Art by Leah Bae
It’s Week 7 of the 2021-22 NFL season, and the race for divisional pole position is heating up.
The Jaguars won their first game of the season in Week 6, although they had to go to London to do so. The Rams, Packers and Cardinals all rode to dominant wins, and the Raiders began the post-Gruden era with a win in Denver. Tennessee came out with a statement win against Buffalo on Monday Night Football, out-scoring a strong Bills offense 34-31.
An AFC-North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens and a rematch of the 2019 AFC Championship game between the Chiefs and the Titans headline Week 7. The Broncos travel to Cleveland for Thursday Night Football, the Colts take on the 49ers on Sunday night and the Saints go to Seattle on Monday, Oct. 25.
In regard to the 2020-21 NFL Picks leaderboard, the margin for error narrowed considerably. Digital Editor Karl Winter holds on to the number one spot after going 8-6 in Week 6, but staff writer Joe Doonan closed the gap to just three games with an impressive 10-4 Week 6 showing. Meanwhile, at the other end, Sports Editor Alec Matulka, Creative Director Ali Levens and staff writer Austin LeDe’ are all within two games of each other.
Denver Broncos (3-3) at Cleveland Browns (3-3) (Thursday, Oct. 21 at 5:20 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Broncos
Karl: Browns
Alec: Browns
Austin: Browns
Ali: Browns
“The Broncos are the reason I have trust issues. They went 3-0 to start the season, so I start picking them in games, and now they’ve dropped three straight. And, to cap it all off, Teddy Bridgewater has started throwing interceptions at an alarming rate. How could you do this to me, Teddy, after I trusted you?” — Alec
“With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt both out, the Browns can’t follow a typical game plan. Baker Mayfield will have to be great, and I don’t think he is. Broncos, barely.” — Joe
Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (4-2) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Chiefs
Karl: Titans
Alec: Titans
Austin: Chiefs
Ali: Chiefs
“I just have that feeling — Upset Special. Last week I wondered if I’d ever pick against the Chiefs, and here we are. The Titans are starting to rock and roll like the 2020 version. I think they smell blood and get some revenge for last year’s AFC Championship game.” — Karl
“A year ago, this would be a coveted matchup. Now, it’s just like, ‘Oh cool! Two teams that should be better than they are!‘” — Ali
Washington Football Team (2-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-1) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Packers
Karl: Packers
Alec: Packers
Austin: Packers
Ali: Packers
“Cheese.” — Ali
“I’ll go with the Packers, as they have been on a roll since that ugly Week 1 loss and Washington’s defense is just not the same as last year.” — Austin
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) at Baltimore Ravens (5-1) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Ravens
Karl: Ravens
Alec: Ravens
Austin: Ravens
Ali: Ravens
“I think it will be a close game, as the Bengals have been a nice surprise team all year, but Lamar [Jackson] will be too much for them because he is balling right now.” — Austin
“What a game this will be! This is like the inverse of Cowboys versus Patriots for me, in that I like both of these teams. Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson are both ballers, but I just think the Ravens’ defense is better than its Bengals counterpart. But really, I just want both these teams to be happy. Good vibes only.” — Alec
Carolina Panthers (3-3) at New York Giants (1-5) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Panthers
Karl: Panthers
Alec: Panthers
Austin: Panthers
Ali: Panthers
“Even without [Christian] McCaffrey, the Panthers out-skill the Giants by a lot. With so many injuries on offense, the Giants probably will struggle to score against a tough Carolina defense.” — Joe
“This is a toughie. I would say this is a game we [the Giants] would definitely win if everyone was healthy. Unfortunately, we are not anywhere close to that. We need to start recruiting from Bishop Sycamore at this rate — we have no one.” — Ali
Atlanta Falcons (2-3) at Miami Dolphins (1-5) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Dolphins
Karl: Falcons
Alec: Falcons
Austin: Falcons
Ali: Falcons
“Dumpster fire game of the week! The difference here is that the Falcons are coming off a bye while the Dolphins are coming off a trip to London on which they lost to the Jags.” — Karl
“Tua [Tagovailoa] is back and that’s great news for the Dolphins offense. I like them, despite the fact that they lost to the Jags last week.” — Joe
New York Jets (1-4) at New England Patriots (2-4) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m., PDT)
Joe: Patriots
Karl: Patriots
Alec: Patriots
Austin: Patriots
Ali: Patriots
“Never bet against Bill Belichick against a young quarterback. Zach Wilson will throw at least two interceptions this game.” — Austin
“Fun fact: The Jets didn’t lose last week! A large part of that has to do with the fact that they had a bye week, but as pundits always say: You can only play who’s on your schedule. And, to their credit, the Jets handled that bye really, really well. Sadly, they have to play this week.” — Alec
Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (4-2) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:05 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Raiders
Karl: Raiders
Alec: Raiders
Austin: Eagles
Ali: Raiders
“The Raiders are inconsistent, and they won last week, so they will probably lose this week. Philly actually kept it close with Tampa Bay as well.” — Austin
“The Raiders have been inconsistent, as usual, but the Eagles still haven’t done much to inspire confidence (though I thank them for their Week 5 win). The Vegas revenge tour, post-Gruden, continues.” — Karl
Detroit Lions (0-6) at Los Angeles Rams (5-1) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:05 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Rams
Karl: Rams
Alec: Rams
Austin: Rams
Ali: Rams
“That’s a murder.” — Joe
“I’m not ashamed to say it: I am on the Rams bandwagon. I think they’re a great team to watch and it’s fun because of proximity. Also, the Lions suck.” — Ali
Chicago Bears (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:25 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Bucs
Karl: Bucs
Alec: Bucs
Austin: Bucs
Ali: Bucs
“Though the Bears won this matchup in 2020, the Bucs were far from the juggernaut they are now. Justin Fields continues to develop well, but there are some growing pains. I will note that the line is Bucs -12.5 as I write this — I would pick the Bears if we were picking against the spread.” — Karl
“While I think this will be an even matchup, just kidding — Bucs all the way. Tom Brady will make Justin Fields wish he was picking flowers in a field instead of matching up with him this week.” — Ali
Houston Texans (1-5) at Arizona Cardinals (6-0) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:25 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Cardinals
Karl: Cardinals
Alec: Cardinals
Austin: Cardinals
Ali: Cardinals
“I have a feeling the Cardinals will lose sometime soon. Out of all NFL franchises, the Cardinals are one of the last teams I can imagine having a perfect season. It would just be wrong for some indescribable reason. It’d be like watching the Baltimore Orioles win 117 games in a Major League Baseball season — it’ll be a cold day in hell.” — Alec
“Undefeated team versus a very defeated team. Maybe the Texans will celebrate field goal day once again.” — Ali
Indianapolis Colts (2-4) at San Francisco 49ers (2-3) (Sunday, Oct. 24 at 5:20 p.m., PDT)
Joe: 49ers
Karl: 49ers
Alec: 49ers
Austin: 49ers
Ali: Colts
“The Colts looked strong last week. I haven’t seen much from the 49ers, and frankly, I really could care less about them.” — Ali
“The Niners are better than their record shows and the Colts have underperformed this year thus far.” — Joe
New Orleans Saints (3-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-4) (Monday, Oct. 25 at 5:15 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Saints
Karl: Saints
Alec: Saints
Austin: Saints
Ali: Saints
“I want to give the Seahawks a lot of credit for how they played on Sunday, but, at the same time, I think you really saw the limits of Geno Smith’s play, especially in overtime. Some good news for Seahawks fans is that I saw Russell Wilson in a Subway commercial that aired during Sunday’s game, and he’s looking happy and healthy. Clearly, he’s been eating fresh. So maybe he’ll be back sooner than expected, who knows.” — Alec
“The Saints are coming off a bye week, and I just can’t trust Geno Smith in prime time.” — Austin
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Email Alec Matulka: alec.matulka@pepperdine.edu
