By: Stephen Patterson
With several teams entering Week 7 in "All-Out Panic" mode, this could be a make-or-break week for some of the struggling teams in the NFL.
Can the Dallas Cowboys begin the daunting task of turning their season around on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants? Will the struggling San Diego Chargers be able to put a stop to their annual slow start and turn things around at home against the New England Patriots?Perhaps the biggest question of all surrounding this weekends' match-ups is whether or not Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings can put back-to-back wins together for the first time this season against Favres' former team, the Green Bay Packers. Will Favre be able to lead the Vikings back up in the standings? Or will Green Bay finally get a win against the former face of their franchise?
#5: Washington Redskins @ Chicago Bears
The Story: Both teams are coming off losses and will look to regroup when they match-up at Soldier Field on Sunday. The Chicago Bears currently control their own destiny in the NFC North, as they would continue their hold on the division lead with a victory. The Washington Redskins are a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the NFC East, but a victory would keep them close to the top. Look for this to be a hard fought, low-scoring game with several big plays being the difference in this one.
Key to Victory: Defense. The Redskins head into Chicago allowing an NFL-worst 432.5 total yards per game, a number they hope will drop with a strong performance against a struggling Bears' offense. Chicago, on the other hand, is expecting to turn around their offensive misfortunes. However, if their offensive line can't offer any better protection than they have previously this season, it could be a very rough day for Jay Cutler. If the Bears are going to win this game, they need a solid performance by Matt Forte, who has struggled on the ground this season averaging only 92.3 yards per game rushing.
Prediction: Washington Redskins 17, Chicago Bears 14
#4: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins
Key to Victory: Defense. The Redskins head into Chicago allowing an NFL-worst 432.5 total yards per game, a number they hope will drop with a strong performance against a struggling Bears' offense. Chicago, on the other hand, is expecting to turn around their offensive misfortunes. However, if their offensive line can't offer any better protection than they have previously this season, it could be a very rough day for Jay Cutler. If the Bears are going to win this game, they need a solid performance by Matt Forte, who has struggled on the ground this season averaging only 92.3 yards per game rushing.
Prediction: Washington Redskins 17, Chicago Bears 14
#4: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Miami Dolphins
The Story: The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense will be hungry to show the league they can still knock opponents silly without getting flagged for "devastating hits", and unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, they will be on the receiving end of those hits. Ben Roethlisberger is making his second start of the season after sitting out the first four games due to suspension, and he will look to make another strong impression. The Dolphins are coming off a hard fought overtime win at Lambeau against the Green Bay Packers and they will look to build upon that win.
Key to Victory: Brandon Marshall/Mike Wallace. Both teams have solid defenses, but they are also both better at stopping the run. Both teams will be looking for huge games from their star receivers, and the player that has the biggest game might just be the difference in this one. Look for one or both of these guys making huge plays late in the fourth quarter with the game still on the line. Marshall has had a relatively slow start to the season in Miami, having caught only one touchdown pass so far this year. Look for him to break out of that slump with a big game against the Steelers' secondary.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Miami Dolphins 21
#3: New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers
Key to Victory: Brandon Marshall/Mike Wallace. Both teams have solid defenses, but they are also both better at stopping the run. Both teams will be looking for huge games from their star receivers, and the player that has the biggest game might just be the difference in this one. Look for one or both of these guys making huge plays late in the fourth quarter with the game still on the line. Marshall has had a relatively slow start to the season in Miami, having caught only one touchdown pass so far this year. Look for him to break out of that slump with a big game against the Steelers' secondary.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Miami Dolphins 21
#3: New England Patriots @ San Diego Chargers
The Story: This is almost a must-win situation for the San Diego Chargers, as they are once again off to a painfully slow start to the season. Luckily for them, they are playing at home, where they are 2-0 this season. The bad news? They've lost all four games they've played on the road this season and they can't afford to drop a game of this magnitude at home. The New England Patriots will look to continue developing their offensive and adapting to no longer having Randy Moss. Deion Branch had a nice game last week against the Ravens, and the Patriots will need another big game from him to win this game.
Key to Victory: Special teams. The Chargers have been absolutely abysmal on special teams so far this season, and they can't afford to have those kind of lapses in this game. The Patriots destroyed the Miami Dolphins earlier this season because of special teams' gaffes, and if the Chargers want to avoid the same fate, they will need an all-around effort from everyone involved on special teams. If the Chargers can manage the ball and avoid mistakes, they will be in this game until the final whistle. Sadly, I'm not convinced that can happen for this team.
Prediction: New England Patriots 31, San Diego Chargers 21
#2: New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Key to Victory: Special teams. The Chargers have been absolutely abysmal on special teams so far this season, and they can't afford to have those kind of lapses in this game. The Patriots destroyed the Miami Dolphins earlier this season because of special teams' gaffes, and if the Chargers want to avoid the same fate, they will need an all-around effort from everyone involved on special teams. If the Chargers can manage the ball and avoid mistakes, they will be in this game until the final whistle. Sadly, I'm not convinced that can happen for this team.
Prediction: New England Patriots 31, San Diego Chargers 21
#2: New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
The Story: If there is a team facing a must-win situation in Week 7, it has to be the Dallas Cowboys. After starting the season as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl, the Cowboys came out and fell flat on their faces to start the season. Unluckily for them, they are still tumbling and have to find a way to avoid a 1-5 start if they want any chance of even reaching the postseason. The New York Giants started off the season slowly, but they have looked increasingly better over their past three games. If they can knock off the Cowboys in this one, it will make their own run for the postseason a lot easier.
Key to Victory: Pride. The Cowboys must come out and play smart, competitive football for sixty minutes in order to have a chance in this one. If they continue to show poor judgment by celebrating prematurely and getting called for stupid penalties, this game could get out of hand very quickly for Dallas. I think they need to come out early and dominate both sides of the ball if they really want to win this game. If New York strikes first, and the Cowboys get off to a slow start, I think the Giants will be able to control the game and hold off a desperate, late flurry by Dallas.
Prediction: New York Giants 20, Dallas Cowboys 21
#1: Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
Key to Victory: Pride. The Cowboys must come out and play smart, competitive football for sixty minutes in order to have a chance in this one. If they continue to show poor judgment by celebrating prematurely and getting called for stupid penalties, this game could get out of hand very quickly for Dallas. I think they need to come out early and dominate both sides of the ball if they really want to win this game. If New York strikes first, and the Cowboys get off to a slow start, I think the Giants will be able to control the game and hold off a desperate, late flurry by Dallas.
Prediction: New York Giants 20, Dallas Cowboys 21
#1: Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers
The Story: What's not to like about this game? Brett Favre will be going all-out against his former team in an effort to show them they made the wrong choice by letting him go. Aaron Rodgers will look to get his first regular-season victory against his former mentor. There are so many storylines surrounding this match-up that you could literally write a book and still probably miss a few of the smaller stories. Considering this a divisional rivalry and both teams are trying to make up ground in the race to catch the first-place Chicago Bears, I'd expect this game to be one of the most entertaining of the weekend.
Key to Victory: Brett Favre. One way or another, the aging Vikings' quarterback will be directly linked to the outcome of this game. Last season, Favre had two memorable victories against his former team, as the Vikings went 2-0 against the Packers. But, Favre was also playing at a much higher level last season as well. If Favre plans to improve his record to 3-0 against his former team, he better be willing to hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson often and not try to press his luck against a formidable defense by forcing bad passes. Unluckily for the Vikings, Favre usually doesn't pass up opportunities to throw into coverage and turn the ball over.
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 17, Green Bay Packers 27
Key to Victory: Brett Favre. One way or another, the aging Vikings' quarterback will be directly linked to the outcome of this game. Last season, Favre had two memorable victories against his former team, as the Vikings went 2-0 against the Packers. But, Favre was also playing at a much higher level last season as well. If Favre plans to improve his record to 3-0 against his former team, he better be willing to hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson often and not try to press his luck against a formidable defense by forcing bad passes. Unluckily for the Vikings, Favre usually doesn't pass up opportunities to throw into coverage and turn the ball over.
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 17, Green Bay Packers 27
