1:00 PM EST

Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons

Not that long ago, these two teams were champions of the NFC. Now they’re both in a slump. This is the rare game that both teams desperately need to win. The Los Angeles Rams have lost three straight games for the first time under head coach Sean McVay. The Atlanta Falcons are 1-5 and the temperature is steadily rising on Dan Quinn’s seat with every loss. Los Angeles will get Todd Gurley back after he sat out last week’s game. The team will also see new acquisition Jalen Ramsey suit up. It comes just in time too as his new team will likely have him shadow Julio Jones the entire game. If they can limit Jones it’s hard to see Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense being able to do much damage. That group has underwhelmed greatly throughout this season. Atlanta is desperate at this point but can they put together a 60-minute performance and pull out a much-needed win?

PREDICTION: Rams 28 , Falcons 17 

Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills

What was routinely a meeting to determine who would finish at the bottom of the AFC East has been flipped on its head this year. We know who’s going to be in last place—the Miami Dolphins—but the Buffalo Bills have a realistic chance to potentially steal the division title away from the New England Patriots this season. Buffalo has suffered their only loss of the year to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick but remains just a game and a half back. The Bills have put together a ferocious defense that can cover and get pressure on opposing defenses. This game against Miami (who has flip-flopped back to having Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback) should be an easy win especially since Buffalo is relatively healthy after their bye week. Rookie running back Devin Singletary will take the field for the first time since Week 2.

PREDICTION: Bills 33 , Dolphins 10

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The second-biggest storyline for the Jacksonville Jaguars this week was that quarterback Nick Foles was returning to practice. While the world got swept up in #MinshewMania, it stands to reason that if healthy the team would rather have the former Super Bowl MVP running the offense than their sixth-round rookie quarterback. However, that question will have to be answered at a later date for now. The pressing question is whether or not this defense can still be one of the best in the league now that Jalen Ramsey is gone for good. They still have A.J. Buoye who they paid handsomely as a free agent. He becomes the top cornerback but will they use him like they did Ramsey? The Cincinnati Bengals have Tyler Boyd and not much else so Buoye could draw that assignment. The Bengals are looking for their first win and if things went perfectly this game presents an opportunity for Andy Dalton and Joe Mixon to get their seasons off the ground in a big way.

PREDICTION: Bengals 18 , Jaguars 13

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

Last week’s loss on Sunday Night Football to the Green Bay Packers must have left a bad taste in the mouth of the Detroit Lions collectively. That result was the difference between them being atop the NFC North or sitting in the last place. At 2-2-1, they need to start putting together wins ASAP if they hope to remain in the race for a division title. The Minnesota Vikings have their eyes on that same prize. After some early-season turbulence and frustrations from wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, the last two weeks couldn’t have gone better. Thielen exploded against the New York Giants and Diggs followed that up with his best game as a Viking by torching the Philadelphia Eagles. Naturally, those two teams also have two of the league’s worst secondaries. Detroit has shown that its defense is not that leaky so will Kirk Cousins be able to keep his stars on the outside happy for another week?

PREDICTION: Vikings 24 , Lions 20

Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers

Through some improbable wins the Green Bay Packers sit at 5-1 and look to have the most complete roster of the Aaron Rodgers era outside of their Super Bowl-winning team in 2011. New head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense has prioritized the run and then Rodgers is free to use play-action passes to try and pick apart the defense. When everything works in unison they have looked really good. The same goes for their defense, thanks to the offseason additions of Preston Smith and Zadarius Smith have given the Packers a true pass-rushing tandem. The Oakland Raiders come into this game at 3-2 and are greatly exceeding expectations to this point. Jon Gruden’s second season is going much better than his first. They had a surprise win over an NFC North team the last time they played so they look to double up this week. Beating Green Bay, in Lambeau, would be a big boost for this franchise.

PREDICTION: Packers 30 , Raiders 20

Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts 

As we’ve come accustomed to in recent years, the AFC South looks to be lining up to be a battle between these two teams. The Houston Texans have quickly turned things around with a blowout win over the Atlanta Falcons and a road win against the Kansas City Chiefs I’m back-to-back weeks. Deshaun Watson looks on the way to cementing his superstar status in this league and DeAndre Hopkins remains one of the best weapons in the league period. Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts also boast a road win over the Chiefs on their resume. They enter this week after their bye week. Jacoby Brissett has filled in spectacularly for the retired Andrew Luck and the Colts did a great job of building a complete roster. This is the first of two meetings between these teams but getting the first win is going to prove vital as the season continues and they likely are neck-and-neck with each other.

PREDICTION: Texans 31 , Colts 26

Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants 

Two roomie quarterbacks enter and only one leaves with a win. The New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals each took Daniel Jones and Kyler Murray respectively inside of the first 10 picks of the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones sat behind an established veteran in Eli Manning for the first two games before being named the starter. Since then he’s been relatively up-and-down going 2-2 in four starts and being responsible for 10 turnovers. Murray was immediately handed the first-team reps and has started in every game for the Cardinals this season. Arizona has notched consecutive wins and Murray has looked the part of number one pick and future star. These defenses have been poor so far—though the Cardinals do get All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson back this week—so we could be in store for a good ole fashioned shootout in the Meadowlands today.

PREDICTION: Cardinals 35 , Giants 31

San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins fans, take the pride and joy that came with beating the Miami Dolphins and bottle that up. That is likely going to be the team’s last win for a few weeks. Bill Callahan is unlikely to inspire this group to any upsets. Eventually, Dwayne Haskins will get his shot to show what he could potentially do but that is likely not going to happen in the next couple of games either. So just turn the page to 2020 and hope for better luck then. Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers fans have watched this team climb out of the doldrums and blossom into a legit Super Bowl contender. Jimmy Garoppolo has stayed healthy, Kyle Shanahan has orchestrated the best rushing attack in the NFL, and Robert Salah’s defense is LEGIT. As long as injuries don’t derail them, the Niners should be headed back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

PREDICTION: 49ers 38 , Redskins 13

4:05 PM EST

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tennessee Titans

The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a bad loss in primetime against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their third-string quarterback. Melvin Gordon is back bitches he’s yet to truly be integrated into the offense like he was a season ago. Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen have been studs but them alone hasn’t been enough to get things going this year. Injuries have sidelined some key pieces (notably Russell Okung and Derwin James) but the hope is that they’re able to return in time to help right the ship for the Chargers. The Tennessee Titans, on the other hand, are opting to make a switch at quarterback to try and fix things on the field. Marcus Mariota’s time calling the shots has been mostly uninspiring through four-plus seasons. Mike Vrabel hopes that this change is the spark the offense needs to get going. The defense has been phenomenal but the lack of production offensively has led to this team sitting with a losing record through six games. Whichever one of Phillip Rivers or Ryan Tannehill has a better performance will lead their team to victory.

PREDICTION: Titans 20 , Chargers 14

4:25 PM EST

New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears

The New Orleans Saints have performed admirably while Drew Brees is attempting to recover from a thumb injury. Teddy Bridgewater has gone undefeated as their starter and the offense has gone on without a glitch. That will be tested this week as they will be without running back Alvin Kamara who hurt his ankle in last week’s win. Michael Thomas is still around and he’s been playing like the best wide receiver in the league. However, Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears defense present quite the test for New Orleans this week. The unit hasn’t missed a beat despite Vic Fangio departing for the head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. They still put pressure on the quarterback and create havoc in hope of forcing turnovers. Chicago also gets back quarterback Mitchell Trubisky this week after a bye.

PREDICTION: Bears 27 , Saints 21

Baltimore Ravens vs. Seattle Seahawks

The final game on the early slate of the Week 7 schedule is a matchup of two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the NFL as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens travel to the Northwest to face Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. To begin the year, Jackson had two huge games and was in the early MVP conversation. Now, Wilson has become the betting favorite to take home the honors. This game could either lock-in that narrative or see it flip again depending on which team can emerge with the win at the end of 60 minutes. Another storyline to watch is the return of Earl Thomas to Seattle. The last time he played for the Seahawks he left the game injured and sending an explicit non-verbal message to Pete Carroll on his way out. He was always a favorite of the 12th man but what will the reaction be now that he comes to CenturyLink field as the opponent rather than part of the team? This game is going to be A LOT of fun.

PREDICTION: Seahawks 34 , Ravens 30