Something has to give when the NFL’s highest-scoring offense faces the league’s stingiest defense.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills lead the league in scoring at 33.3 points per game. The Minnesota Vikings are giving up the fewest points at 13.3.
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes in the pocket against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs to score a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) celebrates his first down against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The two 6-1 teams meet Monday night in a prime-time showdown.
The Bills won’t need to reach the 30s against Minnesota’s pedestrian offense that ranks 29th in yards (279.4) and 27th in scoring (20.0). But Carson Wentz could give the Vikings an offensive jolt if Kyler Murray can’t play because of a hamstring issue.
The Bills are 3½-point favorites on the road. Pro Picks likes Buffalo.
BILLS: 23-17
Line: Jaguars minus 9½
The Jaguars have a comfortable lead in the division and face an overmatched opponent missing Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley. Undrafted rookie QB Joe Fagnano will make his first career start for the Ravens and possibly his last following a trade for Jacoby Brissett. Handing the ball off to Derrick Henry 40 times seems like a sound strategy but Jacksonville has the No. 1 run defense in the NFL. Baltimore hasn’t covered the spread in five straight games.
JAGUARS: 26-13
Line: Bengals minus 3
Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 20 touchdown passes and the Bengals have scored more than 30 points in three straight games — all wins. But their defense gave up 36 against the lowly Titans last week. The inconsistent Falcons beat the Packers and 49ers but were shut out by a team that didn’t complete a pass last week. Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 780 yards rushing. Michael Penix Jr. threw a career-high four picks against Tampa Bay. The Bengals are 1-4 against the spread over the last five games.
BENGALS: 27-20
Line: Saints minus 2½
Deshaun Watson ran out of comebacks and the Browns were routed by the Steelers. Watson entered concussion protocol on Wednesday so Shedeur Sanders would start if he can’t play. The Saints are winless at home (0-3) and coming off a bye after losing to Pittsburgh in France. QB Tyler Shough followed up an excellent performance in a road win over the Giants with a 30-for-38 game in the loss to the Steelers.
SAINTS: 20-17
Line: Cowboys minus 5½
Dallas blew a 14-point lead late against Arizona and pressure is on coach Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys still have a shot in a wide-open NFC East but their defense has to play better. The Colts are looking ahead to 2027 and eyeing more moves ahead of next week’s trade deadline. Jonathan Taylor will possibly play his final game for Indianapolis. Colts are 0-4 ATS in the last four games.
COWBOYS: 27-23
Line: Broncos minus 2½
Bo Nix led another comeback and Denver keeps finding ways to win late. The Broncos have to put together a complete game. The Panthers are reeling and fired their defensive coordinator after two straight losses. Bryce Young struggled in both of those games after a hot start. Denver has covered four straight games.
BRONCOS: 23-19
Line: Lions minus 7
Detroit’s defense made significant improvements during a three-game winning streak, allowing just 17.7 points per game. But the Lions have lost key players to injury, including All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell. The Dolphins made things tough for the Patriots and covered the spread last week. Small victories for a rebuilding team.
LIONS: 26-20
Line: Rams minus 5
The Rams could finally have Myles Garrett back to bolster a defense that was expected to be dominant with the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Aaron Donald’s return. They have to take advantage against inferior opponents before the schedule gets much harder. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders beat up on depleted Philadelphia but face a more difficult challenge this time.
RAMS: 26-17
Line: Giants minus 3 ½
J.J. McCarthy vs. Joe Milton III. Two quarterbacks who were on other teams at the start of the season face off. The Giants got McCarthy from the Vikings after losing Jaxson Dart and he’s helped them to the top of the NFC East. The Eagles have lost six in a row and are turning to Milton, who was signed off Dallas’ practice squad after Jalen Hurt was placed on injured reserve last month.
EAGLES: 23-22
Line: Chiefs minus 9½
The Jets don’t have a chance against a Chiefs team that’s coming off two losses and trying to get back on track. New York has to focus on stockpiling picks before next week’s trade deadline. Kansas City needs a receiver to help Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker III after losses to Seattle and Denver exposed their weaknesses.
BEST BET: CHIEFS: 27-13
Line: Texans minus 4½
The underachieving Texans have no margin for error after starting 0-4. C.J. Stroud has played well but a talented defense has been the biggest issue. The Chargers are having a disastrous season. Justin Herbert’s regression is stunning. They’re also 0-7 ATS.
TEXANS: 20-17
Line: 49ers minus 10
Kirk Cousins is second in the NFL with 19 TD passes and the Raiders got the run game going last week behind Mike Washington. The 49ers are coming off a bye following their first loss and needed some time away for injured players to heal up. It may not have been long enough. Christian McCaffrey opened the practice week questionable along with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa.
49ERS: 27-20
Line: Seahawks minus 12½
The Cardinals have Minshew Mania after Gardner Minshew led a stunning comeback at Dallas. But Seattle’s defense is much tougher and they’ll be motivated after giving up 34 points to the Bears. The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks are turning to Drew Lock again with Sam Darnold dealing with an injury. They need their run game to get going.
SEAHAWKS: 23-14
Line: Patriots minus 3
Micah Parsons is nearing a return that will be a major boost for a defense that’s been playing well. If Green Bay starts to run the ball better, that’ll help Jordan Love and a potent passing attack. Drake Maye and the Patriots need a healthy A.J. Brown to have a chance to repeat in the AFC. Brown is dealing with a knee injury and didn’t play last week.
UPSET SPECIAL: PACKERS: 24-23
Line: Bears minus 6
The Buccaneers became the first team to play an entire game without completing a pass and still won thanks to 324 yards rushing against Atlanta. The Bears’ addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons already paid off vs. Seattle, and he’ll face a resurgent offensive line and run game. Baker Mayfield will have to keep up with Caleb Williams and Chicago’s potent offense. It’ll benefit Tampa Bay that Chicago has a short week after a road game in Seattle.
BEARS: 27-22
Last week: Straight up: 11-3. Against spread: 10-4
Overall: Straight up: 75-45-1. Against spread: 66-52-3.
Best Bet: Straight up: 5-3. Against spread: 4-4.
Upset Special: Straight up: 3-5. Against spread: 3-5.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) passes in the pocket against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs to score a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the second half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) celebrates his first down against the Detroit Lions during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Yes, the 2026 midterms will be remembered for the astonishing number of losses that Democrats handed to President Donald Trump. But in the background, something perhaps equally seismic unfolded: a wave of firsts that elevated into high office members of groups that had, until now, been kept largely at the margins.
There were cheers and happy tears at election parties from New Mexico to Georgia late Tuesday once it became clear voters had elected the country's first Black female governor, the first Native American female governor, the first Native female senator and the first openly gay male U.S. senator. By early Wednesday, the first Muslim U.S. senator was also added to the list of barrier-breaking milestones. The astonishing blue wave also means the United States will likely have its first-ever Black speaker of the House.
Most of these firsts are Democrats, but the GOP has also broken some new ground.
While some of these candidates have avoided focusing on the inherent historic value of their race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, some voters' rights advocates are celebrating how the electorate has expanded.
“These firsts show how our country is changing,” Alexis Anderson-Reed, president and CEO of State Voices, a network of advocates for civic engagement and equity in democracy, said via e-mail.
“For years, people of color and LGBTQ+ communities have organized, knocked on doors, talked to voters, held conversations, and done the hard work of saving our democracy," Anderson-Reed said. "These wins are because of them.”
Here are some of the races where history was and could be made.
Democrat Deb Haaland reveled in her history-making moment of becoming the first Native American female governor in U.S. history. Haaland was declared the winner over Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor, to lead New Mexico.
The Laguna Pueblo citizen noted that Native Americans are still here despite past efforts by the federal government to strip them of their languages and culture.
“Tonight, in our nation's 250th year, I stand before you as the first Native American woman elected governor in U.S. history,” Haaland told ecstatic supporters at a victory celebration.
In 2018, Haaland was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Then she became the first Native American Cabinet secretary, running President Joe Biden’s Department of the Interior. Charles Curtis, from the Kaw Nation, was the first Native Cabinet member as President Herbert Hoover’s vice president.
Oklahoma was the only state to elect a tribal citizen for governor — Democrat Johnston Murray in the 1950s and current Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.
"I want every child watching to know that your dreams matter and that New Mexico is a place where you can build the life you want,” Haaland said, adding that she is living proof.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has become the first Native American female U.S. senator, helping Democrats win back the Senate. A citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan defeated Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter.
Tafoya would have been the first Republican of Latina heritage to sit in the U.S. Senate.
Mary Peltola, who is Yup’ik and a Democrat, could also become the first Alaska Native U.S. senator. Votes in her race to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan are still being tabulated.
Peltola was considered a trailblazer in 2022 when she became the first Alaska Native elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was declared the winner Tuesday night in the Georgia governor's race, ending 250 years of U.S. history without a Black woman elected as a state's governor. The former Atlanta mayor was running against Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire businessman.
“Tonight should remind us all that no matter what community we come from, Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person,” Bottoms told euphoric supporters. “It's been defined by all of us, and I will be a governor for everyone in this state."
She will also be Georgia’s first governor of color. All 83 of Georgia’s previous governors have been white men.
Lisa Demuth, however, lost an opportunity to be the first Black female governor. The former Minnesota House speaker was overtaken by longtime Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Stacey Abrams had been the only Black woman to come close to winning a governor's race when she got the Georgia Democratic Party's nomination in 2018 and 2022.
Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
The contentious race to be Michigan's next senator was called for him early Wednesday morning. The race between the progressive Michigan Democrat and Republican Mike Rogers has grabbed attention nationally, especially after El-Sayed's primary opponent endorsed Rogers.
“You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates,” El-Sayed told a Detroit crowd. “Thank you. This is all yours.”
El-Sayed has had to contend with Republicans all the way up to Trump implying or overtly stating that the Michigan-born epidemiologist is not American and supports terrorism. Trump has called him “dangerously radical" and “too extreme” and referred to him as “Mohammed." El-Sayed and his supporters have denounced the attacks as Islamophobic or racist affronts to religious freedom.
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas won his U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire and will become the country’s first openly gay male senator. He defeated former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, a Republican who previously served in both chambers of Congress.
This new benchmark is not something Pappas has dwelled on while campaigning, saying, “I’m not running to make history.” But he also applauded the fact that his sexual orientation was not a huge source of discussion among potential voters.
The U.S. went from having only three elected Black governors in its 250-year history to gaining several more overnight.
On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the third one in the U.S. and the only current Black governor, won reelection, while Florida Republican Byron Donalds, Wisconsin Democrat David Crowley and Nevada's Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford were all elected as the first Black governor in their respective states. With Bottoms' victory in Georgia, there will be five Black governors serving simultaneously.
Moore, chair of the National Governors Association, has called the presence of so many Black gubernatorial contenders “a unique moment.” It's not “an applause line” but a challenge to make diverse gubernatorial nominees more common, he said.
Latinos, both Democrats, will take on the highest state office in two of the biggest states. Texas voters rejected Gov. Greg Abbott in favor of Gina Hinojosa, who will be the state's first Latina governor. Xavier Becerra, former California attorney general, outpaced Republican Steve Hilton. He will be California's first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco in 1875.
This midterm has been a record-breaker for women vying for state and federal offices. Democrats increased their 2022 number of female candidates to 19 running for governor, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The Republican Party had seven women setting their sights on governor.
Like Minnesota, Tennessee elected its first female governor. Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn beat Democrat Jerri Green, a Memphis city councilwoman.
Nearly 300 women, including incumbents, were running for the U.S. Senate and House, as documented by Rutgers' Center for American Women and Politics.
Among them was Democrat Juliana Stratton in Illinois, who defeated Republican Don Tracy on Tuesday. Stratton, the current lieutenant governor, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. With fellow Democrat Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who is of Thai heritage, the pair will make Illinois the first state to be represented by two female senators of color. Stratton's win also means there will be three Black women serving in the Senate.
Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, Susan Montoya Bryan and Savannah Peters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
This combination of photos shows Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds, left, on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Fort Myers, Fla., and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, right, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Smyrna, Ga. (AP Photo)
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a campaign rally at the Majestic Theatre, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., speaks during a debate against Republican Senate candidate John E. Sununu, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)
Mary Peltola, a Democrat running for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat, speaks with voters during a Get Out the Vote Rally in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (Jack Barnwell/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks to reporters during a campaign event on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Macon, Georgia. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
