NFL 2012 Week 7 picks

I seem to be alternating great weeks with terrible weeks.  In that case, this should be a great week.  I'm also picking very few visitors, so things look good.

Thursday night: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers:  I'd love to pick the Seahawks, as they seem to be improving, but I think the 49ers will bounce back from their terrible loss last week.  49ERS, 26-16

Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at Minnesota Vikings:  These two teams are fairly evenly matched.  The Cardinals have a stiff defense, while the Vikings offense is strong.  The Vikings defense needs some work, while the Cards offense (especially lately) has been lagging.  It's that recent trend of a faltering offense that convinces me that the Vikings stand the better chance of winning.  VIKINGS, 28-20

Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans:  Both teams suffered losses due to injury last week, but the Ravens' may be more severe.  Two of their top defenders are out for the rest of the season.  The Ravens have a good bench, but this could impact their effectiveness.  Houston is a tough team, and I think they'll still be tough.  Their offense is a bit better than Baltimore's, too.  TEXANS, 26-23

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts:  I'm going to step out on a limb here.  Cleveland has been steadily improving, and Andrew Luck is not getting enough support from the defense.  The Browns defense is not great, either, but Brandon Wheeden has the offense rolling.  I like Cleveland for the surprise pick.  BROWNS, 27-23

Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers:  Carolina is the attractive pick, knowing what that offense is capable of doing, but Cam Newton and company have not been racking up the yardage like they did last season.  Dallas gave Baltimore all they could handle, so the offense may be showing enough power to propel themselves.  COWBOYS, 24-23

Green Bay Packers at St Louis Rams:  I think the Pack finally woke up last week.  If the offense keeps that level of intensity, they will bowl over the Rams defense.  The Pack's defense isn't great, so the Rams will score, but they won't score enough to overcome the Pack.  PACKERS, 27-20

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs:  The Saints offense woke up two weeks ago before their bye.  If they used the bye to get their heads screwed on straight, instead of continuing to fight the league on the bounty scandal issue, they could overpower the Bucs, despite the Bucs' strong defense.  However, based upon the amount of news I've still seen about the Saints, especially Jonathan Vilma, I think the battle with the league is still a distraction, which interferes with them enough to let Tampa Bay excel.  BUCS, 26-24

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills:  This could be an interesting game. The Titans have the worst defense in the league, but Buffalo's isn't much better.  That gives both offenses a chance to shine.  Given that, which offense will play better?  The Titans have more potential, but Jake Locker and company have underperformed this season.  Locker participated in limited practice, so it appears he will be back for Sunday, but that may not help them much.  BILLS, 27-20

Washington Redskins at New York Giants:  Jason Pierre-Paul has already started trash talking RGIII, which might not be a smart move.  The Redskins offense is moving well, well enough to frustrate the Giants defense.  However, the Redskins defense has been poor this season.  The Redskins will score against the Giants, but the Giants will score more.  A last minute drive by the Redskins will fall just a little short, as they will a TD to win.  GIANTS, 31-27

Sunday late games
New York Jets at New England Patriots:  The switcheroo of Sanchez and Tebow worked well last week, but don't count on the same success this week.  Nobody does or plans for clever game switches better than Bill Belichick, Despite all the attention the Jets' offense has garnered, it is the defense that is surprisingly underperforming, which will allow the Pats offense to roll.  PATRIOTS, 27-23

Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders:  Neither teams' offense has generated much power this season, but the Jags are pathetic.  They are the worst offense in the league.  Oakland is 30th, but the difference is significant.  The Raiders defense is poor enough that the Jags will score, but the Raiders will still win.  RAIDERS, 23-20

Sunday night:  Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals:  Both teams are reeling from shocking losses last week.  The Bengals' loss might have been worse, mainly due to the number of errors committed by Andy Dalton.  The Browns shattered his confidence; he was forcing throws at the end of the game.  Dalton will need a good game to restore that confidence.  Unfortunately, the Steelers defense won't let him get one.  They know that Dalton is reeling, and they will charge him and frustrate him.  STEELERS, 26-20

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears:  Oh, I HATE it when my Bears play Monday Night Football.  Sure, I get to see them, but they play worse on Monday night than any other time.  I should pick Detroit for just that reason.  However, the Bears defense has been especially fierce this season, and the Lions struggle, even make mistakes, in the face of stiff defenses.  Cutler will make mistakes, and throw a couple of interceptions, but will the Bears defense let the Lions capitalize on them?  BEARS, 23-17