For the New England Patriots, Week 7 was a disappointment. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel dropped its Thursday night meeting with the Chicago Bears with a final score of 30-24, falling to 4-3 on the season and out of the current AFC playoff picture.
With their game in the books, 13 others await between Sunday morning and Monday night. Let’s find out who to root in all of them.
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at New Orleans Saints (2-4): Go Saints! The Patriots do hold the head-to-head advantage over the Steelers, but a loss against the Saints would still be the preferred outcome to keep New England ahead in the standings. And yes, we know it might have a negative effect on the sixth-round draft pick acquired in the Ja’Lynn Polk trade. | NFL Network
San Francisco 49ers (6-0) at Atlanta Falcons (2-4): Go good game! Neither team is on the Patriots’ schedule or has a draft pick in 2027 tied to the team. | FOX
Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2): Go Bengals! We could be rooting for a tie here, but. the odds favor somebody winning this one. In that particular case, we are going with the club that currently has fewer wins on its record. | CBS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) at Carolina Panthers (3-2): Go good game! Like the 49ers-Falcons matchup mentioned above, this one has no direct impact on New England. | FOX
New York Giants (3-2-1) at Houston Texans (2-4): Go Giants! The class NFC vs. AFC battle that has us rooting for the team not in the Patriots’ conference. It also might impact the sixth-round pick the Texans sent to New England as part of the Marte Mapu trade. | FOX
Indianapolis Colts (2-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-0): Go Vikings! Like the game above, this one features an NFC and and AFC team going at each other. It also is a chance for the Patriots’ strength of schedule to improve. | CBS
Miami Dolphins (0-5) at New York Jets (2-4): Go Dolphins! An opportunity for some scouting, as the Patriots will head to Miami next Sunday. While a Dolphins win would give them some momentum, it also would hurt the Jets in the race for the AFC playoff spots. | CBS
Cleveland Browns (4-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-5): Go Titans! Two AFC teams going against one another, so naturally we are rooting for the one that currently has the worse record. | CBS
Denver Broncos (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (2-4): Go Cardinals! Another AFC vs. NFC matchup with clear rooting affiliations. | CBS
Green Bay Packers (4-2) at Detroit Lions (3-2): Go good game! The Patriots have both teams on their schedule, meaning this all-NFC North battle has no impact whatsoever on their own fortunes yet. | FOX
Los Angeles Rams (2-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (3-3): Go Rams! The Patriots would still beat out the Raiders in the standings due to their win over them in Week 5, but that doesn’t mean they should be rooted for. When in doubt, always go with the NFC team in games like this. | FOX
Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) at Seattle Seahawks (3-3): Go Seahawks! Once again, we are picking the NFC side over the one representing the AFC. | NBC
Dallas Cowboys (2-4) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-4): Go good game! Week 7 closes with a game that is not relevant from a Patriots perspective. | ESPN/ABC
