Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season began with a snoozefest, as the Denver Broncos went on the road and walloped the banged-up New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. Sunday’s lineup promises more entertainment. The schedule is headlined in part by Lions vs Packers, Texans vs Packers and Chiefs vs 49ers.
Giants ML (+146)
Falcons -5.5 alternate spread (+140)
Steelers ML (+112)
NFL parlay odds: +1152
For this parlay I am going with 2 underdogs on the money line and 1 favorite against an alternate spread. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
New York Giants ML over Philadelphia Eagles (+146)
Even when the Eagles win, it’s generally unimpressive. They beat a terrible Cleveland team last weekend and even after emerging victorious their fans still wanted Nick Sirianni fired before he exited the postgame locker room. Jalen Hurts has struggled so far in 2024 and the defense ranks 26th in DVOA and 23rd in EPA per drive. Aside from having skill-position players like Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, there isn’t much good to say about Philadelphia. New York is obviously nothing special, either, but it is arguably better than its 2-4 record suggests. The Giants lost to the Commanders by 3 points and probably should have defeated the Cowboys (lost by 5 points after settling for 5 field goals). They did enough defensively to beat the Bengals, too, but again the offense failed to convert a lot of yards into a lot of points. There is no reason why the G-Men can’t win at home against an unspectacular opponent.
Atlanta Falcons -5.5 alternate spread over Seattle Seahawks (+140)
The Falcons are on a 3-game winning streak heading into this home game against the Seahawks. Atlanta has really positioned itself nicely in the NFC South because all 3 of its recent wins have come against division rivals. Kirk Cousins and company are on an absolute roll, with a #4 passing attack complimented by a running game – led by Bijan Robinson – that churned out more than 200 yards against Carolina last week. Cousins has heated up following a slow start with his new team and torched Tampa Bay for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns in Week 5. As for Seattle, it is 3 in a row and going in the other direction – mired in a 3-game skid. The Seahawks’ 3 victories have come against Denver, New England and Miami. Their win over the Broncos is looking decent at the moment, but the other 2 are unspectacular. I simply can’t see Geno Smith keeping up with Cousins and the Falcons in what has the makings of an offensive slugfest.
Pittsburgh Steelers ML over New York Jets (+112)
The Jets have been a borderline disaster on the field, saddled with a disappointing 2-4 record amidst huge expectations. Of the field they have been an absolute circus. Head coach Robert Saleh was fired after New York suffered a London loss to Minnesota. Interim Jeff Ulbrich proceeded to strip offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of his play-calling duties and assigned those to quarterbacks coach Todd Downing. Following a Week 6 loss to Buffalo, the Jets traded for Davante Adams from Las Vegas. That should help Aaron Rodgers bigtime in the long run, but it may take a while for everyone to gel – even if Rodgers and Adams obviously have chemistry dating back to their time in Green Bay. Adams may not be 100 percent, too, as he returns from a hamstring injury. Add in the fact that New York has to face TJ Watt and a vaunted Pittsburgh defense and things could get worse in New York before they get better. Give me the Steelers to win outright – regardless of if it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields under center.