Hello again, everybody! Welcome back for another week of game picks, and it’s shaping up to be a great one. NFL Week 7 Game Picks, is really a put up or shut up week for most teams as the results should identify the buyers and sellers with the trade deadline looming. With a slate packed with divisional games and playoff previews, it’s going to be fun to watch. There’s a couple of lines that are inexcusably low that I’m taking advantage of, and a few road “underdogs” that should cover if not win outright. Let’s jump into it!
Lay the Points, Lock it in.. NFL Week 7 Game Picks!!
Oakland @ Green Bay (-4.5)
I cannot for the life of me figure out how this spread is under a touchdown. I guess the Packers run defense isn’t elite, and the Raiders like to run the football, but even this game in Lambeau will be an easy cover. If the Devonte Adams injury is what you lunatics in the armpit of America are pointing to for an upset, there’s this guy named Aaron Rodgers who just made (hold on I had to google his name because I didn’t even realize he was on the roster) Allen Lazard into a scoring threat. Also, Green Bay seems to have figured out they are allowed to run the ball on a consistent basis themselves (which they have with success). Don’t overthink this, Packers are easily winning.
Baltimore @ Seattle (-3)
Baltimore is coming off a lackluster performance against Cincinnati, and they’ll be punished for that with their Week 7 tilt against NFC front runner Seattle. Especially at home, the Seahawks have success against run-heavy opponents and already have a good plan for a mobile quarterback (Russell Wilson may already have them prepared for that or something). Marquise Brown is coming off an injury, and Seattle just has more weapons and creativity on the offensive side of the ball than the Ravens do. If they try to just control the clock, that won’t work much for them either, as Wilson thrives on improvisation and doesn’t need much time to score. The standard 3-point cover is an easy choice.
Jacksonville (-3.5) @ Cincinnati
Ok, I know the Jaguars just traded Jalen Ramsey. However, that doesn’t mean they’re giving up on the season just yet. The AFC playoff picture is a jumbled mess after the third seed, and Jacksonville can still be in the mix for their division with a win against a Bengals team that HAS given up on the season. Sure they kept the scoreline close against the Ravens, but that was a product a fluke special teams touchdown and sloppy ball security from Baltimore. Ramsey is gone for Jacksonville, but the Bengals are going to be missing their top two cornerbacks from injuries. There is nothing to stop the Jaguars offense. This is an easy cover and may turn into a blowout.
Take the Points, Make Money! NFL Week 7 Game Picks!
New Orleans (+3.5) @ Chicago
I understand that Alvin Kamara may not be 100% just yet, but the Saints offense is much more equipped to scheme around an injury than most teams. Nobody expected them to be 5-1 after Brees went down, but here they are. The Bears do get Mitch Trubisky back, but there is such an overwhelming feeling of apathy with his return, I don’t think Chicago (and their fans) believes he gives them any improved chances of winning. It will always come down to their defense holding whoever they play to under 21 points. Teddy Two-Gloves has shown the leadership necessary to manufacture points and they aren’t terrified to use the kicking game. If the Bears are successful in holding the Saints offense down, I don’t think a 13-16 score is out of the question. Thank God for half-point hooks and take New Orleans.
Los Angeles Chargers (+2) @ Tennessee
Neither of these teams has shown themselves to be world-beaters, but it is really hard to win games when you bench your struggling starting quarterback and turn to another historically struggling quarterback (I remember the days of calling for the likes of Damon Huard and Kyle Orton as a Chiefs fan, it’s not fun Tennessee, hopefully, they figure it out in the draft). Swapping out Mariota for Tannehill isn’t going to do much of anything for the Titans offense, and they’ll just lean on the running game (which they’ve been doing in their wins). The Chargers are seemingly back to full strength on offense, and Melvin Gordon has had a week to get his legs back underneath him. There are just too many weapons for Los Angeles to use, and too few for Tennessee. I see the Chargers winning this game outright, and keeping pace in the AFC playoff log jam.
Houston (+1) @ Indianapolis
For the most part, I hate 1-point spread games, but the Texans should win this one (by more than one). Houston is coming off a huge road win against Kansas City, and they really didn’t need to do anything but run the ball. There were big drops from Fuller and an unusually quiet game from Hopkins, so I’m thinking they spent a little extra time working on their passing game for Week 7. The Colts at home are a tough opponent, but they’re basically a slightly worse version than the team they’re playing. DeShaun Watson just has better quality support than Jacoby Brissett does on the offensive and defensive side for the ball. It’s a game that could decide the AFC South, so I expect it to be competitive throughout. The Texans are winning this game, but the extra point doesn’t hurt anything.
College Bonus Picks
It is Texas week for myself and other Jayhawk fans. Queue up the “Kansas Beat Texas in Football” montages and bust out the horns down signs (the fact a player can get penalized for that now is absolutely absurd, and I’m all for someone doing it once or twice this week). I really want Kansas to keep this close and see if the pressure gets to the Longhorns, but I know that’s a longshot with KU being a 21-point underdog. There is hope though! South Carolina toppled Georgia last week being a 21-point underdog, so you never know. Clemson on the other hand really needs to keep the style-points coming, as there have been murmurings they don’t deserve a playoff spot. A convincing win against Louisville would be a start to get momentum back on their side. As always, keep track of my weekly slate of picks on Twitter (@Rellihan51). Here are my bonus picks that you all deserve for putting up with me every week!
- Appalachian State (-15) @ UL Monroe
- Boise State (-7) @ BYU
- Florida State @ Wake Forest (-1.5)
- North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (+3.5)
- Syracuse (+3.5) @ Pittsburgh
- Who Cares Game of the Week: Rice Owls @ UTSA Roadrunners (+4.5)
I really do want to thank everyone again for reading and supporting me and everyone else here at Belly Up Sports every single week. Everyone here has great ideas and articles, and I do my best to be entertaining in a unique way. The talking heads on the major sports companies always have things they have to cover, and I’m lucky enough to write about what I want to cover. Thank you for reading each and every week, and please don’t hesitate to keep the conversation going on Twitter. I’ll have my Start/Sit out in a couple of days!
