NFL Predictions Week 7: Picks and Odds Advice for Latest Schedule

The NFL's Week 7 looks like the strangest gameweek of the season so far.

Question marks and oddities highlight the slate. The Pittsburgh Steelers have to give it a go without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee). The Arizona Cardinals have their backs against the wall. The undefeated Minnesota Vikings will look to keep cruising.

Oh, and the league decided to send the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams to London. 

Strange happenings aside, bettors have six weeks of experience when it comes to picking through unreliable scenarios to find good lines to exploit. Those who haven't had much success, well, now is the time to start as the halfway point nears.

NFL Week 7 Odds

Matchup	Date	Spread	O/U	Predicted Winner
NY Giants at LA Rams	Sunday, Oct. 23	NYG -3	44	NYG 23-20
Washington at Detroit	Sunday, Oct. 23	DET -1	48.5	WAS 27-23
Minnesota at Philadelphia	Sunday, Oct. 23	MIN -3	40	MIN 23-14
Cleveland at Cincinnati	Sunday, Oct. 23	CIN -10.5	46	CIN 30-20
Indianapolis at Tennessee	Sunday, Oct. 23	TEN -3	48	TEN 24-20
Baltimore at NY Jets	Sunday, Oct. 23	NYJ -2	42.5	BAL 27-20
Oakland at Jacksonville	Sunday, Oct. 23	E	49	OAK 28-24
New Orleans at Kansas City	Sunday, Oct. 23	KC -6	50.5	KC 30-21
Buffalo at Miami	Sunday, Oct. 23	BUF -3	44.5	MIA 27-24
San Diego at Atlanta	Sunday, Oct. 23	ATL -6	53	ATL 28-23
Tampa Bay at San Francisco	Sunday, Oct. 23	TB -1	47.5	SF 23-20
New England at Pittsburgh	Sunday, Oct. 23	NE -8	46	NE 34-24
Seattle at Arizona	Sunday, Oct. 23	ARI -1.5	43.5	SEA 24-20
Houston at Denver	Monday, Oct. 24	DEN -9	41.5	DEN 24-17

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-10.5)

An AFC North encounter between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns showcases both sides of the Week 7 coin.

On one side, the Browns have performed as expected, even after the arrivals of quarterback Robert Griffin III and head coach Hue Jackson. The team has yet to record a win in six tries and hasn't looked particularly impressive in any game.

That means the Bengals register as the surprise on this imaginary coin. Cincinnati sits at 2-4, above only the Browns in the division, which is an odd development for a team that has run wild in the regular season in recent years.

Granted, few could have expected Cincinnati to start overly strong with games against contenders such as the Steelers, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots over the first six weeks, but losing all of those contests? Nobody predicted that.

Cincinnati hasn't looked convincing in its wins, either, escaping the New York Jets by a point and taking a 22-7 victory against the Miami Dolphins. Usually the scapegoat, quarterback Andy Dalton (67.4 completion percentage, six touchdowns and two interceptions) has been one of the few positives.

Luckily for the Bengals and the bettors who want to throw down coin on this one, things should look normal by the time the score goes final Sunday. The Browns have coughed up 285.3 passing yards, 118.0 rushing yards and 29.3 points per game this season, and Cleveland will also trot out third-round rookie Cody Kessler under center.

This is the perfect time for Cincinnati to get back on track. Expect the final score to straddle the spread while Dalton and the offense cruise.

Prediction: Bengals 30-20

Oakland at Jacksonville (Pick'em)

The fact the line between the Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars comes in at even fits into the "odd" column for Week 7.

Oakland, after all, is 4-2 and tied with the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos in the AFC West. At 2-3, Jacksonville has again joined the likes of Cleveland at the bottom of the league, with its only wins coming against miserable Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears teams—by a combined total of four points.

Those skeptical of the Raiders have every right to point out the defense's numbers. Oakland sits dead last in yards allowed and has coughed up 312.7 passing yards and 27.2 points per game.

The offense has compensated, though. Quarterback Derek Carr has thrown 12 touchdown passes with only three interceptions, while the rushing attack has managed 4.8 yards per carry and six scores.

It goes a long way toward explaining an important note Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton provided:

If that's not enough to convince bettors to roll with the Raiders, keep in mind that Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles hasn't inspired confidence this year, with eight touchdown passes and seven picks. His offensive line hasn't, either, allowing 14 sacks through five games. Nothing in the trenches has gone well, with the offense averaging 3.3 yards per carry.

Oakland will pull out the win on the road Sunday through great quarterback play and an offense not many defenses can slow down. A few Jacksonville mistakes seem like the most predictable factors of the week.

Prediction: Raiders 28-24

Houston at Denver (-9)

There are many interesting storylines ahead of the Monday Night Football encounter between the Houston Texans and Broncos.

More than anything, the two sides share plenty of former players and coaches.

That point doesn't center on Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler, either, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle detailed:

That's not to suggest Osweiler hasn't come up, though, per the Broncos:

Osweiler has the Texans at 4-2 in the AFC South, which isn't saying much given the sorry state of the division. He's been slow to adapt to his new team, having tossed eight touchdowns and eight interceptions while taking 12 sacks. As such, star receiver DeAndre Hopkins has just 354 receiving yards and three scores.

Von Miller and the Denver defense probably can't wait to face a quarterback like Osweiler, no matter the backstory. The unit ranks first in the league, permitting 182.3 passing yards per game. Naturally, this has helped the Broncos rank eighth in the NFL by allowing only 18.0 points per game.

Denver already has 21 sacks and five interceptions on the year, a pair of drive-ending traits that should make the task thrown at Osweiler's replacement, Trevor Siemian, easier. He's coasted for much of the season while throwing seven touchdowns with three picks and could do so again against an exploitable opponent Monday.

Prediction: Broncos 24-17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to Odds Shark. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

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