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Pittsburgh Steelers (-265) @ Cincinnati Bengals (+210)
Aaron Rodgers is showing signs of life. While Joe Flacco is doing his best too.
This Steelers-Bengals game is just the second-ever battle between two QB’s in their 40’s in NFL history. And coming on Thursday Night Football, it’ll be a test to see which one of these vets can stay upright (or awake) the longest. Teammates are calling it the Icy Hot Bowl.
Flacco is still getting to know his receivers after being traded to the Bengals just two weeks ago. He’s got major weapons in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, so the extra few days of practice should help.
But is it enough against a resurgent Rodgers? He’s coming off a 2-TD, 235-yard game against a tough Browns defense and already has 10 touchdown passes on the season.
The deciding factor here could the Steelers’ pass rush against a very immobile ol’ Flacco. They are coming off a game where they had 6 sacks and 16 quarterback hits, and that was against a Browns’ O-line that is stronger than Cincy’s. If they get to Flacco often, expect an easy cover of the current 5.5 spread.
Indianapolis Colts (+107) @ Los Angeles Chargers (-130)
Easily the biggest surprise of the NFL season is the Indianapolis Colts and their recycled QB Daniel Jones.
The 5-1 Colts have had a soft schedule, true. But they’re winning convincingly and RB Jonathan Taylor is having an MVP season. They’re also 1st in the NFL in points for and 4th in points against.
So why are they 1.5-point underdogs against the Chargers? On paper, we don’t know. They’re starting a practice squad running back, Kimani Vidal. He did great last week, but that was against the Dolphins and their league-worst run D. And LA barely beat the Fins in that game, needing a last-minute Ladd McConkey highlight play.
Maybe it’s the travel. The Chargers are hosting, so Indy will be covering a couple of time zones. Maybe oddsmakers think Indy has bad SoFi vibes (in Week 4, the Colts took their only loss of the season to the Rams). Maybe it’s the unproven track record with that soft sked for Indianapolis so far. Or the fact that, despite their #4 team defense, the Colts gave up 400 yards in that close win over the Cardinals last week.
Either way, the Colts-Chargers Week 7 odds have this game close to a pick ‘em. But with Jones and Taylor having great seasons so far, the edge should be on the other side of the field when it comes to the Chargers being favored.
New York Giants (+265) @ Denver Broncos (-345)
Skattebo. That’s all the league is talking about after the Giants’ running back went diesel again last week. Well, him and Jaxson Dart, the Giants’ QB.
He’ll run into very different defense this weekend in Denver. The Broncos’ defense just sacked the Jets’ Justin Fields nine times (they lead the league in sacks) and Dart is not as mobile as Fields.
Still, that 7 points is a lot to take from Denver. They barely squeaked out that 13-11 win over the Jets, and they’re returning from an overseas trip. Skattebo, despite the hype, is actually a wrecking ball that can punch holes in any defense.
Add in the fact that the Giants’ defensive front four is one of the best in the league right now. Denver QB Bo Nix is playing up and down this season, and that Jets game was not a stellar showing for the sophomore. He went 19-30 for under 175 yads and just one TD.
We know New York is suffering without Malik Nabers, but their offense – combined with a strong defensive showing – should be able to keep this Giants-Broncos game within a touchdown.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+195) @ Detroit Lions (-250)
What could be a Monday Night Football shootout is already priced in with the total listed at 52.5 for this game.
Is the Under the move here though? The Bucs are likely without Emeka Egbuka, Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Mike Evans.
Tampa has the best record in the NFC, true. But only one of their 5 wins has come relatively easily. Even with a healthy lineup, which they don’t have heading into Week 7, they needed Baker Mayfield to come through with some heroics to come out on top for four of those wins.
At the same time, the Lions can rack up points but they can also stumble against better teams. They averaged less than 14 points scored in their games against the Packers and the Chiefs.
The Ford Field will be rocking for what could be a Lions-Bucs NFC Championship Game preview. The crowd could put the Lions on top to even cover the 5.5 spread. But 53+ points total might be asking a lot.
Atlanta Falcons (+114) @ San Francisco 49ers (-138)
The contrarian play is what Lucky Rebel bettors look for most of the time. With Atlanta hitting the Under in four of their last five games, that means we might start looking at the Over. In this case, the smart money is looking at a Niners defense that is reeling from the season-ending injury suffered by Fred Warner last weekend.
That could leave too big a hole to fill, just as the Falcons seem to have found some mojo. RB Bijan Robinson ate up the Bills in their upset win last weekend, with 170 yards rushing and close to 70 receiving. Not great news for a Niners’ D that was already giving up close to 150 yards per game on the ground. This all comes when Michael Penix Jr. looks to be finding a groove too, tossing for 250 in that win and 313 the week before.
The home field advantage might be the only edge that tips the 49ers-Falcons odds to San Francisco by two points. But if Penix and Robinson can handle the outdoors and the Niners can’t keep up, look for a SU win by Atlanta.