NFL Bold Predictions Week 7
The Derek Carr Has A Stellar Performance To Beat The Chiefs
The Raiders are amongst the teams this season that aren’t living up to their potential. After the winning season they had last year, many presumed this team would be at least playoff bound, and although that’s still more than possible, the Raiders have a way to go.
However, I think Oakland prevails in this matchup and gets back on a winning track. This bold prediction has lost some of its flash given that the Chiefs are no longer undefeated. Nonetheless, Kanas City is still highly favored in this contest, which still makes this speculation a little controversial.
As great as the Chiefs have been, they have given up plenty of points to their opponents this season. Every team they’ve faced (with the exception of the Chargers) has reached at least 19 points against Kanas City’s defense. Obviously, that number isn’t a huge, but it will likely give a struggling Raiders’ offense the chance to score.
Those opportunities to put points on the board are going to come from Carr. The weakest link in the Chiefs defense is their secondary. This has been discussed at length since the injury to Eric Berry, but it’s worth noting because the Raiders have enough aerial weapons to exploit the Chiefs’ defense backs.
Carr is going to distribute the ball really well to all his weapons. He’s going to successfully lead scoring drives with a plethora of completed passes to Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Jared Cook, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Ultimately, Carr will throw three touchdowns and guide his team to 30 – 24 victory over the AFC West leaders.
Jay Ajayi Runs For Over 150 Yards Against The Jets
Ajayi has been a let down for most fantasy owners. Obviously, things haven’t been easy for him considering his quarterback is Jay Cutler and the Dolphins offense is… just terrible. But Ajayi has persevered. The Dolphins running back is coming off of a 130-yard outing against the Falcons. Now, the Falcons aren’t the same Super Bowl team, and some would argue that Ajayi’s ability to move the ball in this game is in part due to Atlanta’s decline.
Certainly, the Falcons’ deficiencies didn’t hurt Ajayi’s stats, but his solid output can be more attributed to volume. Ajayi was given the ball 26 times. The number of carries placed the young back squarely in the driver seat of the Dolphins’ offense. This is exactly where he belongs if the Dolphins want any chance of stringing together more wins. It’s a simple matter of ball control. The more Ajayi runs the ball, the less Cutler has an opportunity to cut that drive short with either an interception or inaccurate passes. This old-school approach would increase the Dolphins time of possession, and subsequently, keep their defense fresh.
Also, Ajayi has proven to be more productive with greater opportunities. In the two games in which he touched the ball a total of 23 times, Ajayi had a mere 62 yards. Inversely, in his other three games, in which he carried the ball a total of 79 times, Ajayi churned out 329 yards! Nearly 110 yards-per-game!
This Sunday, the Dolphins will have figured this out by now. They’re going to begin the game extremely run heavy. At first, Ajayi will be stifled because the Jets are going to be expecting him. However, as the game progresses, he will burst out for a few long runs and a Dolphins lead. The Fins will just run the ball more and more in order to hang onto their advantage, which they will until the end of the fourth quarter, with a 13 – 7 finish, and 150 yards on the ground for Ajayi.
The Giants Win Back-To-Back Weeks After Defeating The Seahawks
I wish I‘d predicted that the Giants were going to beat the Broncos. That was the upset of all upsets! Unfortunately, I boldly predicted the opposite outcome, but alas, mistakes will be made. However, I’ll give the Giants the benefit of the doubt this week. New York will pull off another unexpected victory for a couple of reasons.
For starters, the Giants will be returning to Metlife Stadium, and not just casually returning, but coming home with a tide of momentum. Everyone and I mean everyone, wrote off this team as being done with a capital D. Against all odds, they mustered a commanding victory, which demonstrated to everyone that their offense can still function. Eli Manning will guide his offense down the field with a series of short-range passes and handoffs to Orleans Darkwa. Although no player will be dazzling, or even that good, they’ll do just enough to put points on the board.
New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning. Photo Credit: Erik Drost – Under Creative Commons License
The Giants true victory will come from their ferocious pass rush against a spotty Seahawks’ offensive line. The issues with Seattle’s front 5 are nothing new. They’ve dealt with this Achilles heel for what seems like awhile now. Russell Wilson has continued to find ways to be successful despite the shortcomings of his O-line, and he’s likely to stay this way on Sunday. However, the Giants front seven, led by Jason Pierre-Paul, aren’t going to make it easy for Wilson. New York’s defense will disrupt Wilson so much that their depleted offense will be able to keep pace. Ultimately, Manning will manage enough to guide his team their second win (20 – 14).
Kirk Cousins And Carson Wentz Combine For At Least 9 Total Touchdowns
Everyone loves a great Monday night game and this upcoming matchup certainly looks like it’ll be just that. Divisional contests are usually more entertaining because there’s a lot at stake for both teams. However, this Monday night game is all about the Redskins. Washington NEEDS to win if they have any hopes of staying competitive in the NFC East.
Upon a cursory glance, 9 total touchdowns seem excessive, and I have to admit, I was hesitant about going that high. But, these are bold predictions! The bolder, the better!
That emotionally charged diatribe aside, there is some rationale to my guess. The Eagles’ offense has been red-hot under the guidance of Wentz. The sophomore quarterback has delivered 13 TDs, close to 1600 yards thus far, and his offense ranks 3rd in the league. I foresee Wentz starting the game the same way he has all year, with a couple of scoring drives. The Eagles will have an even easier time moving the ball downfield this time around considering the Redskins star corner (Josh Norman) will likely be out.
After the Eagles start raining down buckets of points, the Redskins will be forced to air out the ball (something they already enjoy doing). Currently, the Redskins, driven by the solid performances of Cousins, rank 6th in total offense. He’s spread the ball around effectively (sorry everyone that drafted Terrelle Pryor early in their fantasy drafts) and has completed a nice blend of short, intermediate, and deep balls. Also, the Eagles primary weakness is their secondary, an area that Cousins will be able to exploit with relative ease.
As the game is nearing its conclusion, which will be in overtime, Wentz will mount one final drive. He and his offense will march down the field. The young quarterback will heave an outstanding pass to Nelson Agholor in the end zone to close out the battle. Eagles win 37 – 31!