The NFL schedule has given us some true gems in Week 7. We’ve got battles for first place, a Super Bowl rematch, and a number of great quarterback matchups all weekend long.
Apologies to the NFL fans in London who get the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, but the best of the NFL this week is playing stateside.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-1.5)
If you decide to sleep in and skip the Patriots and Jaguars, be sure to be awake by the time the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoffs get underway. You do not want to miss the undefeated Minnesota Vikings trying to prove themselves to the doubters against the Detroit Lions.
Both of these teams look capable of making deep postseason runs, even as we’re still cautious about Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. But Darnold aside, the real matchup to watch is the Minnesota defense, ranked second in Expected Points Added (EPA), vs. a Detroit offense that is coming off back-to-back 40-point performances.
The Lions are the only team in the NFL scoring more than 30 points per game. But the Vikings are allowing just 15 points per game. Something has to give.
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers (-3)
Everyone in the NFC North is fun to watch this season, and this week’s Packers game is especially interesting with the Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud in town. Thankfully, Jordan Love has returned healthy for this game, giving us the best quarterback matchup of the week.
Last week, Love threw four touchdown passes in Green Bay’s 34-13 win. Stroud threw three of his own last week in the Texans 41-21 win. The Texans are 5-1 and proving to be one of the top teams in the AFC. The Packers are 4-2 and look every bit the team that won at Dallas in the playoffs last season.
This is exactly the kind of game Lambeau Field is made for.
Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers (-1.5)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have played the San Francisco 49ers twice in the Super Bowl, and twice Mahomes has orchestrated a fourth quarter comeback to get the win. Overall, Mahomes is 4-0 against the 49ers, and when he has been the underdog in his career, as he is this week, Mahomes is 10-3 straight up.
Making the 5-0 Chiefs underdogs against the 3-3 49ers feels like an interesting choice from oddsmakers. San Francisco is still without Christian McCaffrey, and the Niners lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals just two weeks ago. But considering the history of these two teams, and how close San Francisco was to winning the Lombardi Trophy in February, they are motivated.
Motivation is one thing. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid coming off a bye is another. He is 21-4 when coming off a bye, which is the best winning percentage in NFL history. Place your bets appropriately.
New York Jets (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
You can’t say the Jets aren’t trying. In what is clearly the swan song of Aaron Rodgers’ career, New York continues to be all-in on the 2024 season in spite of their losing record. This week, they traded for wide receiver Davante Adams, who reunites with Rodgers with the hopes of turning things around for the Jets.
Head coach Robert Saleh has already been sacrificed because the Jets weren’t winning. And if the losing continues with Adams now in the house, the front office is likely to hit the unemployment line.
The Steelers are winning, yet they also made a change in personnel this week, moving Justin Fields to the bench and starting Russell Wilson at quarterback. It might not matter, because this team is led by their defense. But if it does backfire on head coach Mike Tomlin, there will be unhappy fans in Pittsburgh.
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Monday
The two losses to begin the season are a distant memory for Baltimore Ravens fans. In the four games since then, Lamar Jackson looks like the defending MVP, and the Ravens look like the team that was the top seed in the AFC one year ago.
They have wins over the AFC-contending Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, and last week, they cooled off the red-hot Washington Commanders. This week, they have to put out another team on fire, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
No one is going to mistake Baker Mayfield for Lamar Jackson. But it is Mayfield coming off 51 points in last week’s win. It was the fourth time the Bucs, who are second in the NFL in points scored per game, have scored more than 30. It is Mayfield that leads the NFL in passing touchdowns at 15, which is more than Jackson has both passing and rushing.
Both teams are 4-2. But as the team on the four-game winning streak, the Ravens are the favorite. It’s also worth noting that in nine career starts against the Ravens, Mayfield is just 3-6.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.