to Arizona. With Terrence McGee probably out, an average secondary won't be able to match up with Gates, Jackson, and Chambers.

New Orleans 35, Carolina 24- Drew Brees is on pace for something like 5200 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. While I don't think he'll get there, the Panthers aren't going to prevent as much of a challenge to the passing game as Oakland. Brees showed no mercy against the Raiders and put up huge numbers (again), and his targets on the outside (Colston) and at tight end (Shockey) might return this week. The Panthers might be able to keep it close, but I don't see them being able to keep up.

Minnesota 17, Chicago 28- Gus Frerotte is 3-1 as the starter, but he hasn't shown the ability to beat good teams. The Chicago defense, while not quite back to 2006 form, has the ability to dominate- especially against the run. The Vikings running game has been a shadow of its 2007 self, while Kyle Orton continues to defy all expectations by putting up acceptable numbers.

Pittsburgh 34, Cincinnati 14- ESPN recently suggested the Bengals as the worst team in the league. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it's becoming apparent that Carson Palmer's injury is not just a nicked up elbow. The Steelers, despite a long injury list, played last week against Jacksonville without skipping a beat. They should dominate the reeling Bengals.

Tennessee 27, Kansas City 10- Kansas City is horrible against the run. Since that's basically all the Titans do, look for Lendale White and Chris Johnson to have big days. The Tennessee defense is on top of the league, and the Chiefs certainly aren't going to change that.

Baltimore 13, Miami 24- Finally the general Joe Flacco love is fading. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have already doubled their win total from last year and are looking to pull even with the Jets and the Patriots in a 3-way tie for second place in the AFC East (if both those teams lose and the Dolphins win). Chad Pennington is no Drew Brees, but he is an accurate quarterback who doesn't make many mistakes. Throw Ronnie Brown and a surprisingly resilient Dolphins defense into the mix and not even the Ravens will be able to keep up.

San Francisco 20, NYG 31- After a week preaching how the team is greater than the individual, Tom Coughlin's Giants should be able to beat the sinking 49ers. Remember when San Francisco was 2-1 and JT O'Sullivan was making Mike Martz look good? Not so much anymore.

Dallas 20, St. Louis 24- Brett Favre's call to Tony Romo was touching, but come on. With a broken pinkie, Romo is just going to throw more interceptions and put more pressure on a shaky Dallas defense that just got worse with the indefinite suspension of Pacman (Adam) Jones. Roy Williams (the wide receiver version) won't play more than a few snaps as he hasn't learned the system yet, and Brad Johnson is Brad Johnson. There is trouble brewing in Dallas.

Detroit 7, Houston 38- It's the Lions. What more do we need to know?

Indianapolis 27, Green Bay 17- Look for a big day from Reggie Wayne, who probably will be covered by Tramon Williams most of the game. The Packers will probably try to run the ball and control the clock, and might even have some success as Aaron Rodgers can do some damage through the air. The winner of this game reasserts themselves in the race for their respective divisions.

NYJ 27, Oakland 10- Tom Cable/Al Davis' attempt to give JaMarcus Russell a real quarterback's workload failed miserably. Expect them to go back to what worked in the run game, although the Jets are going to stack the box and make Russell throw. Favre is probably good for 3 touchdowns and a couple turnovers against a decent Raiders secondary, but it won't matter because the Raiders won't score.

Cleveland 13, Washington 28- Washington has beaten the Cowboys and the Eagles, both of which I like to think are better teams than the Browns. The Giants clearly were not at their best and might have gotten caught expecting a pushover victory. Washington won't do the same.

Seattle 10, Tampa Bay 24- The Bucs have one of the best scoring defenses in the league, and always seem to get a turnover when they need it most. Seattle's patchwork receiving corps and Seneca Wallace starting under center should make this an ugly contest.

Denver 34, New England 24- The only reason New England scores 24 points is because the Broncos' defense is horrible. This is the week I think Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall get their act together, especially after seeing what Philip Rivers did to the Patriot's cornerbacks in week 6. However, a Patriots win would be a strong sign that they aren't going down without a fight. Too bad Matt Cassell won't be able to handle it.