After a three week delay the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans will finally play their game in Nashville this Sunday. Both teams are 5-0 and the Steelers have been dominating opponents with a stingy defense and balanced offense. Meanwhile, the Titans have been battering opposing defenses with All-Pro running back Derrick Henry and the timely passing from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to an array of wide receivers.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage on across the United States of America and the Titans have been the hardest hit team in the NFL regarding outbreaks. They have fought hard and lead the AFC South division by two games over the Indianapolis Colts (4-2) while the Steelers hold a slim edge over the Baltimore Ravens (5-1) in the rugged AFC North division.
Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger (eleven touchdown passes, one interception) has been stellar in his return from elbow surgery and the offense has been balanced while averaging 31.2 points per game. Their defense has been allowing just 18.8 PPG so far this season and their run defense is second in the NFL, allowing just 66 yards per game. The Titans have been putting up 32.8 PPG with a running game that averages 158 yards per game. The Tennessee defense has allowed 126 points this season (25.2 PPG) while also giving up big chunks of yardage on the ground and through the air, although they do have six interceptions.
Other games that look to be intriguing include the Seattle Seahawks- Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay- Las Vegas and the game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams in L.A. on Monday night.
The Seahawks (5-0) lead the NFC West but the Cardinals (4-2) have been surprisingly good this season and are coming off a 38-10 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys last Monday night. The game between these two teams was moved into the "prime time" Sunday night slot because the Tampa Bay at Las Vegas game was moved up to Sunday afternoon as a result of the Raiders team having an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The entire starting offensive line for the Raiders either tested positive for the virus or had close contact with others who were positive.
Seattle quarterback and MVP candidate Russell Wilson have been the "cardiac kids" this season with thrilling last minute victories happening three times already. Meanwhile, Arizona and QB Kyler Murray have been lighting it up as well with their offensive attack. No doubt, this game should go down to the wire.
The Buccaneers and Raiders will go at it in Sin City and this should be another game that could be decided in the final minutes. The Bucs (4-2) appear to be coming together on offense with Tom Brady leading the way while their defense shut down Green Bay last weekend and leads the NFL against the run, allowing a meager 64 yards per game. The Raiders (3-2) stunned the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago on the road and are coming off their bye week. The offense has been steady and QB Derek Carr has a 73 percent completion rate and has eleven TD passes with just one interception.
The Bears (5-1) and Rams (4-2) will wrap things up for Week Seven on Monday Night Football. The Bears defense has been rounding into form and QB Nick Foles has done just enough with the offense to keep the team on the winning end of things. Los Angeles is still trying to prove their record is no fluke after dropping a 24-16 decision last weekend in San Francisco. The Rams wins came against the four NFC East teams. The NFC East is by far the worst division in pro football, so they have to prove they can beat a formidable foe and the Bears defense will provide the stiffest of challenges.
The rest of the games for Week Seven are featured in the capsule style format and the Heftyinfo predictions follow up.
Detroit (2-3) at Atlanta (1-5) - Two stinker teams go at it in this one. Which one will find a way to blow the game?
Cleveland (4-2) at Cincinnati (1-4-1) - The battle of Ohio. Is it really worth fighting for?
Green Bay (4-1) at Houston (1-5) - The Packers laid an egg last week while the Texans finally got a win after firing head coach Bill O' Brien. Toss up.
Carolina (3-3) at New Orleans (3-2) - The Panthers have been on a magic carpet ride without star player Christian McCaffrey so far this season, but the Saints should send them crashing back to reality in this game.
Buffalo (4-2) at N.Y. Jets (0-6) - Will the Bills lose their third consecutive game? Not against this hapless Jets team.
Dallas (2-4) at Washington (1-5) - The Cowboys are reeling and their defense is the worst in the NFL. The Washington team is looking to snap a five-game losing streak.
Kansas City (5-1) at Denver (2-3) - The Chiefs have had problems with Denver in recent years, so this will be no easy task for them.
San Francisco (3-3) at New England (2-3) - Two teams that need a victory in the worst way. This game should go down to the wire.
Jacksonville (1-5) at L.A. Chargers (1-4) - The Chargers have been banged up on both sides of the ball, but they are due for a big win after losing four games by a combined total of just 18 points. The Jaguars are just a bad team.
The Heftyinfo picks for Week Seven . . . . . . . (Home teams are listed in bold; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)
Philadelphia over N.Y. Giants
Atlanta over Detroit
Cleveland over Cincinnati
Green Bay over Houston
New Orleans over Carolina
Buffalo over N.Y. Jets
Dallas over Washington
Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Tampa Bay over Las Vegas
Kansas City over Denver
San Francisco over New England
L.A. CHARGERS over Jacksonville
Arizona over Seattle
Chicago over L.A. Rams
Last Week's Record - 10-4
SEASON RECORD - 60-30-1
Lock of the Week Record - 4-2
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