NFL Week 7 teaser: Lions, 49ers find their groove
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We couldn't carry the momentum of our Week 5 winner into Week 6, as the Cowboys were absolutely thrashed on Monday night.
Let's get back in the black in Week 7.
Lions @ Falcons, 1 p.m. ETLine: Lions +2.5
Teaser line: Lions +8.5
Kirk Cousins was feeling awfully generous in Week 6 and the Vikings were all out of sorts on defense - a common theme from Mike Zimmer's team this season - resulting in a lopsided Falcons win. It was a clear indication there will be better moments for Atlanta the rest of the way under interim coach Raheem Morris, but this is still a team with issues on both sides of the ball.
The Lions aren't without concerns of their own - both teams would like to see more from their veteran quarterbacks - but they're a more complete squad as a whole. The emergence of D'Andre Swift adds to the potency of the offense, which has been really sharp since the return of Kenny Golladay - who's playing for a new contract. They also played some excellent defense against the Jaguars, limiting them to just 4.5 yards per play.
Detroit ranks higher in efficiency on both sides of the ball, and the Falcons are still a team that thrives on making life difficult for themselves. You'd be brave to pick a winner here, with both teams about as good at blowing leads as Philip Rivers is at procreating, but I feel comfortable getting the Lions with an eight-point cushion.
49ers @ Patriots, 4:25 p.m.Line: 49ers +2
Teaser line: 49ers +8
The 49ers did really well to bounce back from being thrashed in Week 5 with a convincing win over the NFC West rival Rams. The Patriots, meanwhile, didn't at all resemble a team that had two weeks to plan for a middling Broncos unit. It was a disastrous effort from New England offensively, and there's cause for some long-term concern there.
But first, we know how the Patriots will attack this game defensively because we've seen it so many times before. Bill Belichick likes to take away your best weapon, which in this case means keying in on tight end George Kittle and forcing the 49ers to find an alternate path to success. But this is an offense with a ton of weapons, one that can beat you in so many ways. Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are big-play specialists, the running game finds success no matter who's getting the carries, and the most important weapon of all is Kyle Shanahan's ability as a play-caller.
On the other hand, the Patriots don't have any offensive weapons, and that makes life incredibly difficult on Cam Newton. Even more worrisome is the fact Newton looked like the guy nobody wanted to sign all offseason. He was hesitant to throw to open receivers and the Broncos had no reason to respect the pass, which caused the running game to falter as a result. New England simply doesn't have the offensive weapons to win convincingly.
Full teaser: Lions +8.5, 49ers +8 ($110 to win $100)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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