Sportsbooks took another beating last week as NFL betting favorites came through left and right. Aside from the Jacksonville Jaguars earning their first win of the season in London to start the day, it was a rough one for underdogs. With six teams on bye in Week 7, bettors have a smaller menu of games to peruse when searching for NFL betting picks. Despite the reduced slate, there are still several betting favorites on upset alert this week.
The following article looks at three NFL betting favorites who are officially on upset alert ahead of their Week 7 matchups including the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.
3 Teams on Upset Alert for Week 7 | NFL Betting Picks
Panthers (-3) vs Giants
What better way to kick off this week’s NFL betting upset picks with the ugliest of home underdogs? A whopping 76% of bets are on the Carolina Panthers to cover as three-point road favorites against the New York Giants. For as bad as things have gone for the Giants so far this season, Carolina doesn’t exactly come in on a hot streak. After starting off 3-0, the Panthers have now suffered three consecutive losses. They were fortunate just to force overtime last week in a game the Minnesota Vikings dominated statistically. As the rushing touchdowns have subsided, so too has the swaths of praise for QB Sam Darnold. The Panthers will remain without Christian McCaffrey this week as well.
For the Giants, last week was an absolute nightmare. Just when the NFL betting public was starting to recognize that quarterback Daniel Jones has potential, he went out and threw three INTs in a blowout home loss to the Los Angeles Rams. New York’s offensive line was no match for the loaded defensive front of L.A. Things figure to come a bit easier against the Panthers this Sunday. While Saquon Barkley has yet to land on IR, he also hasn’t practiced yet this week. Wideout Kenny Golladay has also missed the team’s first two practices ahead of this Week 7 matchup. Expect Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney to remain the top targets for Jones moving forward.
Panthers vs Giants NFL Betting Picks
After a phenomenal start to the season, the Panthers have regressed across the board. Not only have Sam Darnold and the offense struggled, but the defense has seen its adjusted efficiency rating plummet after facing some stiffer competition. While the Giants certainly have issues offensively, one has to believe Daniel Jones can bounce back after last week’s disaster. The Giants have struggled mightily ATS at home, but they set up as intriguing contrarian dogs this week.
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Bengals vs Ravens (-6.5)
In a bit of a surprising twist, this AFC North rivalry game actually sets up as an opportunity for both teams to gain the early leg-up in the division. Winners of five straight, the Baltimore Ravens will look to dispatch of the much-improved Cincinnati Bengals at home this week. Last week’s win saw the Ravens thoroughly dominate the publicly-backed Los Angeles Chargers. After going off in a comeback victory the week prior, Lamar Jackson didn’t need to do a whole lot last week. Defensively, the Ravens rank 14th in adjusted efficiency on the season, per Football Outsiders. While they held a talented L.A. offense to just 208 total yards last week, that performance might’ve been the ceiling for what remains an injury-marred unit.
One of the biggest NFL betting questions coming into Week 7 is just how good are the Bengals? Zac Taylor’s team certainly looked impressive in handling the winless Detroit Lions last week. Having already beaten the rival Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, the Bengals will aim to pick up another massive divisional win on Sunday. Rookie No. 6 overall draft pick Ja’Marr Chase has been everything Cincinnati could have hoped for thus far. Along with Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon, he completes a true three-headed offensive monster. Where many underestimated the Bengals is on defense. Cincy boasts a top-five adjusted D entering Sunday’s contest. Pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson is proving to be one of the most underrated free-agent signings of the offseason.
Bengals vs Ravens NFL Betting Picks
The Ravens have won five consecutive head-to-head matchups against the Bengals. The last time Cincinnati won in Baltimore was all the way back in December of 2017. However, this is by far the most formidable Bengals team Baltimore has welcomed since then. Ticket counts are actually fairly even for this matchup The Ravens are drawing 56% of bets. After last week’s dominant performance, could this divisional battle be a letdown spot for John Harbaugh’s squad?
Colts vs 49ers (-4)
This week’s Sunday Night Football game is a very intriguing one. Both the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers came into the season with playoff aspirations. With both teams having gotten off to disappointing starts, this NFL betting matchup could prove critical to getting back on track. While the 49ers are coming off of a bye week, Kyle Shanahan still has several injury concerns on his hands. On the positive end of the spectrum, QB Jimmy Garoppolo should be back under center on Sunday. On the downside, tackle Trent Williams is yet to practice this week at the time of writing. Of course, the 49ers will also remain without star tight end, George Kittle.
If not for Lamar Jackson’s fourth-quarter heroics two weeks ago, the Colts might very well be entering this NFL betting showdown on a three-game win streak. That said, there are still plenty of positives for this team to build on moving forward. Carson Wentz appears to be settling into Indianapolis very nicely. After throwing for over 400 yards in the Week 5 overtime loss, he had another 223 to go with two scores last week. Running back Jonathan Taylor has come on strong over the last three weeks as well. The main concern for Indianapolis offensively is the health of the receiving corps. T.Y. Hilton made an immediate impact in his season debut but exited early with a new quad injury. The Colts also placed Parris Campbell on IR this week with a foot injury after two promising outings.
Colts vs 49ers NFL Betting Picks
The weakness for both the Colts and 49ers defensively is their respective secondaries. Looking at how each side has performed offensively thus far, Indianapolis appears more capable of taking advantage than San Francisco. While their WRs may be banged up, the Colts also have pass-catching back Nyheim Hines and tight end Mo Alie-Cox as receiving weapons. This line has moved a point and a half in the Colts’ favor from the opening number. With a fairly even public ticket count, Indianapolis sets up as a solid NFL betting underdog pick in this spot.
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