Week 7 NFL Picks: Predictions for Vegas' Final Odds, Props on Sunday's Schedule
Welcome to another football Sunday, where the bulk of your NFL action is set to take place. Week 7 got off to an interesting start on Thursday, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 26-10 in the latest installment of their classic rivalry.
The game, of course, might have been closer if Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer hadn't suffered a broken arm.
We have 14 games remaining in Week 7, with Sunday's slate of 13 beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. The New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams will start off the action over in London, while the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals will cap the action on Sunday night.
On Monday night, the Denver Broncos will host the Houston Texans.
There are a number of intriguing matchups ahead, which of course means there are plenty of gaming opportunities. We're here to run down the final lines—courtesy of Odds Shark—and make our predictions against them. We'll also examine some of the top picks and prop bets available.
Week 7 NFL Picks
| Sun. 9:30 a.m. | NY Giants at Los Angeles* | NYG -2.5 | NYG |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Oakland at Jacksonville | JAX -1.5 | OAK |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Buffalo at Miami | BUF -2.5 | BUF |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Indianapolis at Tennessee | TEN -3.5 | IND |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Washington at Detroit | DET -1 | DET |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | New Orleans at Kansas City | KC -6 | KC |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Cleveland at Cincinnati | CIN -10 | CLE |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Minnesota at Philadelphia | MIN -3 | MIN |
| Sun. 1 p.m. | Baltimore at NY Jets | NYJ -2 | NYJ |
| Sun 4:05 p.m. | Tampa Bay at San Francisco | SF -1 | TB |
| Sun. 4:05 p.m. | San Diego at Atlanta | ATL -5.5 | ATL |
| Sun 4:25 p.m. | New England at Pittsburgh | NE -7.5 | NE |
| Sun. 8:30 p.m. | Seattle at Arizona | ARI -1 | ARI |
| Mon. 8:30 p.m. | Houston at Denver | DEN -9 | DEN |
Top Selections
New England (-7.5) Over Pittsburgh Steelers
A week ago, there was no way the New England Patriots would be giving up just over a touchdown to the Steelers in Pittsburgh. While the Patriots offense has been dominant since the Week 5 return of quarterback Tom Brady, the Steelers offense has been quite efficient itself—at least at home.
The Steelers scored a combined 98 points in their past three home games.
The problem is that Pittsburgh lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a torn meniscus last weekend during a road loss to the Miami Dolphins. Roethlisberger underwent surgery and will miss at least this week's game.
"I think that two to three is what you can characterize as best-case, but that's what we're hoping for," Steelers president Art Rooney II recently told NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. "Two to six is probably a fair range that somebody can put on it."
This means the Steelers will be trying to keep pace on the scoreboard with an offense led by backup quarterback Landry Jones. Keeping pace won't be easy considering New England has averaged 34 points in the two games since Brady's return—against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers still have offensive weapons like running back Le'Veon Bell and receiver Antonio Brown, but can either be as efficient without Roethlisberger? Brown, at least, traditionally hasn't.
On top of the differences in offenses here, we have to look at the other side of the football. The Patriots definitely hold an edge here. New England is allowing an average of just 15.2 points per game and is rated fourth in overall defense by Pro Football Focus. The Steelers are allowing an average of 20.5 points per game and are rated 21st in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.
Expect Brady and Co. to continue their assault on the AFC North with a two-score victory over the shorthanded Steelers.
San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons OVER 55
On Sunday, the San Diego Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons will do battle in what should be an offensive-driven struggle. The Falcons currently boast the league's top scoring offense with an average of 33.2 points per game.
San Diego is ranked just a bit behind Atlanta at third in scoring with an average 28.8 points per game.
In addition to having two potent offenses in this contest, we have to take into account the defense. While the Falcons and Chargers have each had their defensive moments this season, it's not like either defensive unit is elite.
The Chargers defense is currently allowing an average of 25.8 points per game and is rated 12th overall by Pro Football Focus. The Falcons defense is allowing an average of 27.7 points per game and is rated 16th overall by Pro Football Focus.
It doesn't seem at all unlikely for each team to approach the 30-point mark in this game, especially if the offenses are forced to trade blows early. The fact that both offenses can create chunk plays only increases the likelihood of a high-scoring game.
There will be defense in this game, of course, but don't expect a defensive battle or a methodical grind-it-out approach on offense from either team.
Prop Bet: DeMarco Murray OVER 90.5 Rushing Yards
One of the more interesting prop bets floating out there involves Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray and his matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. This isn't a low number to reach by any mans, but there are a couple of reasons to believe Murray can hit it.
The first is Murray's role in the Titans offense. While the team originally seemed to envision a rushing duo comprised of Murray and rookie Derrick Henry, Murray has proved too valuable to take off of the football field.
According to Pro Football Focus, Murray has seen 183 offensive snaps over the past three weeks. Henry has seen just 40.
This means if Tennessee decides to attack the Colts defense on the ground, the team is most likely to do it with Murray. There's every reason to expect the Titans will do this too. Indianapolis is currently allowing an average of 117.7 yards rushing per game and is rated dead last in run defense by Pro Football Focus.
Murray has topped the 90.5-yard mark in three out of the past four weeks, and he should be on track to do it again on Sunday.
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