BlitzNation Roundtable Predictions: Week 7

We’re back and better than ever for another edition of the BlitzNation Roundtable. This week is jam-packed with some more great games like the Vikings vs. the Steelers, and the Cardinals vs. the Giants. Check out our predictions for these games and more after the jump.

Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers

Brian Ethridge: “The Vikings can’t stay undefeated for ever and the defending champs are hungry for a big win” - 27-21 Steelers

Blake Lovell: “I’ve picked the Vikings to lose a couple weeks so far this season, and they’ve proved me wrong every time. Maybe the third time is the charm” - 24-16 Steelers

Kyle Flip: “Peterson is coming off a dominant game against Baltimore’s tough defense. The Steel Curtain is pretty good on D, but not good enough.” - 31-20 Vikings

Cody Benjamin: “Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are rolling at a 4-2 record, but remain in a fierce battle for their respected division. Against the stout Vikings’ defense, Pittsburgh may not find their typical productive results. This will be one great game, and although there is a lot of passion and talent in Minnesota, I see Pittsburgh knocking the Vikes from their perfect record” - 28-21 Steelers

Eric Merkys: “Pittsburgh will be victorious. The Vikings had a hard time against the Ravens and I think it will be even harder against the Steelers. I am still banking on Farve starting his INT ways.” - 31-28 Steelers

Rafael Hernandez : “Minnesota will take it to Big Ben” - 31-17 Vikings

Khai Gordon: “Minnesota at Pittsburgh…is a tough call. Pittsburgh is not the same Pittsburgh and has an uphill climb ahead of them if they want any shot at winning the AFC North. The thing is this game is in Pittsburgh so I think they’ll win.” - 17-14 Steelers

Jenn Beddoe: “Being a rabid Steelers fan, I desperately hope the Steelers can give the Vikings their first loss. If the Steelers are running on all cylinders, I think they can pull it off.” - 27-24 Steelers

Lee Tawil: “I am feeling an upset special in this one. The Steelers are tough to beat at home, and the defending champions want to show that they are a legitimate threat to win it all again this year. What better way to show that than beating the undefeated Vikings? Roethlisberger has been throwing the ball for many yards, and Rashard Mendenhall has been relatively good in the running game. The Vikings have been very good on both sides of the ball this season, but they have escaped with a couple of victories that could have gone either way. I expect the Steelers to seize their opportunities, and I love Big Ben at the end of the game. There is nobody better down the stretch than Ben.” - Steelers by 4.

San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans

Brian Ethridge: “I actually think this will be a pretty easy win for the 49ers. I’m just interested to see how many catches Michael Crabtree gets.” - 28-17 49ers

Blake Lovell: “You know the Texans are doing something right when we are predicting one of their games. This will be a tough test for them this week, but I think their offense is clicking right now.” - 27-20 Texans

Kyle Flip: “Houston is a very talented team, and I think they are beginning to click at the right time. Schaub has a big day, and moves Houston to 4-3.” - 34-28 Texans

Cody Benjamin: “Both the Niners and Texans are still in search of their true identities. San Francisco has looked brilliant at times, as has Houston, but both teams have suffered significant falters. With Texans’ QB Matt Schaub on a hot streak, it seems likely the 49ers will take in another loss this week.” - 35-17 Texans

Eric Merkys: “San Fran has been really week so far. I am going with Houston with this one after their big win last week.” -
28-17 Texans

Rafael Hernandez : “SF will beat Houston” - 17-10 49ers

Khai Gordon: “The 49er’s have their man Crabtree signed and ready to start on Sunday. They also get back Frank Gore and Mike Singletary is still hot over what happened against the Falcons before their bye week. I expect the 49er’s to win this game.” - 21-13 49ers

Jenn Beddoe: “Matt Schaub looked at the top of his game in Week 6. The 49ers are coming off a bye week so they should be rested, but I think the Texans have to momentum for this one.” - 35-21 Texans

Lee Tawil: “Following a 45-10 loss to the Falcons, the Niners had a bye week to regroup. In addition to regrouping, the Niners have promoted rookie receiver, Michael Crabtree, to a starting role. Ultimately, I think Crabtree will help them, but I don’t think he will have too big of an impact in this game. The defense, though, will step up and look to get back on the winning track against Houston. Speaking of Houston, the Texans have alternated wins and losses each week, and they are coming off of a win against the Bengals. This trend says loss for Houston, and that is what I believe to be the case.” - 49ers by 10.

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys

Brian Ethridge: “This is an easy one. Tony Romo or Matt Ryan? I’ll take Matt Ryan any day of the week.” - 34-21 Falcons

Blake Lovell: “I’ll tell you right now that the Falcons are the better team. They are solid from top to bottom, but coming off of a big win against Chicago, I see a potential letdown here.” - 24-23 Cowboys

Kyle Flip: “Matt Ryan is good, but in this one, Tony Romo will be excellent. As crazy as that sounds, the Cowboys will easily win this one.” - 27-13 Cowboys

Cody Benjamin: “Dallas needs a win to stay in competition with the Giants and Eagles in the NFC East, and the Falcons need a win for the same reason, as they must stay in the hunt for their division title. The ‘Boys are coming off of a Bye Week, and that leads me to believe they will come into the game with a motivated spirit. However, Atlanta has a ton of firepower on offense, and that’s why I see Dallas crumbling to yet another disappointing loss.” - 27-20 Falcons

Eric Merkys: “I think I will ride on the band wagon and take Atlanta in this matchup. Dallas hasn’t surprised me yet and the Falcons are looking great.” - 21-17 Falcons

Rafael Hernandez : “Dallas will edge out the Falcons” - 35-31 Cowboys

Khai Gordon: “Dallas has a new starting wide receiver in Miles Austin. They’re fresh off of their bye and ready to redeem themselves from a close match up against the Chiefs. But Atlanta is an offensive juggernaut with their many weapons. Since this is a home game I’m giving it to Dallas but barely.” - 24-23 Cowboys

Jenn Beddoe: “Again, Atlanta is looking good and the Cowboys are coming off a bye week, but this time I think the advantage is to Dallas at home.” - 21-13 Cowboys

Lee Tawil: “The Falcons have been one of the best teams in football despite Michael Turner’s lack of production. Matt Ryan has been a great leader for this team, and the defense has stepped up. Then you have the Cowboys. Another season in which they will seemingly squander a bunch of talent and fall short of expectations. I do not see how the ‘Boys will deal with Atlanta’s passing attack effectively. Between Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, they will have their hands full trying to stop the Falcons. They have had problems defending guys with far less talent, so this spells trouble for that Cowboys secondary.” - Falcons by 7.

Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals

Brian Ethridge: “The Jay Cutler experiment will continue to fail in Chicago while Cedric Benson gets his revenge” - 37-31 Bengals

Blake Lovell: “I don’t want to see the Bears drop two straight, but I can’t see the Bengals dropping two straight home games. I really hope I’m wrong here, but I see this as a tough spot for Chicago, especially with the running game being nonexistent at this point.” - 17-14 Bengals

Kyle Flip: “Ochocinco can talk all he wants, but there is another receiver who is quietly putting up good numbers: Andre Caldwell. Expect Caldwell to put up great numbers, and Ochocinco to keep yappin.” - 24-20 Bengals

Cody Benjamin: “In what will be another quality matchup in the NFL, the tough Bears will take on the surprisingly good Bengals. To be honest, I think this game will come down to the better defender, and my initial and confident feeling was that Chicago will play excellent D. Although I do believe the Bengals are a solid team this year, Chicago needs a win to stay in the race for the NFC North, and they should be able to take home the victory.” - 16-14 Bears

Eric Merkys: “I think Cincinnati will bounce back and take this one from Chicago. With no Brian Urlacher the Bears’ defense is not where they should be.” - 34-20 Bengals

Rafael Hernandez : “Cincinnati over the Bears” - 24-21 Bengals

Khai Gordon: “Chicago on the road against a hot Cinncinnati team just doesn’t sit well with me. I give Cincy the edge at home.” - 27-21 Bengals

Jenn Beddoe: “The “Bengals are at the top of their division and with the Bears defensive troubles, Cincinnati should be able to come away with a W.” - 24-17 Bengals

Lee Tawil: “This should be a good one. The Bengals are coming off of an unexpected loss to the Texans, and they are going to come out on fire. They will get Benson going early, which should set them up later for some big play action passes. Carson has been one of the best in the fourth quarter, and Jay Cutler has not. The Bears had opportunities to win against the Falcons, but Cutler and the Bears fell just short. In my opinion, Carson Palmer would have been able to pull that game out. But no worries, Palmer will be able to pull one out late this week.” - Bengals by 3.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants

Brian Ethridge: “This is the best game of the week IMO. I’ll be rooting for the Cardinals to win, but they’ll have a hard time going up against a highly motivated Giants team who was embarrassed last week by the Saints” - 34-31 Cardinals

Blake Lovell: “This could either send the Giants into panic mode, or they could completely demolish the Cardinals. I’m worried about the Giants defense against a good passing attack from Warner and company, but the Giants are too good to look horrible two weeks in a row.” - 31-17 Giants

Kyle Flip: “A complete disaster occured last week against the Saints, and for the Cardinals, they will be up against a fired up Giants team…not good news for ‘Zona.” - 37-23 Giants

Cody Benjamin: “As much as I’d like to take the Cardinals in this game, I don’t see Eli Manning and the G-Men falling for a second straight game. They have too much proven talent and consistency, and Arizona has dealt with far too many poor executions of opportunities this year. It’ll be a good, exciting, thrilling NFC showdown, and when it’s all said and done (or played and done), the New York Giants should be the winner.” - 34-14 Giants

Eric Merkys: “I would have to take the Giants in this one. Off a tough loss against the Saints I think they have something to prove. Arizona beat the Seahawks last week but I think that it will be a different story against the Giants in New York.” - 24-19 Giants

Rafael Hernandez : “Giants begin their skid.” - 28-10 Cardinals

Khai Gordon: “The Giants are pissed. After such an impressive opening to the season they were beat up in New Orleans by the Saints. Not the sign of a good team. The Giants need to start beating teams with winning records and doing so in impressive fashion. And it needs to start against the Cardinals on Sunday.” 31-24 Giants

Jenn Beddoe: “The Giants need a win after Week 6. Arizona played great against the Seahawks, but I just don’t think they have it in them to beat the Giants.” - 17-13 Giants

Lee Tawil: “The Cardinals played well in the last 2 weeks, and they look like they will once again make a push for the playoffs this season. Now they face a Giants team that was seriously exposed against the Saints last week. Drew Brees threw the ball all over the Giants secondary, and Kurt Warner would love to follow suit. He has the weapons to do it, in Fitz, Boldin, and Breaston, but he needs protection from his o-line in order to utilize them. If they get good protection, which I think they will, they will be able to have a big game passing the ball. When the Cards click in the passing game, they can be one of the toughest teams to beat as they showed last season when they almost won the Super Bowl.” - Cards by 10.

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