AT approximately 8:30 on Sunday night on the NBC television network, just after American country music superstar Carrie Underwood, assisted by the best visual and sound effects money can buy, sings her ode to Sunday Night Football, the much anticipated game of the week will kick off.

Peyton Manning, now the signal caller for the Denver Broncos, will return to Indianapolis to face his old team, the Colts, now led by the promising young quarterback, Andrew Luck. The hype is overwhelming. It’s the one game everyone seems to be talking about and with good reason. For one thing, Manning signed with the Broncos in 2012 after the Colts released the four-time League MVP (who was making his way back from multiple neck surgeries), opting instead to go with the young Luck.

Emotions will run high as this game progresses but my guess is that when all is said and done, and the fat lady (not Carrie Underwood) has sung, the outcome will not be surprising, and the Denver ‘Express’ will have racked up win number seven.

Now last night’s game should have been entertaining as the Seahawks looked to bounce back from their first defeat of the season and take out their frustrations on the inconsistent Arizona Cardinals. I would like to think so anyway because I picked the Seahawks to win and cover the 6.5-point spread given by JustBet. On Sunday’s slate of early games the Cowboys-Eagles match-up should be exciting, particularly if Eagles coach Chip Kelly decides to go with Nick Foles at quarterback instead of the injured Michael Vick.

In my humble opinion, Nick Foles stands a better chance of competing with Tony Romo and his Cowboys.

Two division leading teams with serious

play-off aspirations will do battle when the high powered offence of the Lions clashes with the tenacious defence of the Bengals. The Panthers-Rams matchup should be more exciting and competitive than many might expect, as these two teams have actually acquitted themselves well so far this season — the Panthers sitting at 2-3 and Rams at 3-3.

Monday Night games are usually fairly competitive and when the schedulers picked the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants to meet on Monday, they figured they would both be contenders. Instead, we have the 1-4 Vikings and the 0-6 Giants facing each other in what ostensibly could be the “yawner” of the week. In some heartbreaking off-the-field news, the Vikings’ star running back Adrian Peterson went into last week’s game against the Panthers having learnt just a couple days before that his two-year-old son had died under violent circumstances. It is always a tragedy when someone loses a child, especially under tragic circumstances, and our thoughts and prayers are with Peterson and his family.

Picking winners against the point spread in week 6 proved to be somewhat difficult, especially for yours truly who ended up — or is it down — with a 5-10 record. That just won’t do. Peter Lindo fared even worse posting a 4-11 record. Andre Hutchinson came in at 7-8 and the top dawg this week was Andrei Roper, the only guy with a positive, posting an 8-7 mark. This overall negative showing can be attributed to some very close games like the Bengals failing to cover the 6.5 point spread despite beating the Bills 27-24, or the Packers, favoured by 3.5 points, but only winning by 2 over the Ravens, 19-17. If you’re not careful when making your picks, those point spreads can really mess you up. But, that’s how sports betting goes.

The culture of the NFL is steeped in “just winning”. With so much at stake, teams simply do not tolerate losing. That is one of the reasons why they pay the players and the coaches the big bucks that they do. After six weeks of the current season, teams that are winless or are under performing, find themselves under the microscope, and rumours are already flying about as to which coaches’ jobs are in jeopardy, and which franchise players are being considered for the trading block. Case in point, the New York Giants, who got beaten by the Chicago Bears last week 27-21 and who remain winless.

There is talk about Eli Manning’s future with the Giants and also head coach Tom Coughlin’s as well. How soon they forget their two Super Bowl rings won in the last six seasons. But in the NFL it’s not just “What have you done for me lately?”, it’s, “What are you doing for me now?” The Houston Texans’ much maligned quarterback Matt Schaub is another on the hot seat, as fans attending the game in Houston last week went as far as to cheer boisterously when Schaub went down with an injury during their 38-13 loss to the St Louis Rams. Embarrassing for all parties concerned, if you ask me.

To find a JustBet location near you, visit: www.supremeventures.com/justbetlocations. To find out more about JustBet, and how to bet on the NFL and other sports, visit www.supremeventures.com/justbet, www.facebook.com/justbet, www.twitter.com/justbet_ja , or EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREADTony Scott’s Week 7 Picks (in bold)SEAHAWKSFALCONS v BUCCANEERSPANTHERS v RAMSBENGALSCHARGERSDOLPHINS v BILLSPATRIOTSCOWBOYSBEARS49ERSPACKERS v BROWNSCHIEFS v TEXANSRAVENSBRONCOSGIANTS v VIKINGSPeter Lindo’s Week 7 Picks (in bold)SEAHAWKSFALCONS v BUCCANEERS RAMSLIONS v BENGALSCHARGERSBILLSPATRIOTSCOWBOYSBEARS49ERSPACKERS v BROWNSCHIEFS v TEXANSSTEELERS v RAVENSBRONCOSGIANTS v VIKINGSAndre Hutchinson’s Week 7 Picks (in bold)CARDINALS v SEAHAWKSFALCONS v BUCCANEERSRAMSBENGALSJAGUARS v CHARGERSBILLSPATRIOTSCOWBOYSBEARS49ERSBROWNSCHIEFS v TEXANSSTEELERS v RAVENSBRONCOSGIANTS v VIKINGSAndrei Roper’s Week 7 Picks (in bold)SEAHAWKSFALCONS v BUCCANEERSRAMSLIONS v BENGALSJAGUARS v CHARGERSDOLPHINS v BILLSPATRIOTSCOWBOYSBEARS49ERSBROWNSCHIEFS v TEXANSSTEELERS v RAVENSBRONCOSGIANTS v VIKINGS

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NFL WEEK 7 SCHEDULE & JUSTBET HANDICAPS

(*JustBet Handicaps for each game in bracket, Under/Over for each game listed)

Thursday, Oct 17

ARI CARDINALS (+ 6.5) v SEA SEAHAWKS,

U/O 41.5 (NFL Network, Flow ch. 750)

Sunday, Oct 20

ATL FALCONS v TB BUCCANEERS (+ 6.5), U/O 42.5

CAR PANTHERS v STL RAMS (+ 5.5), U/O 42.5

DET LIONS v CIN BENGALS (+ 2.5), U/O 47.5

JAC JAGUARS (+ 8.5) v SD CHARGERS, U/O 44.5

MIA DOLPHINS v BUF BILLS (+ 9.5), U/O 41.5 (CBS,

Flow ch. 106, 123)

NY JETS (+ 4.5) v NE PATRIOTS, U/O 43.5 (CBS,

Flow ch. 174)

PHI EAGLES (+ 1.5) v DAL COWBOYS U/O 54.5

WAS REDSKINS v CHI BEARS (+ 0.5) U/O 48.5

TEN TITANS (+4.5) v SF 49ERS, U/O 39.5

(FOX, Flow ch. 104, 172)

GB PACKERS v CLE BROWNS (+ 10.5), U/O 47.5

KC CHIEFS v HOU TEXANS (+ 5.5), U/O 40.5

PIT STEELERS v BAL RAVENS (+ 2.5),

U/O 40.5 (CBS, Flow ch. 106, 123)

IND COL_S (+ 6.5) v DEN BRONCOS,

U/O 55.5 (NBC, Flow ch. 102, 176; ESPN, Flow ch. 704)

Monday, Oct 21

NY GIANTS v MIN VIKINGS (+ 4.5),

U/O 45.5 (ESPN, Flow ch. 704)

Teams on a bye: Oakland Raiders,

New Orleans Saints

CARDINALS v

LIONS v

JAGUARS v

JETS v

EAGLES v

REDSKINS v

TITANS v

STEELERS v

COLTS v

Last week’s record: 5-10

Season record: 49-43

CARDINALS v

PANTHERS v

JAGUARS v

DOLPHINS v

JETS v

EAGLES v

REDSKINS v

TITANS v

COLTS v

Last week’s record: 4-11

Season record: 45-47

PANTHERS v

LIONS v

DOLPHINS v

JETS v

EAGLES v

REDSKINS v

TITANS v

PACKERS v

COLTS v

Last week’s record: 7-8

Season record: 42-50

CARDINALS v

PANTHERS v

JETS v

EAGLES v

REDSKINS v

TITANS v

PACKERS v

COLTS v

Last week’s record: 8-7

Season record: 39-53