Bold NFL Week 7 Predictions: Giants’ Daniel Jones ends home TD gaffe; Jared Goff, Lions hand Vikings their first loss

The National Football League is full of surprises and historical oddities every week.

Take a look: The entire NFC North division was ranked in the NFL’s top four in point differential after Week 6 in the following order: the Minnesota Vikings (+63) at 5-0, the Detroit Lions (+60) at 4 :1 ), the 4:2 Chicago Bears (+47) and the 4:2 Green Bay Packers (+41). This is the first time since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970 that a division has had four or more teams in the top four in point differential in a week.

What other unique or unlikely things could happen in Week 7? Take a look at five possibilities in the latest edition of our NFL predictions here at CBS Sports.

Goff leads the Hutchinson-less Lions to a win over the undefeated Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are dominant at 5-0. They trailed by just three minutes and 26 seconds this season, which is the fifth-shortest time by a team in five games since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger. Minnesota hasn’t trailed in a game since Week 1. However, the Vikings will trail and lose for the first time this season in Week 7 as Lions quarterback Jared Goff has mastered the blitz concepts of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Last season, Flores’ Minnesota defense had the highest blitz rate in the NFL at 50.7% of opponent dropbacks, but that didn’t bother Goff. He was never sacked on 54 dropbacks against the Vikings Blitz in two games and played turnover-free football in those situations. This season, Flores is still a strong blitzer, sending additional pass rushers on 41.6% of opponent dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the NFL. Goff’s abilities against the blitz remain the same in 2024, as he leads the NFL in yards per pass attempt (13.3) against it.

setbacks	54
Comp Pct	74%
Pass yards/attempt	8.2
TD-INT	3-0
Passerby rating	116.4
Dismissed once	0

He also enters Week 7 with arguably the single most efficient two-game throwing of the football in NFL history, at least 40 pass attempts. Goff has completed 36 of his 43 passes for 607 yards and five touchdowns in his last two games – wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys – for an average of 14.1 passing yards per attempt and a passer rating of 157.5 . His pass rating of 157.5 in the Lions’ last two games is the best in a single two-game span in NFL history, with at least 40 pass attempts.

My bet is that Goff continues on the road and gives the Vikings their first loss of 2024.

The Giants’ Jones throws a TD pass at home against the Eagles

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been criticized by his own fans and the entire football world, and it’s certainly justified. In his last five home games, Jones failed to throw a passing touchdown, instead throwing an interception in each game. Along with Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen (2010), Buccaneers quarterback Trent Dilfer (1995-1996) and Falcons quarterback Bob Lee (1974). Jones last threw a touchdown at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17 of the 2022 season

However, Jones breaks that streak and throws at least one touchdown in Week 7 at MetLife Stadium against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the fewest takeaways in the NFL this season with just two.

Bet on Daniel Jones at FanDuel Sportsbook

Garrett has failed to record a sack in three straight games

Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is obviously a beast. His 92.5 sacks since entering the NFL in 2017 are the second-most in the league over that span, behind only TJ Watt’s 101.0, and he’s off to another great start to 2024 with four sacks in six games.

However, none of those four have been used in the last two weeks against Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, two of the most mobile QBs in the league. Weeks 5 and 6 mark the first time since Weeks 12-16 of last season. For a few reasons, you might think the series would come to an end on Sunday against Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. First, Burrow isn’t the most mobile passer in the league, and second, Garrett belongs to the Bengals: his 12.0 career sacks against Cincy are his most vs. single opponents.

He won’t sack Burrow on Sunday, and his sackless drought will extend into Week 7. Garrett has positioned himself as a right edge rusher on 74.4% of his snaps in 2024, meaning much of his work will come against Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown. per NFL Pro Insights. Brown was the best pass-blocking left tackle in the league this season, allowing a quarterback pressure rate of 3.6% – the lowest pressure rate among left tackles in 2024 with at least 75 pass blocks. Much of Burrow’s success has also come from throwing quickly, with an NFL-best seven touchdowns on rushing passes and averaging 7.0 passing yards per attempt on rushing throws, which is fifth-most in the NFL, according to NFL Pro Insights. Due to the performance of Brown and Burrow, Garrett will not be able to face the Bengals’ flagship team on Sunday.

Rodgers snaps a 28-game streak without 300 passing yards against the Steelers defense in Pittsburgh

Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks of all time. He is the NFL’s all-time leader in passer rating (103.0) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (484-110, 4.4), but he has failed to pass 300. yards in a game, a shocking, career-long total. Playing time: 28 straight games.

Breaking that streak in Week 7 won’t be easy against a Steelers defense that is one of the best in the league in the passing game. They allow the fifth-lowest touchdown-to-interception ratio, seven touchdowns to seven interceptions, and the eighth-lowest passer rating (82.6) in the entire NFL. However, Rodgers will have enough success to end the drought. He almost did that against the Bills last week when he finished with 294 passing yards, but he’ll get it done this week as he can once again tackle his all-time favorite target, Davante Adams. The duo scored 68 touchdowns in eight seasons together as Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2021, the most touchdowns Rodgers has thrown to a single receiver in his career. Adams and 2022 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson give the 40-year-old enough depth to break free and reach 300 yards in a game again.

Bet on Aaron Rodgers at DraftKings Sportsbook

Allen maintains the longest INT-free streak of his career against the stingy Titans defense

Many have compared Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to Brett Favre, as they are both rocket-launcher-armed quarterbacks who throw with reckless abandon, both to their advantage and to their detriment. Since entering the NFL in 2018, Allen ranks third in the league in passing touchdowns (177), but in his first six seasons (2018-2023) he led the league with 78 interceptions.

This season he has played more like another Green Bay Packers legend: Aaron Rodgers, who has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio (484-110, 4.4) when it comes to ball security. Allen has thrown 10 touchdown passes and no interceptions on 156 pass attempts this season, making him the only qualified quarterback without an interception in 2024 and the longest interception-free streak of his career (six games).

However, that streak will be put to the test on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans as they allow the fewest total yards allowed per game (248.8) and the fewest yards per game (4.3) in the NFL in 2024. A large portion of that number comes from their pass defense, which gives up the fewest yards per game (137.0) and yards per pass attempt (5.5). That means tight window throws could be a lot, but Allen will definitely extend his interception-free streak to seven games.

Bet on Josh Allen at BetMGM Sportsbook