Greg Cote's Week 7 NFL picks

Finally! A positive week. Well, positive on a scale of maybe-this-damned-slump-has-ended-at-last. The 8-6 mark straight-up actually was solid in a brutal week. For example, it would have led the 11-person ESPN Experts Panel, where the records ranged from 7-7 to 4-10. Against the spread we rolled a thumbs-up 7-5-2, with a pair of games off the board. Nailed our Upset of the Week with Steelers over Chiefs ("Aawwk!"), had another sizable upset bull's-eye with Vikings over Packers, and collected a third mini-upset with Cardinals over Bucs. Also had a pair of 'dogs-with-points in Dolphins (at Atlanta) and Jets (vs. New England). Are we on a roll? Not yet. But we're out of the gutter and up on our hind legs again. (Note: Thursday night pick was Chiefs (-3) over Raiders, 27-17).