The Week 7 picks are in, and ... The Bills want to play a different brand of defense, Todd Gurley might rush for two bills and, no matter what, Griff Whalen will not be asked to go out in fake-punt formation ...
I think I know you, Phil "Ernest and Julio" Gallo. And if I am right, don't you have some entertainment media stuff to pay attention to, instead of 1970s Jets linebackers? (Great reference, though.)
This is the coolest Twitter avatar/name combo I've seen in some time. Do you happen to have the rawhide jacket Mr. T wore to Rocky's press conference? *"Hey woman ..."*
As for the rest of the non-Patriot games (see what I did there?), check out the analysis below. As always, feel free to share your take: @HarrisonNFL is the place. Moreover, we like commentary.
Now, let's get to it!
Elliot Harrison went 10-4 on his predictions for Week 6, giving him a record of 55-36 so far this season. How will he fare in Week 7? His picks are below.
Smelling a potential upset here. That said, the all-seeing eye reports a Matt Ryan comeback drive with under a minute on the clock, setting up a Matt Bryant game-winner from 50 yards. (Bryant is the fantasy kicker for my dynasty team, "Linda Evans Dynasty," thus the need for it to be 50 -- not 30 -- yards. But I digress.)
Atlanta was exposed on Thursday Night Football in Week 6, at least to a small degree. If Julio Jones is bracketed, no one in the passing game scares people. That's why Devonta Freeman is catching all those outlet passes. And lo and behold, Tennessee has racked up 15 sacks in five games, enough to make Ryan very uncomfortable. The Titans need a ground game, though. In their last three games, they've run for 88, 97 and 63 yards. Get excited. #ATLvsTEN
But before you get all pumped and do 150 reps on the Shake Weight, here's what must happen for that prognostication to come true:
» Matthew Stafford must set his feet and take what the defense gives him. (Yes, I know last week's game-clinching throw to Megatron came with Stafford on the move. But this Vikings defense is legit. No funny stuff.)
» Detroit's front four must slow Adrian Peterson, like the Chiefs did last week.
» OK, this isn't necessarily a must, but the Lions should give Theo Riddick 15 to 20 touches. He is far and away their most productive back.
For the Vikings, Teddy Bridgewater can't miss some of the easy throws he failed to hit in the wins over the Chargers and Chiefs. Yes, I pointed out wins, because those shortcomings get overlooked in Minnesota's victories. #MINvsDET
OK, yes, at publishing, there remains a chance that Ben Roethlisberger could suit up for this contest. Methinks the win over the Cardinals lessened the need to rush him back. At 4-2, the Steelers are hanging right in the playoff race with two games remaining against the Bengals.
Oh yeah, we haven't even mentioned the Chiefs yet. If Alex Smith has to win this game sans Jamaal Charles and Jeremy Maclin ... Well, enjoy throwing it to Travis Kelce in quintuple coverage, man. (Quintuple coverage = five defenders. You're welcome.) #PITvsKC
Carolina has opened up this season with a five-game winning streak, giving them 10 wins in their last 11 contests. It will be interesting to see if Newton has as much success downfield on the Eagles as he did versus the Seahawks last week. Can Fletcher Cox and Connor Barwin repeat their performance from Monday night? No matter what, for Philadelphia to have any chance, Sam Bradford must play better. Those opportunities he had downfield against the Giants will be few and far between versus this Panthers defense. #PHIvsCAR
... Actually, this matchup will be closer than people expect. Every time you anticipate the Ravens losing 30-13, Joe Flacco goes on the kind of in-game run that reshapes the mixed bag of opinions on him (... before he and the rest of the team appear as middling as their record often suggests). With Baltimore at 1-5, though, perhaps "middling" is a misnomer. John Harbaugh's group has about a 1 percent chance of making the postseason. (Am I being too generous?) The Cardinals must be sick to their stomachs over the performance in Pittsburgh. This team was averaging 38 points per game before posting a paltry 13 against a decent -- but not dominant -- Steelers defense. The Ravens need takeaways ... any takeaways. #BALvsAZ
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Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonNFL.