Fresh off their third straight win, the New England Patriots will try to get their win streak going on the road against the Tennessee Titans at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. Theirs is only one of 15 games in Week
7 of the NFL season.
Without further ado, here is to root for in those other 14 games.
Thursday
8:15 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-4): Go Bengals! The Patriots will still play Cincinnati later this season, which means that a Bengals win on Thursday night might end up boosting their strength of victory tiebreaker further down the line. | Amazon
Sunday
9:30 a.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams (4-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2): Go Rams! One is an NFC team, the other directly competing with the Patriots for playoff positioning. This is as easy as they come. | NFL Network
1 p.m. ET
New Orleans Saints (1-5) at Chicago Bears (3-2): Go Saints! While this might end up having an adverse effect on the 2026 seventh-round draft pick New Orleans shipped to New England, a Saints win would be good for the Patriots’ strength of victory and schedule tiebreakers. | FOX
Miami Dolphins (1-5) at Cleveland Browns (1-5): Go Browns! Both teams are a) on the Patriots’ schedule, and b) absolutely putrid. We are rooting for the non-AFC East side on principle. | CBS
Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-3): Go Raiders! A Raiders win would have multiple positive effects on New England. It would put more distance between them and the eighth seed if paired with a Patriots win; it would increase the Patriots’ strength of schedule; it might help with the Patriots’ 2026 draft picks acquired via Kansas City. | CBS
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) at Minnesota Vikings (3-2): Go good game! Both teams are in the NFC and neither is on the Patriots’ schedule. | FOX
Carolina Panthers (3-3) at New York Jets (0-6): Go Jets? OK, hear us out. The Patriots should beat the Jets twice this year, which means that this would have no negative impact on their strength of victory. But also, the Jets winning a few games here and there might remove them from the No. 1 overall draft pick conversation. Then again, you could just root for the Panthers and be done with it, too. | FOX
4:05 p.m. ET
New York Giants (2-4) at Denver Broncos (4-2): Go Giants! An NFC team on the Patriots’ schedule versus an AFC team competing for the playoffs. Easy choice. | CBS
Indianapolis Colts (5-1) at Los Angeles Chargers (4-2): Go Chargers? Neither team is on the Patriots’ schedule while both are in the playoff race atop their respective divisions. A Chargers win would keep the entire top of the conference, including the Patriots, closer together but that’s the only noteworthy angle to take here. | CBS
4:25 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers (3-1-1) at Arizona Cardinals (2-4): Go good game! Another all-NFC game without any direct ties to the Patriots. | FOX
Washington Commanders (3-3) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1): Go good game! There are Patriots connections to both teams, but that doesn’t impact who to root for: neither or both, depending on your point of view. | FOX
8:20 p.m. ET
Atlanta Falcons (3-2) at San Francisco 49ers (4-2): Go Falcons! Sorry Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne, your individual success has to take a backseat to the Patriots’ strength of schedule and potential victory tiebreakers in this one. The Falcons will visit Gillette Stadium in two weeks. | NBC
Monday
7 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) at Detroit Lions (4-2): Go Bucs! The Patriots will play the Buccaneers in Week 10, and that’s all that matters in this marquee NFC matchup. | ESPN/ABC
10 p.m. ET
Houston Texans (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2): Go Seahawks! Another classic case of NFC team over AFC team. | ESPN
Now it’s your turn. Who are you rooting for this week? And what do you think about the games as they unfold? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts and discuss.
