The Philadelphia Eagles had a few extra days off to seethe and regroup after a humiliating loss to the New York Giants.
The Minnesota Vikings (3-2) had an extra week off to rest, prepare and let their ailing quarterbacks heal up.
Critics were bashing Philadelphia (4-2) after a 4-0 start because an offense featuring Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown looked stagnant and predictable. The defending Super Bowl champions are hearing even more criticism following losses to Denver and New York.
It won’t get easier for Hurts and Co. against Minnesota’s defense.
The Vikings are 2-1 with Carson Wentz. He’s dealing with a shoulder injury and would face the team that drafted him if he can play and J.J. McCarthy can’t. McCarthy is trying to return from an ankle injury after splitting his first two career starts.
The Eagles are 2-point favorites on the road, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Pro Picks sees Philadelphia rebounding no matter who is under center in Minnesota.
The Bengals kicked off Week 7 with a 33-31 comeback victory over the Steelers.
BEST BET: EAGLES 26-18
Line: Chargers minus 1 1/2
Daniel Jones has revived his career in Indianapolis and Jonathan Taylor is having an outstanding season. He’ll be running against a defense that allowed De’Von Achane to average 8.0 yards per carry last week. Justin Herbert rallied the Chargers to a win at Miami and third-string running back Kimani Vidal had a breakout game. A depleted offensive line needs to protect Herbert, though the Colts have the fewest sacks in the NFL. Jim Harbaugh hasn’t lost four straight games against the spread in his career.
UPSET SPECIAL: COLTS: 23-21
Line: Rams minus 3
A stingy defense led the Rams to a victory last week, but they’ll need Matthew Stafford and the offense to get on track against the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence needs better protection, especially against a fierce pass rush. Jacksonville won’t have linebacker Devin Lloyd, who was the AFC defensive player of the month in September. Los Angeles is 2-0 in international games under coach Sean McVay. The Jaguars are 7-6 abroad.
RAMS: 24-20
Line: Chiefs minus 12
Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty and the rest of the Raiders' offense is underachieving. But they’ve played well against Kansas City in recent years, winning twice on the road since 2020. The Chiefs are back after an 0-2 start, and looked like contenders in a convincing win over Detroit. Rashee Rice is returning to give Patrick Mahomes another playmaker. The Chiefs are 9-0 straight up, but 1-7-1 ATS under Mahomes as a favorite of six points or more over the past two seasons.
CHIEFS: 27-16
Line: Bears minus 5
The Saints have been competitive in losses. They haven’t started 1-5 since 1999 and have defeated the Bears eight straight games. Coming off an impressive Monday night win at Washington, Caleb Williams and the Bears have to avoid a letdown on a quick turnaround. They’re 0-4 with Williams on short rest.
BEARS: 20-17
Line: Browns minus 3
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat and a loss to the Browns could be the final straw. Tua Tagovailoa needs to put up after calling out teammates. Won’t be easy against Myles Garrett and a tough defense. Rookie Dillon Gabriel makes his third start for Cleveland, which has scored 17 points or fewer in 11 straight games. The Browns are 0-5 straight up as favorites the past two seasons.
BROWNS: 19-17
Line: Patriots minus 7
Mike Vrabel goes back to Tennessee with his first-place Patriots in the first game since the Titans fired the coach who replaced him. Drake Maye is playing at a high level under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Cam Ward has an interim coach for the next 11 games. It’s a bad situation for a rookie quarterback.
Patriots 24-13
Line: Panthers minus 1
Rico Dowdle has helped the Panthers win two in a row to even their record. He has 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the past two games. The Jets had a chance to upset the Broncos in London but Justin Fields struggled and Aaron Glenn made questionable coaching decisions. Carolina is 0-10 straight up and ATS as a favorite since 2021.
PANTHERS: 24-17
Line: Broncos minus 7
Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo have brought excitement and a pair of wins to New York, and the Giants have a formidable front four. Defense has carried the Broncos, who need more from their offense after a lackluster performance in London. Denver is 4-0 ATS the week after scoring fewer than 14 points under Sean Payton.
BRONCOS: 24-16
Line: Cowboys minus 1 1/2
The Commanders aren’t playing like the team that reached the NFC championship game last season. Jayden Daniels and the offense need to get going. Playing against the worst defense in the NFL should help. But Washington’s defense has struggled, too. The Cowboys present a major challenge offensively. Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level so this could be a shootout.
COMMANDERS: 33-30
Line: Packers minus 7
Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs have been productive, and Micah Parsons has been a disruptive force yet the Packers haven’t been dominant the past three games. Jacoby Brissett nearly led the Cardinals to an upset in Indianapolis while filling in for Kyler Murray. Quarterback controversy? Not really. The Packers are 16-2 straight up under coach Matt LaFleur against backups.
PACKERS: 30-19
Line: 49ers minus 1 1/2
Michael Penix Jr. and Bijan Robinson were impressive in a Monday night win over Buffalo. The Falcons have a quick turnaround for a trip to the West Coast to face a 49ers team decimated by injuries. Losing All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner for the season was a crushing blow for San Francisco. If Brock Purdy and George Kittle return, that’ll be a major boost.
49ERS: 23-20
Line: Lions minus 6
Baker Mayfield is doing whatever it takes to win games for the Buccaneers, who will be missing at least three of their top four receivers and possibly all four if Mike Evans doesn’t return. The Lions have injuries in their secondary and Brian Branch is suspended so that could help even things out. Jared Goff and Detroit’s dynamic offense struggled in Kansas City. Now, they have to face Todd Bowles’ defense.
LIONS: 30-27
Line: Seahawks minus 3
The Texans have won two in a row after opening 0-3 and will have gone 15 days between games by the time this one kicks off. Houston has the league’s stingiest defense, allowing 12.2 points per game. The Seahawks are 10-1 on the road and only 4-8 at home under coach Mike Macdonald. But Sam Darnold is 14-4 when facing teams that allow fewer than 20 points per game.
SEAHAWKS: 21-16
Last week: Straight up: 11-4. Against spread: 8-7.
Overall: Straight up: 66-26-1. Against spread: 47-45-1.
Prime-time: Straight up: 11-10-1. Against spread: 9-13.
Best Bet: Straight up: 5-1. Against spread: 4-2.
Upset Special: Straight up: 5-1. Against spread: 5-1.
Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) fails to catch the ball as Cleveland Browns Greg Newsome II challenges during the first half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley runs during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts plays during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Federal immigration authorities will expand their enforcement action in North Carolina to Raleigh as soon as Tuesday, the mayor of the state’s capital city said, while Customs and Border Protection agents continue operating in Charlotte following a weekend that saw arrests of more than 130 people in that city.
Mayor Janet Cowell said Monday that she didn’t know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Immigration authorities haven’t spoken about it. The Democrat said in a statement that crime was lower in Raleigh this year compared to last and that public safety was a priority for her and the city council.
“I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” Cowell said in a statement.
U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday.
The movements in North Carolina come after the Trump administration launched immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago. Both of those are deep blue cities in deep blue states run by nationally prominent officials who make no secret of their anger at the White House. The political reasoning there seemed obvious.
But why North Carolina and why was Charlotte the first target there?
Sure the mayor is a Democrat, as is the governor, but neither is known for wading into national political battles. In a state where divided government has become the norm, Gov. Josh Stein in particular has tried hard to get along with the GOP-controlled state legislature. The state's two U.S. senators are both Republican and President Donald Trump won the state in the last three presidential elections.
The Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.
But maybe focusing on a place where politics is less outwardly bloody was part of the equation.
The White House “can have enough opposition (to its crackdown), but it's a weaker version" than what it faced in places like Chicago, said Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law who studies local government, immigration and federalism.
“They’re not interested in just deporting people. They’re interested in the show,” he said.
The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime — despite local opposition and declining crime rates. Residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.
The crackdown set off fierce objections from area leaders.
“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” Stein said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday she was “deeply concerned” about videos she’s seen of the crackdown but also said she appreciates protesters’ peacefulness.
“To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: You are not alone. Your city stands with you,” she said in a statement.
Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County have both found themselves part of America’s debates over crime and immigration, two of the most important issues to the White House.
The most prominent was the fatal stabbing this summer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train, an attack captured on video. While the suspect was from the U.S., the Trump administration repeatedly highlighted that he had been arrested previously more than a dozen times.
Charlotte, which had a Republican mayor as recently as 2009, is now a city dominated by Democrats, with a growing population brought by a booming economy. The racially diverse city includes more than 150,000 foreign-born residents, officials say.
Lyles easily won a fifth term as mayor earlier this month, defeating her Republican rival by 45 percentage points even as GOP critics blasted city and state leaders for what they call rising incidents of crime. Following the Nov. 4 election, Democrats are poised to hold 10 of the other 11 seats on the city council.
While the Department of Homeland Security has said it is focusing on the state because of sanctuary policies, North Carolina county jails have long honored “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant for a limited time so agents can take custody of them. Nevertheless, some common, noncooperation policies have existed in a handful of places, including Charlotte, where the police do not help with immigration enforcement.
In Mecklenburg County, the jail did not honor detainer requests for several years, until after state law effectively made it mandatory starting last year.
DHS said about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored since October 2020, putting the public at risk.
For years, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden pushed back against efforts by the Republican-controlled state legislature to force him and a handful of sheriffs from other urban counties to accept ICE detainers.
Republicans ultimately overrode a veto by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper late last year to enact the bill into law.
While McFadden has said his office is complying with the law’s requirement, he continued a public feud with ICE leaders in early 2025 that led to a new state law toughening those rules. Stein vetoed that measure, but the veto was overridden.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall said in a Monday post on X that immigration agents are in Charlotte because of McFadden’s past inaction: “They’re stepping in to clean up his mess and restore safety to the city.”
Last month, McFadden said he'd had a productive meeting with an ICE representative.
“I made it clear that I do not want to stop ICE from doing their job, but I do want them to do it safely, responsibly, and with proper coordination by notifying our agency ahead of time,” McFadden said in a statement.
But such talk doesn't calm the political waters.
“Democrats at all levels are choosing to protect criminal illegals over North Carolina citizens,” state GOP Chairman Jason Simmons said Monday.
Sullivan reported from Minneapolis and Robertson from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.
U.S. Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino takes a phone call, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A sign reading 'ICE is not welcome here' is displayed outside of store front amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Protestors set up outside of Manolo's Bakery amidst federal law enforcement, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
A sign of support is posted outside of Manolo's bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Manuel 'Manolo' Betancur sits outside of his bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Shana Blake sits in a cage dressed as the Statue of Liberty to protest federal law enforcement presence in Charlotte, N.C. Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
