Source: EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – JANUARY 08: A detail of the official National Football League NFL logo is seen painted on the turf as the New York Giants host the Atlanta Falcons during their NFC Wild Card Playoff game at MetLife Stadium on January 8, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Colts fans, how are you holding up?
This week has been rough, I know. First Grover Stewart gets suspended for 6 games due to violating the league’s PED policy, then the news that everyone knew was coming finally came; Anthony Richardson is done for the season. In his place will be Gardner Minshew, who will lead the team for the remainder of the season.
Minshew is coming off a horrific performance against his old team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Minshew has widely been viewed as one of the better backups in the league, but he is still a backup for a reason. His next challenge won’t get any easier; the Cleveland Browns come to town, and they bring with them a defense that has started the season on a historical run. In fact, the Browns are fresh off shutting down the previously dominant 49ers offense. For the Colts, and Minshew especially, this could prove to be a very difficult Sunday afternoon.
Spero Dedes, who will be on the call of the Colts-Browns game, spoke to JMV during Thursday’s show about the loss of Anthony Richardson, and if him being done for the year means this is a lost season for the Colts.
“You have to always keep perspective, right? You think back to how poor last year was, what a debacle last year was for the franchise, anything is better than that. Anything is better than that. So, as disappointing as it is right now to consider the fact that he’s done for the year, I think there are enough positives, I think there are enough in the good vibe category, to make you feel like it’s not going to be a lost season. That there are still areas where the franchise has really turned a corner, where I think they’re back on the right track, and who knows? I mean look, at the end of the day the one thing you have going for you is that you’re in the AFC South, and you’re always alive in that division.”
Looking at the rest of the NFL weekend, we kick things off with the AFC South-leading Jaguars taking on the Saints. The Saints offense has not been very good this year, averaging around 18 points per game. That is not a good recipe against a good Jaguars defense. The Saints have a good defense as well, so this could end up being a low scoring affair.
Elsewhere, an AFC-NFC showdown looms between the Lions and the Ravens. The Lions have established themselves as a legitimate threat for the top seed in the NFC, while the Ravens are facing some questions following losses to the Colts and the Steelers. They did rebound with a win over a bad Titans team last week, but there are still concerns. The Lions do have some injury concerns, with David Montgomery among others dealing with nagging issues. The Ravens are also at home, and with the potential for weather, that could be the equalizer.
Sunday will close out with another AFC-NFC matchup, between 2 of the top teams in each conference. The Dolphins and the Eagles will square off on Sunday Night Football, in a game that could be a Super Bowl preview. The Eagles are looking to bounce back following a shocking loss to the Jets; they will have to keep up with the top ranked Dolphins offense, which is averaging 37.2 points per game. That could be a tall task for an Eagles offense that has had some struggles the last couple of weeks; the Eagles defense is also ranked 16th in terms of scoring. This is a tough game for the defending NFC Champions.
The NFL week ends with the 49ers looking to avenge their first loss against a struggling Vikings game. Look for Brock Purdy and Kyle Shannahan to take out their frustrations from last week on Minnesota. The 49ers enter the matchup with the top-ranked scoring defense in the league, which will face off against a middle-of-the-pack Vikings offense that will be missing its best weapon in Justin Jefferson.
Take a look at my picks for Week 7 of the NFL season!
THURSDAY
(4-2) Jacksonville Jaguars @ (3-3) New Orleans Saints: 17-14 Jaguars
SUNDAY
(5-1) Detroit Lions @ (4-2) Baltimore Ravens: 20-17 Lions
(3-3) Las Vegas Raiders @ (1-5) Chicago Bears: 20-10 Raiders
(3-2) Cleveland Browns @ (3-3) Indianapolis Colts: 23-17 Browns
(4-2) Buffalo Bills @ (1-5) New England Patriots: 28-7 Bills
(3-3) Washington Commanders @ (1-5) New York Giants: 24-13 Commanders
(3-3) Atlanta Falcons @ (3-2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 21-18 Buccaneers
(3-2) Pittsburgh Steelers @ (3-3) Los Angeles Rams: 24-10 Rams
(1-5) Arizona Cardinals @ (3-2) Seattle Seahawks: 24-17 Seahawks
(2-3) Green Bay Packers @ (1-5) Denver Broncos: 21-19 Packers
(2-3) Los Angeles Chargers @ (5-1) Kansas City Chiefs: 27-24 Chiefs
(5-1) Miami Dolphins @ (5-1) Philadelphia Eagles: 31-28 Dolphins
MONDAY
(5-1) San Francisco 49ers @ (2-4) Minnesota Vikings: 31-20 49ers
Listen to JMV and betting analyst Brent Holverson’s picks, as well as John’s conversation with Spero Dedes and more below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
