Pigskin Pundit’s Picks, Week 7, 2026

It’s time for the 7th Inning Stretch.  We are 7 weeks in, I went a dismal 7-7 this week (61% overall, but so did ESPN’s best, Clay), and it’s time to do a quick overview of the season so far.  Shakers: the Niners are for real, as are the Vikings with that pillaging D, and the Chiefs are back on the warpath again.  Fakers: the Bills win in spite of themselves but can’t keep this up, as are the Broncos whose defense keeps them in games while other teams Nix their wimpy offense, and I am not impressed with the Squawks any longer at 3-3, because they rely way too much on Smith-Njigba and can’t protect their QB.  My Pats are finding their 2025 form again, and each division seems pretty competitive at this stage, including two divisions where every team has a winning record.  At near the half-way mark, things are going to start settling out rapidly as the second half sprint begins.  Hopefully as teams start to find some consistency, I can beat Bobo the dart-throwing chimp at Barstool Sports in the picks department.  Pass the bananas.  Let’s get to the picks.

Patriots at Bears – With Caleb ‘Crazy Legs’ Williams back in form, DaBears are hungrily prowling for wins again.  Meanwhile, after a poor start, Drake Maye in the last three games (all wins) has a league-best 10 TDs against 1 INT and a 119.3 passer rating over that short span.  As local legend Steven Tyler sings, “I’m baack in the saddle again”…The Bears are 4-2, the Pats are 4-2, the Bears are in contention for the division lead as are the Pats, Williams and Maye were picks #1 and #3 in the same draft, so this game is a superb matchup for any number of reasons.  If, and I mean if, the Patriots can corral that Chicago running game, they have a chance to take a tough road win.  Chicago is 1st in possession time, better in yards per game and points per game.  That’s a lot to overcome on the road.  Bruins ruin New England’s Maye-mentum on the short week.

Steelers at Saints – The Steelers showed up late but got the win over Tampa’s suffocating defense, while the Saints balled out in Gotham and made everyone wonder how the Giants are still holding onto the division lead.  It was nice to see signs of life from the Flowers of Life against the Jints, but the mettle that runs through Pittsburgh’s team is much sterner stuff.  Steelers forge a win in New Awlins.

Niners at Falcons – Atlanta is like a roller coaster this year.  They are exciting and dangerous one week, and pedestrian and insipid the next.  They will wear out Bijan Robinson due to over-reliance, but it won’t matter this week as the Niners make peach pie out of them.  Frisco brings the Crisco and deep-fries the Dirty Birds.

Bengals at Ravens – I have grudging respect for both Baltimore and Cleveland after last week’s tilt, which I picked wrong.  Let’s just admit the Brownies can play some damn solid defense while they hope their O can put up a point or two more than the team they are strangling, much like that other Orange team out in Denver.  Speaking of orange teams, I hate picking the Bengals because they win the games they should lose and vice versa.  So I won’t.  In a divisional game for dominance where grit is essential, I’ll take the junkyard crows from the perennial murder capital of the US to declaw the Traveling Tigers tidily.

Buccaneers at Panthers – The Precarious Pirates are slowly sinking into the Caribbean, as they excel at repelling boarders but can’t get off their own deck to do any pillaging.  Carolina on the other hand has a look of determination on their feline faces each week, and the confident gait of an apex predator.  Pirates sink while the Panthers slink, to victory.

Giants at Texans – It’s reality-check time for Harbaugh’s Broadway Show, as the Texans have awakened and begun their ascension through the division to threaten Jacksonville’s lead.  Stroud is loud and proud as he resets his ceiling each week, and although the defense isn’t the fierce meatgrinder it was in the last few years, it still has plenty of stop in it.  Houston gets a boostin’, beating compliance from the Giants.

Colts at Vikings – The Purple Pony Pounders feast on the floundering fillies.

Dolphins at Jets – The Jets are a most frustrating franchise, famous and yet feckless for so long.  Just think of this; they haven’t been competitive since ‘Wrecks’ Ryan was head coach!  Makes me long for the days of Weeb Ewbank.  Oh well, this is a game made for them.  Miami is still a shambles and dumpster fire.  Phins provide a win for the Green Machine.

Browns at Titans – The Frightens rose up and kneecapped the hapless Colts last week, in a surprise show of tenacity.  That said, Cleveland has been surprising me weekly since the very first game, and shares the division lead at 4-2.  That defense looks like Commodore Perry holding Lake Erie against the English navy in 1812 (read a history book, kids).  Browns of renown shut the end zone down in Titan Town.

Broncos at Cardinals – This game makes me smile, as the Cardinals have been so fine at SoFi Stadium, bedeviling both the Chargers and Rams.  They should be feisty enough to keep Denver (the 40-yr old virgin – can’t score) on edge, even while the Broncs’ stalwart D ices down Jacoby Brisset.  Mustangs free Nix in Phoenix as they avoid the Cardinal sin of a road loss in Arizona.

Packers at Lions – By the team stats, this shouldn’t be close, as the Cryins lead the Pack in nearly every category…except wins.  You have to secure victories to go along with your glossy stats, otherwise you’re just a bunch of participation trophy collectors.  This is THE game for Detroit to decide and prove which they are.  Green Bay seems to be singing the old Peaches & Herb song “Reignited, and it feels so good….Reignited, cuz we knew we could”, and it’s time to crush that belief or be crushed by it.  Michigan doesn’t miss again, as the Lions defend their den.

Rams at Raiders – Y’know, the Raiders almost beat the Bills like I predicted, keeping it close until the very end, and they are up several slots in the power rankings this week, because their losses against Kansas City and Buffalo were close, hard-fought battles that indicate Vegas is a team of depth and substance.  LA has proven just the opposite after being anointed the favorite in preseason.  Unlike the bulk of ESPN prognosticators, I like Vegas to hold their chips in this one and fold the Scrams like a bad hand.  LA proves you can’t beat the house with a pair of three’s.

Chiefs at Seahawks – Kansas City isn’t invincible, but they are fresh off a bye and unbeaten.  The Seahawks are fresh off a beating, and falling back from contention in the NFC West.  The Chiefs are a balanced team, while the fish eagles are lopsided on defense with a soft offense.  Andy Reid forces his opponents to score, because his blitzkrieg offense can hurt you as long as there are ticks left on the clock.  Tick Tock says the clock to the losing Sea Hawks, while Kansas City keeps sitting pretty.

Cowboys at Eagles – Bah Buh-Bumm…as MNF goes, this is a ‘who cares’ game.  I don’t think even Cowboy fans are going to watch this snoozer of losers, as two teams going nowhere meet to go…nowhere.  If Andy ‘The Red Relic’ Dalton tells you ‘No thanks’…..you really stink, Philly.  Dallas officially has NOTHING working right for them either after their flashy offense fainted last week, and you can stick a fork in Philly, because with Hurts hurt (sadly), a team with already deep problems just lost all their hope.  Because I have to make a pick here, I’ll take the Dullest Cowgirls…at least they still have their own quarterback.  I wonder if there are Golden Girls reruns on Monday night….