Anything can happen in the National Football League and the kickoff to Week 7 of the 2026 season certainly solidified that idea. In the Chicago Bears 30-24 win over the New England Patriots, they triumphed despite allowing one of the most unique "Hail Mary" touchdown passes in recent memory. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye's 48-yard checkdown touchdown pass to running back Rhamondre Stevenson was the only touchdown pass in the last 20 years in the final 10 seconds of a half, 40-plus yards from the end zone on a throw of 10 or fewer air yards, per CBS Sports Research.
What other craziness could happen during the rest of the NFL's Week 7 lineup? The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0, and it is very much on the strength of defensive coordinator Brian Flores' aggressive unit. They are an immovable object.
The Vikings' blitz rate of just under 70% (69.8%) is the highest by any team in any five-game span in the last 10 seasons, per CBS Sports Research. So how is that going to go for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones in Week 7? Well, the bold prediction here is that he doesn't commit any turnovers and totals multiple touchdowns against Flores' unit.
Jones' splits versus the blitz are the exact same in terms of yards per pass attempt this season (5.9), and he actually has a higher completion percentage, touchdown-to-interception ratio, and passer rating against the blitz in 2026. Jones also got to spend the second half of the 2024 season watching how Flores' unit operates up close in practice on a daily basis after Minnesota scooped him up for depth purposes after his New York Giants release. That practice experience against Flores will allow Jones to produce a clean, efficient performance.
The undefeated San Francisco 49ers not only have a top-five scoring offense (29.5 points per game) but also a top-10 scoring defense (18.3 points allowed per game). That also extends to their run defense, which ranks as the seventh-best in football, allowing just 90.2 rushing yards per game. Bijan Robinson, who enters Week 7 leading the NFL with 785 yards from scrimmage, will go off for 150-plus rushing yards against San Francisco.
He'll be well rested after having just 11 touches in Week 6, his fewest in a game since 2024, and Robinson will break what has been one of the 49ers' biggest strengths: their control of outside-zone runs. San Francisco has curbed outside-zone runs to just 3.2 yards per carry, the sixth-fewest in the NFL, and they are the only defense that hasn't allowed a gain of 10 or more yards on those runs, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. They have also tackled rushers for a loss or no gain on 5 of 29 outside-zone carries, 17.2%.
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