NFL Predictions Week 7: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

It seemingly gets more and more difficult to differentiate the contenders from the pretenders on a weekly basis in the NFL, and that makes for some tricky betting lines in Week 7.

There aren't many huge point spreads on the board, which speaks to the parity that is currently balancing the league. That is obviously a good thing for viewers since most games are competitive, but it can certainly be frustrating for bettors.

Seemingly anything can happen in the NFL now more than ever before, although there will always be teams that have advantages in key areas. In order to have betting success, those factors need to be exploited.

Here is a full rundown of straight-up picks and picks against the spread for Week 7, as well as a closer look at the most enticing selections on the schedule.

*Point spreads courtesy of OddsShark.com.

Date	Away	Home	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Thursday, Oct. 16	New York Jets	New England Patriots	NE (-10)	NE	NYJ
Sunday, Oct.19	Atlanta Falcons	Baltimore Ravens	BAL (-7)	BAL	ATL
Sunday, Oct.19	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	CLE (-6)	JAC	JAC
Sunday, Oct.19	Minnesota Vikings	Buffalo Bills	BUF (-6)	BUF	BUF
Sunday, Oct.19	Tennessee Titans	Washington Redskins	WAS (-6)	WAS	TEN
Sunday, Oct.19	Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis Rams	SEA (-7.5)	SEA	SEA
Sunday, Oct.19	Miami Dolphins	Chicago Bears	CHI (-3.5)	CHI	CHI
Sunday, Oct.19	New Orleans Saints	Detroit Lions	DET (-2.5)	NO	NO
Sunday, Oct.19	Carolina Panthers	Green Bay Packers	GB (-7)	GB	CAR
Sunday, Oct.19	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts	IND (-3)	IND	IND
Sunday, Oct.19	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	SD (-4)	SD	SD
Sunday, Oct.19	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	DAL (-7)	NYG	NYG
Sunday, Oct.19	Arizona Cardinals	Oakland Raiders	ARI (-3.5)	ARI	ARI
Sunday, Oct.19	San Francisco 49ers	Denver Broncos	DEN (-7)	DEN	SF
Monday, Oct. 20	Houston Texans	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT (-4)	HOU	HOU

Indianapolis Colts (-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals may very well be two of the AFC's best teams, but they are on entirely different planes right now. While the Colts have won four straight since starting 0-2, the Bengals are in a 0-1-1 slump following a 3-0 beginning to their season.

Indy has been bolstered by superstar quarterback Andrew Luck who leads the league with nearly 2,000 passing yards and 17 touchdowns through the air. He is also completing 66 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating just under 100, which arguably makes him the front-runner for the MVP award.

Luck has thrown for over 300 yards in all but one game this season, including four contests with 370 yards or more. While the Bengals were viewed as an elite defensive team entering the season, Luck is the last guy they want to see right now.

As pointed out by Enquirer Sports on Twitter, Cincinnati gave up a total of 80 points in a loss to the New England Patriots and tie with the Carolina Panthers over the past two weeks:

Although New England is finally coming to life and Carolina has Cam Newton under center, most would probably agree that Indianapolis has a more potent offense than both teams. To make matters worse, the Bengals will have to deal with that offensive attack on the road within the confines of Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Colts are going to put some points on the board, which means Cincinnati's offense will need to be banging on all cylinders. Unfortunately for the Bengals, Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Green is expected to miss the game, according to ESPN's Bob Holtzman:

While the Bengals did manage to put up 37 points last week without Green in the fold, they have a depleted receiving corps with Mohamed Sanu leading the way, and there simply won't be enough firepower present to hang with the Colts.

The three-point spread is a small price to pay with Indianapolis scoring at will. Cincinnati's defense can look dominant at times; however, the Colts offense is too hot to slow down right now.

New Orleans Saints (+2.5) at Detroit Lions

The 2014 season hasn't exactly been kind to the New Orleans Saints thus far, but they are currently second in the struggling NFC South and have an opportunity to inch closer to the Panthers with a win on Sunday.

Picking up a victory won't be easy, though, as the Saints will travel to Detroit to take on the 4-2 Lions. While Detroit is best known for its offensive explosiveness, that hasn't been the root of its success this season. The Lions have turned to their defense instead, and they have allowed a league-low 82 points through six games.

Facing a top defense on the road could be a tough assignment for New Orleans, but it is coming off a bye, which means that head coach Sean Payton should have plenty of tricks up his sleeve against Detroit's dominant defense.

Perhaps the biggest X-factor related to this game, though, is the health of some important offensive stars. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints are expected to be without All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham:

That is obviously a huge blow to the Saints offense and quarterback Drew Brees, but the Lions could be without an equally integral player.

Per Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit may opt to sit superstar wide receiver Calvin Johnson for the next two games as he is nursing a high ankle sprain. Although head coach Jim Caldwell has yet to tip his hand, his comments don't necessarily inspire confidence in Megatron suiting up.

"

The fact of the matter is I leave it up to the doctors. Those are the professionals. They know exactly what it takes, what can be done. ... Them, in conjunction with Calvin and how he feels, they treat not only symptoms and the situation but also the patient as well, in terms of what he feels. So they'll let us know what's the best avenue to take.

"

Johnson sat last week and was little more than a decoy in the previous two contests. Detroit's offense averaged just 18 points per game in those three weeks, which is uncharacteristic of a Matthew Stafford-led team.

According to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com, the Lions are simply a different team offensively without Johnson in the fold:

Offense hasn't been much of an issue for the Saints this season, and it should continue to thrive in a controlled environment like Ford Field. Brees took control of the game and led his team to victory a couple of weeks ago, and he'll do something similar this week coming off the bye.

Buffalo Bills (-6) vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Buffalo Bills squandered a massive opportunity last week as they lost at home to the New England Patriots in a game for control of the AFC East. Buffalo will have an opportunity to dust itself off and get back on track in Week 7, however, when it hosts the reeling Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota was smothered by the Lions last week as rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked eight times and threw three interceptions. That doesn't bode well for the Vikes this week as Buffalo's defense is tied for second in the league with 19 sacks and has a respectable six picks as well.

If that isn't ominous enough, the Bills also happen to boast the NFL's No. 1 rush defense, according to Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910:

The Vikings are in the middle of the pack with 119 rush yards per game, and it appears as though Jerick McKinnon has surpassed the plodding Matt Asiata on the depth chart. That should give Minnesota more opportunities for explosive plays but neither back is likely to find much room in Buffalo.

After the Vikes' Week 6 loss to Detroit, it was quite clear that head coach Mike Zimmer was frustrated. Based on his comments to Matt Vensel of The Star Tribune, the Vikings very much seem to be a team in disarray.

"

I'm just saying some of the things we're doing lead to undisciplined play, and we've got to change a lot of these things. I had to fine a lot more guys this week for whatever reason—missing a meeting, late to a meeting, whatever—so I'm not going to let them slide. I'm going to keep pounding my head and like I told them, the fines are going to start going to the max now. I'm tired of it.

"

Minnesota is about to step into a hostile environment against a team that needs to win in order to keep pace within its division. With a rookie quarterback under center and turmoil throughout the squad, the Vikings are in for a long day on Sunday.

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