The Touchdown Three: Minshew Mania and Toothless Bengals

Not sure I could have got closer to the perfect week. The 49ers hold the Skins to 0 points, but only score 9 themselves, meaning I miss out on perfection by 1 point. I won’t get down hearted, I will dust myself off, and go in search of it again in Week 8. Perfection is coming, it’s so close that I can smell it……

Week 7: 2-1

Overall Record: 11-9-1

Jets @ Jags -6

Minshew

The Jaguars seem to have found a winning formula. They give the ball to Leonard Fournette a lot on the ground and then let Gardner Minshew be a more than competent QB from time to time. After two tough losses to the Saints and the Panthers, the Jags got back down to business against the Bengals and won going away. I don’t think the Jags are a great team but it seems like they know how to beat the bottom feeders of the league.

I am not sure Monday Night Football could have gone any worse for the Jets. Shutout at home, to a rival, on national TV, and your QB is caught proclaiming he is seeing things that aren’t there on the field. I know it is easy to think that playing the Pats is a one off and we shouldn’t take much into it, but the way the Jets played was close to embarrassing and I would be surprised if that was the moment the hierarchy decided Gase had to go.

The Jags are an 8-8 team and the Jets are a 3-13 team. Take the Jags at home here.

Bengals @ Rams -13

The Rams looked better in Week 7. Now it probably has a lot to do with them playing the Falcons. The defending NFC Champs are in a tough spot, they are behind 2 teams in their division and they have lost to both of them. The Rams have no room for mistakes right now, and they need to keep winning to try and get back in the race.

There is only one race the Bengals are in and that is for the number 1 overall pick. The main focus for the Bengals should be Week 16 when they play the Dolphins. They need to lose that to cement the number 1 pick, but before that they need to continue they way they are going, and that is lose every game comfortably.

Rams want to win and the Bengals don’t. The Rams win big here.

Packers -4 @ Chiefs

Minshew

A good news, bad news week for the Chiefs. The bad news was Mahomes got injured. The good news was the injury isn’t a serious as it could have been, and they still beat the Broncos with Matt Moore as the QB. Now Matt Moore is not a great QB, but I am not sure there is a better coach than Andy Reid to come up with an offensive game plan to play to Moore’s strengths and get the Chiefs through the next few weeks.

The Packers are 5-1 and rounding into serious form. The team had multiple questions coming into the season but week after week they are answering them and turning themselves into serious NFC contenders. Am I fully convinced by the La Fleur/Rodgers relationship? No, but it is working right now and I think we have a good few weeks coming up for sure.

It’s Matt Moore v Aaron Rodgers so I will take the Hall of famer to win or at least keep it close on the road. Green Bay  for me here.

If you do like the ideas from this column and decide to use some of your hard earned cash to try and make some money, please remember that thetouchdown.co.uk takes no responsibility if you lose. Also please do gamble responsibly.

Paul Mainwaring

NFL Analyst

A former UKEndzone writer, Paul has been dragged out of an enforced retirement to give his thoughts on the NFL and anything else  he can slide past the editorial team.

Paul is most famous (infamous?) as Mainz one half of Waxing Lyrical. alongside his Partner in Crime Neil ‘Dutts’ Dutton.

Find him @MAINZEY7 where all manner of sports are on the menu.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports