NFL Week 7 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't get blown out in Week 7. How can we be so sure? Because they and the Philadelphia Eagles are the two teams on bye as the midway point of the NFL season draws near.

These days, being idle is the only way to assure the Bucs won't be embarrassed on the gridiron. After the Baltimore Ravens throttled Lovie Smith's team 48-17 on Sunday, Tampa Bay is now minus-84 against its opponents in point differential.

Yikes.

The only team worst than the Bucs are their fellow Floridians, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gus Bradley's squad will host the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. Believe it or not, the Browns should be favored. When's the last someone said that?

Per early odds on Odds Shark, the Browns are 4.5-point favorites. Here's a look at pre-Monday Night Football odds, spreads and predictions for every game on the Week 7 schedule. Just beneath the table is a closer look at the two biggest games of the week.

Thursday, OCT 16	Spread	Prediction
Sunday, OCT 19	Spread	Prediction
Monday, OCT 20	Spread	Prediction
NY Jets at New England	New England (Minus-11)	New England
Atlanta at Baltimore	Baltimore (-7.5)	Baltimore
Tennessee at Washington	Washington (-4)	Washington
Seattle at St. Louis	N/A	Seattle
Cleveland at Jacksonville	Cleveland (-4.5)	Cleveland
Cincinnati at Indianapolis	Indianapolis (-3)	Indianapolis
Minnesota at Buffalo	Buffalo (-4)	Buffalo
Miami at Chicago	Chicago (-3)	Chicago
New Orleans at Detroit	Detroit (-2.5)	Detroit
Carolina at Green Bay	Green Bay (-7.5)	Green Bay
Kansas City at San Diego	San Diego (-5.5)	San Diego
Arizona at Oakland	Arizona (-3.5)	Arizona
NY Giants at Dallas	N/A	Dallas
San Francisco at Denver	N/A	Denver
Houston at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh (-4)	Houston

Indy Will Keep Bengals Off the Winning Track

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

The Bengals looked like the best team in the NFL through three games this season. Their defense was holding teams to an average of 13 points. Since that great start, Cincinnati's defense has allowed an average of 40 points over two games to the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers.

A missed Mike Nugent game-winning field goal made Cincy settle for a tie in Week 6. Against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, it won't be as close.

Since their slow start, the Colts are moving in the opposite direction. They have won four straight and have taken command of the AFC South.

Luck's seven interceptions are still a bit high, but he consistently shows that he can make plays for his team when the game is on the line. At home, Luck and the Colts will be too strong for a reeling Bengals team trying to find answers on the defensive side of the ball.

Denver Will Inch Past San Francisco

Peyton Manning comes into this game needing just two more touchdown passes to tie Brett Favre's all-time record and three more to break it. Making history won't be easy.

The 49ers defense is playing at a high level. It came into Week 6 ranked in the top five against both the pass and the run. One of the keys in this game will be getting pressure on Manning without bringing more than four players in pursuit.

If the Niners can do that, they have a great chance to win. 

On the other side of the ball, Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick must make smart throws and use his legs to break down the Broncos defense. That first part should make Niners fans nervous. Denver has the athletes on defense to contain Kaepernick as a runner and the corners to cover the deep ball. 

Can Kaepernick make the intermediate passes needed to convert crucial third downs? We say no. Expect a close one, but Denver should win.