NFL Week 7 Picks: San Francisco 49ers vs. New England Patriots Predictions

This time last year we would all have been salivating over a San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots matchup, but injuries and poor performances have diminished the excitement. With both teams needing a win to remain competitive, what will we see in Week 7?

San Francisco 49ers vs. New England Patriots Predictions 

• The Patriots and 49ers both rank in the bottom half of the league in points per drive
• Per statschecker, the under has hit in two of the Patriots three home games this season

This matchup has battle of the defenses written all over it. Neither defense has been able to get any consistency going in the passing game and both offenses are willing to commit heavily to the run and take time out of the game.

In their last two games, the Patriots have scored a total of 22 points, and Cam Newton was clearly still feeling the effects of not practicing during his COVID infection in Week 6. The other concerning signs for the Patriots is that they committed seven turnovers in their last two games, and the Denver Broncos offensive line seemed to be a constant threat to Newton last week. The 49ers defense demonstrated last week what it can do, and this talented defensive front should be able to get after Newton.

The Patriots defense has shown what it can do in the last two games, allowing just 44 points in total. They impressively stifled the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, and never gave up a touchdown to Drew Lock, despite numerous advantageous field positions for the Broncos. Offensively the 49ers have somewhat limped to an average of 20.33 points in the last three weeks and does not possess the threat to run wild on the Patriots defense. Look for this to be a hard run-game type matchup as both teams look to dominate the clock against defenses which can be prone to being attacked on the ground at times.

Want more NFL content and picks? Read Ben Rolfe's analysis and picks for the Bills @ Jets here. 

Another potential play is taking the 49ers getting 2.5 points, but the Patriots are the team that need this game the most and if anyone knows how to get at Jimmy Garoppolo, it is his old team. Stay clear of the result in a tough game that sees the 49ers playing on the East Coast for the third time in five weeks.

NFL Expert Picks

1u – Under 45.5 total points @ -108

NFL Free Picks

OddsChecker provides free picks for every single game in week 7 of the NFL season. Whether it's Davis Mattek's video previews or Ben Rolfe's stats-based approach we've got you covered! Check out our picks section now for insight from Davis Mattek, Ben Gretch, Brian Good and Sam Farley.