One thing we’ve come to learn early on in the 2022 NFL season? Expect the unexpected every single week, especially when it comes to making NFL picks and predictions. We’re ready for Week 7 after another exciting Sunday afternoon, which was headlined by the highly anticipated matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. That game absolutely lived up to the hype, but there were plenty of other twists and turns with the Jets getting a convincing win in Green Bay against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers as well as the New York Giants erasing a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Again, expect the unexpected. This week’s NFL picks are certainly not anymore straightforward than previous weeks as teams begin to blend together record-wise all around the league. There are 21 teams right now with two or three wins. Who will be getting victories in Week 7?
We went 11-5 on picks in Week 5, and followed that up with a solid 8-6 in Week 6. Let’s make our NFL picks and predictions for Week 7 action.
Week 7 byes: Bills, Rams, Vikings, Eagles
2022 NFL picks and predictions for Week 7
New Orleans Saints (2-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Thursday, October 20, 8:15 PM ET (Amazon Prime)
This game is all about the return of DeAndre Hopkins for the Cardinals, and for the Saints, hopefully, the return of at least one wide receiver. The lack of receiver help for each of these teams has been a key reason why both are 2-4 going into a rather uninspiring Thursday night matchup.
I’m sure Al Michaels is thrilled.
At any rate, this game will have an infusion of intrigue thanks to the arrival of Hopkins to the Arizona lineup, and that could ultimately end up being the game-changer they need to get things right this season. Even at 2-4, the Cardinals are still right in the mix in the NFC West as every other team in that division is 3-3 right now. It’s a short week following a loss, but I think the Cardinals can get things together offensively with the return of Hopkins against the Saints.
New Orleans could also be getting back some weapons in this game but I think Arizona will rally.
Prediction: Cardinals win 28-23
Atlanta Falcons (3-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
This game might mess around and be arguably the best one of the week. Let’s start by taking a look at the Atlanta Falcons, who have been one of the NFL’s most interesting teams through six games so far. Although they don’t have Cordarrelle Patterson right now, the Falcons’ offense is dynamic.
Yes, I said it — they are dynamic. They are fun to watch, and they are operating at a high level with Marcus Mariota under center. They have the 9th-best scoring offense in the league and Mariota is coming off of a game in which he scored three total touchdowns, finally getting Kyle Pitts involved in the action. In this particular matchup, the Falcons also have a very important equalizer for Ja’Marr Chase in cornerback AJ Terrell, thought by many to be one of the three or five best corners in the game right now.
That matchup will be outstanding to watch, but so will this duel of quarterbacks. Joe Burrow is coming off of his best game of the season with three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a win against the Saints. Coming back home, the Bengals have a chance to seize some control in the AFC North with the Ravens and Browns coming off losses last week.
As exciting as the Falcons have been, I think the Bengals are a little too good offensively to lose this one at home if they can take care of the ball. The Falcons have done a tremendous job of taking the ball away despite having a porous pass defense overall, so Joe Burrow can’t be reckless out there or it will burn him.
Prediction: Bengals win 27-24
Detroit Lions (1-3) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
If ever there was a perfect game for Dak Prescott to return to the lineup, this is it. The Detroit Lions’ defense is historically bad, allowing 34 points per game through their first four. The Detroit offense has been very fun to watch, but they ran into an absolute brick wall in New England before the bye week, getting shut out in a 29-0 loss.
That was ugly, and it left a horrendous taste in their mouths, no question. How will the Lions respond coming back from the bye with a matchup against the league’s no. 4 overall scoring defense and one of the best pass rush units in the game right now?
Especially if Dak Prescott is returning to the lineup, this might be one of the easiest picks of the week. Other than just taking a shot in the dark — which I’ve certainly done in my picks before — I don’t think there’s any logical reason to pick the Lions in this game unless you simply feel it’s going to be a shootout between these two teams that Jared Goff will win.
The Cowboys are coming off of a tough loss to a divisional opponent, they are getting their starting quarterback back — presumably –, and they have arguably the league’s top overall defensive player in Micah Parsons. Before the Eagles broke the game open with a late drive on Sunday night, Dallas was actually hanging in there really tough with Cooper Rush under center.
Not to diminish what Rush has brought to the table, but this Cowboys team should be able to make quick work of the Lions even if Prescott is a little rusty coming back. The Lions might have some moments offensively but I’m betting on that pass rush getting to Jared Goff early and often.
Prediction: Cowboys win 31-23
Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1) @ Tennessee Titans (3-2)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
Suddenly, this matchup is interesting. A handful of weeks ago, this would have projected as one of the biggest duds of the week, but as it turns out, it will be worth watching, indeed.
Matt Ryan — pardon me — Matty Ice is absolutely back. It wasn’t pretty, but Ryan engineered a comeback late in the fourth quarter and overtime against Denver a couple of weeks ago and then helped the Colts to a much more impressive come-from-behind win over the Jaguars this past weekend. The Colts are a kick in overtime against Houston away from being 4-2 and having one of the best records in the league right now.
The Titans are not the NFL’s most interesting team, but under Mike Vrabel, they have consistently been one of the league’s best. They’ve rattled off three straight wins and are set to come off their bye week against a Colts team that is no doubt exhausted from their recent run, which over the last four weeks includes a win over the Kansas City Chiefs as well.
These two teams seem very evenly matched on paper right now and things are trending in the same direction for both squads. Based on those facts, I think this game is a coin flip with the advantage going to the home team. Not only that, but they are a very well-rested home team.
The Titans — surprise, surprise — are running the ball well this year yet again. Combined with the fact that Matt Ryan has been extremely turnover prone so far this season, I think the Titans playing at home with the strong running game can get a big divisional win, coming off of the bye.
Prediction: Titans win 23-20
Green Bay Packers (3-3) @ Washington Commanders (2-4)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
So far this season, I think I am 3-out-of-6 on my Packers game picks. Why? Because I’m picking them to win just about every week. Unless a team is visibly better or has a clear advantage over Green Bay and specifically, Aaron Rodgers, on paper, why would you pick against the Packers?
At this point, however, I think the Packers have lost that kind of respect. Their defense is not playing nearly as well as anyone thought or said it would before the season. Green Bay’s offense is not cohesive and their lack of weapons has become an abundantly obvious problem. Aaron Rodgers is the back-to-back MVP but even the back-to-back MVP hasn’t been able to will his team to victory like he used to.
Now that I’ve said all that, I’m going to get right to it — I think the Packers are going to win this game easily. I have been wrong about that before and I could be wrong again. There are reasons to believe the Commanders could win this game on their home field, coming off of a long break after taking on the Bears this past Thursday night.
Carson Wentz is the team’s QB1, but Taylor Heinicke was the starter last year and he will be starting in this game with Wentz on the mend after breaking the ring finger on his throwing hand. I think Heinicke in the lineup will help this Commanders offense be a bit more balanced and perhaps even a bit more efficient, at least initially.
Heinicke knows how to get the playmakers in that offense involved and the Commanders have been doing a tremendous job of getting after the quarterback lately. The Packers’ offensive line has been a bit of a problem, Rodgers doesn’t have a Davante Adams type of receiver he can really trust, and Green Bay’s defense has not been as good as it should be.
Despite the fact that I think the Packers will win this game easily, I’m picking the Commanders.
Prediction: Commanders win 29-27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-5)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are broken. The Carolina Panthers are in absolute shambles right now.
Yeah, this is shaping up to be one of the best games on the Week 7 slate, isn’t it?
Let’s start by stating that it’s merely subjective to say the Bucs’ offensive struggles are directly related to whether or not Tom Brady is distracted out there with everything going on in his personal life. The fact of the matter is, this is a team that is on the cusp of being bottom 10 in scoring, third-down efficiency, and red zone efficiency. They are the league’s worst rushing team right now.
The Bucs need a get-right game and the Panthers could be exactly that, but at some point, the Panthers have to have their “rally around the interim coach game”, do they not? Steve Wilks has taken over for the fired Matt Rhule. The Panthers lost ugly on Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams with Robbie Anderson kicked off the sideline and promptly traded to the Cardinals on Monday.
I’m not sure whether to pick the Bucs in a bounce-back game or whether I should pick the Panthers, who could rally around Steve Wilks for a game at any moment. As fascinating as it would be to see Brady and the Bucs drop to a losing record on Sunday and what the aftermath of that could be, I think this game is much more likely to be a get-right game for the Bucs than anything else.
They still have a top-five defense and they are still so much more talented on paper than the Panthers. Even playing on the road, I think the Bucs get their fourth win of the season.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 31-13
New York Giants (5-1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
At this point, it’s probably time to stop doubting the New York Giants, isn’t it? All season, I’ve been waiting for Daniel Jones to be the reason the Giants lose a game here at some point, but that simply hasn’t been the case. The Giants have been more than just resilient — they’ve been flat-out good.
This team still doesn’t have a lot of individual standout stars early on, especially offensively, but they just keep making big plays in clutch moments and Saquon Barkley has provided them all the star power they really need. Going up against Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, you have a matchup here of two teams with new head coaches this year and two teams heading vastly different directions the last couple of weeks.
The Jaguars started off as everyone’s new favorite team with the way they were playing the first few weeks of the season, but they have cooled off significantly in recent weeks. Trevor Lawrence did all he could to give the Jaguars a win this past weekend against the Colts but then the defense let them down, giving up a touchdown to Matty Ice and the Colts with under 20 seconds to play.
The Jaguars playing at home here doesn’t matter all that much, but the question is whether I go ahead and pick the Giants to win and risk jinxing the streak they are on, or pick against the Giants and inevitably keep their winning streak alive. Because I’m a friend of both these teams’ fan bases, I’m going to pick the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence at home in this one.
Prediction: Jaguars win 27-22
Cleveland Browns (2-4) @ Baltimore Ravens (3-3)
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM ET
Some games are easier to pick than others on a weekly basis, and it feels like this is one of those particular types of games. The Baltimore Ravens are coming off of a somewhat shocking loss to the New York Giants in which they blew a 10-point lead, and that wasn’t the only sign we’ve had of this being a poor fourth-quarter team this season.
Unfortunately.
The Ravens are imperfect, but they have one of the league’s top playmakers in Lamar Jackson and Jackson has done well against the Browns throughout his NFL career. He’s got 15 career touchdowns against Cleveland — 11 passing, four rushing — and the Ravens have won five of the eight games he’s started against them. The only team Jackson has more wins against in his NFL career so far is the Cincinnati Bengals (six).
Cleveland has been pretty impressive this year offensively despite only being 2-4. They rank 7th in the NFL in points per game and aside from this last weekend against the Patriots, they have run for more than 170 yards in every contest thus far. The Ravens have given up over 100 yards rushing in three of their last four games, but if they can limit turnovers in this contest, they are easily the team to pick here playing at home.
Prediction: Ravens win 29-21
New York Jets (4-2) @ Denver Broncos (2-4)
Sunday, October 23, 4:05 PM ET
The New York Jets are playing like one of the most confident teams in the NFL right now. Heading into a Week 7 matchup against the Denver Broncos, they are one of the most surprising teams in the league right now and they’re making huge strides thanks to their stellar 2022 NFL Draft class.
Led by top pick Sauce Gardner, the Jets are getting some great contributions from the rookie class on both sides of the ball, but Gardner has been exactly what Robert Saleh’s defense needed as the team’s CB1 and a shutdown player on the outside, not unlike the guy the Broncos took with their top pick in 2021, Pat Surtain II. Those two are looking like two of the best corners in the game early on this season, and their teams are going to need them to keep it up in this game.
The Denver Broncos offense has been absolutely pathetic this season. Led by Russell Wilson, the Broncos simply can’t get anything going and have averaged right around 15 points per game through six games, worst in the NFL. Nobody really expected that from a Russell Wilson-led offense, but that’s what we’re seeing in Denver with constant three-and-outs, Russell Wilson getting sacked, no running game to speak of, and really no passing game to write home about, either.
Can the Broncos find a way to outscore the Jets? As dismal as Denver’s offense has looked, they are playing at home here and the Denver defense has been arguably the best in the NFL through six weeks. The Broncos are so beaten and battered, and Russell Wilson apparently suffered a hamstring injury against the Chargers. The Denver defense will have to come through once again. This is one of the tougher NFL picks of the week but the Broncos get back on the saddle.
Prediction: Broncos win 20-16
Houston Texans (1-3-1) @ Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
Sunday, October 23, 4:05 PM ET
Despite not playing this past weekend, both the Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders either stayed put or moved up in our Week 7 power rankings. The Texans were coming off of their first victory of the season in Week 5, a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which Dameon Pierce showed why he’s a clear early candidate and maybe favorite for NFL offensive rookie of the year.
As expected based on all the hype he received throughout training camp and the preseason, Pierce has been a stud and potentially a championship winner for your fantasy football team if you played your cards right. He’s now got a chance, coming off of a bye week, to go up against a Raiders team that has been rather stingy against the run through their first five games, allowing the fifth-best yards per carry average in the NFL at 4.0.
Houston needs to be able to run the ball to win this game, but the Raiders have been susceptible against the pass all year and Davis Mills will be able to take some shots.
For the Raiders, getting the bad taste of the loss against Kansas City before the bye week will be crucial. Derek Carr and Davante Adams put forth some of the best plays we’ve seen from them together early on in silver and black, and who knows how differently things would have played out if the Raiders had just kicked an extra point or converted that two-point play against Kansas City?
We could be talking about a team with a ton of momentum coming out of the bye week. If the Raiders are able to compartmentalize the fact that they lost to Kansas City and take away the fact they played them as well as just about anybody could, their confidence should be brimming for this home game.
They can get back in the AFC playoff discussion with a big win at home against Houston.
Prediction: Raiders win 26-21
Seattle Seahawks (3-3) @ Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Sunday, October 23, 4:25 PM ET
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the NFL’s more surprising teams in 2022 so far, haven’t they? Geno Smith is playing well, and he’s getting help from the running game with some young hogs up front on the offensive line. Not to mention, Kenneth Walker looks like he’s going to be an absolute star in this game for a really long time.
With the Seattle offense playing pretty balanced all year so far, they have a shot to go on the road and beat this Los Angeles Chargers team. Before the season, I’m sure most Chargers fans had penciled this one in as a win since the Seahawks no longer have Russell Wilson, but just because this team is different doesn’t exactly mean they are worse. At least, so far.
One of the key reasons this Seattle team is doing so well? They are getting outstanding production from rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who now has four interceptions in his first six NFL games.
The Chargers gutted out a win at home against the stingy Denver Broncos defense with a patchwork offensive line and no Keenan Allen. It was gutsy win for the Chargers who are now 4-2 and right there with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. This is actually a sneaky good matchup but if the Chargers can get Keenan Allen back healthy, I think they have a really good shot at getting to 5-2.
Prediction: Chargers win 32-24
Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
Sunday, October 23, 4:25 PM ET
Even with the San Francisco 49ers playing at home in this game, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for them getting the Kansas City Chiefs after a loss. Kansas City losing back-to-back games is rare, but it’s also not impossible. As a matter of fact, it happened just last season.
The Chiefs lost back-to-back games early in 2021 to the Ravens and Chargers, but are they going to lose back-to-back games in 2022 to the Bills and 49ers? Nothing is impossible. This is a tough matchup for Kansas City if the 49ers are firing on all cylinders offensively and running the ball well.
Although Jimmy Garoppolo is not the most imposing quarterback in the world, the 49ers’ offense is fully capable of scoring 30 points at any given time and their defense has only given up more than 20 points once so far this season. After consecutive road games against NFC South opponents Carolina and Atlanta, the 49ers return home with a clear key to victory: Give up under 100 yards rushing, and more than likely win the game.
The Chiefs are not known for their ability to run all over teams, but they more than make up for that with their quick passing game and obviously just Patrick Mahomes in general.
It takes a nearly perfectly executed game plan as well as a bit of luck to beat the Chiefs. Kansas City is the best scoring team in the NFL, they are no. 2 in third-down offense, they are no. 2 in red zone defense, and Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been dealing with getting hit a lot this season.
With all of that being said, the 49ers could have Nick Bosa back for this game. They could also have Trent Williams back for this game as well, which would be huge in keeping Jimmy Garoppolo clean and establishing a consistent ground game.
I hate picking against the Chiefs coming off of a loss but when healthy, Nick Bosa has been unstoppable so far this season and the pressure we saw from Von Miller this weekend clearly affected Mahomes. Plus, with weekly NFL picks, you’ve got to take some risks, right?
Prediction: 49ers win 30-29
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) @ Miami Dolphins (3-3)
Sunday, October 23, 8:20 PM ET
Will we get Tua Tagovailoa back for this game, or will it be Teddy Bridgewater? Regardless of who is out there at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, this seems to be a matchup very much playing into their favor, at least on paper. But there’s one interesting factor that can’t be discounted…
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a very hard-fought win at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady’s second-favorite NFL team behind the Miami Dolphins. There is obviously a lot of bad blood right now between the Dolphins and former head coach Brian Flores, who is currently an assistant on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive staff.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Steelers’ defense is going to get up for this game — in prime time — in a big way. Although any team is going to have a hard time neutralizing Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Steelers’ defense got a much-needed confidence boost this past week and their performance against the Buccaneers could be the catalyst for a resurgence on that side of the ball.
The Dolphins have question marks on their end right now regarding who will be playing quarterback, but so do the Steelers. Rookie Kenny Pickett will have to clear concussion protocol or it will be Mitch Trubisky getting the road start in this one. The Steelers’ offense — with both Pickett and Trubisky playing some on Sunday — looked markedly better than it has most of the 2022 season.
I’m not saying Brian Flores’ presence alone makes the Steelers the favorites in this game, but I do think that will be a huge storyline and a huge reason for the Steelers to rally this week and get their second consecutive victory, staying alive in the AFC North for another week after losing four of their first five games.
Prediction: Steelers win 25-22
Chicago Bears (2-4) @ New England Patriots (3-3)
Monday, October 24, 8:15 PM ET
After three straight games with a QB rating over 100, are we buying that there is a quarterback controversy in New England? Rookie Bailey Zappe has this Patriots team absolutely rolling right now, and the same could not be said previously about Mac Jones. The Patriots have won two straight games in very impressive fashion, even if they were going up against the Lions and the Browns in those games.
Bailey Zappe is fresh off of a brilliant performance and the Patriots are playing at home on Monday night against one of the league’s absolute worst teams. Bill Belichick against the Justin Fields/Chicago Bears offense right now? That sounds like a recipe for disaster if I’ve ever heard of one.
Fields and the Bears came inches away from getting their third win of the season on Thursday night despite the offense’s struggles, but the Patriots are too well-coached, too disciplined, and too efficient right now running the ball for a team like the Bears to come into New England and get a win.
Belichick obviously deserves a ton of credit for having his team ready to play with a rookie mid-round pick starting at QB on such short notice, and right now, you can’t help but feel at least a little bit confident in the Pats with the way they are playing.
Chicago has not been all bad this season. Defensively, they have done some good things. I think we’ll see a bit less fireworks offensively in this game than you would ideally like from a prime time game, but I also think we’re going to see a dominating game on the ground from Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots as the Bears struggle to get anything going offensively yet again. We close out this week’s NFL picks and predictions with a third straight win for the Patriots.
Prediction: Patriots win 19-10