Week 7 NFL Picks 2024: Early Odds to Exploit after Final Week 6 Results
Week 6 allowed a few teams to make a statement, but it was a total disaster for others. The San Francisco 49ers rebounded from a brutal Week 5 loss, while the Chicago Bears firmly established themselves as playoff threats in London.
The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, suffered a stunning 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions—the team's worst home loss since franchise owner Jerry Jones took over the Cowboys in 1989.
"This was very concerning and it was very humbling," Jones said, per NFL.com's Judy Batista.
It's taken more than a month, but the NFL landscape is finally coming into focus. This doesn't guarantee that picking winners will be an easy task moving forward, but we do have thoughts.
Based largely on what we saw in Week 6, here are a few of our favorite picks for Week 7.
*Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook
Patriots +5.5 at Jaguars
1 of 3
The New England Patriots suffered another lopsided loss in Week 6, but they did get an offensive boost from rookie quarterback Drake Maye. While the North Carolina product had his fair share of rookie mistakes against the Houston Texans, he also tossed a trio of touchdown passes while flashing his elite combination of mobility and arm talent.
This week, Maye will get to test himself against a far less imposing defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars rank dead-last in passing yards allowed and have allowed 14 passing touchdowns while notching just a single interception.
The Jaguars offense, meanwhile, continues to be out of rhythm. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has only occasionally looked like the high-end signal-caller he's being paid to be, and he's struggled to find a rapport with his top targets.
Jacksonville will have an edge here, as this will mark the team's second consecutive game in London. However, it's hard to envision the Jags running away with this one, so taking the Patriots and the points feels like the safe play.
Bengals -4.5 at Browns
2 of 3
The Cincinnati Bengals defense finally showed up on Sunday night, holding the New York Giants to a mere seven points and allowing Cincinnati to earn its second win of the season.
That's bad news for the Cleveland Browns, who have arguably the worst offense in the NFL right now. Deshaun Watson and the Browns had a few bright moments against a maligned Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 6, but Cleveland came up short once again.
Watson hasn't played well, Amari Cooper continues to drop passes, and penalties have consistently put Cleveland in tough positions. Cleveland's defense, which was terrific a year ago, hasn't come close to carrying the team.
While Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has historically struggled against Cleveland, he can make a statement in this one. Cincinnati isn't as bad as its 2-4 record might suggest. The Browns somehow seem worse than their 1-5 record.
Barring a parade of mistakes by the Bengals, Cincinnati should roll.
Dolphins +3.5 at Colts
3 of 3
The big question here is whether the Indianapolis Colts will turn back to quarterback Anthony Richardson. The second-year signal-caller was active in Week 6 (oblique), though Indy opted to start Joe Flacco.
"We went through the week with Anthony, seeing how he was feeling," head coach Shane Steichen said, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. "And obviously, just wasn't there yet, so we went with Joe."
Indianapolis' offense has been more potent with Flacco under center, so the line may actually shrink if Richardson appears in line to start. The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, have a prime opportunity to win a second consecutive game.
The Dolphins offense hasn't been good with Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) out of the lineup, but Miami is coming out of its bye. Head coach Mike McDaniel has had two weeks to tailor the offense to quarterback Tyler Huntley, and the Colts have been defensively vulnerable (30th in yards allowed).
The Dolphins should be able to get enough chunk plays out of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Co. to make this one very interesting. If Miami can't win outright, it should keep things close.
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