NFL Predictions Week 7: Picks and Projections for Top Underdogs' Upset Bids

Those who enjoy rolling with underdogs should have a fun time with the Week 7 lines. 

As an appetizer to upset picks, Week 6 earns borderline hall-of-fame status after the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos went down. 

Even before the confusing week that surely hurt more than a few bankrolls, Week 7 looked like a great opportunity for some upset plays to make bettors feel confident at the midseason mark. 

With the Thursday kickoff almost upon us, here is a look at the full slate and some of the top upset candidates to circle in red ink. 

NFL Week 7 Schedule, Odds

Kansas City (-3) at Oakland | O/U 47

Arizona at L.A. Rams (-3.5) | O/U 47.5

Baltimore at Minnesota (-5.5) | O/U 39.5

Carolina (-3) at Chicago | O/U 40.5

Jacksonville (-3) at Indianapolis | O/U

New Orleans (-6) at Green Bay | O/U 48

N.Y. Jets at Miami (-3) | O/U 38.5

Tampa Bay at Buffalo (-3) | O/U

Tennessee (-6.5) at Cleveland | O/U

Dallas (-6) at San Francisco | O/U 47

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-5.5) | O/U 41

Denver at L.A. Chargers (-1.5) | O/U 42

Seattle (-6) at N.Y. Giants | O/U 38.5

Atlanta at New England (-3) | O/U 55

Washington at Philadelphia (-4.5) | O/U 48.5

Carolina (-3) at Chicago | O/U 40.5

The Carolina Panthers didn't get a mention in the intro, but Cam Newton and crew started the upset-minded week off right with a 28-23 loss of the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Granted, the Eagles are one of the best teams in football. But the Panthers had a typical three-point favorite status for playing at home and the team came up short while Newton regressed in a big way, throwing a trio of interceptions. 

It isn't the first time the Panthers have regressed into a mediocre squad, either, seeing as wins in New England and Detroit are counteracted on the scales with a blowout home loss against New Orleans. 

Now the Chicago Bears look like a team capable of pulling off an upset. 

These Bears are far from perfect, but the franchise has new life with rookie Mitchell Trubisky under center.  They came up short by three points in his first start, then went into Baltimore and knocked off the Ravens despite a lack of weapons at wideout. 

Now a little history gets to come into play, as Zach Zaidman of WSCR 670 pointed out: 

The Bears quietly have a front seven capable of flustering Newton into mistakes on the road, thanks to elite presences like lineman Akiem Hicks and edge-rusher Leonard Floyd. We saw it last week when the unit got its first two interceptions of the year.

Sheer stats don't favor the Bears necessarily, but there's something dangerous about a team rejuvenated with an athletic rookie quarterback at home. Call it a gut feeling. 

Prediction: Bears 24, Panthers 20

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-5.5)

One of the weekend's grittier and more violent encounters looks like a good place for another upset pick. 

The AFC North clash between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers always entertains because of the way their dislike for each other shows up on the field when Vontaze Burfict and others get after it. 

Case in point, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala: 

This encounter won't be any exception. Pittsburgh allows 17 points per game, Cincinnati 16.6. Pittsburgh has been arguably the most erratic team in the NFL, while Cincinnati needed to fire a coach to snap out of a daze and salvage the season. 

The difference here might rest in momentum. After firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after an 0-2 start without a touchdown, Cincinnati took Green Bay to overtime on the road before rattling off two straight wins behind seven touchdowns and two interceptions from Andy Dalton. 

Pittsburgh, unlike Cincinnati coming off a bye, enters after a tough six-point win on the road against the Chiefs. While impressive, it's still the same team that hardly slipped past Cleveland and lost to both Chicago and the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

This isn't to say the Steelers don't have a chance at home. But few players offensively are stepping up around Ben Roethlisberger, and traditionally, the Bengals do a great job of shutting down Antonio Brown. 

Look for more of the same here, as the Steelers get erratic again and the Bengals, with new looks installed after a bye week, keep rolling with the season on the line. 

Prediction: Bengals 23, Steelers 20

Atlanta at New England (-3)

Bettors know it's an odd week for upsets when the Falcons stand as an upset special. 

Alas, here we are with another meeting between the Falcons and New England Patriots. The Falcons are coming off a—get this—blown lead (this time, 17-0) in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots have a two-game winning streak on their hands against something of a cupcake schedule that hasn't masked the fact the defense is a mess. 

Something has to give, right? 

The Falcons, probably tired of hearing about it, still sound like a team looking for ways to figure out the problem. 

"We're a really good team, but we have to be ready to fight," safety Ricardo Allen said, according to the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com). "At the end of the game when it's 17-14, we were flat. We were winning. That's what I don't understand. We've got to keep grinding. We've got to learn how to bounce back from that stuff."

Odd tendencies aside, though, the biggest factor here might be New England's defense. Bill Belichick at the helm or not, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's unit has permitted 324.8 passing yards and 26.5 points per game. 

Call it easy pickings for Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Even with names like Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots simply haven't been able to stop weapons, even coughing up a two-touchdown game to Devin Funchess. Jones hasn't scored yet, but with revenge on the mind, it's safe to say he's headed toward a possible breakout performance. 

The revenge narrative is a strong one here, though an elite passing attack against a miserable defense that just let Josh McCown throw a pair of touchdowns almost writes itself. 

Prediction: Falcons 28, Patriots 24

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.