NFL Week 7 Picks: Falcons and 3 Teams That Will Capture Road Victories

Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will hand the Detroit Lions their second straight loss. The best thing that has happened to the Falcons is playing without Julio Jones. Jones is out again and it's a blessing in disguise. 

The Falcons have attempted to re-invent themselves to take advantage of Jones' amazing talents. That has taken them away from their strengths, which is ball control.

They will get back to that this week as they did last week. The run defense is one of the areas the Lions have struggled with. The Falcons will pound the ball and control time of possession to grab a win on the road.

Chiefs

This will surely be un-popular with Raider nation. I have the Chiefs pulling the upset on the road. The Raiders offense will be in transition with Jason Campbell injured, Carson Palmer not ready and Kyle Boller starting.

The Chiefs have won two straight, it has been against bad teams in Minnesota and Indianapolis, but the offense seems better in sync. Matt Cassel has found some chemistry with Dwayne Bowe and the three-headed monster at RB is gaining momentum.

This prediction is primarily about how ineffective Boller will be. The Raiders are digging a hole for this game. Unless Darren McFadden can spring a couple big runs or the Raiders defense can cause early turnovers, the Raiders will struggle to score.

The Chiefs will win a close one.

Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still trying to wade through some uncertainty. They are only a half game out of first place in the AFC North, though they have had less than spectacular performances.

They will produce a road win over the Arizona Cardinals this week. The Cardinals offensively are coming alone, but the Steelers offense is truly turning the corner.

Rashard Mendenhall's performance in Week 6 gives the Steelers the rushing attack that puts the offense in the space they need to be in. The Steelers are better when Ben Roethlisberger is throwing less than 50 times.

Even without the injured Troy Polamalu, the Steelers will have enough to stop the Cardinals.