Both Jeremy and Jeff started with a 1,000 unit bankroll as they go head to head all season long.
Jeremy came away with another solid week as he went 3-1. He had winners on the Vikings, Panthers and Patriots/Colts over. His only loss was on the Cardinals. Jeremy finished the week plus 40 units. Jeff split his selections as the Dolphins and Jets were easy winners, but both the Giants and GB/SD over picks came up empty. Jeff finished the week plus 20 units. Jeff continues to lead the season long contest by 70 units. Can Jeff extend his lead on Jeremy? Let's get to the picks for Week 7.
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 Jeff Baldwin Record: 15-9Units: 1,240
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 Jeremy Wardwell Record: 16-8Units: 1,170
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| Ravens at Cardinals (-7.5) - 35 units Ravens at Cardinals (-7.5): The Cardinals return home after a disappointing loss to the Steelers. The Ravens dropped to 1-5 as they were defeated by the 49ers in San Francisco. I think this is a real bad spot for the Ravens. The Ravens just traveled to San Francisco, came back to Baltimore and now will head back out to the West Coast. They are also facing a team that has a very good passing game which ranks in the top seven in the NFL as they average 284 passing yards/game. The Ravens’ defense has had a lot of difficulty defending the pass this season as they rank toward the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed per game. The Cardinals are coming off a bad loss in Pittsburgh so you know they'll be motivated to bounce back here in a big way. It also doesn't hurt this game is in primetime on Monday night. QB Carson Palmer is primed for a big game here as he'll lean heavily on his two favorite targets in WRs Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown. The success of the passing game should create some opportunity in the running game with RB Chris Johnson and RB Andre Ellington. As for the Cardinals’ defense, their focus will be to be contain RB Justin Forsett and prevent WR Steve Smith from hurting them in the passing game. These are the Ravens’ best offensive weapons so they know if they do a good job containing them it will be a long day for the Ravens’ offense. The Cardinals will put together a great all around effort in front of a national audience as they win this game by double digits. Pick: Arizona Cardinals -7.5 |
Jets (+9) at Patriots - 35 units |
| Jets at Patriots (-9) - 35 units The Jets come off a solid home win against the Redskins and now travel to Foxboro to take on the undefeated Patriots. The Patriots took care of the Colts at Indianapolis by the score of 34-27. The Jets are a big underdog here as they are getting over a touchdown in this AFC East showdown. The two keys for the Jets in order to keep this game close is effectively running the ball while controlling the clock, and second, getting a pass rush on QB Tom Brady. The Jets currently lead the NFL with 146 yards rushing/game. RB Chris Ivory is going to be very busy on Sunday. The Patriots have a mediocre rush defense so there will be opportunity for the Jets to excel in this department. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will need to be sharp in this matchup as he'll once again look to his two favorite targets in WR Brandon Marshall and WR Eric Decker to make plays down the field. As for the defensive side of the ball, the Jets need to put pressure on Brady. They simply can't allow him to sit back in the pocket and have time to pick them apart. They need to get some sacks and force hurried throws in order to disrupt this potent offense. The Jets will have to play their best game of the season on both sides of the ball if they are to have any chance to upset the Patriots. I'm expecting the Jets to play well here and keep this game relatively close. The Jets have covered the last four games in this series. The Patriots win the game, but the Jets will keep this game inside the number as they'll lose by a touchdown. Pick: New York Jets +9 |
Texans (+3.5) at Dolphins - 35 units
In their first game under new head coach Dan Campbell, the Miami Dolphins’ defense finally showed why many in the preseason thought they would be one of the top units in the league in a 38-10 win over the Titans. DE Cameron Wake had four sacks, Ndamukong Suh was disruptive and the secondary recorded two interceptions off rookie QB Marcus Mariota. In addition to a strong showing by the defense, the running game showed signs of life as Lamar Miller rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time this season and also scored his first rushing TD. Houston, meanwhile, is coming off a 31-20 road win over the Jaguars in which WR DeAndre Hopkins grabbed 10 passes for 148 yards and two TDs. He now has four 100 yard receiving games in a row. Despite having the league’s leading receiver and the return of RB Arian Foster, the Texan’s offense has struggled to find any consistency as they have juggled QBs but seem to have settled on Brian Hoyer (at least for the time being). On the other side, Miami QB Ryan Tannehill has been a major disappointment this season ranking near the bottom of the league in completion percentage and quarterback rating while throwing seven interceptions to only nine touchdowns. I expect Miami to remain committed to the run under Campbell which should take some of the pressure off Tannehill allowing him to improve those numbers. Despite having never beaten the Texans, I like Miami to win this game. They have plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and will be playing hard under a new coach. How long that intensity lasts remains to be seen but for this game which will be Campbell’s first at Sun Life stadium, take Miami giving 3.5, 24-20. |
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Raiders at Chargers (-4.5) - 30 units |
Vikings (-3) at Lions - 30 units |
| Eagles at Panthers (Total: 46 points) - 20 units The Eagles come off an impressive 27-7 victory over the Giants as they dominated the line of scrimmage as they pressured QB Eli Manning the entire game. The Panthers return home after upsetting the Seahawks thanks to a late touchdown catch by TE Greg Olsen. This matchup features two solid defenses going up against each other. I don't see this game coming near the 46 point total. I think it will be tough for both offenses to establish any consistency running the football as the Panthers and Eagles hold their opponents to under 100 yards rushing a game. RB Jonathan Stewart and RB DeMarco Murray will find it tough going on the ground Sunday night. QBs Cam Newton and Sam Bradford will see a lot of pressure from the opposing defenses making it difficult to get the passing game into any type of rhythm. In the Eagles’ six games so far this season, five of those games stayed under the posted total. In the end, this game could have more field goals made than touchdowns scored as the Panthers will look to stay undefeated and at the top of the NFC South. Look for this game total to finish in the mid- to upper-thirties. Pick: Under 46 |
Ravens at Cardinals (Total: 48.5 points) - 20 units One week after an awful 25-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in which QB Carson Palmer passed for more than 400 yards but his team was held to only one offensive touchdown, the Cardinals return home to host the hapless Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is coming off a 25-20 loss to the 49ers and now sits at 1-5 on the season. Arizona is averaging 34 PPG this year and has scored more than 40 points in half their games. They should be in line to have another high-scoring game against Baltimore’s defense that is giving up 27 points and more than 380 yards per game. I expect their secondary, which is giving up 286 yards per game, to struggle against the talented trio of Cardinals receivers. Offensively, Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been inconsistent all year, throwing almost as many picks (7) as touchdowns (8). They are averaging 24 points per game and certainly have the weapons in Steve Smith and Justin Forsett to put up some points. Arizona has been stingy on defense holding opponents to less than 20 points per game while limiting them to 330 total yards. This game lines up very well to clear the posted total of 48.5. Arizona is loaded on offense and has a strong but not overpowering defense that can be scored on. Baltimore has a weak defense, especially the secondary that the Cardinals can take advantage of and an offense that can put up points. Five of Arizona’s games and four of Baltimore’s have gone over the posted total and I expect this one to as well. Pick: Over 48.5 |
Editor's note: Both Jeremy and Jeff started with 1,000 units as they go head to head all season long.
You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffBaldwin4 and Jeremy @jdwardwell5.