NFL Picks Week 7: 10 Best Moneyline Underdogs

Every week, there are numerous upsets, and those are the type of games with the best money-lines to take on. Vegas usually knows what they are doing, and it's our job to try and beat the house.  

Week 7 of the NFL has a lot of games where you can make some money by picking the underdogs.  

So here are the 10 best money-line underdogs for this upcoming week.

via footballlocks.com

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers

The Redskins are coming off of a huge loss against the division rival Eagles and will need a big win to keep pace in the NFC East division standings. 

Quarterback Rex Grossman had a horrible week against the Eagles, throwing four interceptions, and those turnovers were too much for the Redskins team to climb back. 

Against the Panthers, the Redskins will need better quarterback play, whether it's from Grossman or Beck. 

The oddsmakers are giving the Redskins three points against the Panthers, who are at home. The Panthers are a team with only one win, a suspect defense and a rookie quarterback who is having problems with defensive schemes. 

The best thing about the Redskins is their talented defense.  Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has improved the Redskins pass rush and has put out numerous complicated looks. Haslett’s defense will definitely stifle Cam Newton and the rest of the Panther’s offense.  

The quarterback play of the Redskins will be key for them to pull out a win in Carolina. If whoever is playing quarterback can cut the turnovers and manage the game, then the Redskins should be okay.

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns

The Seahawks and the Browns are set to meet up in Week 7, and this will be the battle of two mediocre teams. The Browns are favored by three mainly because they are at home. 

This game will be a close game where Charlie Whitehurst will get the start due to the injury to Tavaris Jackson, who has been below average at best. The Seahawks had a bye for Week 6, which gives Whitehurst an extra week to prepare for the Browns. 

More rest and an extra week to study their opponent only bodes well for the Seahawks, who slowly have been getting their running game going.

This will be a close game where the Seahawks will go into Cleveland and definitely cover.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

Injuries have decimated the Houston Texans, who have lost their best player on offense and on defense, but they still have a very talented team. The Texans head into Tennessee to take on one of the best defenses in the league and an early MVP candidate in Matt Hasselbeck. The Titans are three point favorites. 

The Texans will need to regroup and hand the ball off to running back Arian Foster more than they had against the Ravens. With Andre Johnson out, the ground game needs to be the focus against the Titans. Quarterback Matt Shaub needs to cut his turnovers and stop making unintelligent mistakes. 

Back to back losses to the Raiders and Ravens has put Texans nation in a panic, and this is a team that is in desperate need of a win. 

If the Texans can pound the ball on the ground against the strong Titans defense, then they will definitely cover the spread.

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

The Atlanta Falcons desperately needed a win this past week against the Panthers, and got it with running back Michael Turner dominating the ground game. The Falcons are looking up to the Bucs and Saints in their division and need to continue to win to keep pace.

In Week 7, the Falcons are 4.5 point underdogs against the Detroit Lions, who are at home. This will be a tough matchup, as the Lions are going home after a big loss against the 49ers. It is hard to see a team like the Lions lose back to back games. 

The Lions are a very talented team, but their defense had some problems against Frank Gore and the running game. If the Falcons can focus on giving the ball to Turner, then they will have a good chance in upsetting this Lions teams. 

The Falcons getting 4.5 points is a lot when this game will probably come down to wire with either team winning by a field goal. This is a game I would definitely take the underdog, as the Falcons are a solid team, need a win and are getting 4.5 points.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Lets face it, the Chiefs are not the same team as they were last season, and the Raiders have a solid team. The Raiders are favored by three points, and rightfully so, since they are at home and are a better team all around. 

The reason why the the underdog Chiefs would be a great choice to take is that the Raiders lost quarterback Jason Campbell to broken collarbone. The Raiders will have to throw in Kyle Boller and possibly rookie quarterback Terrell Pryor in week 7. Boller has not done well in the NFL, and the Chiefs have a chance to steal one.  

The Chiefs have a lot of skilled position players and will have to utilize them in this game. Quarterback Matt Cassel needs to find his talented receivers and allow running back Dexter McCluster to get the ball in open space. 

The focus for the Chiefs defensive coordinator should be to blitz the Raiders quarterback from all angles. The defense will be stacked at the line to stop Darren McFadden from doing any damage on the ground. If they can slow down McFadden and make the Raiders try to pass, then this should be a game where the Chiefs can cover the spread.

Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at London)

This is an interesting game to watch, as both teams travel to London for a game on neutral grounds. The Bears are one point underdogs after coming off of a convincing win against the Minnesota Vikings. 

During the game against the Vikings, it looks like offensive coordinator Mike Martz is finally changing up the play calls. He kept seven to eight players back to protect Cutler and ran the ball more. The plays were simple but efficient, and the Bears won in a dominating performance. It also didn’t hurt to have Devin Hester on special teams. 

The Bears face a solid Buccaneers team who had an impressive win against the division rival Saints. Quarterback Josh Freeman was solid, throwing for 303 yards and had no turnovers. They were also balanced, with the running game getting over 100 yards.

Vegas believes that this game is going to be a close matchup, as there really is no advantage for either side. Special teams are going to be the difference for this game, and the Bears have the best in the league. This game is a great choice in taking the underdog.

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets

The Jets are favored against the San Diego Chargers, who are one of the best teams in football. The Vegas odds-makers still believe in the Jets who are at home and are favored by 1.5 points. 

The Jets are frankly not that talented, especially on offense. Their quarterback, Mark Sanchez, does not have the talent to take this team to that next level, and the running game has been horrendous thus far. They continue to rely heavily on their defense and will have to to pull out a win in this game.

The Chargers offense is explosive, with receivers Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd dominating defensive backs. The running game with Ryan Mathews and Tolbert has kept teams on their heels and will do the same to the Jets to set up the play action.  

I really can’t see the Jets defense stopping the Chargers' explosive offense. Even though the Jets are at home, the Chargers should be favored. So the Chargers being underdogs and getting 1.5 points only screams for me to take the underdog.

Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins

Tim Tebow is coming back to Florida as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. He is coming back to a place where all the mystique and winning began, as his team is set to take on the 0-4 Miami Dolphins. The funny thing is that the Dolphins are favored in this game with the spread at -3. 

The problem I have with the spread is that the Dolphins have not won a game this season and do not have a true starting quarterback at the helm. Even though this team is at home, they will have a short week with their Monday night game, and the team is at a disarray. What is this team's identity? All I can say is that their identity is to have the worst record and draft Andrew Luck. 

Tim Tebow lacks a lot of components to be an NFL quarterback, but what he does have that most do not is the will to win and his leadership. This kid will be pumped as he heads back to his home state and getting his first start for the season. He will look to prove all the naysayers wrong and do whatever it takes to win.  

This will be a battle between two bad teams and it will come down to a few points. I really like the underdog because of the Tebow affect.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are getting 3.5 points at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. and this seems just about right.  

Ben Roethlisberger is playing through a lot of injuries and has had his ups and downs this season. The Cardinals will look to stop Mendenhall and the running game and see if Big Ben can do it in the passing game. 

The Cardinals have lost a lot of close games this season, and this is due in part of the play of inexperienced quarterback Kevin Kolb. There is talent all around this team that can win games or at least keep games close.  

The losses against the Redskins, Seahawks and Giants were a combined point total of eight. The Cardinals are coming off of a bye week and are at home. This game will be within three points throughout the whole game.  I can see the Steelers edging this game out, but the underdog Cardinals will cover the spread.

St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of another tough loss against the New England Patriots. This is a team that is so talented but has been a disaster this season. 

America’s team are 10.5 point favorites against the 0-5 Rams. This is a Rams team that will be hard-pressed for a win as they head into Cowboy Stadium. Against the Packers, the Rams did everything well on offense except in putting the ball in the end zone. As the season progresses, Sam Bradford and the Rams will continue to mature, learn and get better. The Rams will look to Stephan Jackson to move the ball on the ground against the Cowboys in week 7. 

Lets face it, the Cowboys are a good team with a lot of problems. They play well throughout the game but cannot finish. They also allow teams to come back on them and keep every game very interesting. Romo will have his fair share of bonehead plays, and the trend will continue against the Rams. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams pull off a last second win because it seems like that is just what the Cowboys do nowadays. 

Although I don’t think the Rams will win, I do think they will cover the spread. 10.5 points is a lot to give to any NFL team, and you never know what will happen in a Dallas Cowboys game.