NFL Week 7 bold predictions: Giants stun Broncos, Raiders shock Chiefs

Another week of NFL football, another week with a stunning upset. Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off with a jaw-dropping upset. 

The Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) stunned the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) in a 33-31 victory Thursday night. How shocking was Thursday night’s result? The Bengals entered Thursday night on a four-game losing streak in which they had been outscored by a combined 85 points (140-55), and the Steelers had allowed under 15 points per game (14.7) and racked up 7 takeaways and 17 sacks during the three-game winning streak they entered Week 7 on. “Thursday Night Football” turned into an old school, 2010’s offensive showcase with Cincinnati’s Joe Flacco (three passing touchdowns) and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers (four passing touchdowns) combining for the most passing touchdowns in a game this season with seven.  

Given that another wild upset kickstarted Week 7 in the NFL, anything could be possible the rest of the week. Let’s examine what “anything” could look like with a fresh, five-portion meal of bold predictions.

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Giants shock Broncos at Mile High

The New York Giants (2-4) and the Denver Broncos (4-2) are the two teams that have beaten the Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles this season with each of those victories coming in the last two weeks. As their records indicate, New York will come to Denver as heavy, seven-point road underdogs, per FanDuel Sportsbook. 

However, the Giants will shock the host Broncos and hand them their first home loss of the season. Denver nearly allowed the New York Jets (0-6) to have their first victory of the season in a narrow 13-11 Broncos win despite sacking quarterback Justin Fields a whopping nine times. The “Wild Thing” element to both Giants rookie first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart and Giants fourth-round rookie running back Cam Skattebo will stretch Denver’s defense in ways that Fields simply could not, and New York will fly home as the victors. 

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 bet:

Raiders upset Chiefs

Yes, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes dominates the Raiders: He’s 12-2 against them with 33 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions. That’s the best touchdown to interception ratio (6.6) by any quarterback versus a single team since at least 1950, minimum 500 pass attempts, per CBS Sports Research. 

However, Las Vegas will upset the Chiefs anyway despite their 2-4 start, and quarterback Geno Smith leading the NFL with 10 interceptions. Here’s why and how it will go down. All these Chiefs-Raiders games are already close every year at Arrowhead.

• 2022: Chiefs won 30-29 after a Raiders’ failed go-ahead two-point try with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter
• 2023: Raiders won 20-14 on Christmas (Raiders did not complete pass in the final three quarters and had two defensive touchdowns)
•  2024: Chiefs won 19-17 after the Raiders’ botched snap in field goal range with 15 seconds left

Kansas City is coming off of the high of toppling the Detroit Lions on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 6, and they’re set to get wide receiver Rashee Rice back from his six game suspension. Attempting to force feed him the football will throw the Chiefs’ offensive rhythm out of whack. 

The Raiders will give rookie bell cow running back Ashton Jeanty the football over and over and over again to run over and wear Kansas City out, and it will work. Jeanty has exploded for 350 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in the last three games, and he’ll go for over 100 from scrimmage and multiple touchdowns in a narrow Las Vegas win. 

Carson Wentz-led Vikings upset Jalen Hurts, reeling Eagles

The defending Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) enter Week 7 at the Minnesota Vikings (3-2) as 2.5-point road favorites, per FanDuel Sportsbook, despite being in a tailspin. They’re going to leave Minnesota as the first team since the 2012 Arizona Cardinals to lose three games in a row directly after a 4-0 start.

The Eagles have been outgained in every game this season, and they’re averaging the third-fewest total yards per game (274.5) in the entire NFL this season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is averaging a career-low 6.8 yards per pass attempt, and 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year running back Saquon Barkley is averaging just 54.2 rushing yards per game a year after averaging 125.3 rushing yards per game in 2024. He is on pace to have the largest year-over-year rushing yards per game decrease, -71.1, in NFL history. 

It also doesn’t help that Philadelphia has allowed the fourth-highest quarterback pressure rate this season (39.7%) while the Vikings Brian Flores-led defense averages the second-highest quarterback pressure rate (43.7%) and the second-highest blitz rate (38%) in the entire NFL. 

Hurts is going to be running for his life all afternoon while his predecessor Carson Wentz does just enough to get the ball to wide receiver Justin Jefferson over and over again, and Minnesota will continue the Super Bowl champs’ tailspin.

Falcons upset 49ers for first road win vs. team multiple games above. 500 since 2021

The Atlanta Falcons (3-2) lead the NFL in total defense (253.4 total yards per game allowed) and rank second in the league in total offense (378.8 total yards per game). That’s a great combination to take on the road against the NFC West co-leading San Francisco 49ers (4-2). 

Atlanta is fresh off beating the Buffalo Bills on “Monday Night Football” thanks to running back Bijan Robinson doing his best Christian McCaffrey impression: he went off for a career-high 170 yards rushing and a career-high 238 yards from scrimmage. Robinson’s 822 yards from scrimmage this season are the second-most by a player in through the first five games of a season in the last 50 seasons behind only McCaffrey’s 866 back in the 2019 season. 

His efforts plus that of the Falcons’ stingy defense will be enough to stifle a banged up 49ers attack whether or not Mac Jones or Brock Purdy is the starting quarterback in Week 7, giving the 1.5-point road underdogs a second primetime win in a row on this week’s edition of “Sunday Night Football.” It will also be Atlanta’s first road victory against a team multiple games above .500 since knocking off the 5-2 New Orleans Saints in Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season when current CBS Sports colleague Matt Ryan was still the Falcons’ starting quarterback. 

Tennessee Titans will have fourth quarter lead for first time this season vs. former head coach Mike Vrabel and his Patriots

The Tennessee Titans are a mess, having just fired head coach Brian Callahan on Monday after going 4-19 under him, tied for the worst record in the NFL since 2024 along with the Cleveland Browns. Now, the Titans (1-5) are set to welcome former head coach Mike Vrabel and his AFC East-leading New England Patriots (4-2) to town on Sunday.

Funny enough, Vrabel (four wins) has the same amount of victories as the Titans have since the start of last season. Tennessee is also the only team in the NFL this season that hasn’t possessed a lead at any point in the fourth quarter — their sole victory over the Arizona Cardinals came on a field goal as time expired. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Titans will receive a temporary jolt of excitement from Tennessee’s former head coach in Vrabel on the other sideline and being freed from the negativity that emanated from Callahan during his tenure.

That will manifest in the Titans beginning the fourth quarter on Sunday with the lead, their first fourth quarter lead of 2025, before they run out of gas at the end of the game.