National Football League

Colin Cowherd's Blazin' 5 Week 7 picks, including Bengals, Eagles and 49ers

Published Oct. 22, 2021 8:20 p.m. ET

Week 7 of the NFL brings with it another edition of Colin Cowherd's Blazin' 5.

Kicking off the action (for Cowherd) is an alluring AFC North matchup between the Bengals and Ravens while Sam Darnold and the Panthers take on the Giants in New York (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

Eagles-Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, FOX) headlines the afternoon slate before Justin Fields and the Bears (3-3) and Tom Brady's Buccaneers (5-1) kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.

The finale of Cowherd's bets is a clash between the Colts and the 49ers on Sunday night in San Francisco (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).

Here are Cowherd's picks for these five matchups as laid out on Friday's "The Herd," with all odds and win totals presented by FOX Bet.

Cincinnati Bengals (+6.5) at Baltimore Ravens

Colin's thoughts: "Analytics matter, especially on defense, and the Bengals' defense is allowing 18 points a game. That's fifth-best in the league. Analytically, they're a top-three to -four run defense. … The offense is excellent. Ja'Marr Chase is a home run. We know they'll score. That's not the question. They're averaging nine yards per attempt, fourth-highest in the league. But the Ravens, four of their six games have been decided by one possession. Three of their five wins have come on the last drive of the game, and the Ravens have played back-to-back-to-back highly emotional games. I think they narrowly win … but I'm gonna take the Bengals to cover."

Carolina Panthers (-2.5) at New York Giants

Colin's thoughts: "The Panthers' defense is excellent. It forces you three-and-out 38% of the time. That is highest in the league. They're also second on third-down percentage. You have a lot of quick drives, and the Giants are physically [a] disaster. Saquon Barkley, Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Evan Engram, Andrew Thomas probably all out. Darius Slayton practicing. He may play. The Giants are also a team — and this is rare — they're worse at home. They're 0-3 at home. This is gonna be an ugly, low-scoring game, but I trust Carolina, the healthier offense, to win by more than three. Panthers, Sam Darnold gets the W."

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) at Las Vegas Raiders

Colin's thoughts: "[The Eagles'] offense is averaging three yards before contact. What does that mean? Good O-line. 5.2 yards per carry. Top three. What does that mean? Good O-line, and they get Lane Johnson back this week, their best offensive lineman. Jalen Hurts has 3.1 seconds to throw per pass. … I love the Eagles' now-healthy O-line dominating time of possession against the Raiders' defensive front. And by the way, the Eagle's defense this year is not terrible. It has played pretty well with good corners. … Raiders' defense? A mess. Bottom-five in the league."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-12.5) vs. Chicago Bears

Colin's thoughts: "I hate big numbers, but for Chicago to win, they have to run the football. They're near the bottom in every passing statistic. They have a terrible offensive line. You cannot run on Tampa Bay. Vita Vea, the defensive interior for the Buccaneers is outstanding. Nobody runs on Tampa. No. 1 rush defense in the league … so Chicago [is] gonna have to pass. Well, since Week 3, Justin Fields [is] last in everything passing. Bad O-line, inconsistent run game. He was sacked four times last week against the [Green Bay] Packers alone. He's been sacked 16 times in four starts. There's a reason the line [is] big."

San Francisco 49ers (-4) vs. Indianapolis Colts

Colin's thoughts: "Niners? Only team with a losing record in football that [has] outgained its opponents. That's a good team that can't get the quarterback healthy. Now he's healthy. [Jimmy] Garoppolo, since 2017, is 24-10 as their quarterback, 98 passer rating, 67% completion percentage. Meanwhile, now the Colts are banged up. Lost a safety, T.Y. Hilton might not play, and their defense, by the way, is giving up six yards a play — bottom third in the NFL."

For Cowherd's full breakdown, check out the video below: