Week 7 NFL Picks Against the Spread for Every Game

The Week 7 NFL schedule features some great games that include top divisional battles.

The top divisional battle of the week is in the NFC East as the New York Giants try to fend off Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins.

The AFC East features the New England Patriots trying to rebound after a difficult loss to the Seattle Seahawks against Rex Ryan and the New York Jets.

In an out-of-conference matchup, the Baltimore Ravens will play their first game of the season without Ray Lewis as they go up against the Houston Texans.

Here is a look at all of the great games for Week 7 with picks against the spread.

San Francisco 49ers -7.5 over Seattle

Last week I correctly predicted four out of five picks adding to a successful start to the season.

2012 NFL Pick Record: 19-11 ATS (16 underdog winners)

Now on the Week 7 slate, starting with the Thursday night game.

The Seattle Seahawks are off a very impressive win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and will have the difficult task of getting ready for a road game on a short week. Road teams have had problems preparing for Thursday night games this year, and Seattle will also have to deal with a very angry 49ers team.

The 49ers were demolished at home against the Giants, but rebound well after a big loss. The 49ers are 32-15-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 51 games following a loss of more than 14 points and are 21-8-3 ATS in their last 32 home games.

Rookie Russell Wilson will not be able to duplicate his great effort from a week ago against a much tougher San Francisco secondary.

The Seahawks are 18-37-2 ATS in their last 57 road games and they will be beaten by double digits to kick off Week 7 in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers -7.5

Buffalo -3 over Titans

The Bills are 3-3 on the season and coming off a big win on the road against the Cardinals.

The Titans are also coming off a very big win after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. While both teams have had some impressive moments, overall they are struggling, especially the Titans.

The Titans have one of the best running backs in the NFL with Chris Johnson, but they still rank dead last in the NFL with 70.2 rushing yards per game. Jake Locker will not be able to play, so veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will start his third straight game.

The Bills are healthy again as both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will play in this game, and the Bills are riding a high heading into this game. The Titans are 0-4-1 against the spread in their last five road games and 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.

Despite how badly they have played, the Bills are still tied for first in the AFC East and will beat the Titans this Sunday to keep pace in the division.

Buffalo -3

Rams +5 over Packers

The game between the Rams and the Packers may be flying under the radar but it has the potential to be the biggest NFL upset of the week.

The Packers crushed the Texans on Sunday night and that has drawn plenty of attention from the betting public. In fact, the NFL consensus shows that the Packers are the most popular play of the week with 77 percent of the public action.

The Rams are an overlooked team that is playing very good football. They rank sixth in the NFL in pass defense and should be able to put pressure on a hobbled Aaron Rodgers.

In a report by NBC Sports, Rodgers admitted he was hurt late in the game against Houston.

“I hurt my leg a little bit, but I think I’ll be OK,” Rodgers said.

Jeff Fisher has the Rams believing that they can compete and make the playoffs this season. If not for three missed field goals by rookie Greg Zuerlein, the Rams would have beaten Miami. Before that game he was perfect on the season, so don’t expect the same type of game from Zuerlein.

The Rams look so good that they are my Upset of the Week for Week 7 in the NFL.

This is a letdown spot for the Pack as they are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following a win of more than 14 points.

The Rams are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall and have a very good chance of pulling off the upset.

Rams +5

Giants -6 over Washington

The Giants proved last week that they are one of the best teams in the NFL by going on the road and crushing the 49ers.

The Redskins beat Minnesota at home as Robert Griffin III returned to the lineup after a big hit against the Falcons. The Redskins are only one game back in the division so this is a big game, but it may surprise you to hear that it is more important for the Giants to win this game.

The Giants lost twice last year to the Skins without RG3. The Giants have also lost to Dallas and Philadelphia, so a loss to the Skins would make the G-Men a despicable 0-3 in division.

The Giants will carry momentum from the win on the West Coast over to this game. The Giants are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games following a win and 3-0-1 ATS in their last four games overall.

The Redskins are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight meetings in New York and they will lose big to a Giants team that will send a message to the rest of the league.

Giants -6

Arizona +6 over Minnesota

After a quick start by both teams, the Vikings and the Cardinals have fallen on hard times.

The Cardinals' offensive line has been exposed and they have dropped back-to-back ugly games.

The Vikings are off a loss to the Redskins, but will be happy to return home where they have yet to lose a game. However, they could be in trouble this week against the Cardinals.

After getting beat up in consecutive weeks, Kevin Kolb is out with an injury and the starter will be John Skelton. Skelton has an unmistakable chemistry with Larry Fitzgerald that will shine in this game.

On defense the Cardinals are No. 4 in the NFL in points allowed and will keep the Vikings in check.

The Vikings may be undefeated at home this year but they are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games. The Vikings are 4-11-2 ATS when playing a team with a winning record, so the Cardinals could win this game outright.

Arizona +6

Cleveland +3 over Colts

The game between the Browns and the Colts may not be the best one on the NFL schedule for this week, but it is from a betting standpoint.

This line is a perfect example of public perception. The football odds show that the Colts opened up as 3.5-point favorites, but in reality Cleveland is a better team.

In the future the Colts may be better, but right now they are not. Donald Brown went down with injury and the Colts struggled to establish the run against the Jets. This put Andrew Luck in the position to carry the team and he made rookie mistakes.

The Browns may only have one win but they have played close games against Baltimore and Philadelphia—two teams with winning records.

The Colts have injuries on defense mounting. Defensive end Cory Redding injured his right leg Sunday and inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman, the team's leading tackler with 49 stops, suffered a concussion. Defensive end Fili Moala (knee) missed the last game, too. (Via the Indianapolis Star)

Add this to the injury to Robert Mathis, and the Colts are vulnerable on defense.

The Browns are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven road games and they will win this game.

Cleveland +3

Houston -6.5 over Baltimore

The Ravens lost their vocal leader and one of their best players when Ray Lewis was lost to an injury. The Ravens lost cornerback Lardarius Webb with a torn ACL, and heading into a game against Houston, that will spell big trouble.

The Cowboys ran well last week against Baltimore with Lewis in the lineup, so Arian Foster should have a field day. The run will help protect quarterback Matt Schaub, and the Texans will get a big win as the Ravens' season starts to unravel.

The Ravens are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall and 3-7 ATS in the last 10 games against an AFC opponent.

The Ravens will be lost with Ray Lewis.

Houston -6.5

Carolina +1 over Dallas

The Cowboys lost a close game that many think they should have won against the Ravens a week ago. The scrutiny will only get more intense when they lose this week to the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers are coming off a bye week and the last six teams to come off a bye week have managed a 5-1 record against the spread. The time will allow for Cam Newton to adjust and for the running game to get healthy.

The Cowboys are not a very well-coached team and it was evident in the clock management a week ago. This is a very difficult spot for Cowboy backers. The Cowboys are 8-20-1 ATS in their last 29 games against the NFC and 1-7 ATS when playing a team with a losing record.

The Panthers will return from a bye with a big win over Dallas and are my Lock Of the Week.

Carolina +1

Buccaneers +2.5 over Saints

In the Carolina slide I mentioned that the last six teams coming off a bye are 5-1 against the spread, so when Tampa hosts the Saints off a bye, that should be good news for the Saints, right?

Nope—in fact the Saints will lose to the Bucs.

The Saints rank No. 31 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with 172.8. This is good news for a Bucs team that put up 145 yards in their last outing against the Chiefs. LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin give the Bucs a two-headed rushing attack that the Saints will not be able to contain.

The Saints are 6-13 ATS when playing a team with a losing record and the Buccaneers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Bucs win a big divisional game by beating the Saints.

Buccaneers +2.5

Patriots -10.5 over the Jets

The Jets are in trouble.

They hit the NFL highway for a game against the angry Patriots. The Patriots are coming off an ugly loss, and after the game Brady was humiliated by the Seattle defense in more ways than one.

The Jets looked great against the Colts because they were able to establish the run to hide their lackluster passing attack. They won’t be able to do the same thing against the Patriots.

The Jets are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games and the Patriots are 28-10-1 ATS in their last 39 games following a loss. The Patriots rebound with a double-digit victory over the Jets.

Patriots -10.5

Jacksonville +4 over Raiders

Talk about your snoozer. This is one of the ugliest games on the NFL schedule as the Raiders host the Jaguars. Both teams have a combined two wins on the season and are playing very ugly football.

The Raiders had a chance for an impressive win against the Falcons and but found a way to give it up late in the game.

The Jaguars are just as bad, but they have been a good bet on the road. The Jaguars are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight road games and they come into this game with plenty of rest from the bye week.

The Raiders play down to their opposition and are 17-38-1 ATS when playing a team with a losing record.

Hopefully this game will have a “Heidi” moment and fans won’t miss a thing.

Jacksonville +4

Bengals +1 over Steelers

The Sunday night football game is a good one as the Cincinnati Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the defensive injuries to the Ravens, the door is open for both of these teams to challenge for the AFC North title. However, both teams have been very inconsistent.

The Steelers have lost inexcusable games to the Raiders and the Titans and need a win against the Bengals to get back on the winning track.

The Bengals are losers of back-to-back games and need this divisional win after losing the season opener to the Ravens. The Steelers have a matchup nightmare trying to cover wide receiver A.J. Green, who leads the league in receiving yards. Coach Mike Tomlin is well-aware of the problem Green poses on the field.

“Obviously, A.J. Green is an exciting, Pro Bowl-caliber receiver with a unique physical skill set,” Tomlin told the Beaver County Times. “We will have our hands full, dealing with what he is capable of.”

The Steelers are 0-7 ATS in their last seven road games and just 1-6 ATS in the last seven games overall. The Bengals get a much-needed win at home in the Sunday night football game.

Bengals +1

Lions +6.5 over Bears

The Monday Night Football game may just be the best game of the week as the Chicago Bears host the Detroit Lions in a NFC North battle.

The Lions are just 2-3 on the season, and this becomes a must-win if they want to get out of the basement in the division. The last-minute, come-from-behind win against the Eagles seemed to wake up the Lions, and they will look to carry that emotion over to this game.

Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson told the Detroit Free Press that the team has an attitude and they now “embrace the bad boy image” on the field.

"

What we worked for was getting torn down, and we wanted to be more of a mature team. But finding that maturity off the field can't compromise who we are on the field. And who we are on the field are the bad guys. ... We're the ones that nobody wants to see succeed, and we like it that way. We play better that way.

I think everybody took it in their own hands to be better men off the field, and that followed us a little bit on the field. But I think we're back where we need to be.

"

The offense of the Lions is starting to click and that is good news for Lions' backers at the betting window. The Lions are 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

The Lions will bring that attitude to the Monday night stage and leave with a big win to get back into the divisional race.

Lions +6.5

James Brown is a B/R featured columnist and can be followed on Twitter. Feel free to contact James at [e-mail]. He also is a contributor at Bookie Blitz, a sports picks website.