NFL Week 7 Best Bets: Can You Smell What The Baker Is Cooking?

By Bill Speros Oct 13th, 2025 10:48 AM EDT

Baker Mayfield and the Bucs are cooking up something special this season. (USA TODAY)

The marquee matchup among our NFL Week 7 Best Bets sends Baker Mayfield and the Pewter & Red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers into Motor City and a Monday night matchup with the Detroit Lions.

This game, even with 11 weeks to go in the season, could impact homefield in the NFC. The Bucs continue to amaze. A week after sailing into Puget Sound to ransack the Seattle Seahawks, the Bucs Pirate Ship hornswoggled the 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs need the extra day off given their growing list of injured players.

Tampa Bay owns the best record in the NFC at 5-1. And Mayfield sits at No. 3 in the MVP betting markets at +425. Tampa Bay beat Detroit at Ford Field in Week 2 last season. That game was a playoff rematch from the previous season. Mayfield continues to ball in what is his 3rd season with his 4th team. Tampa Bay doesn't amaze with impressive numbers, but the Bucs know how to win. We could be treated to an NFC championship preview.

81+ Years Of QBs Meet Thursday In Cincy

Our NFL Week 7 Best Bets begin Thursday night as Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals play host to Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Combined, the 2 quarterbacks will be 81 years old and change. This will be the oldest QB matchup in the NFL since Tom Brady and the Bucs faced Matt Ryan in 2021. Brady was 44 when those teams played twice in the NFC South. Ryan was 36.

The oldest QB vs QB matchup in NFL history occurred when then 43-year-old Brady faced off against 41-year-old Drew Brees for the 2nd time during the 2020 season on Dec. 5.

On Sunday morning U.S. time, the Los Angeles Rams face the the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. The Rams head to the UK after win over the diminished Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday. Jacksonville lost at home to Seattle.

There are six games in the 1 p.m. Sunday slot. The FOX national game sees Washington visit Dallas. Atlanta and host San Francisco meet Sunday. The second game of the Monday night doubleheader gives us the Houston Texans at Seattle. Not sure what we did to deserve that.

Baltimore and Buffalo are on the bye.

NFL Week 7 Best Bets: Odds & Picks

DATE	WEEK 7 GAME	BEST BET	TIME/TV
Thu, Oct. 16	Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals	CIN +6	8:15 p.m. (AZ)
Sun, Oct. 19	LA Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars*	JAX +3.5	9:30 a.m. (NFL)
Sun, Oct. 19	Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs	LV +11.5	1 p.m. (CBS)
Sun, Oct. 19	New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears	UNDER 40.5	1 p.m. (FOX)
Sun, Oct. 19	Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns	MIA +2.5	1 p.m. (CBS)
Sun, Oct. 19	New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans	NE -6.5	1 p.m. (CBS)
Sun, Oct. 19	Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings	MIN +2.5	1 p.m. (FOX)
Sun, Oct. 19	Carolina Panthers at N.Y. Jets	CAR ML (+100)	1 p.m. (FOX)
Sun, Oct. 19	N.Y. Giants at Denver Broncos	NYG +7.5	4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sun, Oct. 19	Indianapolis Colts at LA Chargers	IND ML (+100)	4:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sun, Oct. 19	Wash. Commanders at Dallas Cowboys	DAL +1.5	4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Sun, Oct. 19	Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals	OVER 43.5	4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Sun, Oct. 19	Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers	OVER 43.5	4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Mon, Oct. 20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions	TB +5.5	7 p.m. (ABC)
Mon, Oct. 20	Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks	SEA -3	10 p.m. (ESPN)

* Game played in London  |  Favorite   Underdog / Value

NFL Week 7 Best Bets: Game-By-Game Breakdown

Thursday, October 16
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)

Buzz: The AARP Bowl sends Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers up against Joe Flacco and the host Bengals. These two QBs are a combined 80+ years old. This is the oldest QB vs QB matchup since Tom Brady and Matt Ryan (combined 80 years) met for the second time in 2021. The Bengals kept it respectable in a 27-18 loss at Green Bay. The Steelers slogged past Flacco's most-recent team, Cleveland, 23-9 Sunday. Flacco has faced a Mike Tomlin defense 22 times. Each has won 11 times. He's completed more than 60% of his pass attempts in 13 of their past 14 matchups. He keeps it close this week.

Pick:  Bengals +6  (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam  

Sunday, October 19
Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
Wembly Stadium, London

Buzz: The Rams are in the throes of a 11,381-mile round trip with stops in Baltimore (Week 6) and London this week. They handled the decimated Ravens 17-3 Sunday but may have lost Puca Nacua for at least this week due to an ankle injury. His status remains unknown. The Jaguars show up with a different team each week. This week, that means a win.

Pick:  Jaguars +3.5  (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam  

Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: Taylor Swift returned to her regular cameo during the Chiefs' 30-17 win Sunday night. And the NFL obliged with multiple questionable calls that went in the Chiefs' favor. Among them was an after-the-fact illegal motion penalty on Lions QB Jared Goff that negated a potential $450,000 win for one unlucky bettor. Patrick Mahomes again continues to work mastery with an offense of mostly castoffs, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce. The Raiders can't score, but their defense should keep this one close enough for the backdoor cover.

Pick:  Raiders +11.5  (-110) ESPNBET via OddsJam  

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The Saints fell victim to Drake Maye-nia and the Patriots Sunday. New Orleans showed some strength in its running game, which will help keep this close. The Bears come off a Monday night game against Washington. Bears QB Caleb Williams would like as much time to throw here as Maye got Sunday against New Orleans.

Pick:  Under 40.5 (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam  

Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Dolphins keep finding new ways to lose. Sunday, Chargers QB Justin Herbert hit Ladd McConkey with a 42-yard catch-and-run to set up a game-winning kick in the final minute of Miami's 29-27 loss. The Dolphins were left pointing fingers at each other. And the clock continues to tick on Mike McDaniel. The Browns are, well, the Browns. But they're a slight home favorite here. Go figure.

Pick:  Miami +2.5  (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam  

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel returns to Tennessee, where he coached from 2018-2023. The Patriots roll into Nashville coming off a Sunday night win at Buffalo and a road win at New Orleans. Drake Maye delivered a near-flawless performance in both games. The Patriots need to bolster their running game. But Vrabel won't hold back against his former team. Especially going up against a rookie QB in Cam Ward. Maye all daye in our NFL Week 7 Best Bets.

Pick:  Patriots -6.5  (-110) BetMGM via OddsJam  

Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The Eagles have been walloped by their post-Super Bowl hangover during the past two weeks. First, the battered Birds got hoofed by the Broncos at home two weeks ago. A Thursday night humiliation at the hands of Jaxson Dart & Big Blue followed. The Vikings come off their bye. They boast a top-five defense in yards and points allowed. That's enough to keep the Eagles from turning U.S. Bank Stadium into their personal aviary.

Pick:  Vikings +2.5  (-110) BetMGM via OddsJam  

Carolina Panthers at New York Jets, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The 0-6 Jets finished with -10 yards passing in their 13-11 loss to the Broncos in London on Sunday. That may be the most Jets stat in franchise history. And we're talking about a team that hasn't won a Super Bowl since man walked on the moon. The 3-3 Panthers - surprise! - ride a two-game winning streak into MetLife. They've scored 57 points in those victories and beat Dallas with a field goal at the gun on Sunday. The over/under on Jets fans at MetLife with paper bags on their heads shown during the FOX telecast is 8.5. Can't wait for Mike Francesa's post-game rage after the Jets fall to 0-7 in our NFL Week 7 Best Bets.

Pick:  Panthers ML (-102) DraftKings via OddsJam  

New York Giants at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Giants won their Super Bowl Thursday with a 34-17 rout of the Super Bowl champion Eagles. Rookie QB Jaxson Dart and RB Cam Skatterbo stole the post-game show, as well. The Broncos, meanwhile, scored just 13 points against the Jets. Bo Nix has clearly regressed - or at least stalled - in his sophomore season. The Giants always bring a respectable defense. If Dart doesn't fall prey to Sean Payton's tricks and limits the turnovers, the Giants could steal this one at Mile High Whatever It's Called Field.

Pick:  Giants +7.5  (-125) Fliff via OddsJam  

Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: Speaking of potential playoff previews . . . the AFC South-leading Colts (5-1) and AFC West-leading Chargers (4-2) rest above the postseason Mendoza line. For now. Daniel Jones (like Baker Mayfield) continues to amaze after being discarded in a previous life. Both teams survived sloppy performances Sunday. The Chargers needed a last-minute drive to escape from Miami with a 29-27 win. The Colts find some running room against the Chargers defense this week. And that opens things up for Indiana Jones/Danny Dollars.

Pick:  Colts ML  (+100) ESPN BET via OddsJam  

Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Back in the day, Washington at Dallas meant "Redskins vs. Cowboys," CBS, NFC supremacy, John Madden, Pat Summerall, and a "60 Minutes" promo that meant the weekend was over and it was time to do your homework. This time, the Commanders and Cowboys simply play to remain at or above .500 as Tom Brady makes the call for FOX. Father Time continues to gain ground on the aged Commanders (they had the oldest roster in the league in Week 1). Neither Jayden Daniels nor Dak Prescott can carry their respective teams by themselves. The Cowboys' defense got shredded by former Dallas RB Rico Dowdle Sunday. He consumed 183 yards on 30 carries for Carolina in its win. The Commanders lack a similar punch on the ground. The Cowboys survive at home and Jerry Jones smiles.

Pick:  Cowboys +1.5 (-102) DraftKings via OddsJam  

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Kyler Murray missed the Cardinals' loss to Indy on Sunday due to an injured foot. HIs stats this week remains unknown. But the Packers (3-1-1) stand atop the NFC North, somehow. Matt LaFleur's team can score. The Cardinals may not be able to keep up.

Pick:  Over 43.5 (-118) DraftKings via OddsJam  

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Buzz: What's on Netflix?

Pick: Falcons +3.5 (-115) DraftKings via OddsJam  

Monday, October 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. (ABC)

Buzz: This week's "Game of the Year" in the NFC features the best-in-conference Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Lions in Motor City. The 5-1 Bucs and Baker Mayfield are cooking up something special this season in Tampa Bay. And they've done it without (mostly) Mike Evans and several other key players. The Lions got declawed by Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes, and Taylor Swift's mojo (also known as the hidden hand of Park Avenue) Sunday night. Then things got worse when Brian Branch and JuJu Smith-Schuster went at it after the game. Mahomes picked apart the Lions defense, giving Mayfield lots of film over which to drool. Expect a back-and-forth affair in our NFL Week 7 Best Bets. One decided by a kick at the close.

Pick: Buccaneers +5.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam  

Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: The Seahawks scratched out a tough 20-12 win at Jacksonville Sunday, perhaps their most impressive of the season considering the early East Coast start and weather. Sam Darnold is repeating his 2024 regular season performance, just in another uniform. The Texas limped into the bye. Not sure the break will help them here. The Texans lone road win came at Baltimore, and the Ravens were without Lamar Jackson. Road game. Prime time. Hostile conditions. Not the best recipe for the visitors.

Pick: Seahawks -3 (-110) BetMGM via OddsJam  

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