NFL picks, Week 7: Straight up, and considering Survivor pool strategy

Welcome back for Week 7 of the 2017 NFL season! The San Francisco 49ers return home after a three-game road trip, continuing to look for their first win of the season. They have lost six straight to open the season, and the last five have been by a field goal or less. It’s a new NFL record, and it’s getting kind of crazy as they prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Do they cover for a record sixth straight week?

While we wait for the 49ers on Sunday, it’s time to ponder options in NFL Survivor pools. I have removed the “my” from that because I am officially eliminated. I was in a double elimination pool, and a week after taking the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, I took the Denver Broncos to beat the New York Giants. Whoops.

In a Survivor pool, you pick a different team each week. You can only pick a team once. If your team wins you stay alive. I have set it up so you get two strikes. If you lose once, you get another chance. If you lose twice, you’re out. Once you pick a team, you can no longer pick them this season.

I’m out of my pool, but I’m down to offer some strategy for your pool. Although, given my back-to-back losses, you probably want to take my advice with a grain of salt. That being said, this could be a tough week for picks.The Seattle Seahawks on the road against the New York Giants is an intriguing one, but Seattle has been inconsistent this season. The Steelers at home against the Cincinnati Bengals is interesting. Philadelphia at home against Washington and Dallas at San Francisco are both solid. And of course, Tennessee at Cleveland is worth a gander. If I were still alive, I’d probably lean Steelers this week.

Tonight, things get going with the Oakland Raiders hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. The Chiefs are a field goal favorite, according to Odds Shark. Both teams are coming off Week 6 home losses. The Raiders lost to the 1-4 Los Angeles Chargers, while the Chiefs lost to the 3-2 Steelers. The public is overwhelmingly backing the Chiefs in this one, with 85 percent of public money on them. I’m not a fan of going with the public, so I’m going to take the Raiders to cover the spread. I’ll even go so far as to say they win this thing outright.

Who are you taking?

Chiefs @ Raiders: Raiders
Buccaneers @ Bills: Bills
Panthers @ Bears: Panthers
Titans @ Browns: Titans
Saints @ Packers: Packers
Jaguars @ Colts: Jaguars
Cardinals @ Rams: Rams
Jets @ Dolphins: Dolphins
Ravens @ Vikings: Vikings
Cowboys @ 49ers: 49ers
Seahawks @ Giants: Seahawks
Bengals @ Steelers: Steelers
Broncos @ Chargers: Broncos
Falcons @ Patriots: Patriots
Washington @ Eagles: Eagles