The NFL landscape is starting to become more clear, with the true contenders making their way to the top of the standings while the pretenders are dropping to the bottom. Even so, the underdogs in the NFL are never too much worse than the best teams, which leads to plenty of upsets or close contests each week.
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As the NFL slate heads into Week 7, there will be plenty of underdogs who cover and a few who win outright to pay off well on the moneyline. Here is a look at some of the best underdog plays.
Browns (+144) vs Buccaneers
The pick: Browns +144
The Cleveland Browns have hit on some tough times of late and were beaten soundly by the Chargers last time out. However, teams with a rookie quarterback tend to be notoriously up and down. Baker Mayfield is facing off against the questionable Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense and should find success. The Browns are 3-point underdogs on the road but their defense should be better in this one and the offense will step up. Cleveland is the pick to pull out the road win at +144 on the moneyline.
Bills (+7.5) vs Colts
The pick: Bills +7.5
The Buffalo Bills have been bad this season and now they will be without starting quarterback Josh Allen for a few weeks. Derek Anderson will likely take over and the veteran will do enough to keep the team in the game against the Indianapolis Colts. Indy isn’t too great of a team itself and therefore the spread of 7.5 points is too much. Buffalo will be hard-pressed to win this contest but it is the choice to keep this margin within a touchdown and cover the spread.
Texans (+5) vs Jaguars
The pick: Texans +5
The Houston Texans are on the road this week to face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans have won three straight games after a slow start but find themselves as 5-point underdogs in this matchup. The Jaguars were demolished by the Cowboys last time out and will undoubtedly want to prove that was an aberration by playing well in this one. Jacksonville will come away with the win, but it should be close. These teams are built differently but have similar talent levels. The Texans are the pick to cover this spread as the margin should be closer to a field goal.
Cowboys (+1.5) vs Redskins
The pick: Cowboys +1.5
There shouldn’t be too much read into the Cowboys’ most recent win but they are still better than this week’s foe, the Washington Redskins. Dallas is the 1.5-point road underdog but Washington isn’t very good and will have trouble taking care of business at home. Take the Cowboys to win this game straight up at +105 on the moneyline.
Saints (+120) vs Ravens
The pick: Saints +120
The best underdog play of the week comes in from the matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens. The Saints are 2.5-point underdogs on the road despite looking very impressive the past few weeks. New Orleans is coming off a bye and is at full tilt offensively now that running back Mark Ingram is back in the fold. The Saints traditionally play much better at home than on the road but this spread is too high. The Ravens have a solid defense, but as the NFL has shown us this year, the best offenses are going to defeat the top defenses when both are playing well.
The Ravens are not going to get blown out but the Saints should not be the underdogs in this matchup. New Orleans isn’t just the pick to cover the spread but also to pull off the upset. The Saints will pay off +120 on the moneyline.
Check out the latest NFL Week 7 betting odds.
