Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 7 with Expert Analysis and ATS Predictions

by Sean Barnard - 10/18/2022

NFL office pool picks Week 7 Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals

Week 6 of the NFL season is in the books, with the underdogs having a strong week. Favorites went just 6-7 both straight up and against the spread. The biggest upset of the week involved the Steelers, who were eight-point underdogs and +360 in the moneyline. Pittsburgh took down the Buccaneers 20-18 in the tight game. The Falcons (+5 vs 49ers), Jets (+7 vs Packers), and Giants (+5 vs Ravens) all also secured upset victories. The Eagles remain 6-0 after their Sunday Night victory over the Cowboys, with the NFC East looking like the most competitive division in the NFL. Looking ahead to this week’s slate, six of the 14 matchups have spreads of seven points or more.

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Thursday Night: Arizona Cardinals (-1.5) over New Orleans Saints

The Saints opened the season with a 27-26 victory but have now lost four of their last five. There was speculation Andy Dalton may be able to earn the starting role if he had secured a win last week, but New Orleans fell to the Bengals, 30-26. Arizona has been one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL this season and comes into the game 2-4. DeAndre Hopkins will be making his return after serving his PED suspension. However, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown suffered a foot injury and is set to miss the remainder of the season. Expect Hopkins to provide a necessary spark and for Arizona to secure a narrow win amid the Saints quarterback uncertainty. Cardinals 23, Saints 17.

Cincinnati Bengals (-6) over Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons remain a perfect 6-0 against the spread this season and are coming off another upset victory. Marcus Mariota has exceeded early expectations and deserves a ton of credit for their 3-3 record. The Bengals have begun to turn their season around after their 0-2 start and come into the matchup 3-3 as well. Look for Cincinnati to continue riding their momentum and get above .500. The Bengals are 5-1 straight up in their last six games against the Falcons, and count on the home-field advantage to drive them to a 27-17 victory.

Detroit Lions (+7) over Dallas Cowboys

Cooper Rush has done a solid job driving the Cowboys forward, but Dak Prescott is set to return to his rightful spot as the franchise quarterback. Prescott struggled in his opening week performance, connecting on just 14 of his 29 attempts for 134 yards and an interception. He will face a difficult task against the scrappy Lions, who are coming off a bye week. While they are 1-4 on the year, only one of these losses has been by more than four points. Expect Prescott to take a little time to settle in and for Detroit to pull off the upset victory to make Cowboys fans debate the quarterback conversation even further. Lions 17, Cowboys 13.

Tennessee Titans (-3) over Indianapolis Colts

After looking dead in the water to start the season, the Colts have won three of their last four and gotten back to .500. Their lone loss during this period was a Week 4 matchup with the Titans in which Tennessee secured a 24-17 victory. The Titans come into the matchup hot and have won their last three games, including last week’s 21-17 victory over the Commanders. Jonathan Taylor has been out since Week 4 with an ankle injury, but his outlook is looking more promising for Week 7. Expect this one to come down to the wire and to be a low-scoring affair. Pay attention to Taylor’s status as the week goes on, but I lean toward the Titans picking up a 19-13 victory over the Colts in front of the Tennessee crowd.

Washington Commanders (+5.5) over Green Bay Packers

It may be time to hit the panic button in Green Bay. After their Week 5 upset loss to the Giants in England, they picked up another frustrating loss against the Jets in which New York dominated 27-10. They will catch a break against the Commanders, who will be without Carson Wentz as he fractured a finger in last week’s game. The Washington defense will be a major factor in this matchup and have pressured opposing quarterbacks on 37% of pass attempts this season and hit the opposing quarterback on 32% of pass attempts. The league average is pressuring on 22% of snaps and hitting the quarterback on 16% of snaps. Expect this pressure to be a difference and for the Packers struggles to continue in the tight matchup. Washington 17, Packers 13.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-10.5) over Carolina Panthers

The firing of Matt Rhule did not provide enough of a spark to overcome the talent deficit, as the Panthers lost 24-10 to the Los Angeles Rams last week to fall to 1-5 on the season. Their singular touchdown of the matchup came from an interception returned for a touchdown. The Buccaneers also come into this game in poor spirits following their unexpected loss to the Steelers to drop their record to 3-3. For the first time in decades, Tom Brady seemingly has looked human on the football field. Regardless, the inconsistent quarterback play from Baker Mayfield and numerous holes on the roster will be too much to overcome. Expect this game to approach blowout territory, with Tampa Bay securing a win of three touchdowns or more.

New York Giants (+3) over Jacksonville Jaguars

Somehow the Giants keep on winning. Last week Baltimore outgained New York 406 to 238 in yardage during the matchup, but the Giants still managed to secure a 24-20 record. Despite the inconsistent quarterback play of Daniel Jones, and a seemingly middle-of-the-pack defense, the team continues to find ways to win. Vegas clearly has taken notice of this by making the Jaguars the favorite in the matchup. Doug Pederson went 8-2 against the Giants during his time as the Eagles coach and seemingly has the more talented roster. However, the Jaguars have also been extremely inconsistent this season, and riding with the Giants until they prove you wrong feels to be the right move. This feels like a trap game in terms of the line, and I am counting on the Giants to win outright. New York 27, Jacksonville 20.

Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) over Cleveland Browns

The Ravens have looked solid to start the season but come in with a 3-3 record overall. They have lost these three matchups by a combined 10 points and will be seeking revenge against the 2-4 Browns. Baltimore is 12-2 straight up in the last 14 home games against Cleveland, and the Browns are 0-5 against the spread in the last five matchups overall. The Browns defense has struggled to get stops this season and are set to struggle against the dynamic play of Lamar Jackson. Expect Jackson to put forth a strong performance and to lead the Ravens to a double-digit victory.

New York Jets (+3) over Denver Broncos

The Broncos have now fallen to 2-4 on the season following an overtime loss at the hands of the Chargers in which neither team was able to pick up a first down in overtime. A muffed punt by Deane Leonard set up the Chargers for a game-winning field goal, and this is a good representation of Denver’s season so far. In contrast, the Jets have been a pleasant surprise and are riding a three-game win streak, including last week’s 27-10 victory over the Packers. While Zach Wilson has not looked perfect, their defense is the real deal and is set to cause issues for Russell Wilson and their struggling offensive line. Denver needs to make some notable schematic changes before getting in the win column. And until they show signs of this, expect the losses to continue piling up. Jets 20, Broncos 13.

Las Vegas Raiders (-7) over Houston Texans

The Raiders will be coming off their bye week and enter the matchup with a 1-4 record. While they were expected to be deep in the playoff mix this season, the early signs have been discouraging. If Las Vegas is to have any chance of righting the ship, it must start with a win this week. They have a great chance against the 1-3-1 Texans, who are also coming off their bye week. Houston is 6-2-1 against the spread in its last nine games and 4-1 against the spread in its last five away games when facing the Raiders. Regardless, expect Las Vegas to pick up a much-needed win and play with something to prove. Count on them to have learned their lesson by allowing the Chiefs to pick up the 17-point comeback last time they stepped on the field and for Las Vegas to pour on the points. Raiders 38, Texans 17.

Seattle Seahawks (+7) to cover vs Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers will enter this game on a three-game winning streak and are 4-2 against the spread in their last six games. The Seahawks have been a pleasant surprise this season and are coming off a 19-9 win over the Cardinals. Geno Smith is still leading the NFL in completion percentage by connecting on 73.4% of his pass attempts. Seattle is 11-5 straight up in their last 16 games against the Chargers. This will be a tough matchup that I lean toward the Chargers getting the win, but seven points is too large of a spread for this scrappy Seahawks roster. Los Angeles 31, Seattle 27.

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) over San Francisco 49ers

Kansas City comes into the matchup with a 4-2 record following last week’s loss to the Bills in what will go down as one of the best games of the year. Nick Bosa and Trent Williams could both me making their return for the 49ers, which would make a positive impact on the 3-3 squad. Jimmy Garoppolo is coming off a two-interception game which proved costly in the 28-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Expect Patrick Mahomes to be the difference-maker in the matchup and for the offensive firepower to be too much against a banged-up San Francisco team. Chiefs 31, Niners 20.

Sunday Night: Miami Dolphins (-7) over Pittsburgh Steelers

Tua Tagovailoa is set to make his return to the field after his frightening head injury against the Bengals. Prior to the concussion, the Dolphins were one of the most dynamic teams in the NFL and began the season 3-0. They will be facing off with the Steelers, who come in with the momentum of their upset victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Dolphins hold a record of 3-3, while the Steelers are 2-4 on the season. Kenny Pickett exited Sunday’s game with a concussion, and his status for Sunday is unclear. Mitch Trubisky played extremely well in his absence and played a valuable role in the victory. The Steelers have averaged just 16.2 points per game and rank 28th in the NFL in rushing yards per game. Expect Tagovailoa’s return to bring some firepower back to the Miami offense and for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to return to the threats they can be. Dolphins 27, Steelers 17.

Monday Night: New England Patriots (-7.5) over Chicago Bears

The Patriots have excelled in the absence of Mac Jones, with Bailey Zappe leading the team to back-to-back wins. New England has found their identity as a hard-nosed rushing team, with Rhamondre Stevenson coming off a two-touchdown performance. In contrast, the Bears have now lost three-straight games and have a record of 2-4. Justin Fields has struggled and is coming off a performance where he went 14 for 27 and threw for just 190 yards. While he had some late-game magic, and nearly secured the late-game win, he still has a number of questions to answer about his arm. This is set to be a thriller compared to the Monday Night standards that have been set so far this season. Look for the Patriots to keep the momentum rolling and work their way into the true contender conversation. New England 27, Chicago 13.

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NFL Office Pool Picks

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers