Week 7 NFL Picks: Do the Vikings Have Enough Firepower to Hang with the 49ers?
Josh Frey
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Well, Week 6 did not allow us to continue winning. There were a few really rough losses this past weekend, and with a shorter slate this week, it’s time to put together a solid showing.
Picking over/unders has not worked in our favor over the past few weeks, so in Week 7, we’re going to keep things simple and stick to the spreads. Before we get into the Week 7 NFL picks, here is a look back at how we did in Week 6:
- Chiefs -10.5 (W)
- Titans +4 (L)
- Bears +2.5 (L)
- Falcons -2.5 (L)
- Bengals -2.5 (W)
- Seahawks/Bengals O45 points (L)
- 49ers -6.5 (L)
- Dolphins -13.5 (W)
- Colts +4 (L)
- Saints -1.5 (L)
- Raiders -3 (W)
- Rams -7 (W)
- Eagles -7 (L)
- Lions -3 (W)
- Bills -14 (L)
- Chargers +2.5 (L)
Season Record: 41-54-3
Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints
- Spread: Saints -1
- O/U: 40 points
Frey’s Pick: Jaguars +1
Both teams come into Thursday night rather banged up. Trevor Lawrence is questionable with his knee injury, so he could be limited in the passing game. Meanwhile, New Orleans may be without multiple offensive linemen in this game as well as LB Demario Davis., This Saints offense has left much to be desired too. Even with Lawrence at less than 100%, the Jaguars will capture a road win this week.
Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears
- Spread: Raiders -3
- O/U: 37.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Raiders -3
Justin Fields is doubtful for this weekend, meaning undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent could be in line to make his first NFL start this weekend. He showed a few promising skills against the Vikings last weekend, but he seemed overwhelmed at times. Facing Maxx Crosby and this Raiders defense is going to be a big ask, so I’ll take Las Vegas to get their fourth win.
Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts
- Spread: Browns -2.5
- O/U: 40 points
Frey’s Pick: Browns -2.5
Anthony Richardson is out for the year with his shoulder injury, so Gardner Minshew will be featured the rest of the way in Indy’s offense. Things began going off the rails last week against Jacksonville, and now, he has to go against a much stronger Browns defense. With Cleveland showing signs of life in their victory over the 49ers, I expect the winning ways to continue this weekend.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
- Spread: Bills -8.5
- 41 points
Frey’s Pick: Bills -8.5
The Patriots are a mess right now. They have scored the second-fewest points in the league despite not having their bye yet and are one of six teams to average 4.5 yards per play or fewer. Buffalo will be fired up for this divisional matchup following a lackluster showing against the Giants last weekend. Josh Allen should be good to go from his shoulder injury, so I’ll take the Bills to roll here.
Washington Commanders at New York Giants
- Spread: Commanders -2
- O/U: 39 points
Frey’s Pick: Commanders -2
The Commanders played a very complete game in their victory over the Atlanta Falcons last weekend, and I have doubts that New York’s offensive line will be able to hold up against this powerful defensive front. As long as Sam Howell takes care of the ball, Washington should be able to win this game.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Spread: Buccaneers -2.5
- O/U: 38 points
Frey’s Pick: Buccaneers -2.5
Both of these teams are coming off disappointing losses in which the offenses looked very lethargic. I’m not sure that I trust either of these quarterbacks, but each of these defenses have been two of the best units in the NFL so far this season. In a low-scoring affair, Baker Mayfield will make a couple more plays than Desmond Ridder, and the Buccaneers get a win.
Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
- Spread: Ravens -3
- O/U: 42 points
Frey’s Pick: Lions +3
Outside of their loss to the Seahawks in Week 2, this Lions team has been consistent as all get out in 2023. The biggest surprise has been just how great their defense has been this year, allowing 20 or fewer points in four of their first six games. They are yet to give up 100 rushing yards in a game, either. On the other side, it seems like we never really know what we’re going to get out of the Baltimore Ravens on a week-to-week basis. There are more ways for the Lions to win this game, so I’ll ride with Detroit to get the road upset.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams
- Spread: Rams -3
- O/U: 44 points
Frey’s Pick: Rams -3
I really don’t trust Pittsburgh’s offense. Their defense may be tough enough to keep this game relatively close, but with Cooper Kupp back in the Rams’ lineup and looking like a star again, LA has too much firepower for the Steelers.
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
- Spread: Seahawks -8
- O/U: 44.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Seahawks -8
Seattle is coming off a road loss in Cincinnati where they left plenty of opportunities on the table. They had a couple costly turnovers, and that game will be on their minds coming into this weekend. Meanwhile, over the past couple weeks, Arizona has looked much closer to what many expected them to be this season, losing their last three games by a combined 50 points. Seattle takes this one.
Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos
- Spread: Packers -1
- O/U: 45 points
Frey’s Pick: Packers -1
Denver is already committing to the future after letting go of both Randy Gregory and Frank Clark. The whole team has been a dysfunctional comedy of errors. Green Bay is coming off their bye and looking to get back on track after back-to-back losses. As they begin to get healthier on both sides of the ball, I’ll bank on the Packers to win this game.
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
- Spread: Chiefs -5.5
- O/U: 48 points
Frey’s Pick: Chiefs -5.5
Historically, the Chiefs just have the Chargers number. Since 2014, Kansas City is 15-3 against their division rivals. This time around, they also get some extra rest considering they last played on Thursday while LA fell to the Cowboys on Monday night. I have a few concerns with the Chiefs’ offense, but their defense is plenty strong enough to cover this spread.
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
- Spread: Eagles -2.5
- O/U: 52 points
Frey’s Pick: Eagles -2.5
The Miami Dolphins have had one major test this season when they played the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, and they were unable to come through in that game. Other than that, they’ve beaten up on teams with combined records of 5-24. Perhaps they prove me wrong here, but with the Eagles coming off a bad loss against the Jets, I think Philly gets back on track at home.
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
- Spread: 49ers -7
- O/U: 44 points
Frey’s Pick: Vikings +7
If there’s one thing the Vikings have proven to be good at this year, it’s playing to the level of their opponent. They are yet to play a game that hasn’t finished in a one-possession score, and 19 of Kevin O’Connell’s first 24 games as Minnesota’s head coach have been decided by 8 points or fewer. With both teams being banged up heading into this game, and San Francisco playing back-to-back road games, the Vikings will keep this one close.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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