A handful of underdogs rose to the occasion Week 6 of the 2014 NFL eason. Two of last week’s underdogs not only covered the point spread, but also won outright as the Dallas Cowboys toppled the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears dominated Atlanta. We have another new week of exciting NFL action starting tonight, and to get you set to bet on it we’ve compiled the expert opinion of pundits from CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Bleacher Report to give you an idea of how the week might shape up.
For more on this week’s football action, you can also check out our writing staff’s complete picks and predictions for Week 7 of the current NFL season, or check our NFL news section for detailed game previews for every matchup on the schedule.
[sc:Football ]Expert Picks for 2014 NFL Week 7
CBS Sports
| NFL Week 7 | Line | Pete Prisco | Jason La Canfora | Will Brinson | Josh Katzowitz | Ryan Wilson |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets at New England Patriots | -9.5 NE | Patriots | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets |
| Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens | -7.5 BAL | Falcons | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens |
| New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions | -3.5 DET | Lions | Saints | Saints | Lions | Lions |
| Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers | -7.5 GB | Packers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers |
| Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars | +4.5 JAC | Jaguars | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns |
| Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears | -3.5 CHI | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears |
| Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins | -4.5 WSH | Redskins | Redskins | Titans | Redskins | Titans |
| Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams | +6.5 STL | Seahawks | Seahawks | Rams | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills | -4.5 BUF | Bills | Bills | Vikings | Vikings | Bills |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | -2.5 IND | Bengals | Bengals | Colts | Colts | Colts |
| Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers | -4.5 SD | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chiefs | Chargers |
| New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys | -5.5 DAL | Giants | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders | +3.5 OAK | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos | -7.5 DEN | Broncos | Broncos | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers |
| Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers | -3.5 PIT | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Texans | Texans |
CBS Sports’ panel of writers mostly predicted the New York Jets to cover +9.5 against New England, except for expert Pete Prisco. Covering the large spread may be a tall task for the reeling Gang Green, who are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. The Patriots’ star cornerback Darrelle Revis will make it very difficult for a struggling Geno Smith to connect with his favorite receivers. Smith completed 53.5 percent of his passes in a blowout loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Meanwhile, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reminded us for a second week in a row that he can rack up the points after a disappointing start to the season. He went 27-for-37 for 361 yards and four touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. One of Brady’s favorite targets, tight end Rob Gronkowski, has caught 22 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns in his last three games against the Jets. A short week won’t be enough for the Jets to make the necessary adjustments against the suddenly red-hot Patriots.
The panel was also mostly unanimous in picking the Panthers to cover +7.5 against Green Bay. Perhaps they were enticed by Carolina quarterback Cam Newton’s stellar performance last week. Newton completed 29 of 46 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 107 yards and a score on the ground.
The Panthers’ dual-threat quarterback may just have what it takes to get this game close especially with the Packers allowing 368 total yards per game.
FOX Sports
| NFL Week 7 | Line | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets at New England Patriots | -9.5 NE | Jets |
| Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills | -7.0 BUF | Vikings |
| New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions | -2.5 DET | Lions |
| Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens | -7.5 BAL | Falcons |
| Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears | -3.0 CHI | Push |
| Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers | -7.5 GB | Panthers |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | -3.0 IND | Colts |
| Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams | +7.5 STL | Seahawks |
| Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars | +5.5 JAC | Browns |
| Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins | -5.5 WSH | Titans |
| Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers | -4.0 SD | Chargers |
| New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys | -7.0 DAL | Giants |
| Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders | +3.0 OAK | Cardinals |
| San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos | -7.0 DEN | 49ers |
| Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers | -3.0 PIT | Texans |
FOX Sports continues to use WhatIfSports.com simulations to make their picks. Seven of their predictions had the underdogs to cover the spread. However, FOX Sports not only picked the Houston Texans to cover against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they picked the underdogs to win outright. Top Bet has the Texans at a sweet price of +155 to win outright as underdogs.
FOX Sports certainly have reason to do so as Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was impressive against a strong Colts team. Watt returned a fumble for a 45-yard touchdown, while notching seven tackles, two sacks and three passes defended in Week 6. Houston’s star defensive player will be licking his chops against the Steelers’ offensive line which allowed a total of 11 sacks against their quarterback over their past three games.
On offense, running back Arian Foster is finally healthy, and should bolster the Texans’ running attack. Foster finished with his second-straight 100-yard game against the Colts. He’ll get another chance for an impressive performance against Pittsburgh, who were burned for 155 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Cleveland running backs Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell.
Nevertheless, the Steelers can do some damage on their own with Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger and Brown have connected on four scoring passes in the past three games. They should be able to exploit the Texans’ passing defense, which is allowing 271.5 passing yards per game.
Bleacher Report
| NFL Week 7 | Line | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets at New England Patriots | -10.5 NE | Patriots |
| Atlanta Falcons at Baltimore Ravens | -7.5 BAL | Ravens |
| Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins | -6 WSH | Titans |
| Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams | +7.5 STL | Seahawks |
| Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars | +5.5 JAC | Browns |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | -3 IND | Colts |
| Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills | -5 BUF | Bills |
| Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears | -3 CHI | Bears |
| New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions | -2.5 DET | Lions |
| Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers | -7.5 GB | Packers |
| Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers | -4 SD | Chargers |
| Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders | +3 OAK | Cardinals |
| New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys | -7 DAL | Cowboys |
| San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos | -7 DEN | Broncos |
| Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers | -3 PIT | Steelers |
Bleacher Report primarily picked the favorites to win and cover their respective point spreads this week, except for picking the Titans to cover +6 on the road against the Redskins.
However, that may be a more difficult task for Tennessee than expected. The Titans were uninspiring against the winless Jaguars and relied on a blocked field goal to ensure their win. The Titans will be banking on receivers Delanie Walker and Justin Hunter to do some damage against a ‘Skins defense which has allowed 34.8 points over their last four games. Washington have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns in the league (13).
Backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst should be able to make a couple of key passes in this game after completing 60 percent of passes for 233 yards his last time out.
Meanwhile, Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has been subpar in his starts. He ranks third in the league in passing yards per game with 314 yards, but has thrown eight touchdowns to eight interceptions. His touchdown to interception ratio is second-worst in the league behind only the Jags’ rookie QB Blake Bortles.
Are you convinced by Bleacher Report’s pick of the Tennessee Titans? Top Bet has them installed as 6-point underdogs.
All is set for an exciting week of football action. Create a betting account now to get in on all the NFL action in Week 7.
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