Forums → Forum Games → Ready for NFL week 7

NFL week 7 is coming now!

Falcons vs Lions live stream. You may have noticed that the line for the Raiders-Chiefs game has shot up from Oakland minus-3.5 to Oakland minus-6 since Palmer's trade to Oakland early this week and the subsequent speculation he may start.

Falcons vs Lions live. There's no grounded statistical reason for which Palmer should move a number two and a half points.

Watch Lions vs Falcons online. He has not played yet this season. He has a balky elbow, and a history of making bad decisions.

Lions vs Falcons live stream. If you ever wondered why, over the years, he's insisted on trying to squeeze the ball into spaces the size of DVD drives then let this standoff with the Bengals be a lesson into his psyche: The man is apparently as stubborn as he is confident.

Lions vs Falcons live. Where others see no opportunity -- Chad Ochocinco triple-covered in the back of the end zone or doing business with Mike Brown -- Palmer sees the tiniest rays of light and is compelled to act.

Watch Falcons vs Lions online. That streak of will is, of course, how you win Heisman Trophies and nearly turn around a moribund franchise and, as Palmer once told my pal David Fleming, how he's been able to ask his receivers which nipple they'd like the ball thrown to.

Watch Atlanta Falcons vs Detroit Lions online. Week 7 of the NFL schedule brings us another set of byes. Six teams get the week off and they include some of the best stories going in the game including the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Atlanta Falcons vs Detroit Lions live stream. Then we get the big annual London game, okay so that is dripping with sarcasm.

Atlanta Falcons vs Detroit Lions live. This year's game is actually a decent one that features the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the crowds in London just seem like they aren't into the games. Maybe if the teams did some diva acting like soccer players they would appreciate it more.

Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons live stream. Last week's picks had me going a disappointing 2-3. That bad week puts me at 18-12 for the year. Now let's move on to the five best games of the week.

Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons live. The Detroit Lions look to shake off their first loss of the season against a Falcons team identified by disappointment.

Watch Detroit Lions vs Atlanta Falcons online. This looks like it might be the only interesting game of week 7. Undefeated no more, Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz looks to move beyond "the handshake" and cement his team's status as one of the league's best. Getting Calvin Johnson back into the end zone will be key, especially since Detroit is without running back Jahvid Best this week and maybe longer.

Broncos vs Dolphins live stream. Week 7 of the NFL schedule brings us another set of byes. Six teams get the week off and they include some of the best stories going in the game including the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Broncos vs Dolphins live. Then we get the big annual London game, okay so that is dripping with sarcasm. This year's game is actually a decent one that features the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the crowds in London just seem like they aren't into the games.

Watch Dolphins vs Broncos online. Maybe if the teams did some diva acting like soccer players they would appreciate it more.

Dolphins vs Broncos live stream. Last week's picks had me going a disappointing 2-3. That bad week puts me at 18-12 for the year. Now let's move on to the five best games of the week.

Dolphins vs Broncos live. Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins: Obviously this is all about Tim Tebow. We have heard for weeks and weeks fans calling for the Broncos to give Tebow a chance.

Watch Broncos vs Dolphins online. This is a perfect opportunity for Tebow to make a good impression. The Dolphins are just plain bad and their offense is basically non-existent. I see Tebow having some success and leading Denver to a 17-6 victory. Game time: Sunday 1:00 EST.

Watch Denver Broncos vs Miami Dolphins online. Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: This is a good game whether Carson Palmer starts or not for the Raiders. If Kyle Boller gets the call he will need to just manage the offense, because the running game is still king for Oakland.

Denver Broncos vs Miami Dolphins live stream. This is the kind of game the Raiders need to win if they are going to make the playoffs.

Denver Broncos vs Miami Dolphins live. The Chiefs are mediocre on their best day so the game is there for the taking for Oakland. The Raiders will win 21-10. Game time: Sunday 4:05 EST.

Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos live stream. Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: A huge division game for both teams.

Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos live. I thought the Texans we ready to run and hide with the division lead early in the season, but now they are on a two game losing streak.

Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos live online. I, and my fantasy team, keep waiting for a breakout game form Titans running back Chris Johnson. I will say this week he does it with over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns. The Titans defense will play just well enough to escape with a win. Titans 20, Texans 14. Game time: Sunday 1:00 EST.

Texans vs Titans live stream. I want to know where are the good games on Sunday and Monday night? The Indianapolis Colts at the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night will probably be a 21 point game at the half.

Texans vs Titans live. The Baltimore Ravens at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night, you'd be better off scheduling a nap instead.

Watch Titans vs Texans online. I understand that the Sunday game would have been better if Peyton was around, but the league should have let NBC switch the game out.

Titans vs Texans live stream. There are no excuses for the Monday game, no one expected Jacksonville to be any good and guess what they aren't. The NFL needs to do a better job with the prime time schedule.

Titans vs Texans live. The Detroit Lions look to shake off their first loss of the season against a Falcons team identified by disappointment.

Watch Texans vs Titans online. This looks like it might be the only interesting game of week 7. Undefeated no more, Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz looks to move beyond "the handshake" and cement his team's status as one of the league's best.

Watch Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans online. Getting Calvin Johnson back into the end zone will be key, especially since Detroit is without running back Jahvid Best this week and maybe longer.

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans live stream. Atlanta has yet to score more than 15 points against opponents with a .500 or better record. Needless to say, that isn't how they envisioned the season starting.

Houston Texans vs Tennessee Titans live. A win in Detroit would put them back on track.

Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans live stream. You may have noticed that the line for the Raiders-Chiefs game has shot up from Oakland minus-3.5 to Oakland minus-6 since Palmer's trade to Oakland early this week and the subsequent speculation he may start.

Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans live. There's no grounded statistical reason for which Palmer should move a number two and a half points. He has not played yet this season.

Tennessee Titans vs Houston Texans live online. He has a balky elbow, and a history of making bad decisions.

Bears vs Buccaneers live stream. If you ever wondered why, over the years, he's insisted on trying to squeeze the ball into spaces the size of DVD drives then let this standoff with the Bengals be a lesson into his psyche: The man is apparently as stubborn as he is confident.

Watch Buccaneers vs Bears online. Where others see no opportunity -- Chad Ochocinco triple-covered in the back of the end zone or doing business with Mike Brown -- Palmer sees the tiniest rays of light and is compelled to act.

Buccaneers vs Bears live stream. That streak of will is, of course, how you win Heisman Trophies and nearly turn around a moribund franchise and, as Palmer once told my pal David Fleming, how he's been able to ask his receivers which nipple they'd like the ball thrown to.

Watch Bears vs Buccaneers online. Pete Prisco at CBS takes the Falcons in a narrow win, summing it up thusly:

Watch Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers online. The Lions lost last week for the first time, so they will be focused here against a good team.

Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers live stream. The Falcons seemed to right things last week against Carolina, but now they have stop the Detroit passing game, which has been a problem.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears live stream. The Lions can't stop the run, which means Michael Turner will have a big day. Upset special.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears live online. Peter King goes with the Lions to get back to winning this week. Only two from ESPN's panel pick the Falcons to win this game.

Seahawks vs Browns live stream. Thereâs a lot of randomness in football game outcomes, and the model I favor is designed to ignore the noise and focus on the signal.

Watch Browns vs Seahawks online. This approach can sometimes produce curious results, as teams with relatively poor records are often ranked well ahead of teams with better records.

Browns vs Seahawks live stream. You might attribute that to the inaccuracies and limitations of statistics used, and thatâs partly true. But thereâs much more to the discrepancy.

Watch Seahawks vs Browns online. Consider a world in which all N.F.L. teams were perfectly evenly matched. Every game would be little different than the flip of a coin.

Watch Seattle Seahawks vs Cleveland Browns online. In this kind of world, thereâs still a very good chance there would be at least one 5-1 team and one 1-5 team, despite both being completely equal in team strength.

Seattle Seahawks vs Cleveland Browns live stream. In this hypothetical world, a power ranking based on team record would be an exercise in self-delusion.

Cleveland Browns vs Seattle Seahawks live stream. The real N.F.L. isnât as far off from the National Coin Flip League as you might think. Certainly there are better and worse teams, but there is also randomness in game outcomes.

Watch Cleveland Browns vs Seattle Seahawks online. So although team records are not complete illusions, they are partially random and often misleading, especially early in the season.

Chargers vs Jets live stream. Most power rankings of one kind or another are heavily influenced by team record, and itâs easy to understand why.

Watch Jets vs Chargers online. Even the sharpest and most diligent sports pundits, who have the luxury of watching a wall of simultaneous games on Sunday, can only take in a portion of the action.

Jets vs Chargers live stream. And they remember even less â" their brains arenât Tivos. The previous weeksâ action is an even fainter memory.

Watch Chargers vs Jets online. And what they do remember is probably biased by the information they have at their fingertips, which is game scores.

Watch San Diego Chargers vs New York Jets online. So itâs not surprising that most power rankings closely match team records.

San Diego Chargers vs New York Jets live stream. The illusion of power rankings goes deep. Even if power rankings are not necessarily good predictors of future performance, they can still be sound predictors of final team records and playoff qualification.

New York Jets vs San Diego Chargers live stream. The reason is the wins-in-hand effect. Season-ending records and playoff qualification is a function of two factors: 1) to-date wins in hand, and 2) future win expectancy.

New York Jets vs San Diego Chargers live online. Power rankings that are overly influenced by to-date wins in hand will appear to be far more accurate by the end of the season than they really are.

Redskins vs Panthers live stream. Power rankings that are overly influenced by to-date wins in hand will appear to be far more accurate by the end of the season than they really are.

Watch Panthers vs Redskins online. Even objective quantitative rankings that over-fit to the noise of past performance will intuitively seem to be a much better gauge of team strength that they truly are.

Panthers vs Redskins live stream. If youâre grading someoneâs rankings according to how well they match final records, youâre letting them cheat. Theyâve glimpsed half the answer key from the teacherâs desk.

Watch Redskins vs Panthers online. We already know factor #1. The team standings are there for anyone to see. The tough part is figuring out factor #2, and thatâs what the game probabilities below are based on.

Watch Washington Redskins vs Carolina Panthers online.The Arizona Cardinals' bye week probably couldn't have come at a better time. The Cardinals went into their week off on a four-game losing streak, the last of which was a blowout at the hands of the lowly Minnesota Vikings.

Washington Redskins vs Carolina Panthers live stream. To boot, it couldn't hurt to have an extra week to prepare for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will pay the Cardinals a visit on Sunday afternoon.

Carolina Panthers vs Washington Redskins live stream. Extra week of rest or no extra week of rest, the oddsmakers don't have a whole lot of faith in the Cardinals. The folks at Bodog have the Steelers as four-point favorites.

Carolina Panthers vs Washington Redskins live online.In recent years, picking the Steelers to win and cover a spread like this would have been a no-brainer. This year, you just can't know for sure.

Steelers vs Cardinals live stream. There's no denying the Steelers have issues this year. At the same time, there's no denying the Cardinals have even more issues. It just so happens that a couple of those play into Pittsburgh's strengths.

Watch Cardinals vs Steelers online. Chief among these is the Steelers' ability to defend the pass. In fact, the Steelers defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL against the pass, holding quarterbacks to an average of 157.7 passing yards per game.

Cardinals vs Steelers live stream. This is bad news for Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb. He got off to a decent enough start but was trending downwards headed into Arizona's Week 6 bye.

Watch Steelers vs Cardinals online. That wouldn't necessarily be a cause for alarm, but this is Kolb we're talking about, not Aaron Rodgers. What we're seeing from him might be what we're going to get from him on a consistent basis.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals live stream. Beanie Wells can go a long way towards taking some pressure off Kolb, but it's questionable how much work he's going to get.

Watch Pittsburgh Steelers vs Arizona Cardinals online. Arizona's defense has not played well this season, and that's something Ben Roethlisberger, Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Wallace can take advantage of.

Arizona Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Steelers live stream. They could very well put the Cardinals in an early hole, forcing them to abandon the run. They did the same thing to Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.

Arizona Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Steelers live online. My gut feeling is we're probably going to see something more along the lines of a see-saw battle in the first half. The game will be decided in the second half, at which point I think the Cardinals will crumble and the Steelers will pull away.

Chiefs vs Raiders live stream. My gut feeling is we're probably going to see something more along the lines of a see-saw battle in the first half. The game will be decided in the second half, at which point I think the Cardinals will crumble and the Steelers will pull away.

Watch Raiders vs Chiefs online. San Diego's passing attack hasn't come together with All-Pro TE Antonio Gates (foot) sidelined since the opener.

Raiders vs Chiefs live stream. Gates' return helps dictate underneath coverage by the Jets, who could shift their man-heavy scheme to assign CB Antonio Cromartie to cover Gates.

Watch Chiefs vs Raiders online. If Gates sits, the Jets are a good bet to rattle QB Philip Rivers, who has worked the ball regularly to outlet Ryan Mathews. Mathews has sneaky speed and the body to blast a safety or linebacker in the open field.

Watch Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders online. Rivers has started to trust fill-in TE Randy McMichael (12 targets in the last two games), who was a hot read against the Denver Broncos.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders live stream. The less the Jets ask of QB Mark Sanchez (51 attempts, zero interceptions the last two games), the fewer mistakes he makes. The Chargers excel in third-down defense â" the Jets converted 13 of 40 in three losses this season â" and have held three opponents below 100 rushing yards.

Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs live stream. Getting more out of RB Shonn Greene on early downs can make life easier for Sanchez. Greene has two runs of more than 12 yards, and most teams stop him with base personnel.

Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs live online. A matchup to watch is TE Dustin Keller vs. FS Eric Weddle. Keller averages 15.2 yards a catch, and opponents are able to wait for plays to open up down the seam against San Diego's iffy pass rush.

Rams vs Cowboys live stream. Getting more out of RB Shonn Greene on early downs can make life easier for Sanchez. Greene has two runs of more than 12 yards, and most teams stop him with base personnel.

Watch Cowboys vs Rams online. A matchup to watch is TE Dustin Keller vs. FS Eric Weddle. Keller averages 15.2 yards a catch, and opponents are able to wait for plays to open up down the seam against San Diego's iffy pass rush.

Cowboys vs Rams live stream. The Jets have scored 10 points or fewer in their four home losses since December 2009. ⦠Gates caught eight passes for 132 yards in his last game against the Jets.

Watch Rams vs Cowboys online. Headlines in Washington focused on the quarterback change â"John Beck replaces Rex Grossman to make his first start since 2007, when he was with the Miami Dolphinsâ" but the expected change of three starters on the offensive line might be the biggest story line to follow.

St. Louis Rams vs Dallas Cowboys live stream. The Redskins can exploit the Panthers between the tackles with RBs Ryan Torain and Tim Hightower. Carolina is 31st in the NFL against the run, and the key to an efficient Beck will be to keep the passing game in a supporting role.

Watch St. Louis Rams vs Dallas Cowboys online. The Panthers would be wise to lead with RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart given the Philadelphia Eagles' impressive rushing totals last weekend at Washington before testing a secondary that has had multiple busted coverages in the last two games.

Dallas Cowboys vs St. Louis Rams live stream. Falcons RB Michael Turner rushed for 220 yards the last time he faced the Lions, and offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has kept the ball in Turner's hands with good success of late.

Dallas Cowboys vs St. Louis Rams live online. That formula comes into play against a Detroit defense ripped by the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears for 325 total rushing yards and 6.0 yards a carry the last two games.

Packers vs Vikings live stream. Week 7 of the NFL schedule brings us another set of byes. Six teams get the week off and they include some of the best stories going in the game including the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Watch Vikings vs Packers online. Then we get the big annual London game, okay so that is dripping with sarcasm. This year's game is actually a decent one that features the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the crowds in London just seem like they aren't into the games.

Vikings vs Packers live stream. Maybe if the teams did some diva acting like soccer players they would appreciate it more.

Watch Packers vs Vikings online. Browns coach Pat Shurmur is looking for greater efficiency from his offense. He has whittled down the list of running plays in his playbook, and the bulk of those will be called for RB Montario Hardesty with Peyton Hillis (hamstring) unlikely to play.

Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings live stream. The Browns are seeing more zone coverage with QB Colt McCoy averaging 5.5 yards a attempt and might filter in more no-huddle.

Watch Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings online. The Seahawks ran a lot of no-huddle in their last game and are comfortable with QB Charlie Whitehurst running the offense if Tarvaris Jackson (strained chest muscle) doesn't start.

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers live stream. The Cardinals have to be able to get after Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, and they have to do it quickly.

Watch Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers online. Arizona can't match up with Pittsburgh's three- and four-receiver sets, and S Rashad Johnson is replacing injured Kerry Rhodes.

Colts vs Saints live stream.Defensive coordinator Ray Horton was Pittsburgh's secondary coach and knows how to devise blitz packages, but they're effective only if RB Rashard Mendenhall (146 rushing yards last weekend) is contained.

Watch Saints vs Colts online. Arizona needs RB Chris "Beanie" Wells healthy and running hard coming out of its bye. Pittsburgh's run defense has been a weakness, and QB Kevin Kolb hasn't been consistent in long passing situations.

Saints vs Colts live stream. Raiders coach Hue Jackson said he was excited to get QB Carson Palmer on the field, but Palmer hasn't played a down of live football since last season and shared practice reps with Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor on Thursday.

Watch Colts vs Saints online. Boller or Palmer will start. Look for Oakland to pound with RBs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush early in an attempt to set up vertical shots to a speedy group of receivers against a secondary that has given up numerous big plays.

Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints live stream. The Chiefs need more production out of RBs Thomas Jones and Jackie Battle, and coach Todd Haley is stressing maximizing every yard possible with Kansas City lacking explosive plays.

Watch Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints online. Last week's picks had me going a disappointing 2-3. That bad week puts me at 18-12 for the year. Now let's move on to the five best games of the week.

New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts live stream. Obviously this is all about Tim Tebow. We have heard for weeks and weeks fans calling for the Broncos to give Tebow a chance. This is a perfect opportunity for Tebow to make a good impression.

New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts live online. The Dolphins are just plain bad and their offense is basically non-existent. I see Tebow having some success and leading Denver to a 17-6 victory. Game time: Sunday 1:00 EST.

Ravens vs Jaguars live stream. The Dolphins are just plain bad and their offense is basically non-existent. I see Tebow having some success and leading Denver to a 17-6 victory. Game time: Sunday 1:00 EST.

Watch Jaguars vs Ravens online. Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: This is a good game whether Carson Palmer starts or not for the Raiders.

Jaguars vs Ravens live stream. If Kyle Boller gets the call he will need to just manage the offense, because the running game is still king for Oakland.

Watch Ravens vs Jaguars online. This is the kind of game the Raiders need to win if they are going to make the playoffs. The Chiefs are mediocre on their best day so the game is there for the taking for Oakland. The Raiders will win 21-10. Game time: Sunday 4:05 EST.

Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars live stream. A huge division game for both teams. I thought the Texans we ready to run and hide with the division lead early in the season, but now they are on a two game losing streak.

Watch Baltimore Ravens vs Jacksonville Jaguars online. I, and my fantasy team, keep waiting for a breakout game form Titans running back Chris Johnson.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Baltimore Ravens live stream. I will say this week he does it with over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

Watch Jacksonville Jaguars vs Baltimore Ravens online. The Titans defense will play just well enough to escape with a win. Titans 20, Texans 14. Game time: Sunday 1:00 EST.

But that was then and this is a new year. Both these teams need to start strong out of the gate just for morale purposes, but between these two teams I would say the Buccaneers need the win more than the Lions.

The Buccaneers play in a division with the Saints and Falcons, two legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they will have to win at least 11 games to compete with them in the NFC South.

The Lions only have to contend with the Packers in the North. Granted, that is a tall task but it is easier to compete with one great team than it is to compete with two.