With the midpoint and trade deadline coming upon us, this is a crucial point for most teams to adjust and make moves according that sets them up for the second half of the 2019 NFL Season. These are the games I m looking forward to watching in week 7.
Packers (5 – 1) @ Raiders (3 – 2)
The Oakland Raiders are one of the teams that are trending upwards. A Lot of people wrote them off early on in the season after starting 1-2. However, their win over the Bears in London has put them back on alot of peoples radar. Patrick Mahomes being out for 3 weeks is pivotal here. The Chiefs have to play both the Vikings and Packers in those 3 weeks. A win this weekend for the Raiders can really set them up to challenge Kansas City for the AFC West. The Raiders will need to rely heavy on their run defense with Green Bay’s top 3 WRs possibly being out.
The Packers are coming off of a controversial monday night victory against Detroit. Aaron Jones is on track to having a career year. Jones has accumulated 349 Yards so far and has been splitting reps with Jamal Williams. With the Vikings and Lions playing each other this week, a win for Green Bay can hold firm their top spot in the NFC North. Their passing will possibly take another hit with Valdes-Scantling questionable to play due to a left knee and ankle injury. In addition, Geronimo Allison is still in concussion protocol and unlikely to play against the Raiders. With the trade deadline approaching, Atlanta Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu seems more and more like a good fit for both parties. To win this game, the Packers defense will need to force Carr into some uncomfortable situations and try and slow down rookie Josh Jacobs.
Texans (4 – 2) @ Colts (3 – 2)
Week 7 brings two teams together fighting for control over their division. Going into week 1, no one really could have considered that this week 7 matchup would be for division lead. Jacoby Brissett has went beyond the call of duty and has the Colts in a prime position to steal the AFC South from Houston. Brissett has shown he is more than capable to be a long term answer to replace Andrew Luck. Marlon Mack has been a solid complement to Brissett and has helped him out in setting a run game. The Colts are 10-2 when rushing over 100 yards since 2018. However, no team has ran over 100 yards against the Texans this season. A win vs the Texans will show the rest of the league that the Colts are in fact for real and has the weapons to make a solid run into the postseason.
Likewise, Deshaun Watson has been red hot this season. If he continues this trend, I believe he should win MVP Honors at the end of the season. In the previous 2 games, Watson is responsible for 8 touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing). The Texans seemed to address a concern that allowed the Colts to force 12 sacks in the 2 meetings a year ago by adding Tunsil to the line. In addition to Tunsil, Houston added Kenny Stills to make their passing game more dynamic. The Colts secondary may be missing both Moore (out) and Desir (questionable), Houston needs to utilize the pass heavily to win.
Ravens (4 – 2) @ Seahawks (5 – 1)
Lamar Jackson has surprised alot of people with his ability to use both his arm and legs this season. As a result, he is seen to some as a league MVP darkhorse. Ravens offense averages over 450 yards per game. He will definitely be tested this week though as he is playing the toughest defense he has seen all season in a place that is hard to play. Depending on the health of Hollywood, I believe the Ravens need to stretch the field early on. This will allow Jackson to run more freely later on if he has an established passing game. Seattle’s run defense is tied for 22nd in 4.7 yards per carry so far this season.
You can’t talk about the Seahawks without mentioning MVP frontrunner, Russell Wilson. I know we are only in week 7, but Wilson has been near flawless all season. Wilson will need to watch out for the Ravens secondary. The addition of Marcus Peters, improves an already solid defensive secondary. The linebacking corp for Seattle is one of the most athletic in the league. If Lamar Jackson can dice up this defense, then he can almost dice up any defense. This is also the first time Earl thomas will be seeing his former team since he left. This should be a low scoring affair and the Seahawks need to keep Jackson off the field for as long as possible.
Saints (5 – 1) @ Bears (3 – 2)
The Saints have proven they are more than just Drew Brees. They have won every game without him thus far. This is mainly led to their top of the league defense. Marshon Lattimore has been playing as the best corner in the entire league. In addition, New Orleans have on of the most feared defensive fronts in the league. The Bears will really have a tough time moving the ball downfield with that Saints defensive line. However, Alvin Kamara (ankle and knee) and jared Cook (ankle) will be out for this game.
Chicago has been one of the most disappointing teams so far this season. The Bears could be set up for more disappointment if Trubisky (shoulder) misses another game. Even if Trubisky suits up, it’s tough to assume that he plays to a high standard. Two of the three games he played in, he has a pass completion of less than 60%. The key for Chicago is their defense. Attacking an already hurt Saints offense seems to be their main hope to turn this season around.
Eagles (3 – 3) @ Cowboys (3 – 3) *Game of the Week*
Loser of this game I feel misses the playoffs. There are other too many good NFC teams who won’t win their division. However, I think it’s a much bigger game for Dak and his contract negotiations. A divisional loss for the division lead can really hurt his chances for a major payday from Jerry Jones. I dont think any team has been as disappointing as Dallas. On paper, they have one of the best teams in the league. The Cowboys will need a strong bounce back performance this week to build upon for the second half of the season after last week’s loss to the Jets.
There is alot of talk about the Eagles defense being one of the worst in the league, but the offense shouldn’t get off clean here. No offense is set to succeed when you’re top two receivers are averaging 48 and 38 yards per game. The running game doesn’t even complement the passing game with 49 and 33 yards per game on average. Zach Ertz has been the only bright spot as he is the leading receiver by over 100 yards with 366 yards (61 yards per game). This seems like a huge make or break game for this team, and “guaranteeing a win” from Doug Pederson is not the way to go when you’re struggling.
