NFL Picks Week 7: Oakland Raiders and 5 Favorites You Can Count on

The new look Oakland Raiders have put themselves in a great position to do the one thing that Raider Nation wants the most this 2011 NFL season: Just win baby.

Even when things have gone wrong and looked dismal, the Raiders have found a way to just win.

Things didn't look good when starting quarterback Jason Campbell went out for the year with a shoulder injury, yet somehow Oakland was able to finagle away the one player who seemed destined to never get traded in quarterback Carson Palmer.

That's a move that will undoubtedly make them favorites for not only this week this week, but moving into the future as well.

On that note, here are five favorites you can count on in Week 7 of the 2011 NFL season:

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

This is the first time the Steelers and the Cardinals will meet up since Pittsburgh won that incredibly dramatic and epic Super Bowl XLIII.

The Steelers had a slow start to the year, but Ben Roethlisberger and friends are starting to get healthy and pick it up.

Conversely, at 1-4 Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals have been nothing short of a disappointment. The better team will win in the desert.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Ray Lewis and the Ravens are taking their intimidating defense to Jacksonville to face rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert at the Jaguars.

It's a simple equation in my opinion. The most intimidating and ferocious defense in the NFL against a rookie quarterback equals an easy win for Baltimore.

3. New Orleans Saints

Once upon a time this game matching up the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts would have been epic.

Without Peyton Manning the Colts have absolutely no shot against Drew Brees and the Saints on the road though.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers used to have a lot of trouble going to Minnesota and beating the Vikings on the road.

It won't be the case this year with Aaron Rodgers having an MVP season and rookie quarterback Christian Ponder in his first NFL start.

1. Oakland Raiders

Even though the Chiefs have somewhat turned their season around, I don't expect them to stand a chance in Oakland this week.

Carson Palmer is expected to start, and even though he's new to the system, I expect he's going to go out and have a field day being that this is the first time he's played football in a long while.

The atmosphere is going to be electric, and I expect the Raiders will just win baby.