NFL Week 7 Odds and Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread

It’s a third straight week with NFL action in London, this time from Wembley Stadium. We also return to a doubleheader on Monday night. 

Denver Broncos at New Orleans Saints, Thursday

Should be a matchup of rookie quarterbacks in Denver’s Bo Nix and New Orleans’ Spencer Rattler. Nix, a first-round pick, has been starting all season for the Broncos, while Rattler, a fifth-round choice, made his NFL debut Sunday starting for an injured Derek Carr and threw for 243 yards, a TD and two picks in a 51-27 home loss to Tampa Bay. Denver was largely dominated at home itself Sunday by the Los Angeles Chargers. Thursday is a homecoming for Broncos coach Sean Payton, the long-time former Saints coach who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title.

Pick ATS: New Orleans

New England Patriots “at” Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s a 9:30 a.m. ET kick from London’s Wembley Stadium. The Jaguars will stay in London this week after losing 35-16 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in the city vs. Chicago. The calls for the 1-5 Jags to fire Coach Doug Pederson only got louder. Safety Andre Cisco told the media after the loss that the defensive players quit in the second half. No way Pederson is fired while the team is overseas, but don’t be surprised if it happens upon his and the team’s return should the Pats pull the upset. They gave rookie No. 3 overall pick QB Drake Maye his first NFL start Sunday in a 41-21 loss to Houston, and Maye showed promise with 243 yards and three scores. He did have three turnovers. 

Pick ATS: Jacksonville

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Matchup of division co-leaders in the NFC but teams going in opposite directions on three-game streaks. The Seahawks lost their third in a row last Thursday, 36-24 to San Francisco, as the defence has really gone south after playing terrific in a 3-0 start. Then again, maybe that defence was just fool’s gold early on when Seattle beat QBs such as Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett and Skylar Thompson. Atlanta won its third game in a row Sunday, 38-20 at Carolina. The Falcons are averaging 33.3 PPG during that winning streak after only 16.3 PPG in the first three games. 

Pick ATS: Atlanta

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills

Short week for Buffalo after a 23-20 win at the Jets on Monday night despite playing without injured No. 1 running back James Cook, who is day-to-day. Josh Allen threw for two scores and rushed for one. Tennessee came out of its bye week and not much changed offensively in a 20-17 home loss to Indianapolis. Inconsistent QB Will Levis had only 95 yards through the air and threw a pick for a fifth straight game, tied for the NFL’s longest active streak. Big-ticket free-agent wideout Calvin Ridley ripped the offence after as Ridley didn’t have a catch. 

Pick ATS: Tennessee 

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

Cincinnati saved its season on Sunday night by winning 17-7 at the Giants to avoid 1-5 but there were still plenty of mistakes. Joe Burrow had a career-long 47-yard TD run, a franchise-record for a quarterback. It snapped the Bengals’ streak of 75 straight games allowing at least 10 points, the longest active streak in the league. Cleveland lost 20-16 in Philadelphia and remains the only team in the league without a 20-point game yet in 2024. QB Deshaun Watson is yet to throw for 300 yards in a game this year, either. He’s a bust. Star Browns RB Nick Chubb could make his season debut off injury in this one. The in-state rivals split last season, each winning easily at home. 

Pick ATS: Cleveland

Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers

Possible Super Bowl preview. Houston won 41-21 at New England on Sunday, tying the most points scored in a road game in franchise history and the first 40-point game under second-year QB CJ Stroud. After missing a couple of games injured, Joe Mixon returned and rushed for 102 yards and a score. The Packers scored a season-high 34 points in Sunday’s easy home win over Arizona and had three more takeaways. Green Bay’s 17 takeaways are tied for the most by any NFL team in the past 10 years through six team games.

Pick ATS: Green Bay

Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts

Not clear who will be at quarterback this week for Miami out of the bye week as Tua Tagovailoa can’t be activated off injured reserve quite yet. Most likely will be Tyler Huntley again as he led a 15-10 victory in Week 5 at New England. Top running back De’Von Achane suffered a concussion in that win but with the week off likely can return. The Colts played again without injured QB Anthony Richardson and RB Jonathan Taylor on Sunday but rallied to win 20-17 in Tennessee. Both those guys could be back for this one and in fact Richardson is expected to be barring a setback. 

Pick ATS: Indianapolis (alternate line of -3)

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

Detroit got a very impressive blowout win Sunday in Dallas, but it was incredibly costly as star pass-rusher, NFL sack leader and Defensive Player of the Year favourite Aidan Hutchinson suffered a broken leg and will miss the season. Devastating injury. Minnesota is the NFC’s only unbeaten team as it comes out of the bye week. QB Sam Darnold is a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, and Kevin O’Connell the favourite for Coach of the Year. The Lions were 2-0 vs. the Vikings last season.

Pick ATS: Minnesota

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Philadelphia came out of its bye and looked better in a 20-16 home win over Cleveland. QB Jalen Hurts got his two injured top WRs back in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and threw for two scores, one to each of those guys. Rather strangely, though, the Eagles still have not scored in the first quarter this year. The Giants were inept again offensively on Sunday night in a 17-7 home loss to Cincinnati playing without No. 1 running back Devin Singletary and star rookie WR Malik Nabers for a second straight game. Singletary might have lost his job regardless to impressive rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. These NFC East rivals split last season, each winning at home. 

Pick ATS: Philadelphia (alternate line of -3)

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams

The Rams come out of their bye on a two-game skid and with a 1-4 record for the first time under coach Sean McVay. The team’s two top wideouts, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, have both missed multiple games injured but Kupp might return this week. A couple of injured offensive linemen also could play. Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce made a quarterback change ahead of Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh in benching veteran Gardner Minshew for second-year Aidan O’Connell, but the Raiders struggled offensively again in a blowout loss. Pro Bowl WR Davante Adams missed another game as he pushes for a trade, which we might see this week. 

Pick ATS: Los Angeles

Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders

This matchup is exhibit No. 1 on what happens when you hit on selecting a quarterback very high in the NFL Draft and when you miss. It appears that Carolina missed badly when taking Bryce Young at No. 1 overall in 2023 as he’s not even playing these days behind veteran Andy Dalton. Washington hit a grand slam with the selection of Jayden Daniels at No. 2 in this year’s draft. The Commanders had a four-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 30-23 loss in Baltimore playing without No. 1 running back Brian Robinson. Carolina was stomped at home by Atlanta and is now 3-20 over its past 23 games. The Panthers are allowing an NFL-worst 33.8 PPG.

Pick ATS: Washington (alternate line of -7)

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

Rematch of February’s Super Bowl won by the Chiefs in overtime but both teams are very thinned-out by major injuries currently. Niners superstar running back Christian McCaffrey is getting closer to making his season debut, but it won’t be here. Backup Jordan Mason has been playing great in his spot but was injured himself in a 36-24 win in Seattle on Thursday in Week 6. Kansas City comes out of the bye as the AFC’s only unbeaten and on an 11-game winning streak overall including playoffs. 

Pick ATS: San Francisco

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday night game. The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh last week and then went out and lost 23-20 at home on Monday night against visiting Buffalo despite completing a Hail Mary for a TD at the end of the first half. The Jets were no more disciplined under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich with 11 penalties for 110 yards. Pittsburgh played its most impressive offensive game of the season in a 32-13 blowout win in Las Vegas. QB Justin Fields rushed for two scores, his second game already this year with multiple rush TDs. No way he’s losing that job to Russell Wilson at this point barring injury; Wilson was finally healthy enough to serve as the No. 2 on Sunday. 

Pick ATS: Pittsburgh

Baltimore Ravens at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday

First Monday night kick at 8:15 p.m. ET. Matchup of North Division co-leaders. Baltimore has won four straight after a 0-2 start and is bludgeoning teams on the ground with QB Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, who leads the NFL by far in rush yards and TDs. Jackson improved to 22-1 career vs. the NFC in Sunday’s 30-23 win over Washington. The Bucs put up 51 points and a franchise-record 594 yards of offence in Sunday’s shockingly easy win in New Orleans.  

Pick ATS: Baltimore (alternate line of -3)

Los Angeles Chargers at Arizona Cardinals, Monday

Second Monday kick at 8:45 p.m. ET. The Chargers came out of their bye week much healthier and it showed in a fairly easy 23-16 win in Denver on Sunday – it was 23-0 in the fourth. That Los Angeles defence is allowing a league-low 13.2 points, the franchise’s fewest through five games since 2014. Arizona was blown out in Green Bay on Sunday and stellar WR Marvin Harrison Jr., a top Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, suffered a concussion. 

Pick ATS: Los Angeles