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N.F.L. Week 7 Predictions: Our Picks Against the Spread
The Rams shoot for 7-0, the Chiefs try to get back to winning, and Dallas hopes to ride Ezekiel Elliott to victory in a key division game.


By Benjamin Hoffman
Oct. 18, 2018

It is not your imagination that games have been incredibly close this season. Through six weeks, 54 of the 93 games have been decided by a single score, which matches 1999 for the most in N.F.L. history. Combine that with 21 teams entering Week 7 with a winning record and it seems as if nearly every game is anyone’s guess.

Here is a look at N.F.L. Week 7, with all picks made against the point spread.

Last week’s record: 11-3-1

Overall record: 49-41-3

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/sports/nfl-picks-week-7.html?

Giants at Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

The Falcons (2-4) have endured a season in which the offense has put up a ton of points only to repeatedly have the team’s defense let it down. They technically broke the cycle last week, but should get only partial credit since the win came against an unimpressive Tampa Bay team, and Atlanta’s defense still allowed 29 points. The Giants (1-5) wish they had Atlanta’s problems. They have been just as bad on defense — they’ve allowed 100 points over their last three games — with none of the positives on offense despite the presence of Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.

An argument could be made that Ben McAdoo’s firing last season was as much a result of how he handled Eli Manning’s benching as it was the team’s overall ineptitude. If things do not improve soon for Manning, his new coach, Pat Shurmur, may be faced with a decision similar to the one McAdoo botched.

A win or a close loss on the road might take some pressure off Shurmur and Manning, and with Beckham going against a soft Atlanta defense, that is a possibility. Pick: Giants +5.5