5 underdogs to bet in NFL Week 7 action

The NFL has been anything but predictable to this point, with the Los Angeles Rams left as the lone unbeaten and the defending Super Bowl champions struggling alone at 3-3. Meanwhile, there isn’t a single team above .500 in the AFC South and the Kansas City Chiefs are rolling with a generational offense thanks to a first-year starting quarterback in Patrick Mahomes.

In NFL Week 7, perhaps things will settle down a bit, or maybe they continue to be wonky as ever. Looking at the lines, here are five underdogs that should either cover or win straight up. All lines are courtesy of OddsShark.

5. New England Patriots at Chicago Bears (+3.5)

The Bears have to be steaming after that miserable performance they put forth down in Miami. While it might be a tall order for Chicago to actually win this game, there’s no reason not to cover this spread considering it is both at home and has one fo the league’s best defenses. The Bears are going to need a good performance out of Mitchell Trubisky, something that is plausible considering how bad New England’s defense is.

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4. Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals (+2.5)

The Cardinals are not typically going to be in the conversation about teams I like to win/cover, but here we are. Reasons? Arizona is at home on a short week, and the Broncos are playing absolutely miserable football, losers of four straight. If David Johnson gets to carry the ball a decent amount on Thursday night, give me the Cards to win outright.

3. Houston Texans (+4.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston and Jacksonville are basically the same team right now, just in different forms. The Texans have the capability to put points on the board but are held back by a ridiculously bad head coach. The Jaguars have no offense but a great defense that has suddenly forgotten how to play football. In essence, each has a strength negated by a gigantic weakness. Right now, there’s no way that Jacksonville should be favored by more than a field goal.

Read: Oakland Raiders Want a First Round Pick for Amari Cooper

2. Carolina Panthers (+4.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

The Panthers are trying to bounce back off a tough loss, and while Philadelphia isn’t the place to do that, 4.5 points is too high of a line. Carolina can play solid defense and clog up the run, potentially giving the Eagles fits up front (especially if Jason Peters struggles to play through his torn biceps). Offensively, it’s hard to see Cam Newton putting up big numbers with a limited supporting cast on this Eagles front, but he should do enough to cover.

1. New Orleans Saints (+2.5) at Baltimore Ravens

This is my favorite pick of the week. The Saints are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and while the defense has been a bit slo to come around, the offense is ridiculous. Baltimore is solid, but it struggles to score points and against New Orleans, regardless of how good the Ravens’ stout defense is, they must score. Look for the Saints, off a bye, to win this outright.