Stop us if you have heard this before. The Arizona Cardinals are underdogs coming into their game this week.
For the 7th week in a row, the Cardinals will play that role as they battle the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7. The Seahawks are 3-2 on the season, but coming off a loss last week.
Let’s look at that game and a few other games of note for Week 7 of the NFL season.
Arizona Cardinals +7.5 at Seattle Seahawks; 44.5
Jonathan Gannon and his Cardinals were getting more love early in the season, but now it feels like injuries have caught up to them, and their competitiveness is waning a bit.
The Cardinals are coming off a 26-9 loss on the road at the Rams last week. The Cardinals offense simply cannot get it done. The good news is coming, though, with Kyler Murray close to returning.
Arizona also just cannot run the ball effectively. Keontay Ingram, Damien Williams, and Emari Demercado combined for just 87 yards on 20 carries in the loss. For Seattle, this seems like a “get right” type game, as Geno Smith and company scored just 13 in Cincinnati.
Look for the Seahawks to aim to get Kenneth Walker going early and the pass game to help him out. Seattle at home seems like a great bet for this game in Week 7.
Jacksonville Jaguars +1.5 at New Orleans Saints; 39.5
This is the Thursday Night Football game of the week. The question mark heading into the game will be whether Trevor Lawrence can play in this game or not. After leaving the game Sunday, it does not seem likely that Jacksonville would risk a knee injury on short work. He is questionable.
The Saints are at home here, and the national audience will be tuning in. That certainly will give them some motivation, along with the fact that at 3-3, they are well in the thick of things in the NFC South.
Look for the Saints to get Alvin Kamara involved early and often and Rashid Shaheed to be a difference-maker. Whether Lawrence plays hobbled or not, the Saints are going to win this game at home on Thursday Night.
Las Vegas Raiders -3 at Chicago Bears; 37.5
This is likely a game that will feature a pair of backup quarterbacks. Tyson Bagent is likely to get the start for the hobbled Justin Fields. Brian Hoyer looks to get the nod for the Raiders, who have won back-to-back games.
Devante Adams is upset with his production over the last two weeks, and that leads right into the narrative. Adams against a defense he is familiar with from his time in Green Bay? This seems like a great bounce-back time.
The Bears’ defense is among the worst in the league. Despite having a backup quarterback, Josh Jacobs and Devonte Adams are enough to give the Raiders the road nod here.
Pittsburgh Steelers +3 at Los Angeles Rams; 43.5
Mike Tomlin and his Steelers are coming off their bye a week ago. Now, they go to SoFi Stadium, where the Rams have been pretty solid this season.
Sure, they are 3-3, but this is a team that is on the upswing. Matthew Stafford is spreading the ball all over the field. The biggest question for the Rams will be how they move the ball on the ground.
After trading Cam Akers, now Kyren Williams is out, and it could be a few weeks worth. If they can get any ground game going, they will be able to open up the pass game to Kupp and Nacua. The Rams are going to score, not sure Pittsburgh can hold up their end of the bargain. The Rams win this one at home on Sunday.
Miami Dolphins +2.5 at Philadelphia Eagles; 51.5
The Sunday Night Football Game. No matter how much we like the Miami Dolphins, they are going into a bit of a lion’s den here. The Eagles are coming off a loss on the road at the Jets. It was their first loss of the season. Jalen Hurts was bad in the loss.
Now, they get the national audience and still have a little bit of that anger from a Super Bowl loss in them. Miami has been great offensively.
In fact, the best in the league. But the Eagles figure it out on defense and slow them down. Taking the Eagles at home is the right move here.
San Francisco 49ers -6.5 at Minnesota Vikings; 43.5
Monday Night Football. Will Christian McCaffrey play in this game? We saw Brock Purdy with less than all his weapons, and it was not pretty.
The 49ers need the running back to play, and our guess is that he will. He gets an extra day to get ready for this one. Justin Jefferson is out for Minnesota, and that’s a huge loss.
TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison can only do so much. The 49ers defense gets after Monday Night Kirk Cousins, and they win this game by 10. Taking the road favorite is the bet to make here.
There are some of our favorite games to watch this weekend in the National Football League. We hope you enjoy the weekend, and and as always – Go Cardinals!
