Laugh at Bill’s Week 7 NFL Predictions, Including Packers-Cardinals

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are 3-1-1 headed into Sunday’s road test against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Packers haven’t put together a complete game in either phase and have been unable to slam the door on their last three opponents. Nonetheless, they’ve got a shot to emerge from Week 7 with the best record in the NFC if they can hand the Cardinals a fifth consecutive loss.

Who will win? Here are this week’s predictions.

Packers at Cardinals Prediction

The Packers emerged from their bye week only slightly healthier and no more consistent. In a too-close-for-comfort win over the Bengals, the offense moved in fits and starts, rescued only by the Josh Jacobs-fueled running game and a few big plays by rookie receiver Matthew Golden. Their vaunted defense played up to expectations for 30 minutes before crumbling.

In retrospect based on how Joe Flacco and the Bengals dismantled the Steelers on Thursday night, maybe the second-half defensive performance last week wasn’t so bad. Still, the Packers are built to take leads and then step on the gas because of their powerful defense. For the third consecutive game, the Packers stepped on the gas but the transmission was stuck in neutral.

The Cardinals have lost four in a row after a 2-0 start. They are in last place in the NFC and in 14th place in the NFC. Don’t sleep on them, though. Last week’s 31-27 loss at the Colts was the “blowout” of the bunch. The Cardinals have been outscored by a total of nine points in those games.

Injuries are an enormous problem. Yeah, Green Bay has its issues but it’s nothing compared to what Arizona is dealing with entering Sunday. Pro Bowl running back James Conner is on injured reserve. His talented backup, Trey Benson, is, too. That would be like the Packers having to roll into a game with Chris Brooks and Pierre Strong atop the depth chart.

With quarterback Kyler Murray nursing an injury, there’s a good chance the Cardinals will line up without their top four in rushing. That isn’t ideal but might not be a bad thing against Green Bay, which is No. 1 in the league in run defense but has been surprisingly vulnerable against the pass. From that standpoint, the Cardinals might be better off if Jacoby Brissett starts at quarterback.

Brissett threw for 320 yards against the surprisingly strong Colts last week. They held a seven-point lead entering the fourth quarter and might have won had the officials thrown a flag for overaggressive coverage against star tight end Trey McBride on the final fourth down from the 9.

In that game, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was 22-of-30 passing with two touchdowns and running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 123 yards and one touchdown. So, the Cardinals are vulnerable on that side of the ball.

Ultimately, the Cardinals’ injuries and the potential of a pro-Packers crowd will swing this game in Green Bay’s favor. Combined with the NFC-leading Buccaneers facing a Monday night road test against the Detroit Lions, the Packers will be the No. 1 team in the conference by the end of the week.

Prediction: Packers 30, Cardinals 17.

Last week’s prediction: Packers 34, Bengals 10.

Season record: 2-2-1.

Week 7 NFL Predictions

Why is this story headlined “Laugh at Bill’s Predictions”? Because I went 5-9 in Week 5. Last week was a bit of a rebound with a 10-5 record. Here are the Week 7 predictions, which got off to a great start with an early “L” for Thursday night.

Thursday: Steelers over Bengals

Sunday early: Jaguars over Rams, Bears over Saints, Browns over Dolphins, Chiefs over Raiders, Vikings over Eagles, Panthers over Jets, Patriots over Titans.

Sunday afternoon: Broncos over Giants, Chargers over Colts, Packers over Cardinals, Commanders over Cowboys.

Primetime: 49ers over Falcons, Lions over Buccaneers, Seahawks over Texans.

Last week: 10-5.

Season: 59-34.

Packers at Cardinals Prediction

Week 7 NFL Predictions

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