Week 7 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

Fans of the NFL can expect some blowouts in Week 7 with a number of one-sided matchups on paper. Of course, the parity of the league can cause plenty of surprises.

Heading into the weekend, there are six different games earning spreads of at least a touchdown. In fact, only a single game has a spread of less than three points, which is usually much more common in the NFL.

While this would usually mean we would be in for plenty of easy wins for the favorites, it is important to never count out the underdog, especially when you can get a lot of extra points to help you out.

Here is a look at each spread heading into the week with predictions and a breakdown of some of the best bets of Week 7.

Date	Time (ET)	Away	Home	Pick ATS*
Oct. 16	8:25 p.m.	New York Jets	New England Patriots	NYJ +9.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Carolina Panthers	Green Bay Packers	CAR +7.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	New Orleans Saints	Detroit Lions	DET -2.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Miami Dolphins	Chicago Bears	CHI -3
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis Rams	SEA -7.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Tennessee Titans	Washington Redskins	TEN +5.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	Buffalo Bills	MIN +5.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Cleveland Browns	Jacksonville Jaguars	CLE -5.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Atlanta Falcons	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -7.5
Oct. 19	1 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals	Indianapolis Colts	IND -3
Oct. 19	4:05 p.m.	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	SD -4
Oct. 19	4:25 p.m.	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	DAL -7
Oct. 19	4:25 p.m.	Arizona Cardinals	Oakland Raiders	ARI -3
Oct. 19	8:30 p.m.	San Francisco 49ers	Denver Broncos	SF +7
Oct. 20	8:30 p.m.	Houston Texans	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -3

Top Bets

Detroit Lions (-2.5) vs. New Orleans Saints

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints came into the year with high expectations, but every week has been a struggle. The team comes out of the bye with a 2-3 record, all three losses coming on the road.

ESPN's Mike Greenberg gave his impression on the team going forward:

Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune notes how tough things get for the Saints:

This difficult stretch will begin with a matchup against the Detroit Lions defense, which has been one of the best in the league this season. The unit ranks first in the NFL against the pass and second against the run, making it fitting teams are scoring a league-low 13.7 points per game against this squad.

The Saints have been inconsistent to this point and will likely have to compete without their best weapon in Jimmy Graham as he deals with a shoulder injury. This does not bode well for the team's chances of racking up points on the scoreboard.

Detroit has its own injury problems. Calvin Johnson is limited with an ankle sprain, but the New Orleans defense has been much easier to crack this year. The Lions should be able to get enough points on the board to outscore a struggling opponent and remain competitive in the NFC North.

San Diego Chargers (-4) vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Ben Margot/Associated Press

While people can keep doubting the San Diego Chargers, all they do is win games. After a narrow loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, the squad has now won five in a row, including a victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Philip Rivers has been a big part of this thanks to his incredible consistency, as noted by Scott Hansen of NFL RedZone:

The quarterback has spread the ball around to numerous targets on offense and has become a legitimate MVP candidate this season.

Of course, he played well in 2013 but barely snuck into the playoffs. The difference this year is the improvement in the secondary, which has transformed the defense from one of the worst against the pass to one that ranks fourth in the NFL in that category this season.

The cornerbacks do not give up anything easy, which will cause problems for Alex Smith and a receiving corps that lacks playmakers. Jamaal Charles can still get things done on the ground, but this will not be enough to beat the red-hot Chargers.

San Diego should move to 6-1 going into the highly anticipated battle against the Denver Broncos next Thursday.

Arizona Cardinals (-3) at Oakland Raiders

The Arizona Cardinals were winning games with Drew Stanton under center, but they are a much better team with Carson Palmer healthy. While this had been a problem through most of the season, the quarterback responded with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Washington Redskins.

Bruce Arians did not know what to think about his quarterback after he had barely practiced leading into the last game, but he is now confident in the veteran's ability going forward.

“I was concerned until I saw him today,” the head coach told the media on Monday. “And then now he feels great, so we should just get better and better and just get stronger.”  

With plenty of weapons around him, the offense should continue to get better this week and in the future.

The Oakland Raiders are also improving and showing signs of a bright future, as ESPN's Bill Williamson explained:

However, the squad is still 0-5 on the year, and it has lost 11 straight dating back to last season. Derek Carr showed improvements against San Diego, but he needs to show more consistency before we believe he can lead an upset win like this one.

Arizona has a good run defense and ranks third in the NFL with eight interceptions, which will make things difficult for Oakland throughout the day. It might be a close battle, but the Cardinals should come away with a win by more than a field goal.

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