This week has started with a bang.  BEAST MODE and the Russel and Flow of the Seahawks downed Carson Palmer and the Cardinals last night 34-22.  If last night is any indication of how this week is going to be, I’m excited, and so is Matty D.  In fact, he wrote four pages about it.  Just like on our former Radio Show, he and I are going to war.  Well, a picking war, but it’s going to be as intense as it always is here in the Thunderdome.  With out further ado, here are our picks for Week 7 in the National Football League:

Matchup:                                   Matty D:                        G-Man:

Bills at Dolphins                       Dolphins                        Dolphins

Rams at Panthers                   Panthers                        Panthers

Bears at Redskins                   Bears                                Bears

Bengals at Lions                      Lions                                Bengals

Cowboys at Eagles                  Eagles                              Eagles

Chargers at Jaguars                Chargers                         Go Chargers, Go!

Patriots at Jets                          Patriots                          Patriots

Buccaneers at Falcons           Falcons                           Falcons

49ers at Titans                          49ers                               49ers

Ravens at Steelers                   Steelers                          Ravens

Browns at Packers                   Packers                          Packers

Texans at Cheifs                       Chiefs                              Chiefs

Broncos at Colts                       Broncos                         Broncos

Vikings at Giants                      Giants                              Vikings

We may only differ on three picks, but this means war. Bring it Matt.  He wrote an explanation for his picks below.  He definitely did his research and check out the full Eagles/Cowboys preview once we post it later.  But it’s no use; I will win.  And Go Birds!

Matty D’s Week 7 NFL Cold Hard Locks

Dolphins over Bills – 20 to 13

• Inter-division matchup between the rising Dolphins and their good young quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the Buffalo Bills and their underrated defense led by Kiko Alonso and Mario Williams. Playing down in warm Florida, the game will be decided on the other side of the ball. The Bills will either have injured Thad Lewis or perennial backup Matt Flynn under center against Cameron Wake and crew for the ‘fins. Neither will have much success and Spiller is dinged up leaving Tannehill and the rest of the offense to be able to hang 20 points on the Bills.

Panthers over Rams – 24 to 21

• Interesting game as the Rams visit Carolina. Both teams are trying to hang around the playoff picture and each has underachieved so far. The Rams have a talented but underperforming defense. I think they will play Newton tough but he will still throw 2 TDs and run for another. The Panther defense is very, very good and will limit the inconsistent Bradford. A turnover by Carolina will make this game seem closer than it really is.

Bears over Redskins – 27 to 13

• The best word I can describe Washington with is punchless. Sounds weird considering RGIII pilots this offense. But he isn’t the same electrifying player as last season, his weapons are weak, and Alfred Morris looks like the late pick that he was. Not to mention the Bears Defense is excellent with Tillman and Peppers roaming the field. They will shut down Griffin. Look for the Cutler-to-Marshall connection to continue it’s success and for Forte to pick up a TD on the ground. Da Bears win an easy one to move to 6-2 while the Redskins continue to falter.

Lions over Bengals – 17 to 14

• Wait, a low scoring Detroit game and they win? I might be out of my mind, but this Lions defense has quietly been solid all year. “Fine Me Again” Suh and the rookie Ansah have lead a ferocious front four and the secondary is holding alright. I just don’t trust Andy Dalton anymore and if the Lions can contain Bernard and the Law-Firm, not even A.J. Green can overcome Dalton’s erratic play. The Bengals D is a top-5 unit in the NFL and without Megatron at full strength; the Lions will struggle to move the ball. But they are playing at home and I think Stafford has just enough magic. Look for Reggie Bush to score on a long screen pass and TD-dance sensation Fauria to snag another. Lions win on a late field goal to move to 6-2.

Eagles over the Cowboys – 37 to 35

• In one of the most entertaining games of the weekend, the Eagles will take sole possession of 1^st place in the NFC East with a wild finish against the Cowboys. In his true statement game, Nick Foles will throw 3 TD passes (2 to Zach Ertz) and McCoy will run for another as he tops 100 yards against a weakened Cowboys defense. DeMarcus Ware will be ineffective due to injury and Romo will have a great game, until a costly pick that lands in the hands of Brandon Boykin late in the fourth. Foles, down by 5, will drive down and hit DeSean Jackson for the game winning score, cementing his spot as the starting quarterback.

Chargers over Jaguars – 27 to 16

• This is everyone’s trendy upset pick, with the Chargers coming off a big win on Monday night and the Jaguars playing the Broncos tough. Enough of this nonsense. While I expect Justin Blackmon to have a big game, the Chargers are a good football team under Mike McCoy and Phillip Rivers has been playing really good. Keenan Allen is coming on and Danny Woodhead remains a threat as a satellite back. But I see Rivers finding the revived-Antonio Gates for 2 TDs and the Jaguars coming up short with the worst homefield advantage in the game to keep marching towards Teddy Bridgewater. (G-Man Note: Tickets are still available for as low as $11!)

Patriots over Jets – 24 to 21

• The storyline will be the return of Gronk, but just because he is on the field, doesn’t mean all woes are fixed. He is not in game shape and look for Rex Ryan to double him. I see him as a great redzone target though and think Brady will find his stud TE for an early touchdown. More importantly though, the Patriots will be short-handed on defense, especially with Talib out. But Geno Smith hasn’t been consistent enough and the running game will struggle against a stout front 7 led by Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes. The Jets will keep it interesting but Brady will be Brady and set up the game winning field goal late as the Patriots look more and more like the team the one 3 Superbowls.

Falcons over Buccaneers – 20 to 17

• I really want to pick the Buccaneers. They are winless but have shown hope on both sides of the ball and they are facing an Atlanta team without their three top skill players. But this game is in the Georgia Dome and Matt Ryan and Tony Gonzalez are too good and too proud to drop to 1 and 5. I see these two hooking up all day including 2 TDs. Mike Glennon won’t play bad and Doug Martin will regain some confidence with a big 150 yard and 2 TD day, but a late, costly interception by the rookie signal caller will continue the Buccaneers’ misery at least a week longer.

49ers over Titans – 31 to 17

• I really wish that Locker wasn’t hurt. This Tennessee can flat out play defense. They are fundamentally sound and held the Seahawks at bay last week in Seattle. Without Locker though their offense remains flat. Chris Johnson isn’t worth a rookie salary at this point and Kenny Britt might not see the field. Kendall Wright and the rookie Justin Hunter are great pieces to build around but they aren’t ready for this San Francisco defense yet. Frank Gore and the stable of running backs Jim Harbaugh has will pound away at a good Titans front leading to 3 scores on the ground. With the game close in the fourth, Fitzpatrick will through a pick-six to rising rookie Eric Reid and the game will be sealed as the 49ers keep pace with Seattle.

Steelers over Ravens – 30 to 24

• The NFL’s best rivalry returns although it lacks the usual luster as Ray Lewis no longer patrols the hash marks and the Steelers have sucked so far this year. But I see an upset here. Playing between the rivers out in Pittsburgh, Heinz Field will be rocking and the towels will be waving. Ben Roethlisberger will find away with Ravens draped all over him to connect with both Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders for 3 scores and a bunch of field goals. More importantly, the Steelers defense will show up. Look for Jarvis Jones to have a monster game against a weak Ravens offensive line. The game will be put in Flacco’s hands but the other-worldly Troy Polamalu will end up with the football in his late as the Steelers get their second win. Key understated matchups in this game are Lawrence Timmons versus Ray Rice and Torrey Smith battling Ike Taylor outside all game long.

Packers over Browns – 23 to 13

• If Brian Hoyer wasn’t on IR, I would hands down pick the Browns in this game. But with Weeden playing under center, I don’t see much success for him in Lambeau. One long TD pass to breakout star Josh Gordon will excite Cleveland but that is all they will get. Aaron Rodgers will be frustrated by this Cleveland defense, which is very good. Joe Haden should neutralize Jordy Nelson and without James Jones or Randall Cobb, Rodgers will have to make due. But the Pack will lean on Eddie Lacy and Rodgers will find a way to get Finley and new-starter Jarrett Boykin involved for a scrappy 10-point win.

Chiefs over Texans – 17 to 3

• Can’t help but feel bad for Case Keenum. The undrafted, third-stringer second year man out of the University of Houston will face the NFL’s best pass rush. Even with Arian Foster shouldering some of the load, Keenum is going to be spending a lot of time looking at the grass or the sky at Arrowhead Stadium. Tough year for Houston fans as they could be looking at a first-round quarterback come the draft next year. The Houston defense will hang tough but Jamaal Charles and Alex Smith will lead a balanced and conservative Chiefs attack to an easy victory. That week 11 matchup between Denver and Kansas City looks more and more juicy.

Broncos over Colts – 28 to 24

• Juicy story lines of the week in Indy: Manning returns home, his predecessor is the game’s best young gunslinger, Isray is taking shots at his old friend, the Broncos are undefeated, the Colts are fuming after losing to the Chargers, Robert Mathis finally gets to hit Peyton. Man oh man this could be a trap game for Manning. But here is the thing; this is Peyton freaking Manning. No one is better prepared and no one is more levelheaded. And this Denver team is really, really good. The Colts defense will be overmatched (which defense wouldn’t be). A few Mathis sacks and QB hurries will keep the game close. Luck will find success but the presumed return of Champ Bailey will cause a few drives to stall. The Colts game plan of power running must succeed, as Trent Richardson is the difference maker in this contest. If he can have success and keep Peyton on the sideline, the Colts will win this game. But I don’t think that will happen. Manning will throw 4 TDs in front of his old fans to four different receivers and leave Indy with another W and a quiet smirk on his face.

Giants over Vikings – 31 to 24

• For the record, if the Giants manage to lose this game, Coughlin will be fired and the New York media will have a feeding frenzy. But they won’t. In typical Coughlin style, he will manage to pull this team together and scrape a few victories together to put them back in contention in the terrible NFC East. Eli Manning will bounce back ending the calls for Archie Manning in East Rutherford. Brandon Jacobs will not get to 100 yards but Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks both will. On the other side of the ball, Adrian Peterson will top 175 yards on the ground and 2 scores, but Josh Freeman will show why he got cut by the winless Buccaneers and throw 2 picks and complete less than 50% of his passes. Justin Tuck and JPP will record 3 sacks each and the Giants will gain that elusive first win. This game will be more exciting than most think.