The National Football League moves into Week 7 on Thursday as the action begins with the oldest rivalry in the league and ends with a meeting between AFC contenders, although one team limps into that matchup.
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Odds: Packers -9.5
The NFC North kicks things off on Thursday with two struggling teams, but on different levels. The Bears are 1-5 after a 17-16 loss to Jacksonville but things aren’t that much better for the 3-2 Packers, who fell 30-16 at home to Dallas. They never looked in the game. Maybe a meeting with their old rivals will stop the spiraling Packers, who are 8-2 SU and ATS in their last 10 meetings with Chicago. Aaron Rodgers definitely needs to step up his game under center for Green Bay.
Minnesota Vikings @ Philadelphia Eagles
Odds: Vikings -3
The Vikings are the last unbeaten team in the league and they’re coming off a bye. Meanwhile, the Eagles are now 3-2 after back-to-back road losses. Carson Wentz has looked like a rookie over the last two weeks and now he has to face what is arguably the best defense in the league.
It’s an intriguing matchup because these two teams made a preseason trade that has changed the trajectory of both teams. Sam Bradford, now the Vikings starter, returns to Philadelphia to face the team that traded him while Wentz will face Bradford, the man he replaced after the trade. The Eagles are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 games against the Vikings, who have won and covered in the last two.
San Diego Chargers @ Atlanta Falcons
Odds: Falcons -6.5
The Falcons fell 26-24 in Seattle but they’re still 4-2, and after back-to-back strong performances on the road they might be for real this year. The Chargers finally put someone away as they beat Denver 21-13 at home on Thursday and now they’ll have 10 days to prepare for their east coast trip. We’ll see if that win changes the momentum for them. The Chargers could be a winning team right now but have blown fourth-quarter leads in almost every game.
The Falcons are 6-1 in their last seven meetings with the Chargers, who are 3-4 ATS in those games.
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Odds: Titans -3
The AFC South is in the spotlight in this one as the Colts gave away a 26-23 overtime loss to Houston. They are now 2-4 while the Titans are 3-3 after beating Cleveland 28-26. That win put them ahead of the Colts. Indianapolis could be out of the running for the division title if they lose this game, but realistically they haven’t looked like much of a contender – mostly because of how porous their defense has been. This is as close to a must-win as it gets for the Colts, who are 9-1 SU (nine straight wins) and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 with the Titans.
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Odds: Patriots -7
This could have been the game of the week but it has lost a little luster as the Steelers will be without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers are now 4-2, coming off their second stunning road defeat of the season after a 30-15 loss to Miami last week. The Patriots are 5-1 after dumping Cincinnati 35-17 last week. Tom Brady is playing as if he didn’t miss any time at all. It’s hard to believe in the Steelers in this spot given that they’re missing their leader and given how poorly they played last week. As for the Patriots, they are 7-3 SU and 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games against Pittsburgh.