NFL Week 7: Capsule look at how teams match up

Atlanta Falcons (2-4) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 1 ET (Justin Kutcher, David Diehl, Laura Okmin)

Line: Ravens by 7

Storylines: A year after everything went wrong with a list of injuries and a steep fall in the win-loss record column, the Falcons came into 2014 expecting better. Their struggles have continued, though, both with injuries and with losing — they are 0-3 on the road with three losses in a row. Though Matt Ryan has good numbers, the offense has been too pass-heavy and the defense hasn't tackled. Falcons coach Mike Smith says his team has too much talent to be 2-4 at this stage of the season. ... A week after the offense sputtered at Indianapolis, Joe Flacco threw five TD passes in the first 17 minutes last week at Tampa Bay. This game shapes up as a shootout, too, and Flacco and Steve Smith Sr. are prepared as Smith continues to post big numbers in his first season in Baltimore. The Ravens are AFC contenders if they stay healthy and the pass defense holds up.

Tennessee Titans (2-4) at Washington Redskins (1-5)

TV: CBS, Sunday, 1 ET (Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Evan Washburn)

Line: Redskins by 5 1/2

Storylines: Tennessee broke an ugly four-game losing streak, but it was at home against winless Jacksonville that was in doubt until NT Sammie Hill blocked an attempt at a winning field goal in the final seconds. Since an impressive win at Kansas City in the opener, the Titans have struggled in every phase, in part because of injuries to QB Jake Locker, LT Michael Roos, RB Shonn Greene and S Bernard Pollard. They are among the league's worst in scoring (28th at 17.3 points a game) and scoring defense (23rd at 25.5 points allowed a game). ... The identity Washington was searching for last week is still missing. The saddle the Redskins were going to put on workhorse RB Alfred Morris didn't get much use in a loss at Arizona (41 yards on 13 carries). The pass rush is still missing and that exposes an injury-ravaged secondary that has allowed 13 TD passes and a 105.1 passer rating.

Seattle Seahawks (3-2) at St. Louis Rams (1-4)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 1 ET (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa)

Line: Seahawks by 6 1/2

Storylines: A 30-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and a 401-206 deficit in yardage provides Seattle motivation for redemption. Was a home loss to an NFC contender a blip on the radar? QB Russell Wilson finally looked mortal in the loss, while the Cowboys found a way to take WR Percy Harvin and RB Marshawn Lynch out of the game plan. Is it a blueprint, or is the Cowboys defense that good? The Seahawks defense, meanwhile, has a long way to go to live up to last season. ... QB Austin Davis got off to a pretty decent start after his sudden ascension from No. 3 to starter, but he needs to cut down on turnovers. He has lost two fumbles and thrown four INTs. This probably won't be the week St. Louis gets its running game going, but the Rams will try to jump-start RBZac Stacy, who rushed for 17 yards on eight carries in Monday's loss.

Cleveland Browns (3-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6)

TV: CBS, Sunday, 1 ET (Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein)

Line: Browns by 5 1/2

Storylines: After crushing their nemesis Pittsburgh Steelers by the biggest margin of victory in 25 years, the Browns are suddenly a hot team with serious playoff potential. QB Brian Hoyer has been an effective facilitator and playmaker, leaning heavily on TE Jordan Cameron for a scattering of big plays to keep the defense honest. Cleveland enters a three-game stretch in which its opponents have a combined 1-16 record. If they sweep this trio, they'll enter a huge Thursday night game at Cincinnati at 6-2. ... There were few moral victories in the Jaguars' 16-14 loss to the Titans. The Jags are scoring a league-worst 13.5 points a game and allowing 30.8 points a game, second worst. The silver lining? Rookie QB Blake Bortles keeps getting better. Compared to Chad Henne, Bortles' completion percentage is 13% better, he has one fewer TD but six fewer INTs, has more than doubled Henne's passing yardage. He's been sacked five fewer times. A homecoming win vs. the Browns would be huge for Bortles.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (4-2)

TV: CBS, Sunday, 1 ET (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Jenny Dell)

Line: Colts by 3

Storylines: After emerging as a top Super Bowl candidate through the first quarter of the season, the Bengals suddenly look like a different team. Since their Week 4 bye, the Bengals were thumped at New England and had an awkward 37-37 tie with Carolina. The tone in the Bengals locker room was one of defeat. "You want to come away with a victory there," coach Marvin Lewis said. "That's a shame." Cincinnati is 0-4 all time at Indianapolis. The suddenly struggling defense is partially to blame for the rough patch. ... Following their 0-2 start, the Colts have won four in a row, occupying the top spot in the AFC South. Things are really starting to look up for the reigning division champs. Owner Jim Irsay is back from his suspension, coach Chuck Pagano has his team playing excellent defense for a change, and QB Andrew Luck has been tough to stop with the wide array of weapons around him. Only three of their remaining 10 opponents currently have winning records, so the Colts clearly control their own destiny.

Minnesota Vikings (2-4) at Buffalo Bills (3-3)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 1 ET (Tim Brando, Brendon Ayanbadejo, Peter Schrager)

Line: Bills by 41/2

Storylines: Minnesota needs to take the pressure off rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater and establish a running game. That's not easy without RB Adrian Peterson and behind a struggling line. RB Matt Asiata has rushed for 3.5 yards a carry since taking over for Peterson. In the 17-3 loss to Detroit, Bridgewater was sacked eight times and threw three INTs. Rookie coach Mike Zimmer fined several players for being late to meetings. "I'm not going to let them slide," he said. "... I'm tired of it." ... The pregame introduction of new Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula and the prospect of playing for sole possession of first place had the sellout crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium stoked. But Buffalo fell 37-22 to New England. The Bills were penalized eight times for 107 yards and has three turnovers. QB Kyle Orton threw a pick, lost a fumble and was sacked five times in his second Bills start.

Miami Dolphins (2-3) at Chicago Bears (3-3)

TV: CBS, Sunday, 1 ET (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)

Line: Bears by 31/2

Storylines: Breakout games by WR Jarvis Landry and edge rushers Cameron Wake and Oliver Vernon weren't enough to overcome a poor first half from Ryan Tannehill and several questionable coaching decisions by Joe Philbin in a difficult home loss to Green Bay. After allowing the Packers' top three receivers to combine for 242 yards and a pair of TDs, the Dolphins must contend with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, coming off big games. ... After improving to 3-1 on the road with a win at Atlanta, the Bears look to break into the win column for the first time this year at Soldier Field. QB Jay Cutler has just one turnover in Chicago's three wins compared with seven in its three losses.

New Orleans Saints (2-3) at Detroit Lions (4-2)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 1 ET (Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale)

Line: Lions by 3

Storylines: New Orleans' coaching staff used the bye week to devise a new plan for winning on the road, as the old one is faulty. The Saints' only win in their last seven road games came last season at Philadelphia, their first road playoff win in franchise history. They have lost all three road games this season, six in a row and eight of their last nine in the regular season. And they likely will not have injured TE Jimmy Graham this week. ... Detroit hopes to get back two of its offensive weapons from injuries — RB Reggie Bush and WR Calvin Johnson. The NFL's top-ranked defensive unit has helped catapult the Lions to a share of the NFC North lead.

Carolina Panthers (3-2-1) at Green Bay Packers (4-2)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 1 ET (Sam Rosen, John Lynch, Pam Oliver)

Line: Packers by 7

Storylines: Carolina's defense permitted 450-plus total yards for the third time in four games, yet notched a pair of interceptions for the second consecutive week, allowing the first-place Panthers to hang in for a tie against the tough Cincinnati Bengals team after previously being blown out by two other NFL North teams, Pittsburgh and Baltimore ... Aaron Rodgers found TE Andrew Quarless for the game-winning TD with three seconds lefy giving the Packers a 27-24 victory at Miami. The dramatic win extended Green Bay's streak to three games. Dom Capers' defense had three takeaways, increasing its total to 13 after notching 22 last year. But the Packers finished without three defensive starters: CBs Sam Shields (knee), Tramon Williams (ankle) and LB Jamari Lattimore.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at San Diego Chargers (5-1)

TV: CBS, Sunday, 4:05 ET (Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots )

Line: Chargers by 4

Storylines: Coming off their bye week, the Chiefs will try to create consistency in their passing attack. The running game has been fine with Jamaal Charles and emerging Knile Davis. However, no wideout has a TD catch, with each of QB Alex Smith's eight scoring strikes going to a running back or a tight end. Smith has thrown four INTs, not a large number in five games, but he had seven all of last season. ... San Diego thought it might have something special in rookie free agent RBBranden Oliver, but it took injuries to Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown to show how special. He has rushed for 215 total yards in the last two games. After winning four games in a row by nearly 18 points a game, the Chargers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Raiders.

Arizona Cardinals (4-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-5)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 4:25 ET (Dick Stockton, Brady Quinn, Kristina Pink)

Line: Cardinals by 31/2

Storylines: QB Carson Palmer is back in time to play against the team that let him go. The Raiders gave up on him after two seasons and Palmer joined forces with Bruce Arians to bring the Cardinals back to respectability. The Cardinals are 11-3 since Week 8 of last season. Palmer returned from a shoulder injury and one thing that could help him is the running game. RBAndre Ellington has yet to hit the 100-yard mark this season. ... The Raiders needed only three snaps to provide evidence that the Tony Sparano era might bring brighter days. Rookie QB Derek Carr's 77-yard touchdown pass set the tone for a much more competitive game before Oakland went down in the final minutes to the Chargers.

New York Giants (3-3) at Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

TV: Fox, Sunday, 4:25 ET (Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman, Charissa Thompson)

Line: Cowboys by 61/2

Storylines: Three weeks of better play evaporated last weekend as the Eagles demolished the Giants and a win streak that had New York believing it was the class of the NFC East. Instead, the Giants have major doubts again and a huge hole to fill after top WR Victor Cruz was carted off with a season-ending torn patellar tendon. ... If any doubt remained whether Dallas' hot start was legit, it dissipated in Seattle. The Cowboys manhandled the Super Bowl champion Seahawks. While QB Tony Romo has been effective since his Week 1 meltdown, Dallas' offense has been carried by RB DeMarco Murray running behind an offensive line powered by three first-round draft choices.

San Francisco 49ers (4-2) at Denver Broncos (4-1)

TV: NBC, Sunday, 8:30 ET (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya)

Line: Broncos by 61/2

Storylines: Amid rumors and persistent speculation about the future of coachJim Harbaugh,San Francisco manages to go about its business while playing numerous close games. The 49ers have won three in a row, but will welcome the bye after this trip to Denver, as the off week will precede another game against the St. Louis Rams and a trip to New Orleans on Nov. 9, the last game of LB Aldon Smith's nine-game league suspension. ... The Peyton Manning Express continued Sunday against the Jets. His three TD passes to his résumé, leaving him two short of Brett Favre's career record of 508. However, the Broncos showed they can do more than pass. RBs Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson combined for 138 yards.

Houston Texans (3-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)

TV: ESPN, Monday, 8:30 ET (Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters)

Line: Steelers by 31/2

Storylines: The Texans expected to be better than last year. They expected to be solid defensively and good at running the ball, and they are. They've dropped their last two to fall back to .500, but they have been competitive with good teams and shown improvement. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been just OK, but RB Arian Foster is healthy and running confidently and J.J. Watt is building a strong case for league MVP. The Texans need to win to continue to build confidence and keep pace with the Colts in the AFC South. ... Pittsburgh appears to be in more than just a slump. The defense has few playmakers, and the offense has had little consistency. QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown have a good rapport and good numbers to show for it, but last week at Cleveland the Steelers offense went nowhere and the defense basically no-showed for middle two quarters. In Pittsburgh, the natives are restless.

Compiled by Paste BN Sports staff