Sporting News · NFL 2026 · weeks 5–6
Bill Bender's 2026 NFL picks and record
9–5–1
Straight up · 9 wins · 5 losses · 1 tie
Record so far
Bill Bender is straight up 9-5-1 (64.3%) and against the spread 7-8-0 (46.7%).
- Straight up
- 9-5-164.3% of 14 decided · 95% range 39–84%
- Against the spread
- 7-8-046.7% of 15 decided · 95% range 25–70%
- Longest run, straight up
- 4wins in a row this season
- Longest run, ATS
- 3wins in a row this season
Market-adjusted points Pick results adjusted for market odds.
- Straight up, 2026 season: +0.4 points 9 picks scored · 9 of 15 with recorded odds.
Each pick counts as a 1-point play at the no-margin market price; zero is the expected score if market probabilities are accurate. Compare all pick types · How these points are calculated
30 graded picks added from Sporting News pages after the games; 28 picks waiting for a result (recorded by us before kickoff).
Market-adjusted results
Three numbers for each market: the record, market-adjusted points and a simple rule to compare with. Points count each pick as if it were a 1-point play at the market price at the time of the pick (for picks added after the game, the price at the start of that NFL week), with the bookmaker margin taken out: a win adds what that price paid (more for an underdog, less for a favorite), a loss takes away 1 point, a push counts 0. Zero is the expected score if market probabilities are accurate. How we score fairly
| Market and period | Record in these picks | Market-adjusted points | Simple rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up 2026 season | 4-4-1 | +0.4 points 9 picks scored · 9 of 15 with recorded odds | Every favorite: 4-4-1 same 9 games |
| Against the spread 2026 season | 7-8 | −1.0 points 15 picks scored · 0 with recorded odds, 15 at assumed even odds −0.07 per pick · 95% range −0.47 to +0.47 per pick | Coin flip: 50% 7.5 of 15 decided |
Every pick
Week 6 · SU 0-0-0; ATS 0-0-0
| Game | Straight up | Against the spread | Final | Predicted score | How we got it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA at DEN Thu, Oct 15 | SEA Pending | DEN +3 Pending | Not played | SEA 23-21 | Recorded before kickoff |
| HOU at JAX Sun, Oct 18 | HOU Pending | HOU +2.5 Pending | Not played | HOU 22-19 | Recorded before kickoff |
| BAL at CLE Sun, Oct 18 | BAL Pending | BAL -4.5 Pending | Not played | BAL 28-17 | Recorded before kickoff |
| CAR at PHI Sun, Oct 18 | CAR Pending | CAR +1.5 Pending | Not played | CAR 22-20 | Recorded before kickoff |
| CHI at ATL Sun, Oct 18 | CHI Pending | CHI -3.5 Pending | Not played | CHI 26-20 | Recorded before kickoff |
| NO at NYG Sun, Oct 18 | NYG Pending | NYG +1.5 Pending | Not played | NYG 24-21 | Recorded before kickoff |
| NYJ at NE Sun, Oct 18 | NE Pending | NE -7.5 Pending | Not played | NE 24-14 | Recorded before kickoff |
| PIT at TB Sun, Oct 18 | PIT Pending | PIT -2.5 Pending | Not played | PIT 26-16 | Recorded before kickoff |
| TEN at IND Sun, Oct 18 | IND Pending | IND -6.5 Pending | Not played | IND 30-19 | Recorded before kickoff |
| ARI at LAR Sun, Oct 18 | LAR Pending | ARI +12.5 Pending | Not played | LAR 34-24 | Recorded before kickoff |
| BUF at LV Sun, Oct 18 | BUF Pending | BUF -5.5 Pending | Not played | BUF 30-22 | Recorded before kickoff |
| LAC at KC Sun, Oct 18 | KC Pending | LAC +8.5 Pending | Not played | KC 25-19 | Recorded before kickoff |
| DAL at GB Sun, Oct 18 | GB Pending | GB -1.5 Pending | Not played | GB 28-20 | Recorded before kickoff |
| WSH at SF Mon, Oct 19 | SF Pending | SF -7.5 Pending | Not played | SF 34-20 | Recorded before kickoff |
Week 5 · SU 9-5-1; ATS 7-8-0
| Game | Straight up | Against the spread | Final | Predicted score | How we got it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB at DAL Thu, Oct 8 | DAL Loss | DAL -9.5 Loss | TB 24, DAL 16 | DAL 31-19 | Added after the game |
| PHI at JAX Sun, Oct 11 | JAX Win | PHI +4.5 Win | PHI 17, JAX 19 | JAX 24-21 | Added after the game |
| CHI at GB Sun, Oct 11 | CHI Loss | CHI -2.5 Loss | CHI 7, GB 31 | CHI 24-19 | Added after the game |
| CIN at MIA Sun, Oct 11 | CIN Win | CIN -7.5 Loss | CIN 31, MIA 24 | CIN 23-13 | Added after the game |
| CLE at NYJ Sun, Oct 11 | CLE Loss | CLE +1.5 Loss | CLE 12, NYJ 17 | CLE 21-19 | Added after the game |
| HOU at TEN Sun, Oct 11 | HOU Win | HOU -6.5 Win | HOU 26, TEN 3 | HOU 26-14 | Added after the game |
| IND at PIT Sun, Oct 11 | PIT Win | PIT -1.5 Win | IND 22, PIT 34 | PIT 27-24 | Added after the game |
| LV at NE Sun, Oct 11 | NE Win | LV +3.5 Loss | LV 17, NE 45 | NE 23-20 | Added after the game |
| MIN at NO Sun, Oct 11 | NO Loss | NO +1.5 Loss | MIN 23, NO 13 | NO 23-19 | Added after the game |
| NYG at WSH Sun, Oct 11 | NYG Push | NYG +3.5 Win | NYG 27, WSH 27 | NYG 20-17 | Added after the game |
| DEN at LAC Sun, Oct 11 | DEN Win | LAC +3.5 Loss | DEN 23, LAC 17 | DEN 23-20 | Added after the game |
| DET at ARI Sun, Oct 11 | DET Win | DET -4.5 Win | DET 45, ARI 21 | DET 31-24 | Added after the game |
| SF at SEA Sun, Oct 11 | SF Win | SF +3 Win | SF 32, SEA 29 | SF 28-23 | Added after the game |
| BAL at ATL Sun, Oct 11 | BAL Win | BAL -3.5 Win | BAL 30, ATL 23 | BAL 24-17 | Added after the game |
| BUF at LAR Mon, Oct 12 | LAR Loss | LAR -2.5 Loss | BUF 37, LAR 34 | LAR 33-26 | Added after the game |
By week
Does this match Sporting News?
Sporting News does not print a running record or per-pick marks that we can check against yet. Our count comes from the picks and the final scores alone.
By team
Record when picking each team
| Team | Picked to win | Picked to lose | ATS on them | ATS against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI Arizona Cardinals | — | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 |
| ATL Atlanta Falcons | — | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 |
| BAL Baltimore Ravens | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| BUF Buffalo Bills | — | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| CAR Carolina Panthers | — | — | — | — |
| CHI Chicago Bears | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| CIN Cincinnati Bengals | 1-0-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| CLE Cleveland Browns | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| DAL Dallas Cowboys | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| DEN Denver Broncos | 1-0-0 | — | — | 0-1-0 |
| DET Detroit Lions | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| GB Green Bay Packers | — | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| HOU Houston Texans | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| IND Indianapolis Colts | — | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 |
| JAX Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-0-0 | — | — | 1-0-0 |
| KC Kansas City Chiefs | — | — | — | — |
| LV Las Vegas Raiders | — | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | — |
| LAC Los Angeles Chargers | — | 1-0-0 | 0-1-0 | — |
| LAR Los Angeles Rams | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| MIA Miami Dolphins | — | 1-0-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| MIN Minnesota Vikings | — | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| NE New England Patriots | 1-0-0 | — | — | 0-1-0 |
| NO New Orleans Saints | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 | — |
| NYG New York Giants | 0-0-1 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| NYJ New York Jets | — | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| PHI Philadelphia Eagles | — | 1-0-0 | 1-0-0 | — |
| PIT Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| SF San Francisco 49ers | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 | — |
| SEA Seattle Seahawks | — | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 |
| TB Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — | 0-1-0 | — | 0-1-0 |
| TEN Tennessee Titans | — | 1-0-0 | — | 1-0-0 |
| WSH Washington Commanders | — | 0-0-1 | — | 1-0-0 |