NFL Week 7 Game Picks: New York Jets Upset New England Patriots?

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Buffalo Bills (3-3) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)

Yahoo will break new ground by streaming the game from their site. If you’re outside of either team’s market area for TV broadcasting you must watch it through Yahoo.

As for the actual game, Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan finds himself in a must-win situation seven games into the season. The players have gone public with their grievances, which means the coach needs a win to galvanize the locker room.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin and backup running back Karlos Williams are all out. Running back LeSean McCoy stands as the only weapon against a mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars defense.

Unlike Bills quarterback EJ Manuel, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has two decent wide receivers and a red-zone threat in tight end Julius Thomas. The Jaguars will find a way to exploit the Bills 23rd-ranked pass defense for a win.

Buffalo will go into their Week 8 bye making headlines with unhappy players coming out of the woodwork. Ryan will attempt to temper ill feelings with promises he may or may not be able to keep.

The Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings (3-2) at Detroit Lions (1-5)

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson lists as questionable with an illness. If Peterson plays, don’t expect him to take a huge load off quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s arm.

The Detroit Lions don’t have a rushing attack to speak of this season. The team averages a paltry 66.5 rushing yards per game, which puts tremendous pressure on the passing attack. Thus far, that dilemma has led to disaster. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown 10 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

In the last two weeks, wide receiver Stefon Diggs has stepped to the forefront as a playmaker. He’ll ease the heavy coverage on Mike Wallace.

The two wide receivers will lead the Vikings to their second victory over the Lions this season.

The Pick: Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints (2-4) at Indianapolis Colts (3-3)

Yes, the New Orleans Saints just upset an undefeated division rival at home, but the team doesn’t travel as well. Most people don’t want to admit it, but quarterback Drew Brees has begun to show decline.

Brees would have to go throw for throw with Andrew Luck in order to pull out a victory. That’s not going to happen on Sunday.

The Colts are struggling, and their coaching staff screwed up with an enigmatic play call on fourth down last week. Luck even missed some throws against the New England Patriots, but he played well enough to keep the team competitive for most of the game.

The Saints defense will bring Thanksgiving to Luck early, and he’ll feast on the league’s 30th-ranked pass defense.

The Pick: Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a plan in place for their quarterback situation:

Honestly, it really doesn’t matter if it’s Landry Jones or Ben Roethlisberger making a miraculous start at 65 percent. The Kansas City Chiefs have scored 10 points in the last six quarters without running back Jamaal Charles, who tore his ACL in Week 5.

The addition of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has slightly improved the Chiefs passing offense, but not enough to put up points consistently.

The Steelers have weathered the storm without Roethlisberger, going 2-1 in his absence. That winning trend will continue against the Chiefs lifeless offense.

The Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers

Next: Patriots on Upset Alert?