Sunday NFL Predictions: Value tips and odds for Week 7's big games

The 2022 NFL season is as close as ever, and multiple teams still have a realistic chance of making the post-season. Here, expert Jack Goddard offers his week 7 predictions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-13.5) @ Carolina Panthers (+13.5)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

The Panthers are in total disarray. The firing of Matt Rhule’s just under two weeks ago was just the catalyst for a raft of departures that have made it perfectly clear that Carolina are ripping the whole thing up and starting again. Robbie Anderson went earlier this week after rowing with his positional coach, and now - devastatingly for Panthers fans everywhere - Christian McCaffrey has been traded to San Francisco.

PJ Walker is set to start at quarterback again for Carolina due to injuries to Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, so the Bucs could probably win this one if they picked 11 fans from the crowd to play on defence. As it happens, they have a pretty good D, and Tom Brady has plenty of available weapons in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette on the other side of the ball. This should be a massacre.

Prediction: Tampa Bay -13.5 @ 2.02

New York Giants (+3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (-3)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has made a brilliant start to life as a number one, as the former Bills OC has unexpectedly led the team to 5-1 and the current fifth seed in the NFC. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that this New York team is the real deal, and they sit at 2-0 on the road ahead of their trip to Jacksonville.

The Jaguars, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence, are still very much a work in progress and enter this match-up on the back of three losses after an impressive start to the season. Take the New York Giants to win outright.

Prediction: Giants Money Line @ 2.54

Detroit Lions (+6.5) @ Dallas Cowboys (-6.5)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

We all thought the Cowboys’ season was over when Dak Prescott went down injured in their first game of the season, which ended in a dismal defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then Cooper Rush has taken the reins and seriously impressed, hooking up especially well with CeeDee Lamb to put Dallas in a decent position. Now Dak is back.

The Lions are super unfortunate to be 1-4 after scoring a lot of points early on - they were the highest scorers in the NFL through week four - but they were most recently shut-out by the Patriots. The Cowboys should win by at least a touchdown at home.

Prediction: Cowboys -6.5 @ 1.87

Atlanta Falcons (+6.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5)

Kick-off: 6pm Sunday BST

The Bengals have pulled things back after an 0-2 start to the season left their play-off chances in serious doubt. They’ve moved to joint-top of the AFC North now after a commanding performance last week from Joe Burrow, who threw for 300 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Second-year superstar Ja’Marr Chase got his first monster game of the season last week too, with seven receptions for 132 yards, and he and Tee Higgins should feast against the Falcons.

Joe Burrow: can lead the Cincinnati Bengals to victory

Atlanta have done surprisingly well this year considering they are fronted by Marcus Mariota. They’ve gone toe-to-toe with the Bucs and 49ers - two Super Bowl contenders - in recent weeks, but I think there’ll be little more than one score in this one.

Prediction: Bengals -6.5 @ 1.9

New York Jets (+1) @ Denver Broncos (-1)

Kick-off: 9.05pm Sunday BST

The Broncos are somehow favourites for this game, despite Russell Wilson’s offence managing to put up just 25 points and one touchdown over the last two games. The entire Wilson experiment has been a total disaster so far, and the quarterback needs to focus more on his football than his bizarre PR campaign before things improve. That said, the Denver defence is still performing at an elite level.

Pat Surtain and the rest of the Broncos’ D will cause Zach Wilson’s unit plenty of trouble, but if Breece Hall can get loose against Denver’s rushing defense - who have conceded an average of 130 yards on the ground per game over their last three match-ups - the Jets can take the W here.

Prediction: Jets Money Line @ 2.02

NFL Week 7 Predictions

Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers: Tampa Bay -13.5 @ 2.02
Giants @ Jaguars: Giants Money Line @ 2.54
Lions @ Cowboys: Cowboys -6.5 @ 1.87
Falcons @ Bengals: Bengals -6.5 @ 1.9
Jets @ Broncos: Jets Money Line @ 2.02