NFL Week 7 Picks: Early Odds and Predictions for Every Upcoming Game
With the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets still to play on Monday night, Week 6 has already been chock full of excitement, action and surprise. The Denver Broncos were upset on Thursday night by the San Diego Chargers. The Dallas Cowboys went into Green Bay and manhandled the Packers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, meanwhile, were embarrassed by the Miami Dolphins. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, they lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a torn meniscus in the process:
All of this throws a cloud over what we thought we knew about the 2016 NFL landscape—though there are still some things we're sure of.
The New England Patriots have been utterly dominant in the two weeks since Tom Brady's return. The Minnesota Vikings, who were on bye in Week 6, remain undefeated and atop the NFC North. The Cleveland Browns are still without a win.
What does all of this mean for Week 7? Well, that's what we're going to predict today. We'll be examining the early lines for Week 7—courtesy of Odds Shark—and making our own predictions for each game. We will also take an in-depth look at some of the most important matchups of the upcoming slate.
| Chicago Bears | Green Bay Packers | GB -9 | 30-24 GB |
| New York Giants | Los Angeles Rams | NYG -2.5 | 25-23 NYG |
| Oakland Raiders | Jacksonville Jaguars | JAX -1.5 | 31-30 OAK |
| Buffalo Bills | Miami Dolphins | BUF -2 | 28-26 BUF |
| Indianapolis Colts | Tennessee Titans | TEN -1.5 | 30-28 IND |
| Washington Redskins | Detroit Lions | DET -1 | 27-24 DET |
| New Orleans Saints | Kansas City Chiefs | KC -7 | 35-31 KC |
| Cleveland Browns | Cincinnati Bengals | CIN -10.5 | 27-19 CIN |
| Minnesota Vikings | Philadelphia Eagles | MIN -1.5 | 24-21 MIN |
| Baltimore Ravens | New York Jets | Even | 26-24 NYJ |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | San Francisco 49ers | Even | 25-24 SF |
| San Diego Chargers | Atlanta Falcons | ATL -6 | 36-30 ATL |
| New England Patriots | Pittsburgh Steelers | NE -2 | 35-22 NE |
| Seattle Seahawks | Arizona Cardinals | ARI -2 | 22-20 ARI |
| Houston Texans | Denver Broncos | DEN -6.5 | 27-25 DEN |
Matchups to Watch
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
The Packers kick off Week 7 by hosting the rival Chicago Bears on Thursday night. While it's too early in the season to call this game a must-win for Green Bay, it feels like one.
The Packers are sitting at 3-2 and looking up at the undefeated Vikings in the NFC North. While a win and a Minnesota loss this week would tighten things up, it's worth noting that the Packers have not been playing impressive football.
Oddly enough, most of Green Bay's struggles have come on offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't looked like an elite passer since last season, but he's really been struggling in 2016. He is currently rated just 61st among all quarterbacks (including those who haven't taken a snap this season) by Pro Football Focus.
"I don't know if I agree with 'broken.' It's definitely not clean in some areas," coach Mike McCarthy said of his offense, per AP sportswriter Genaro C. Armas.
Rodgers and Co. will have an opportunity to get back on track against the 1-5 Bears and their 19th-ranked scoring defense (allowing 23.8 points per game). The Packers should also have a big advantage by playing at home on the short week.
It will be difficult for Green Bay to recover from a loss here, so expect the Packers to come out motivated and hungry for a win. Brian Hoyer and the Chicago offense should put up an admirable battle, but the Packers have to have this one. They should get it and cover.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
We don't know where the Arizona Cardinals will stand after Monday night (Week 6 vs. New York Jets), but we do know that quarterback Carson Palmer is back under center and should be close to full strength.
We also know that the Seattle Seahawks are looking like one of the toughest teams in all of football. The Cardinals are going to have a real challenge if they want to win and get back into the thick of the NFC West race.
The Seahawks are ranked a pedestrian 16th in total offense with an average of 352.6 yards per game. However, Seattle also boasts the NFL's top defense, which allows an average of just 283.6 yards per contest.
That defense was put to the test on Sunday, when Julio Jones, Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons came to town.
The Falcons put up 24 points in Seattle and had an opportunity to put together a game-winning field-goal drive. Richard Sherman was able to break up a long pass to Jones to preserve the win—though plenty of folks questioned the legality of Sherman's play.
Regardless of what you think about the finish in Seattle, the fact remains that the Seahawks are 4-1 and in control of the NFC West.
But Seattle does have its weaknesses—like its offensive line. The team is rated just 25th in pass blocking and 30th in run blocking by Pro Football Focus. This could create some problems for Seattle against a Cardinals defense that is ranked fifth in the NFL (308.0 yards per game allowed).
Expect Arizona to play like a desperate team in Week 7. With home-field advantage and a healthy Palmer, we think the Cardinals can pull off the hard win.
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
We can't talk about Week 7 and not discuss the Monday night game between the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos.
This is the homecoming game for Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler—you know, the guy who spurned the Super Bowl champions in order to chase that proverbial fat cash in Houston. This game, though, is a whole lot more than that.
“We’ve got to win regardless of who it is,’’ Broncos safety T.J. Ward said, per Mike Klis of KUSA Denver. “We’re playing the Texans, not Brock and the Texans. The complete team has to be there—offense, defense, special teams. If we don’t do that, we’re not going to win.”
Getting the win will be important for each team.
The Broncos started off the season strong, but they've lost two in a row. They're now tied with the Oakland Raiders in the AFC West at 4-2.
The Texans managed a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night to improve to 4-2.
This is a game that could eventually impact AFC playoff seeding.
The Broncos need to win here in order to maintain a spot at the top of the divisional standings. The Texans need a win to establish themselves as legitimate contenders, not just the leaders of the weak AFC South.
We'll give the edge here to Denver. They should get an added boost from the return of head coach Gary Kubiak.
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