Slowly but surely, the halfway point of the 2025 NFL Season is approaching. The NFL playoff picture in both conferences is beginning to shape up as well. Right now, the New York Jets are the only winless team in the NFL, and there are no more unbeaten teams.
This does feel like one of the more competitive and open NFL seasons the league has had in quite some time, and that is flat-out amazing. Parity is a beautiful thing if you ask me, and it does seem like most games have also been quite competitive this year as well.
Our picks and score predictions are in for Week 7 action. Let's dive into those predictions right here.
The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens are on their bye week in Week 7.
Week 7 NFL picks and score predictions for every game
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
Thursday, October 16th, 8:15 PM ET
This week’s Thursday Night Football game is a classic AFC North battle, but the Bengals are losers of four in a row and are just not doing much of anything right at this time. Joe Burrow is likely missing the remainder of the season with his toe injury, and the Bengals recently swung a shocking trade for Joe Flacco to take over for the struggling Jake Browning.
The Bengals are weak on both sides of the ball at this point and can’t really get much of anything going, so it’s not going to be a pretty game for Cincy and their fans. The Bengals will lose their fifth game in a row and drop further out of contention for the playoffs in the AFC.
At some point, chatter has to start about the Bengals potentially moving on from Zac Taylor, their head coach.
Prediction: Steelers win 27-16
Los Angeles Rams (4-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
Sunday, October 19th, 9:30 AM ET (London)
The international game for Week 7 of the 2025 NFL Season is the LA Rams visiting the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars have been a staple in the NFL international series, but in most seasons, they’ve been a bottom-tier team.
The tables have turned a bit, as the Jags, with their Week 6 loss, are still 4-2 on the season and have the same record as the LA Rams. The Rams beat up on the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens in Week 6.
On paper, the Rams are the better team. They’ve got the better quarterback and head coach as well. We’ve also seen the Jaguars struggle at times against top teams in the NFL, and there is a clear-cut ceiling with this team.
It’s year one of the Liam Coen era, and while things are looking quite good so far, he’s not been on the job very long and has not been able to tailor the roster to his liking. I do believe the Jaguars have a shot to be truly special in 2026 and beyond, but this team feels nothing more than ‘good.'
Conversely, I believe the Rams can be great and have shown the ability to be great. The duo of Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay is one of the best in the NFL. They’ve won a ton of games together and absolutely have another deep playoff run up their sleeves. The Rams end up winning this by a field goal.
However, this two-game losing streak for the Jaguars isn't anything to be worried about, as they are clearly still ahead of schedule and could be a force to be reckoned with in future years. This team got one of the most important spots in all of sports settled with their head coaching hire.
Prediction: Rams win 23-20
Miami Dolphins (1-5) @ Cleveland Browns (1-5)
Sunday, October 19th, 1:00 PM ET
This could end up being one of the worst and least-interesting games of the entire season. The Browns are hosting the Miami Dolphins in a battle of teams that have combined for a 2-10 record through 12 games. It has simply been a season to forget for each franchise.
And each franchise has their own share of really bad issues that could take multiple years to fix. The Dolphins are a limp team - the trenches have been a sore spot for years now, and the head coach doesn’t have the type of winning culture that you’d like to see in someone leading the team.
The QB, Tua Tagovailoa, is also nothing more than good at this stage of his NFL career.
On the other hand, the Cleveland Browns have had a series of issues plaguing the franchise for years now, and it really all started when the discarded Baker Mayfield and decided to swing a major trade for Deshaun Watson, who turned out to be a bottom-3 QB during his time with the Browns.
The Browns do have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so they at least have a path to rebuilding, and the best unit in this game is the Browns’ stingy defense. That is going to be the deciding factor in this one, as Cleveland earns their second win of the season. Browns win by a touchdown, and the Dolphins continue to spiral.
With this latest Miami Dolphins' loss, you have to wonder if things could really go off the rails, as it would not shock me to see them parting ways with head coach Mike McDaniel at some point, and a 1-6 start could lead to a huge fire-sale at the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline.
Prediction: Browns win 23-16
New England Patriots (4-2) @ Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Sunday, October 19th, 1:00 PM ET
The New England Patriots breakout season is here, and second-year QB Drake Maye is playing out of his mind. I would go as far as to say that he’s a borderline top-10 QB at this point and should probably now be under consideration for the MVP award through the first six weeks of the 2025 season.
The Pats go by the frisky New Orleans Saints, and their second-year QB, Spencer Rattler, looks solid himself. The Patriots now face the Tennessee Titans in one of the more obvious decisions of the week thus far.
The Titans simply can’t do much right and should honestly be 0-6. Their Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals was only due to the Cardinals being a giant dumpster fire in the second half. Furthermore, the head coach, Brian Callahan, seems to be in way over his head.
It would not shock me to see the Titans show Callahan the door with a few more losses. The Titans also have bottom-tier roster talent, and I get the sense that GM Mike Borgonzi has more work than he originally thought.
Rookie QB Cam Ward has had to make do with what he’s got on his side of the ball, but I am not sure he’d played well himself, so the entire operation just needs a reset. The Patriots are going to win this game by multiple scores and find themselves at a healthy 5-2 approaching the midpoint of the season.
Do the Buffalo Bills have to watch out for the Patriots? New England beat the Bills a couple of weeks ago…
Patriots win by 13 points in this game. Drake Maye continues to ascend, and this team gets itself further into the playoff mix.
Prediction: Patriots win 30-17
Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
Sunday, October 19th, 1:00 PM ET
Every team in the AFC West won in Week 6 of the 2025 NFL Season, but that won’t be the case here in Week 7. It’s been an interesting season for both the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders traded for Geno Smith in the offseason, and Smith has already thrown 10 interceptions, which is more than many QBs will throw in 17 games this season.
Frankly, Geno Smith has been horrible this season, and veteran head coach Pete Carroll seems to be in over his head with the Raiders. Vegas broke their four-game losing streak with a win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, so that was nothing overly impressive.
The Raiders managed to win a one-off Week 1 game against the New England Patriots. The 2-4 Raiders are now set to try and beat the Chiefs, but the Chiefs have this game at home and got back on track with a primetime win over the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs haven’t played nearly as well as many thought they would, and the roster just doesn’t have a ton of talent. Years of having draft picks low in each round have contributed to this.
However, the Raiders have a bottom-5 roster and a bottom-3 QB, so they aren’t going to win many more games this year. Kansas City is going to take care of business in this one and win its second game in a row, getting over .500 for the first time this season, and if the Chargers and Broncos were to lose, there’d be a three-way tie at 4-3 atop the division.
Chiefs win this one by a lot. Could the three-time defending AFC champions go on a run in the middle of the season?
Prediction: Chiefs win 33-20
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (3-2)
Sunday, October 19th, 1:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia Eagles have now lost two games in a row and are dealing with some major issues. Many of the issues stem from their first-year offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, who simply seems to be in over his head and just cannot find a rhythm for the game.
The issues are magnified with Jalen Hurts as well, as he’s a very limited passer and simply cannot drop back and throw the ball 32 times per game. When you combine these two issues and lump in some poor offensive line play, this is what you get.
This feels like a re-run of the 2023 Eagles’ team, and I am not sure they get back on track here in Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have one of the best and most aggressive defenses in the NFL and is going to make life very tough for Jalen Hurts.
The Vikings have also done well with Carson Wentz under center. He’s not a great QB by any means, but he’s started a ton of games in the NFL and did once see the Eagles draft Jalen Hurts, who eventually replaced him as the team’s QB.
I do believe Wentz is going to outduel Hurts in this one, as even the Eagles’ defense has struggled recently. Philly is going to lose their third game in a row in a shocking turn of events and will continue to see their season fall down the drain.
The Vikings, meanwhile, get to two games over .500 and are winning this game by six points.
One of the more interesting tidbits with the Vikings is their QB situation. Does JJ McCarthy get inserted back into the lineup when healthy if Wentz has this team in a good spot?
Prediction: Vikings win 26-20
Carolina Panthers (3-3) @ New York Jets (0-6)
Sunday, October 19th, 1:00 PM ET
How about the Carolina Panthers? Now 3-3 on the season, Carolina has itself a 4-3 start if they can get past the New York Jets in Week 7, which should not be a tough task. We’ve seen the Panthers really make some strides this year and have now actually won two games in a row, which is not something I thought we’d be saying about this team.
There are a ton of clubs in a worse position than Carolina, so they really should try and take a leap here and begin to take care of business against some weaker teams. However, the 0-6 Jets are clearly desperate for their first win and could find it soon.
It’s not likely to see a team go winless across an entire season - that’s why it’s barely happened in the history of the NFL. The Panthers have also snatched defeat from the jaws of victory many times before, and I think we’ll be in for a wild game in this one.
The Panthers’ defense is nothing special and is going to be a huge breath of fresh air from the Broncos’ defense in Week 6. The Jets were quite close to their first win of the season, and I think they’ll get it here.
Carolina is still a bit of a mess and can still be quite dysfunctional from time to time. The Jets have this game at home and will close the deal. This would be a massively disappointing result for Carolina, but that’s kind of been their story for years now.
The Jets win this game by four and join 31 other NFL teams and get into the win column. It's a sigh of relief for Aaron Glenn and his staff.
Prediction: Jets win 21-17
New York Giants (2-4) @ Denver Broncos (4-2)
Sunday, October 19th, 4:05 PM ET
The Denver Broncos are winners of three games in a row after a very shaky 1-2 start, and the New York Giants have won two of their first three starts in the Jaxson Dart era, so that’s notable as well. The Giants seem to have instantly attached themselves to Dart and are playing better than they have in previous seasons.
This could be the hardest test for the rookie Dart, though, as the Giants offensive line is nothing special and gets to go up against the best pass rush in the NFL. The Broncos hage a whopping 30 sacks through their first six games and are on pace to break the all-time sack record in a single season.
The Broncos offense hasn’t been all that consistent this year, so I do wonder if the Giants could get the Broncos into a bit of a trap game here. After a grueling three-game stretch where they played the Bengals on Monday Night Football, traveled across the country on a short week and beat the Eagles, and then hopped on a plane for their London game, Denver finally gets to return home.
But the Giants do have the players to hang around in this game. Ultimately, I do think Denver gets this one done and wins, but it’s not going to be a blowout or anything. The Broncos win by eight points in a game where it takes them nearly all 60 minutes to put the Giants away, but if there is ever such a thing as a good loss for the franchise, it would be a game like this.
The Denver Broncos move to 5-2 on the season and win their fourth game in a row in our Week 7 predictions.
Prediction: Broncos win 24-16
Indianapolis Colts (5-1) @ Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Sunday, October 19th, 4:05 PM ET
This could be one of the best games of the week, and the result of this game could muddy the AFC even more. The AFC is wide open right now, as I do not see a clear-cut best team despite the Colts currently having the best record at 5-1.
If the Buffalo Bills were to win on Monday Night Football, they’d also have a 5-1 record, but you could argue that the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, or even New England Patriots are a top team in the conference.
The Colts have not lost at home, and their lone loss actually came in this same building but against the Los Angeles Rams a few weeks ago, which is interesting.
The Chargers come into this game banged up on both sides of the ball. They barely got past the Miami Dolphins in Week 6, so that kind of tells you where this team is right now.
In terms of the QB battle, it’s pretty much a wash. Both Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert have been good this year. The head coaching battle could also be a wash, as Shane Steichen is honestly performing as he should with the talent the Colts have.
I’m actually going to take a bit of a bold prediction here and say that the Colts win this game by one point. It’ll be a back-and-forth affair, but the better and more complete team will come out victorious in this one.
Indianapolis wins by one point and furthers their stance in the AFC South and perhaps atop the AFC. The Colts might just be a juggernaut. The Chargers drop to 4-3 in our predictions and will have gone 2-3 over their past five games after a strong 2-0 start.
Prediction: Colts win 28-27
Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1)
Sunday, October 19th, 4:25 PM ET
If the Dallas Cowboys had just an average defense, they would likely be 5-1 or even 6-0 at this point. The offense is flat-out insane, and Dak Prescott is truly playing at an MVP level through the first six games of the 2025 NFL Season. Prescott does have this weird trend of playing extremely well following a down season or a poor performance the year prior.
The Cowboys are hosting the Washington Commanders in an NFC East showdown, and if the defense can shape-up a bit, Dallas could ride that wave and its top-tier offense to a Wild Card spot in the NFC.
Prescott has targeted George Pickens a ton, and he is on pace for the best year of his NFL career. The running game has been great with Javonte Williams, too. The Washington Commanders are playing on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, and I would expect that they get to 4-2 after that game.
And I’d also expect this game to be very high-scoring. I don’t believe the Commanders have the personnel to match up on defense with what Dallas has on offense, and the Cowboys defense is going to let any QB score a ton of points on them, so this could be a very high-scoring affair, but the Commanders are simply the better team here, and it’ll be either them or the Philadelphia Eagles winning the division this year.
If nothing else, the Cowboys do have something special on offense and also have extra draft capital after the Micah Parsons trade, so they could rebuild the defense and perhaps emerge as a contender in 2026 and beyond. This is shaping up to be another great year of Dak Prescott's career tossed in the trash, unfortunately.
Prediction: Commanders win 35-30
Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
Sunday, October 19th, 4:25 PM ET
The Green Bay Packers got by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6, but it was not as slam-dunk of a win as you would have expected. After a shocking tie against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago, the Packers have a tie blemish on their record.
This team should truly be 4-1, but they really do not feel like a juggernaut at this point, and despite the Detroit Lions’ loss in Week 6, I get the sense that the Packers are still the little brother in the NFC North until further notice.
The Packers are now in Arizona to face the reeling Cardinals, a team that gave the Indianapolis Colts a run for their money but have now lost four games in a row after a very encouraging 2-0 start to the season. Oddly enough, the offense did look a bit better with Jacoby Brissett under center, so I have to wonder how that could impact things during this week of preparation.
Arizona being able to get to 3-4 could keep their season alive, but them dropping to 2-5 with a loss could begin to signal that the end is near. I don’t believe that this coaching staff is at risk of losing their jobs, as I actually believe that Kyler Murray is the one person in that building who should be the most worried.
The Green Bay Packers have to begin to get serious about this season and what they could potentially accomplish. The Micah Parsons trade was supposed to push this team into contention, and they haven’t really hit that peak yet.
The Packers get on track with a solid win over the Cardinals and move to 4-1-1 on the season. Green Bay wins this one by four points, and the Cardinals continue their spiral.
Prediction: Packers win 24-20
Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers (4-2)
Sunday, October 19th, 8:20 PM ET
The Atlanta Falcons are hosting the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football to close out Week 6 of the 2025 NFL Season. The Falcons were on their bye in Week 5, so they had a very early one, but this team is recharged, and I do believe they could give the Bills a run for their money.
The San Francisco 49ers are in one of the more interesting spots you’ll ever see an NFL team in. They’ve endured a countless number of injuries this year, and just lost Fred Warner for the rest of the 2025 NFL Season with a dislocated ankle, which is just more bad injury luck.
However, a loss in Week 6 dropped this team to 4-2, so they are still in good shape and did win six games all of 2024. Kyle Shanahan has to be beside himself with all of these injuries.
The Falcons should come into this Week 7 showdown in a much healthier position, but Michael Penix Jr is still very new in the NFL and didn’t get a ton of action during his rookie season back in 2024.
He’s still a de-facto rookie in that regard and is going to have a tougher day against a stingy Robert Saleh defense.
Ultimately, while the 49ers are hurt big-time, we’ve seen Kyle Shanahan win a ton of games as head coach of this team, and I think the Niners find a way to get it done.
San Fran would move to 5-2 on the season, and if they could somehow begin to get healthier, the Niners could be a huge problem later in the 2025 season. The Falcons feel like one of the more irrelevant teams in the NFL if you ask me.
They don’t do a ton all that well but are far from the worst team. Atlanta loses by one in this prediction.
Prediction: 49ers win 21-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) @ Detroit Lions (4-2)
Monday, October 20th, 7:00 PM ET
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could really put their stamp on the NFC with another statement win this year. The defense has been shaky at best, but QB Baker Mayfield is playing out of his mind and is currently the favorite to win the MVP award in my eyes.
Mayfield has totally remade himself with the Bucs, and he’s had to deal with a ton of wide receiver injuries, so that could hamper things for Tampa in this one, but I am buying the Bucs again and again and will ride with them until they prove me otherwise.
On the other side of things, the Detroit Lions are coming off a pretty ugly loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, so they surely want to get back on the right track. The Lions and Bucs are honestly similar - top-end offenses with defenses that leave a little to be desired, so I can see this turning into a shootout.
And while I am fully prepared to be wrong, I am going to ride with the Bucs here to win by three points and get to 6-1 on the season. With how many injuries Tampa is dealing with on offense, though, the Lions winning this one would not shock me.
Detroit tends to respond well after a loss, and they simply have not lost a lot in the Dan Campbell era in recent years. I am probably making the wrong choice here, but give me the Buccaneers by three points. They earn a huge tiebreaker win over the Lions.
If both teams win their respective divisions and finish with the same record, the winner of this game would have the head-to-head tiebreaker and would earn the higher seed in the NFC playoffs.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 41-38
Houston Texans (2-3) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
Monday, October 20th, 10:00 PM ET
The final game of Week 7 in the 2025 NFL Season is the second Monday Night Football game, and it could be a doozy. The Houston Texans have to get right and continue their win streak. They won two games in a row before a bye in Week 6, so that could have stalled their momentum.
And it does not help that the team is in Seattle to face one of the more suffocating defenses in the NFL. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has done a great job with this team, and I have been dead wrong about Seattle thus far.
Despite their secondary injuries, the team is still playing at a very high level, and I really do not see a path for the Texans to win this one. The main concern is obviously along the offensive line, as Houston’s might just be the worst in the NFL. Seattle is able to get to the quarterback, and they do have a top-notch defensive line.
This could truly get out of hand, as Seattle is set-up nicely here to get to 5-2 on the season and send the Texans packing with a loss. The Texans have gone 10-7 in each of the last two seasons, and you get the sense that this franchise does have a clear floor, but the offensive line truly makes things tough.
If they had their OL from 2023 or 2024, this team could win this game, but I just can’t see it right now. In fact, the Seahawks manage to keep the Texans out of the end zone entirely and hold them to just three field goals in a blowout win in primetime.
Seattle continues their great season with a massive win.