The worst teams in the league are among the usual suspects in this week’s Home Dog Alert including the Atlanta Falcons (1-5), New York Jets (1-4), Cincinnati Bengals (0-6), and Washington Redskins (1-5). In addition, the Denver Broncos (2-4) and Detroit Lions (2-2-1) are also home dogs in NFL Week 7. Out of all the home dogs in Week 7, the winless Cincinnati Bengals are the only team still seeking their first victory of the season.
The Denver Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) on Thursday Night Football. If the Chiefs had not lost two games in a row, they’d be a favorite by a touchdown. With Patrick Mahomes not 100% and the Chiefs struggling to score the last two weeks, the Chiefs are only a favorite by a field goal.
Week 7 includes three double-digit point spreads. The Miami Dolphins (0-5) are 17-point dogs on the road in Buffalo. The Jets and Redskins are 10-point dogs at home this week. Both teams are fresh off their first wins of the season.
HOME DOG ALERT – NFL WEEK 7:
Denver Broncos +3
Atlanta Falcons +3
Detroit Lions +1
Washington Redskins +10
Cincinnati Bengals +4
NY Jets +10
Underdogs went 10-4 against the spread in Week 7. Home dogs went 2-2, not including the London game. Both the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins beat the point spread as home dogs.
The Jets upset the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) and won outright. Ryan Fitzpatrick attempted to conjure up a little FitzMagic in the Winless Bowl, but he couldn’t convert a 2-point conversion against the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins remain winless but the Fish covered the spread as a home dog.
Denver Broncos +3
The Broncos won two straight games after an 0-4 start. After giving up 93 points in the first four games, Denver’s D hunkered down and allowed only 13 points in their last two games. The Broncos D pitched a shutout last week against the Tennessee Titans. They’re lucky to catch a shaky KC offense with a short week to prepare. The Broncos host the Chiefs on a short week. Patrick Mahomes, bad ankle and all, lost his golden touch the last couple of weeks. The high-octane Kansas City offense looked stagnant in their home losses to Tampa Bay and Houston.
Atlanta Falcons +3
The LA Rams stumble into Hotlanta with their newly acquired Jalen Ramsey. The ex-Jags cornerback will bolster the porous secondary. The Rams allowed 105 points over their last three games, which were all losses. Last week in a loss against the SF Niners, the Rams offense looked lost without RB Todd Gurley (thigh bruise). It’s do or die for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. A victory will help him keep his job a couple of more weeks. A loss sends Quinn a step closer to the unemployment line. Matty Ice looks sharp, but the Falcons D is Swiss cheese allowing 31 points per game, or second worst in the NFL.
Detroit Lions +1
The Lions are licking their wounds after getting jobbed by the zebras on Monday Night Football. The Minnesota Vikings (4-2) play like a different team on the road (1-2) versus home. The offense averages only 11 points per game during their road losses. In the last two weeks, Kirk Cousins looked like a different quarterback and the offense exploded for 66 points. Lions head coach and defensive guru Matt Patricia and his magic pencil will have a plan to slow down RB Dalvin Cook and keep Cousins off balance.
Washington Redskins +10
The Skins are still basking in the warm glow of their first win of the season. The bliss is about to end with the arrival of the San Francisco 49ers (5-0). The undefeated Niners are coming in hot at both ends with a second-ranked defense (12.8 points against per game) and the third-best offense (29.4 ppg).
Winless Cincinnati Bengals +4
The winless Cincinnati Bengals have yet to get off the schneid in 2019. Heck, even the Jets and Skins popped their cherries last week. The winless Bengals and Dolphins are the lone teams in contention for an 0-16 record. The Bengals lost several close games and are due for a victory, but will probably stay winless when the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4) come to town. Minshew Mania died down a bit, but the Bengals still have to stop Leonard Fournette, which is problematic considering Cincy has the worst run D in the NFL allowing 184.5 yards per game. Another winless Sunday is on the horizon for the Cincy Bengals. Get the moonshine ready, because it’s gonna be another long Sunday even though the Bengals are a home dog.
NY Jets +10
The Jets and Patriots (6-0) meet once again. In Week 3, the Jets pulled off a backdoor cover when Belichick tried to give Tom Brady a breather. This time, the Pats are not going to take it easy on Gang Green on Monday Night Football. Sam Darnold looked good in his first game back from mono, but now the young Jets QB faces the best defense in the league. The Pats allowed only 8 points per game. The D allowed just seven points in the fourth quarter all season. The Pats D pitched five 4Q shutouts with the exception of a Jets garbage time Pick-6 in their first meeting.
