NFL Predictions Week 7: Top Odds, Picks, Projections for Every Game on Schedule

The 4-2 Oakland Raiders are on top in the AFC West, the 1-5 Carolina Panthers are at the bottom of the NFC South and the 2016 NFL season is officially off the rails.

And we wouldn't have it any other way.

It feels like we say this every year, but this year's NFL feels nearly impossible to predict. Who would have thought, after all, that the Los Angeles Rams would sit atop the Arizona Cardinals or that the Minnesota Vikings, without Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, would be sitting pretty at 5-0?

Though even Vegas odds don't have all the answers, we can at least turn to them to get a sense for which teams are heavily favored and which ones are underdogs headed into Week 7. Let's break down all the matchups for the coming week, take a look at the point spreads and make some predictions.

Note that the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys are on byes in Week 7.     

Date	Away	Home	Point Spread	Pick
Thursday	CHI	GB	GB -9	Packers
Sunday	NYG	LA	NYG -2.5	Giants
Sunday	NO	KC	KC -7	Chiefs
Sunday	IND	TEN	TEN -1.5	Titans
Sunday	MIN	PHI	MIN -1.5	Vikings
Sunday	CLE	CIN	CIN -10.5	Bengals
Sunday	WAS	DET	DET -1	Lions
Sunday	OAK	JAC	JAC -1.5	Raiders
Sunday	BUF	MIA	BUF -2	Bills
Sunday	BAL	NYJ	Even	Ravens
Sunday	TB	SF	Even	Bucs
Sunday	SD	ATL	ATL -6	Falcons
Sunday	NE	PIT	NE -2	Patriots
Sunday	SEA	ARI	ARI -2	Cardinals
Monday	HOU	DEN	DEN -6.5	Broncos

Safe Bet: Atlanta Falcons (-6)

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Don't look now, but the 4-2 Atlanta Falcons and their high-flying offense are currently scoring the most points of any squad in the NFL, at 33.2 points per game on average.

The Falcons also average the most yards per game (441.5).

Matt Ryan has the most passing yards on the season of any quarterback in the league, with 2,075, and is averaging 9.88 yards per pass attempt. That's also good for first in the NFL.

Then, naturally, Julio Jones has the most receiving yards among all wideouts this season (656), with a whopping 13 receptions of 20 or more yards. He's also found the end zone four times.

And then, to make matters worse for any team that has to face Atlanta, its defense isn't too shabby, either:

On the defensive side of the ball, Atlanta has been criticized for being unable to generate a truly ferocious pass rush. But against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 9, Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley had 3.5 sacks on Paxton Lynch.

All of these factors conspire to make the Falcons a serious contender for the postseason in the surprisingly weak NFC this season. It also makes them a pretty safe pick to beat the San Diego Chargers in Week 7 by a touchdown at least.

Big Gamble: Green Bay Packers (-9)

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe the Vegas oddsmakers know something we don't, because the Green Bay Packers certainly don't look capable of handily beating any team right now by more than nine points...even the 1-5 Chicago Bears.

Sure, straight up Green Bay is a safer pick than Chicago by far. After all, regardless of how far he has fallen out of form, Aaron Rodgers is better than Brian Hoyer any day.

But there are some interesting elements coming together in the Packers-Bears matchup that should make anyone hesitant to take the Packers with the points.

To start, both teams are playing on Thursday night coming off Sunday losses. And both teams are incredibly banged-up, as Aaron Nagler dryly shared:

Then, of course, there's the mysterious problem with the Packers offense. Last season, the blame was placed on the absence of Green Bay's top wideout Jordy Nelson. But Nelson is back this season and still something ails the Packers offense.

Rodgers is turning the ball over. The Packers are banged-up at running back. Green Bay ranks last in the league in yards per first down attempt, at 4.86, per Sporting Charts.

The best thing the Packers have going for them in this matchup is the fact Chicago is averaging only 16.8 points per game, which is 32nd in the NFL.

While taking the Packers at home over the archrival Bears isn't necessarily a bad call, don't be surprised if they don't beat them by double digits.

NFL odds via Odds Shark and current as of Monday.