NFL Predictions Week 7: Picks and Odds Advice for Latest Schedule

The NFL season is nearly at its midpoint. As a result, the playoff races are just starting to heat up. 

Week 7 pits a number of different conference contenders against each other, most notably the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles going head to head in the NFC and the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs facing off on the AFC side. 

While it's still early, these matchups could have significant implications down the road. 

Here's the rest of the Week 7 schedule followed by a breakdown of a few of the best bets of the weekend. Picks against the spread are in bold, via OddsShark. 

Titans vs. Chargers (-6.5) (in London)

Patriots (-2.5) at Bears

Browns at Buccaneers (-3.5)

Panthers at Eagles (-5)

Vikings (-3.5) at Jets

Lions (-3) at Dolphins

Bills at Colts (-7.5)

Texans at Jaguars (-4)

Saints at Ravens (-2.5)

Cowboys at Redskins (-1)

Rams (-9.5) at 49ers

Bengals at Chiefs (-6)

Giants at Falcons (-4) 

Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts (-7.5)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Bills have the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL and will be trotting out their third starting quarterback of the season, 35-year-old journeyman Derek Anderson, against the Colts. That doesn't sound like a recipe for success, but the Bills have been a safe underdog to bet on this year. 

In their last four games, the Bills have pulled off two outright upsets—against the Vikings and Titans—and covered a 10-point spread against the Texans in Week 6. 

The reason the Bills have been a good play against the spread is their defense. After giving up a combined 78 points during a messy first two games, Buffalo's defense has been one of the best in the league, surrendering an average of 15 points per game during its last four contests. 

The Colts offense is the strength of their team, with Andrew Luck leading the NFL's 13th-highest scoring offense. However, they have also been a turnover-prone offense, giving away the fourth-most turnovers in the league. 

Assuming Buffalo's defense can force the Colts into some mistakes and shorten the field of their offense, the Bills should be able to keep this one reasonably close.

Prediction: Colts 24, Bills 20

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (-5)

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Under different circumstances this game could be a tossup, but a few key factors appear to tip the scales in Philadelphia's favor. 

The Panthers are on the road for the second consecutive week, which is often a tough spot for a team. Additionally, the Eagles enter this game on extra rest, having last played on Thursday night in Week 6. In 2017, the Eagles were 5-0 with at least one extra day of rest, including two victories during the postseason. 

The extra rest may benefit Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz the most, as he's still working his way back from a torn ACL that ended his 2017 season prematurely. Wentz's 2018 got off to a slow start, but he appeared to be back at full strength last week against the Giants. 

Wentz's Total QBR has improved in each of his four starts, peaking at 95.0 against New York. 

With Wentz hitting his stride and fully rested for this matchup, the Eagles should cruise to victory. 

Prediction: Eagles 28, Panthers 20

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (-6)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

In his first full season as the starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes has sparked the Chiefs offense, which is averaging 35.8 points per game this season. 

That's bad news for a Bengals team that has never been capable of consistently winning high-scoring games with Andy Dalton under center. 

With Dalton as their starting quarterback, the Bengals are 3-14-1 in games in which they allow 30 or more points.

To be fair to Cincinnati, this might be the best offense Dalton has led. The Bengals have scored 21 or more points in every game this season, and they did win a 37-36 shootout in Atlanta earlier this season. 

So to pick this game, you'll have to decide if you trust 2018 Andy Dalton or if you're going to trust the quarterback he has proved to be over the first seven years of his career. 

Perhaps this is the game where Dalton proves he's finally taken the next step and elevated this Bengals squad to the role of serious contender. Until that happens, however, it's probably safe to bet against him leading Cincinnati to another shootout victory. 

Prediction: Chiefs 35, Bengals 27