Week 7 Preview

Week 7 began predictably.  After getting pasted at home by the Giants last Sunday, I fully expected the 49ers to come back and take out their frustrations on someone.  They Seahawks held their own, but an “L” is an “L.”  Still, the NFC West remains tight and competitive. 

Likewise, the AFC East is also tight and competitive, with all four teams knotted up at 3-3.  Two of them are facing off this week when the Jets visit the Patriots.  There’s already no love lost there, and the larger context adds to tension.  Both teams had higher hopes than a .500 start.  Should be a great game!

The most touted AFC game, meanwhile, is the match-up between the only two squads in the Conference with winning records.  The 5-1 Ravens visit the 5-1 Texans.  The latter, of course, are still smarting from how the Packers put them to shame on Sunday Night Football.  The Ravens will be a tough team to rebound against, though Houston has the advantage of playing at home.

The least touted AFC game is probably the Browns at the Colts.  Cleveland finally broke into the win column last week, and they’ve got to be looking at the Colts as another eligible victim.  I spent a lot of years living in Cleveland and just recently learned that their coach’s mom lives near me, so I’ll be pulling hard for them. 

The Saints are the other team that came late to their first win.  It’s hard to imagine them catching the Falcons, who have rocketed out to a 6-0 start.  Second place in that division is wide open, however, and New Orleans can lay claim to that with a win at Tampa Bay.

Meanwhile, the entire NFC North is back at work this week.  The surprising Vikings are hosting the 4-2 Cardinals.  Arizona can’t afford to lose more ground against the 49ers and Seahawks, just as Minnesota can’t against the Bears.  Both teams boast some impressive victories on their 2012 resume.  Arizona has beaten Seattle, the Patriots, and the Eagles, while the Vikings have upset the 49ers and shellacked the Titans. If the game were in Arizona, I’d definitely pick the Cardinals.  As it is, though, I’m not so sure.  Naturally, I’m in the Cardinals corner, no matter.

The Division-leading Bears are hosting the 2-3 Lions on Monday Night Football.  I can’t root for either team, but I will be delighted by either one losing.  Folks are beginning to talk about the Bears like they’re for real.  They didn’t look it when they came to Green Bay, but we didn’t look like it during the second half in Indy, either.  Now you can only beat the teams you play, and they have mostly managed to do that.  But the teams they’ve beaten (Colts, Rams, Cowboys, and Jaguars) have a combined record of 8-13.  Of the group, the Rams have the best record at 3-3.  So I’m not sold on the Bears yet.

Finally, the Packers play those 3-3 Rams this Sunday in St. Louis.  I’m afraid they’re a no-nonsense team, having won all three home games so far this season.  And those three victories have come against the Redskins, the Seahawks, and the Cardinals.  Green Bay is definitely the more balanced team, but I am concerned by where their imbalance lies.  Namely, while their offense ranks near the bottom in many categories, their defense is really quite good.  Statistically, it’s better than ours.  But if the Packers can achieve the same sort of rhythm and pace that characterized their Sunday Night performance in Houston, I have little doubt that we’ll come home victorious.