Week 7 NFL Picks: Home Teams That Won't Defend Their Turf

The Buffalo Bills gutted out a 19-16 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, but their success won't carry over at home in Week 7. They will host the Tennessee Titans, and a minor upset is in order.

The Titans had their best performance of the season in their last game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, marching to a 26-23 win at home with a balanced offensive attack.

Chris Johnson had his second good game of the season with 19 rushes for 91 yards, and the team's offense finally ran smoothly under Matt Hasselbeck. They were able to get Kenny Britt involved with four receptions for 62 yards. 

This offense should continue to ascend, especially against the Bills' defense. Buffalo is dead last in rushing yards allowed with a whopping 173.5 yards per game. Johnson should be licking his chops to take advantage of this unit.

If the Titans' RB can't go for triple digits against this team, some self-examination is in order. The Bills' offense has been nothing to write home about over the past three weeks. The team has scored 33 points in their last 10 quarters of football. 

The Titans will take this game on the road, 24-14.

Here are two other squads that won't get it done in front of the home crowd:

Carolina Panthers

The Dallas Cowboys are in a must-win situation. It's not because they'll be mathematically eliminated from a playoff spot, it's much too early for that. The Boys need this win to prevent the wheels from coming off emotionally.

How many more losses can the team endure with the usual high expectations?

They really had no business losing to the Ravens this past Sunday, and they will be eager to redeem themselves. 

The Panthers are the perfect marks. They are 1-5, struggling to stop the run, and Cam Newton has had difficulty executing down the stretch of games. He squandered an opportunity to hand the Atlanta Falcons their first loss with an errant red-zone pass in the closing moments of Week 5.

In the fourth quarter of the Panthers' loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, Newton was sacked and fumbled away his team's chance at a late comeback.

Newton will right the ship at some point this season, and he'll continue his path to greatness in this league. However, it won't happen this week. The Cowboys will win, 34-28.

St. Louis Rams

This is the easiest home loser to predict. The Green Bay Packers are on a mission to prove they are still amongst the NFL's elite. They started proving that point this past Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers threw six touchdown passes and the Pack rolled over the previously undefeated Houston Texans—in Houston, 42-24.

The Rams will have no answer for an offense that is adapting to life without Greg Jennings, and a defense that pressures the QB relentlessly. The Pack sacked Matt Schaub three times, and the Texans' line is a strength of their team.

That is not the case in St. Louis. The Rams have allowed 18 sacks this season, which is tied for the third-most allowed in the NFL this year. The Packers' O-line has allowed Rodgers to be dumped 23 times, but they played much better against the Texans.

J.J. Watt did get to Rodgers twice, but Watt is playing at a level where he'll individually outperform anyone on a handful of plays every week. Overall, Rodgers' protection wasn't horrible.

The Rams don't have a game-changer on Watt's level, and they don't have the weapons to keep pace offensively. The Packers will win their second straight, 40-21.

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