NFL Picks Week 7: Dallas Cowboys and More Heavy Favorites That Will Cover Easily

It is certainly easy for a bettor to get scared off by a large point spread, and understandably so, but the NFL's elite teams tend to be able to handle inferior competition pretty easily. With that said, there are quite a few games this weekend that pit top teams against bottom feeders.

Anything can happen in the wild and wacky NFL, but talent usually rules the day when push comes to shove. Because of that notion, here are three heavy favorites that you can feel very comfortable betting on in Week 7.

Green Bay Packers

Picking a 9.5-point favorite on the road can be a bit of a risky proposition, but not when it comes to the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. At 6-0, the Packers are the league's only remaining undefeated team and they have been dominant in nearly all of their wins.

The Packers will take on the division rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, who have scuffled to a 1-5 start. Minnesota seemed to have turned the corner with a win over the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, but it was dismantled by the Chicago Bears last Sunday night.

Things are unlikely to get much better for the Vikings this week with rookie quarterback Christian Ponder making his first career start. Ponder may give Minnesota a spark, but the Packer defense could really put the pressure on with a strong pass rush. Minnesota's biggest issue, though, will be its suspect pass defense against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's potent aerial attack. This one could get ugly.

New Orleans Saints

The 4-2 New Orleans Saints are 14-point home favorites this weekend over the hapless 0-6 Indianapolis Colts. One school of thought may be the Colts are due after playing several close games in recent weeks, but I think it's more likely the Saints will bounce back from a narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for nearly 400 yards last week, he also threw three crucial interceptions, so he will certainly be motivated to right the ship against Indy. The Colts have really struggled in every aspect defensively, so Brees and New Orleans' explosive passing game could have a huge night.

If the Saints were coming off a tough divisional win over Tampa Bay, I would give Indianapolis a chance to cover since a letdown could be expected, but I think the Saints will be incredibly focused for a game that they know they should—and need to—win.

Dallas Cowboys

Despite being 2-3, there is little question that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the league's most talented teams. Each of their losses have been close and all of them involved giving up leads late in games against the likes of the New York Jets, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots.

The Cowboys are also the only team to hand the San Francisco 49ers a loss, so there is no doubt they can play with the big boys. The only thing holding Dallas back at this point seems to be an inability to close out games and quarterback Tony Romo's penchant for throwing untimely interceptions.

That shouldn't really be an issue against the 0-5 St. Louis Rams, though, as I expect the Cowboys to score early and often. I doubt the Rams can cover Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and all of Dallas' offensive weapons, and St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford may be out with a high ankle sprain. All of that points to a blowout in favor of the Cowboys as they should easily cover the 13-point spread.