We are now officially approaching the midseason portion of the 2025-26 season.
Week 7 was eventful, with a full slate of games.
Let's take a look:
LA Rams 35, Jacksonville 7 at London, UK - So at least I got the winning team prediction right, even though my stated expectations were for a tight game. But the Rams actually won running away with this one. Really, it was no contest. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 21 of 33 passes for 182 yards and a whopping five touchdowns. Indeed, Los Angeles scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take control of the game, then scored another in the second quarter to take a 21-0 lead into the locker room by halftime. They never looked back and owned this game. With the win, the Rams improve to 5-2 on the season, while the Jaguars drop their second straight game to fall to 4-3. My pick: Accurate
Carolina 13, NY Jets 6 - The Panthers held onto the ball for over 35 minutes and just put constant defensive pressure on the hapless Jets offense. Gang Green managed just two field goals, and also committed two turnovers. While the Jets defense more or less kept the Panthers O in check, it was not exactly like Carolina had to score a ton of points to stay ahead of Gang Green in this one. The Panthers win their first road game of the year to improve to 4-3, while the Jets fall to 0-7 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate
Kansas City 31 Las Vegas 0 - Nobody can really be surprised that the Raiders were not competitive in this game, right? I mean, they entered this game with a 2-4 record and had to go on the road to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead. You know it's not going to be easy. Sure enough, they were outclassed, outhustled and outmuscled right away, falling behind 21-0 by halftime. They eased up somewhat in the second half, at least on offense. Yet their defense was relentless and pitched a shutout. KC improves to 4-3, the first time all year that they have sported a winning record. The Raiders, meanwhile, drop to 2-5 on the year. My pick: Accurate
Cleveland 31, Miami 6 - Remember when Mike McDaniel looked like a genius a few seasons ago, as the Dolphins looked like a powerhouse, particularly on offense, and they put up a historical 70 points in one game? Yeah, that must feel like a very long time ago now. The Fins were not great last season, but they look absolutely miserable so far this season. They are lucky that the only winless team in the league is in their division, because otherwise, Miami themselves might be serious contenders for the worst team in the league at the moment. The Browns really put it together in this one, both on offense and on defense, winning in a dominant display to earn their second win and improve to 2-5. The Fins, meanwhile, fall to 1-6. My pick: Inaccurate
Chicago 26, New Orleans 14 - This game pretty much went the way most of us figured it would, right? The Saints committed a ton of turnovers and shot themselves in the foot. Meanwhile, the surging Bears took advantage of the opportunities which the Saints handed them, rolling to a convincing win, their fourth straight victory after an 0-2 start. New Orleans, meanwhile, fell to an NFC worst 1-6 record on the year. . My pick: Accurate
New England 31, Tennessee 13 - The Patriots are starting to resemble the winning tendencies that they regularly enjoyed just a few years ago, during a different era. They predictably made short work of the Titans, Vrabel's former team. It was a tight game, but the Patriots allowed the Titans to commit crucial mistakes, particularly two turnovers, as New England took over the game late in the second quarter and especially the third quarter, ultimately rolling to a convincing win.. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 28, Minnesota 22 - The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles returned back to form just in time, before their skid turned deadly serious. They once again looked like a title team, holding off the Vikings on the road in Minneapolis. They were in front throughout and managed to build a 21-9 lead in the third quarter before the Vikings attempted to rally. But Philly responded like champions, scoring a touchdown to effectively ice the game. Two turnovers did not help Minnesota's chances, obviously.. My pick: Inaccurate
Denver 33, NY Giants 32 - Since this was my brutal weekend, I was trying to sleep throughout the afternoon and evening on Sunday, and so did not get to see this. When I woke up and saw that the G-Men had lost by a single point, it seemed like they had played well, which was encouraging. Then I learned about the historical collapse, and how Big Blue held a 19-0 lead entering the fourth quarter. How Denver scored a franchise best 33 points in that final quarter to complete an epic comeback win over the Giants. Suddenly, this looked a lot more like a dismal loss than a hopeful one as a Giants fan. Yikes.. My pick: Accurate
Indianapolis 38, LA Chargers 24 - The Colts are starting to look really impressive so far this season. Former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns, helping lift his team past the Chargers on a West Coast trip to Los Angeles. Indeed, Jones looks like he might be a serious MVP candidate. Of course, the Chargers did not help themselves with two turnovers. But Indy took this game over by building a big lead in the second quarter and never looking back or letting go. Indianapolis is now 6-1, which qualifies as the best record in the league right now. The Chargers, meanwhile, fall to 4-3 after a 3-0 start to the season. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 44, Washington 22 - Here's a game that I just flat got wrong. The Cowboys defense finally played fairly well when it mattered. There were a lot of penalties by both teams in this game, but Washington committed two turnovers. So it was a sloppy game for them. The Cowboys really pulled it out of reach in the second and especially the third quarters, with great offense and, for once, a defense that held up their end of the bargain.. My pick; Inaccurate
Green Bay 27, Arizona 23 - The Packers retain one of the best records in the league by holding off the collapsing Cardinals. By all rights, Arizona should have won. They produced more yards (330 to 262) and more first downs (23 to 19) and held onto the ball for over 34 minutes. The Cardinals also had far superior third down efficiency, and far fewer penalties and yards lost to penalties. Granted, they did commit one turnover, while Green Bay had none. But it feels like the Packers largely won because...well, it's the Cardinals. The Pack needs a better test to see how good they are, as Arizona, a team that started the season off 2-0, now have dropped their fifth straight game, as their season continues to spiral completely out of control.. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football: San Francisco 20, Atlanta 10 - The Falcons had some moments. Yet the 49ers always seemed to be at least one step ahead in this one. that, despite their injury plagued roster effectively compromising them, at least in theory. However, there was little evidence of that in last night's game, and this win over the Falcons.. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football Game # 1: Detroit 24, Tampa Bay 9 - Jared Goff has the greatest win percentage of any NFL quarterback in history for Monday Night Football games with a minimum of 10 starts. He helped the Lions to win and now, in his career, he is 9-2 overall as the starting quarterback on MNF. Impressive. Detroit was rocking, and the defense did what they had to do, getting in Baker Mayfield's face and keeping constant pressure on the Bucs offense, containing them to a pedestrian 9 points. The Lions have not lost consecutive games now for almost three years. In other words, they have not lost two games in a row since late October of 2022. Now that's damn impressive. They improve to 5-2 on the year and get to enjoy a bye week. As for Tampa Bay, they fall to 5-2. My pick: Accurate
Monday Night Football Game # 2: Seattle 27, Houston 19 - When I was growing up, their was still a mystique surrounding the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. In particular, I remember them having the reputation for always winning on Monday Night Football. Even when the Raiders were not fantastic, they always seemed to be on Monday Night Football appearances. Well, apparently that title has now passed to the Seattle Seahawks. They won last night, improving their overall historical record on Monday Night Football to 31-13. That's the best in the NFL right now. Who knew? They won this one mostly on the strength of their defense, which really flustered and frustrated the Texans offense all night. Houston just could not seem to get anything going on the ground, as their running game was next to non-existent. They also really struggled in the red zone, time and time again. Still, they hung in there and were in it late. Still, their final chance ended on a sloppy, unnecessary penalty, which killed whatever slim chance they had. Not a great game for the Texans, who fall to 2-4 on the season. As for Seattle, they win and improve to 5-2, and now get a bye week of rest to get healthy and prepared for the next portion of the regular season. My pick: Inaccurate
No comments:
Post a Comment