If the 2025 NFL season hasn't delivered enough surprises, comebacks, and heartbreaks, Week 7 is on its way to giving us another week of fun. In the early, early Sunday window, focus brings us to the desert of Arizona when the Arizona Cardinals host the Green Bay Packers in a game of desperation against dominance. In the day's action, Drake Maye's ascendant New England Patriots head to Nashville to face the struggling Tennessee Titans, who are also attempting to reboot under newer leadership. 

The Arizona desert is heating up with an early Sunday matchup that feels pivotal for both sets of teams. The Cardinals (2-4) are in desperate need of a win to end a 4-game losing streak, rattling their confidence and causing an identity crisis. The Packers (3-1-1) are dispelling the notion that their hot start to the season was a fluke; instead, they have exhibited balance, toughness, and a rookie quarterback who is developing well.

Arizona's 2–4 win-loss record doesn't give enough credit for the fight this team shows week-to-week. Quarterback Kyler Murray has passed for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, still showing the dual-threat capability that made him a franchise player. However, Murray's unfortunate tendency to force plays under pressure from the defence has cost Arizona decisive moments. Murray is still the team's leading rusher (173 yards), which tells us about how much rhythm the offence has with the running game behind him. Tight end Trey McBride has developed into Murray's security blanket after catching 37 passes for 347 yards; rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., meanwhile, has already made an impact with 338 receiving yards and explosive vertical plays.

The brief appearance of Jacoby Brissett last week seems to suggest this might be the game Arizona attempts a rotational approach to quarterback with a wild card potential against Green Bay. Defence remains Arizona's main issue, however. The Cardinals find themselves near the bottom of the league in yards allowed per pass, a critical flaw against such an efficient offence as the Packers.

There is a new storyline to the Packers' return success with Jordan Love. With poise, precision, and courage, Love has thrown for 1,259 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions while completing over 70% of his passes. His budding relationship with Romeo Doubs, Tucker Kraft, and rookie Matthew Golden has given Green Bay a potent aerial attack that stretches defences. Strong assemblage, story, pump, and more. And then there is Jacobs, the hammer, who has 359 yards and scored 6 touchdowns, giving a new identity to the Packers' offence. His physicality keeps defences honest and not selling out against the run, and it allows Love to command tempo from the pocket. 

On the defensive side of the ball, the addition of Micah Parsons has turned Green Bay's defence into a top-5 unit in the league. The Packers rank 1st in opponent yards per pass attempt (4.5), and they rank in the top 5 against the run (95.5), with a nightmare for any offensive game plan that relies heavily on a mobile quarterback. 

Josh Jacobs Anytime Touchdown - Jacobs has already scored 6 touchdowns this season, making this a safe bet.

Jordan Love Over 0.5 Interceptions - Arizona has found ways to create turnovers and some sort of pressure, even when they don't appear to be even close in terms of talent.

Total Points: Over 44.5 - There should be plenty of back-and-forth scoring in a fast-paced game where players will have to rely on whatever adaptable rhythms they can find to be successful.

Green Bay has a clear advantage from a discipline perspective on both sides of the ball. If Arizona can keep the game close at the beginning, the Packers are built to wear anyone down with their front 7 . I think you could get an early lead from Love's perfect sequencing in the passing game, then close it out with Jacobs getting the necessary yards to run the clock out.

• Prediction: Packers 27 – Cardinals 20

As the sun sets over Tennessee, a fresh NFL story is getting ready to play out. 

The New England Patriots (4-2) roll in with swagger, where rookie Drake Maye heads the offence and has garnered the composure to lift the Patriots' offence from hibernation. The Titans (1-5), on the other hand, are in transition, regrouping mid-season under new interim head coach Mike McCoy after a chaotic beginning to the season.

Gamblers have spoken—New England is clearly the favourite. But with teams in transition and developing new patterns, this game could still hold hidden value for prop gamblers.

First-year phenom Drake Maye is your best choice if you’re looking for a rookie multi-sensational during the 2025 NFL season. After 6 games, the rookie quarterback has 1,522 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions while completing an astounding 73.2% of his passes, ranking him fifth overall in the league. Under duress, he remains composed and delivers reliably accurate throws. 

Maye has rejuvenated the offence alongside Kayshon Boutte and Hunter Henry into a smooth-machine rhythm offence. Their play-calling has simplified the offence while mixing in creative plays with play-action, RPOs, and combinations of multiple vertical threats that have kept opponents awake with haunting nightmares. The team as a whole remains competitive on defence, although it has been slightly erratic. Starting linebacker Robert Spillane leads the way with 51 total tackles and 1 interception, and as a unit, they continue to force turnovers (8 fumble recoveries and 4 interceptions). If Maye and the offence can be opportunistic (and expected biased referee calls are guaranteed), that may be the matter against rookie Cam Ward. 

For the Titans, 2025 has been a mental-health therapy for finding foundational adjustments. Rookie QB Cam Ward has potential, but the speed and relentless pressure remain. After 6 games, Ward has totalled 1,101 total yards (3 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions) and has taken 25 sacks, which is the highest in the NFL.

Running back Tony Pollard has been the focal point, amassing 362 rushing yards and two touchdowns, although he also may be running against stacked boxes with a poor offensive line. Calvin Ridley leads the receiving corps with 290 yards, while rookie Elic Ayomanor has some flashes of potential to be a long-term option.

Defensively, the Titans are near the bottom in EPA per play allowed, with an average of almost 27 points per game. The injuries to Arden Key and Dre’Mont Jones have hampered their pass rush, and Jeffery Simmons is asked to do too much.

Patriots -7 Spread—New England’s offensive rhythm and defensive opportunism ought to prevail against a struggling Titans team.

Under 42.5 Points—This game should be more controlled than chaotic.

Drake Maye Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns— The rookie has gotten this mark in 4 of his last 5 games.

The Titans are in rebuild mode, while the Patriots are in reload mode. The difference in identity? Clear. The difference in direction? Not close. Drake Maye’s leadership and efficiency should slice through Tennessee’s inconsistent secondary, while the Patriots’ defense will feast on rookie errors from Ward. Expect a few highlight plays from Pollard, but not enough to flip momentum.

• Pick: Patriots 24 – Titans 13

Week 7 is more than just a set of games, and it’s a glimpse into the changing narrative of the NFL. The Cardinals in Arizona are scrambling to cling to the glimmer of hope, the Packers are looking for a spot of dominance, and the Patriots in Tennessee look like a franchise that has been given new life, while the Titans look like they are taking their first step towards rebuilding their future.