NFL Picks Week 7: Picks for Every Game

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The NFL Week 7 slate of games is highlighted by the game in Detroit between the Lions and Falcons.  Can the Lions bounce back from their tough loss at home to the 49ers?

There is also a big game in Tennessee between the Texans and Titans for sole possession of first place in the AFC South.

This week's list of teams on the bye includes the Bills, Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Eagles and 49ers.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns

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This is going to be a bad football game. 

The Browns are giving up 129.8 yards per game on the ground.  That bodes well for the Seahawks because they are a much better team when Marshawn Lynch is running the ball.

Seattle's defensive weakness is against the pass.  The Seahawks rank 23rd in the league in passing yards allowed per game.

That should not be much of a problem in this game though because the Browns do not have a very good passing attack.

Seahawks 17 Browns 13

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions

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This might be the game of the week.

The Lions will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week against the 49ers.  This is a good matchup for them because the Falcons are allowing 282.8 yards per game through the air. 

The Falcons will counter that weakness by giving Detroit a heavy dose of Michael Turner.  The Lions have struggled against the run this season, and the Falcons' best bet for holding down Matthew Stafford is keeping him on the sideline. 

In the end, the Falcons just will not have enough to keep up with the Lions offense.

Lions 31 Falcons 24

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans

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The AFC South is a two-horse race this season, and those two horses face each other on Sunday in Nashville.

The Titans are still looking to get Chris Johnson on track after giving him a truckload of money before the season started. 

The biggest thing to watch on the Texans' side will be the health of Andre Johnson.  His initial diagnosis was three weeks, which would mean he would miss this game, but Johnson thought he would be able to play, according to comments he made on October 7.

If Andre Johnson cannot play, Tennessee has a slight advantage in this one because they are playing at home.

Titans 24 Texans 20

Denver Broncos vs. Miami Dolphins

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The Tim Tebow era begins on Sunday in Miami.  This is going to be the easiest road start of his career because there will be more Tebow fans in the stands than Dolphins fans.

He also gets the benefit of facing a pass defense that is giving up 284 yards per game.

There is not much to say about the Dolphins.  They are a bad football team that might not win a game this season.

Broncos 17 Dolphins 10

San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets

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Philip Rivers is what makes the Chargers offense go, but he will give way to Ryan Matthews early in this game to test the Jets' weak run defense. 

It is hard to see how the Jets will put many points on the board against a Chargers defense that is 17th against the run and second against the pass.

The one advantage the Jets have in this game is that they are playing at home.  It is never easy for a West Coast team to travel across the country for a 1 p.m. ET start.

Chargers 24 Jets 13

Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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This is a very important game for both of these teams.  Neither team is going to win a division title, but they both figure to be in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

These teams are really evenly matched across the board. 

The most important thing for the Bears will be giving Jay Cutler time to throw.

The most important thing for the Buccaneers will be for Josh Freeman to play like he did last week, not like he has the rest of the season.

Buccaneers 27 Bears 23

Washington Redskins vs. Carolina Panthers

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The Redskins enter this game with a lot of uncertainty around who is going to play quarterback.  Rex Grossman was terrible last week and is not very good.  John Beck is not good.  Those are their two options.

The good news for the Redskins is that the Panthers are bad against the run.  They give up just over 140 yards per game on the ground.  Whichever running back Mike Shanahan decides should get the ball this week will have a big game.

Carolina faces a tough matchup against a Redskins defense that is good across the board.  This game will come down to Cam Newton's ability to make plays outside of the pocket.

Panthers 20 Redskins 10

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders

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This is a really big game in the AFC West race.  Both teams need a win to remain within striking distance of the San Diego Chargers.

The biggest story surrounding this game will be Carson Palmer.  The Raiders did not give up a couple of first-round picks to have him stand on the sideline and hold a clipboard.  Expect him to be the starter.

Jackie Battle is a name to remember in this one.  He had a really nice game two weeks ago before the Chiefs' bye week.  He is the latest guy to fill in for Jamaal Charles.

I think the addition of Palmer actually hurts the Raiders this week because he will not be up to speed on the offense.

Chiefs 27 Raiders 17

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals

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This is a tough matchup for the Cardinals.  They have some offensive weapons, but Kevin Kolb has not panned out like they had hoped so far.  He will struggle against the Steelers defense.

The Steelers offense looks to be clicking on all cylinders now.  Rashard Mendenhall returned last week and had a big game against the Jaguars. 

Ben Roethlisberger has the bad foot, but it has not hurt his numbers at all.

Steelers 35 Cardinals 17

St. Louis Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys

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The Cowboys have to be happy to see the Rams coming to town this weekend.  That is just what they need to get the season back on track.

Expect Tony Romo to put up huge numbers in this game against a Rams defense that is 15th in the league in yards allowed.

One interesting thing to watch on the Rams' side will be the impact of Brandon Lloyd.  It will not take him long to get up to speed on Josh McDaniels' offense after playing in it last season. 

Cowboys 38 Rams 20

Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings

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Another week where the Packers have a name-your-number game.  The Vikings defense is not that bad, but they are going to be on the field for most of the game. 

Minnesota announced Tuesday that Christian Ponder will start at quarterback on Sunday.  The only chance Minnesota has in this game is for Adrian Peterson to rush for 150-plus yards.

Packers 40 Vikings 17

Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints

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NBC was excited to get this matchup when the schedule first came out.  Now they would probably pay a lot of money to get it off their list.

There is not a whole lot to say about this game.  The Saints are the better team.  They will not have any problem moving the ball against the Colts.

The Saints defense has not been very good, but they will have no problem stopping Curtis Painter and the Indianapolis offense.

Saints 42 Colts 13

Baltimore Ravens vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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It is another rough week for prime-time games.

The Ravens are one of the best teams in the league.  The Jaguars are one of the worst.  There really is not much else you need to know.

Blaine Gabbert struggled last week against the Steelers throwing for just 109 yards.  Things will not get much easier for him this week facing the seventh-ranked pass defense in the league.

Ray Rice will have a big game in this one and lead the Ravens to an easy win.

Ravens 27 Jaguars 10