The 2026 NFL season is flying. There are still two-thirds of the way to go, but the more unpredictable nature of the league through the first six weeks suggests there will be more surprises to come in the second half.
In Week 7, the goal is to build on a strong Week 6. The identities of several teams are coming into focus. There is also enough of a statistical sample size to help determine where to lean in each tough matchup.
The league, however, keeps on changing with injuries and inconsistency still affecting outcomes. There’s no other choice but to dive headfirst into another week of bold game predictions:
MORE: SN’s latest NFL power rankings for Week 7
NFL picks against the spread for Week 7
All spreads and odds are courtesy of bet365 Sportsbook.
All prediction market implied probabilities are from ProphetX. ProphetX displays market percentages instead of betting odds. The percentages reflect the collective implied probability of an event.
Matt Marton – IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Game of Midweek: Patriots at Bears (-2.5, 50.5 o/u)
Thursday 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
The Bears are a different offensive team when Caleb Williams is steering the ship with his arm, athleticism and improv. They get a tough home test against the Patriots‘ defense, but Chicago will move the ball well in prime time. New England falls just short on the needed rushing production and big pass plays from Drake Maye.
Pick: Bears win 27-24 and cover the spread.
Game of the Week: Chiefs at Seahawks (-2.5, 42.5 o/u)
Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
The Chiefs‘ offense is rolling thanks to former Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III staying in his Super Bowl 60 MVP form all season. Seattle missed his backfield production with all its injuries. Kansas City has seen the passing game open up, too, with Patrick Mahomes at point. It’s getting more difficult to trust Sam Darnold, even at home.
Pick: Chiefs win 23-20.
NFC Game of the Week: Packers at Lions (-3.5, 52.5 o/u)
Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
The Packers love throwing the ball. The Lions are the worst pass defense in the league, but they also have a productive pass rush with Aidan Hutchinson. On the flip, the Packers can give it up on the ground and Detroit figures to feed Jahmyr Gibbs often coming off a bye. The Lions win by protecting Jared Goff and the ball better than Green Bay does around Jordan Love.
Pick: Lions win 31-27 and cover the spread.
Lock of the Week: Vikings (-5.5, 41.5 o/u) over Colts
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Vikings will be on upset alert after a bye week with the Colts on the brink of making bigger changes after firing GM Chris Ballard. But Minnesota’s defense can bring some sophisticated blitzes to keep former Viking Daniel Jones slumping. Indianapolis won’t get much going other than Jonathan Taylor again this week.
Pick: Vikings win 20-10 and cover the spread.
Upset of the Week: Dolphins (+4.5, 39.5 o/u) over Jets
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Jets‘ run defense keeps having issues and the Dolphins have become a very effective running team led by Ollie Gordon II and Malik Willis. They will also come out refreshed defensively after the bye to contain what’s around Geno Smith and bring some pressure.
Pick: Dolphins win 24-20.
Steelers (-2.5, 44.5 o/u) vs. Saints (in Paris)
Sunday 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network
The Steelers will play in the backdop of the world’s most famous wrought iron structure while the Saints will try to “laissez le bon temps rouler” and live up to their fleur-de-lis logo. Paris should be ready for a lot of passing between Aaron Rodgers and Tyler Shough as Kellen Moore matches wits with Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh has a little more reliable defense. giving it the mellieure chance.
Pick: Steelers win 24-20 and cover the spread.
49ers (-4.5, 50.5 o/u) at Falcons
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The 49ers’ offense is chugging along with Brock Purdy playing at an MVP level and there’s not much to daunt them in Atlanta after the Bears ripped apart the same defense with a balanced and explosive attack. Bijan Robinson doesn’t have the same guys around him to deliver as counterpart Christian McCaffrey does.
Pick: 49ers win 34-24 and cover the spread.
Browns (-1.5, 38.5 o/u) at Titans
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Browns have been a thrilling home team and have gotten a favorable draw early on the road. But they are still winning ugly, defensive-minded battles. Tennessee built some confidence with defense and special teams in Indianapolis. This game gets sloppy with limited big plays, so chalk up another improbable Titans win.
Pick: Titans win 20-17.
Buccaneers at Panthers (-3.5, 44.5 o/u)
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Jalon Daniels is doing his best to keep the Bucs’ competitive with help from the running game. The defense is also bringing a good pass rush of late. Bryce Young is locked in passing all over the field for the Panthers, however and their running game is red-hot with Chuba Hubbard.
Pick: Panthers win 24-17 and cover the spread.
Bengals at Ravens (-2.5, 50.5 o/u)
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Joe Burrow has been super accurate through the first five games before a Week 6 bye. He’s working to push downfield more with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins having time to get fully healthy. The Ravens, meanwhile, can’t keep up with Tyler Huntley likely starting again in a compressed attack.
Pick: Bengals win 27-24.
Giants at Texans (-9.5, 43.5 o/u)
Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Texans are trying to dig out of their 0-4 hole and make the playoffs and it’s so far, so good, with division wins over the Titans and Jaguars. The Giants, whoever’s at quarterback, face a tough pressure and coverage test on the road in Houston. New York is too dependent on making big plays on the back end defensive and C.J. Stroud is not making rash mistakes anymore.
Pick: Texans win 27-14 and cover the spread.
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Broncos (-4.5, 43.5 o/u) at Cardinals
Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
The Broncos will be wary of the Cardinals surprising them in the desert and can’t ignore the noise around Bo Nix despite their 4-2 start. Denver should take a healthier defense down the road to the desert to help thwart Jacoby Brissett. The Broncos found a little juice in the running game last week and that will help to avoid the road upset.
Pick: Broncos win 23-20 but fail to cover the spread.
Rams (-5.5, 47.5 o/u) at Raiders
Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
The Rams are in disarray with their special teams and offense making major mistakes. They need to get back on track with the basics of running the ball and playing sound pass defense. That will work well against the Raiders, who can be game passing often with Kirk Cousins getting into a NFC North-style shootout with Matthew Stafford.
Pick: Rams win 27-24 but fail to cover the spread.
Cowboys (-4.5, 44.5 o/u) at Eagles
Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
The Eagles keep getting bad news on the injury front and they are on the brink of a lost season at 2-4 with no Jalen Hurts at QB the rest of the way. They will still rely on defense to keep them in games and their offense also will get a chance to move the ball better, regardless of the QB. That’s how bad the Cowboys’ defense can be with former Eagles assistant Christian Parker, espeically vs. the run.
Pick: Cowboys win 24-20 but fail to cover the spread.
Stats of the Week
- Week 6 straight up record: 8-5
- Week 6 against the spread record: 9-4
- Season-to-date straight up record: 58-34
- Season-to-date against the spread record: 45-47
