NFL Week 7 Picks – Del’s Selections

Doc Brown said it best when he posted his expert picks on Thursday — we have no idea what to expect from some of these teams after six weeks.  When it’s this obvious that so many teams have yet to discover their identities, how are we supposed to pick the games?  Factor in the spread and we can understand why the house always wins.  In any event, the experts here at LBS have had to put in some overtime hours to bring you our Week 7 Picks, so with a little genius and a lot of luck it will hopefully pay off.

Starting at the top, the 13-point spread for the Cleveland-New Orleans game seemed like a lot at first, but then I envisioned Colt McCoy in a rowdy Louisiana Superdome and it wasn’t pretty.  The Saints had a coming out party against the Bucs last weekend and I think that will continue against the Browns.  I also went with Kansas City despite the intense spread against Jacksonville.  The Chiefs need to get back in the win column and the Jaguars are likely going to start Todd Bouman, as if they didn’t look horrendous enough against the Titans on Monday night.

The Titans-Eagles game was one that I struggled a lot with.  Both teams are playing well as of late, but I’m giving the edge to Kevin Kolb.  I’m not a believer in Kerry Collins or Vince Young, and I think the Eagles have a far superior defense.  I think the bye week will benefit the Bengals some, as they needed to get their passing game on track.  The Falcons are coming off a tough loss to the Eagles last weekend and could be a little worn out.  More expert commentary after the jump.

I agree with the Doc on two-of-three top three selections this week.  St. Louis is a confident team right now, but I think Tampa Bay will bounce back after being embarrassed by the Saints at home last weekend.  I don’t see the Bucs losing two straight at home if one of them is against the Rams.  You could argue that the Redskins have played well enough to be a 5-1 team this year, and definitely 4-2 if you remember the missed field goal against Houston.  The Bears can’t keep Jay Cutler off his back and Washington has a pretty good defense that could give him problems.

I would have had a tougher time picking between New England and San Diego if not for the Chargers’ injuries.  Malcom Floyd isn’t going to play and Antonio Gates is a question mark.  Both have been Philip Rivers’ favorite targets this season, so I think he struggles without them.  If you want to know why I picked the Packers, read the Prime Time Preview.  As for the Cowboys, I think they kick it into desperation mode against the Giants and cover the spread.  I know, they should have been in desperation mode last week and lost.  Still, I think they can outscore the Giants.

Good luck, people.  It’s a tough week to pick against the spread.