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NFL Predictions Week 7: Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS)

ByDan Salem|

A ton of games are begging for your money this week, but don’t be fooled. These are your Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS) for NFL Predictions Week 7. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

Another four teams are on bye during Week 7 of the NFL season. We also have another 9:30 AM Eastern game Sunday morning in London, this one between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. It seems we always try our hardest to give the English one crappy Jaguars game a year in their country, so I’m staying away from that game. As for the games I am picking this week…

Minnesota Vikings -3 at Detroit Lions
Houston Texans +4.5 at Miami Dolphins

The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the biggest under-the-radar clubs in the league. Not much positive or negative has come out on them week to week. A Week 1 loss to San Francisco pushed them to the back burner I suppose, but since then, the Vikes have looked okay.

…which is more than you can say of the Detroit Lions. Detroit got its first win of the year this past week, which actually makes me like Minnesota even more in this game. If the Lions were still desperate for a W, you wouldn’t know what type of craziness they would roll out. Having already gotten one on the board, they may resort back to normalcy, which for them is below-average football.

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This will also be the second time these two face off this season, the first one resulting in a 10-point win for the Vikings in Week 2. In that one, Matthew Stafford finished as the team’s leading rusher. With more injuries to the running backs (now Ameer Abdullah is banged up), that may again be the result, with a similar final score.

In my other game, I expect a similar fall back to grace from the Miami Dolphins. Behind a new head coach, the team came out on fire and wiped the floor with the Tennessee Titans. That type of high/excitement only happens once though. Now the team must actually assess what it has and what it can do well; AKA back to reality.

For Houston, it is getting more than a field goal here and may finally have a quarterback that it trusts in Brian Hoyer. Playing at Miami is no home-field advantage for the Dolphins, so this one comes down to which team is better, and I like the Texans’ chances to stay close and cover if not outright win.

Oct 18, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer (7) runs for a first down in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Houston Texans won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

There are actually a number of games worth picking this week. Are the Falcons really straight up against Tennessee? This seems like a mistake, or a trap. I’m avoiding that game in favor of two other excellent picks for NFL week 7.

Arizona Cardinals -7.5 vs Baltimore Ravens
New York Jets +9 at New England Patriots

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Arizona has been a dominating team for the majority of the season. In their four victories, the Cardinals have scored over 30 points in each game. In their two losses, they’ve scored 22 and 13 points respectively. This team is not losing back to back games, and don’t read too much into their loss versus Pittsburgh. Arizona is still a dominating team, who eats up bad defense.

The flip side are the Ravens, who have astounded me with their ineptitude this season. I saw a decline, but even I’m a little floored by their performance. It’s true they beat Pittsburgh, who beat Arizona. But the Ravens are an average football team who will not be able to stop the Cardinals’ offensive onslaught. Give up the 7.5 points. Arizona is easily winning by at least ten.

In my other pick for week 7, I’m laughing in the face of this line. The Patriots are an excellent football team, undefeated, and playing at home. But the New York Jets are also an excellent football team. This is a huge rivalry game, so expect it to be close. Two other major factors point towards a hard-fought game with a small margin of victory.

The Jets have a tremendous running game, and a stellar defense. Both of those factors will limit New England’s ability to score a ton of points. New York has the ability to control time of possession with its offense. They have the ability to stop Tom Brady dead in his tracks as well. So it’s highly likely this game is decided by less than a touchdown. Take the 9 points and ride with the Jets.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at College Sports Madness, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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