Science

Patriots vs. Bears: Predictions, Preview and Winner for Week 7 Matchup

The Patriots roll into the Windy City with momentum.

by T.E. Andrews
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Georgia} Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

The Patriots roll into the Windy City with momentum after defeating the Chiefs in a barnburner during last week’s Sunday Night Football, 43-40, on a last-second field goal as time expired. The prime-time matchup lived up to the pregame hype, as both teams lit up the scoreboard and established themselves as the teams to beat in the AFC. Along the way, Patriots fans reminded us all why they are actually the worst, throwing Sam Adams and flipping the bird at Chiefs wide receiver after he scored a touchdown. I believe they call this a “Boston hello.”

To make matters worse, the Chiefs had the Patriots – and let them go. During one key sequence late in the fourth quarter, Kansas City linebacker got his mitts on Tom Brady, only to release him out of fear of picking up a penalty due to the NFL’s campaign to turn pro football into a game of patty-cake protect quarterbacks from big hits.

This game felt like a preview of AFC title game, which is good news for people who like fun, exciting football. The bad news? The path to Super Bowl LIII likely will run again through Foxborough. At 5-1, the Chiefs still have a one-game lead on the 4-2 Patriots, but having lost the head-to-head matchup, they have a razor-thin margin for error to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Which brings us to this week’s game.

To predict the result of this Week 7 match-up, Unanimous A.I. used what’s known as swarm intelligence to forecast the week’s slate. Some 35 NFL enthusiasts worked together as a hive mind to make picks. As you can see in the animation below, each participant controlled a little golden magnet and used it to drag the puck toward the answer they thought was the most likely outcome. As the users saw the puck move toward a particular decision, it triggered a psychological response. They readjusted their decision-making, building toward the consensus you see below. It’s an artificial intelligence produced by human brains working together as a swarm.

A swarm of 35 NFL experts, thinking together, has predicted that the Patriots will win on the road in Chicago against the Bears. The Swarm A.I. likes the Patsies in this one. Sadly, we agree. Patriots 30, Bears 23.

The Patriots play at the Bears at 1 p.m. Eastern Sunday on CBS.

Unanimous A.I. has made some scarily accurate predictions in the past using swarm intelligence, as our this article explains. For instance, the swarm picked this year’s Oscar winners with 94 percent accuracy. Here’s Unanimous A.I. founder Louis Rosenberg explaining swarm intelligence at a recent TEDx Talk:

Want to join the hive mind that picks NFL matches every week? Sign up to participate in future predictions.

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