NFL Week 7 Picks: Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions Before Thursday Night

The NFL landscape can be a confusing place, especially when the subject is handicapping. Oddsmakers are sharp, doing an excellent job of finding the proper point spread so money is divided equally between the two teams that are scheduled to do battle.

But observant handicappers know that there are occasions when it looks like the point spread is off. 

Mistakes happen, and a smart payer can find a vulnerable line every so often. This may be the case when the New England Patriots go to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday.

The Patriots are three-point road favorites, according to OddsShark, and based on the way the two teams played in the first three weeks of the season, that line would have some validity. 

However, the Patriots have been a dominant team in the NFL for years, while the Bears have been struggling for the previous four years. They may have gained some credibility under first-year head coach Matt Nagy, as he has devised a much more dangerous offense than they have had for many years, but the Bears and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky are still learning and feeling their way.

When confronted with a top team like the Patriots, it may be quite difficult for the Bears to settle down and play competitively for 60 minutes.

The Patriots were struggling at the start of the season because their offense had a difficult time producing and the defense was vulnerable. The offense has added explosive wideout Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman has returned from a suspension. Additionally, rookie Sony Michel is healthy and understanding his role in the offense.

The Patriots appear to be hitting their stride, while the Bears are still learning, and this game may be quite difficult for them. The presence of Tom Brady and his offensive crew will create anxiety. While the Bears have a hard-hitting and stellar defense, the Pats have seen it all and will not be intimidated.

Even if the Bears play their best game, New England wins this game by a touchdown.

Week 7 Odds and Picks

Denver Broncos (-1.5, 42 O/U) at Arizona Cardinals: Denver 24, Arizona 21

Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers (-6.5, 45.5 O/U) at Wembley Stadium in London: LAC 30, TEN 17

New England Patriots (-3 49.5O/U) at Chicago Bears: NE 28, CHI 21

Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, 50 O/U): CLE 34, TB 30

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (-5, 45.5 O/U): CAR 24, PHI 21

Minnesota Vikings (-3, 46.5 O/U) at New York Jets: NYJ 28, MIN 27

Detroit Lions at Miami Dolphins (No Line): DET 28, MIA 20

Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5, 43 O/U): IND 26, BUF 17

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5, 42 O/U): HOU 22, JAX 17

New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5, 50 O/U): BAL 30, NO 24

Dallas (-1.5, 41.5 O/U) at Washington Redskins: WAS 24, DAL 23

Los Angeles Rams (-9.5, 52 O/U) at San Francisco 49ers: LAR 31, SF 27

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-6, 58 O/U): KC 34, CIN 20

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons (-5.5, 54,5 O/U): NYG 28, ATL 27

All point spreads and totals provided by OddsShark

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Minnesota Vikings at New York Jets

The Vikings were supposed to be on track to go to the Super Bowl this year as the NFC representative. That may still happen, but a team that looked formidable in the offseason and at the start of training camp has a number of holes.

The Minnesota defense was expected to be the backbone of the team, but the Vikings rank 16th on defense overall and 19th against the pass.

The Jets have struggled badly for years, but they drafted Sam Darnold last spring, and the rookie quarterback has taken quite well to his team and his assignment.

He has had a few ups and downs, but he has worked hard to win the trust of the coaching staff and the players, and he has been competitive to this point in the year.

Darnold will make some mistakes, but he studies his assignments, reads defenses and can escape from pressure. That has allowed the Jets to climb to .500 by winning their last two games.

The New York offense has shown some explosiveness in both the passing and running game. Wide receiver Robby Anderson has game-breaking speed and can stretch the defense and make a few highlight-reel plays. Running back Isaiah Crowell has rushed for 430 yards and has a 6.1 yards per carry average.

The Vikings have Kirk Cousins, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, and they should be able to score as well. However, the Vikings might be surprised at how well the Jets move the ball. New York is a three-point home underdog, and we expect the Jets to win the game outright.

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Every rivalry in the NFC East has some hatred to it. However, the two nastiest rivalries involve the Dallas Cowboys.

Any time the Cowboys get together with the Washington Redskins or the Philadelphia Eagles, it would not be a surprise to see a series of concussive hits with quite a bit nastiness between the players.

This is not to downplay the New York Giants, because they have had their moments with all three division rivals, but the Cowboys and Redskins have hated each other for nearly 50 years.

Dallas is coming off a startling 40-point effort in its win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Redskins raced off to a sizable lead over the Carolina Panthers before hanging on for a much-needed victory.

This game is expected to be quite close as the Cowboys are 1.5-point favorites, per OddsShark, and it should also be high scoring. Look for these two teams to blow by the 41.5-point total.

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are a formidable tandem for the Cowboys, while Alex Smith will not take a backseat to this division rival. The over is the play here.

Prop bets

Prop bets are often among the most popular football wagers in the postseason and especially around the Super Bowl.

They are not quite as prevalent in the regular season, but Oddschecker offers a prop bet on any-time touchdown scorers. 

In Thursday night game between the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals, there's an interesting wager involving the Denver defense.

Remember, the Broncos got humiliated by the Jets in Week 5, and they came back with a major effort against the Rams and stayed close throughout before dropping a 23-20 decision

The Cardinals are led by a talented rookie quarterback in Josh Rosen, but we expect him to make one of two major mistakes that could get turned into defensive touchdowns.

A touchdown by the Denver defense or special teams would bring a 4-1 return, and we believe that might be a solid play for those who like this prop bet.