Baltimore Sun staff writers pick every game of the NFL season. Here’s who they have winning in Week 7:

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints (Thursday, 8:15 p.m.)

Brian Wacker (53-40 season; 11-4 last week): Jaguars

Childs Walker (60-33 season; 9-6 last week): Jaguars

Mike Preston (52-41 season; 9-6 last week): Jaguars

C.J. Doon (62-31 season; 10-5 last week): Jaguars

Tim Schwartz (60-33 season; 13-2 last week): Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Raiders

Walker: Raiders

Preston: Raiders

Doon: Raiders

Schwartz: Raiders

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Browns

Walker: Browns

Preston: Browns

Doon: Browns

Schwartz: Browns

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Bills

Walker: Bills

Preston: Bills

Doon: Bills

Schwartz: Bills

Washington Commanders at New York Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Commanders

Walker: Commanders

Preston: Commanders

Doon: Commanders

Schwartz: Commanders

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Buccaneers

Walker: Buccaneers

Preston: Buccaneers

Doon: Falcons

Schwartz: Buccaneers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.)

Wacker: Rams

Walker: Rams

Preston: Rams

Doon: Rams

Schwartz: Rams

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.)

Wacker: Seahawks

Walker: Seahawks

Preston: Seahawks

Doon: Seahawks

Schwartz: Seahawks

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)

Wacker: Packers

Walker: Packers

Preston: Packers

Doon: Packers

Schwartz: Packers

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)

Wacker: Chiefs

Walker: Chiefs

Preston: Chiefs

Doon: Chiefs

Schwartz: Chiefs

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 8:20 p.m.)

Wacker: Eagles

Walker: Eagles

Preston: Dolphins

Doon: Dolphins

Schwartz: Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings (Monday, 8:15 p.m.)

Wacker: 49ers

Walker: 49ers

Preston: 49ers

Doon: 49ers

Schwartz: 49ers

()

Baltimore Sun staff writers pick every game of the NFL season. Here’s who they have winning in Week 7:

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints (Thursday, 8:15 p.m.)

Brian Wacker (53-40 season; 11-4 last week): Jaguars

Childs Walker (60-33 season; 9-6 last week): Jaguars

Mike Preston (52-41 season; 9-6 last week): Jaguars

C.J. Doon (62-31 season; 10-5 last week): Jaguars

Tim Schwartz (60-33 season; 13-2 last week): Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Raiders

Walker: Raiders

Preston: Raiders

Doon: Raiders

Schwartz: Raiders

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Browns

Walker: Browns

Preston: Browns

Doon: Browns

Schwartz: Browns

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Bills

Walker: Bills

Preston: Bills

Doon: Bills

Schwartz: Bills

Washington Commanders at New York Giants (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Commanders

Walker: Commanders

Preston: Commanders

Doon: Commanders

Schwartz: Commanders

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m.)

Wacker: Buccaneers

Walker: Buccaneers

Preston: Buccaneers

Doon: Falcons

Schwartz: Buccaneers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.)

Wacker: Rams

Walker: Rams

Preston: Rams

Doon: Rams

Schwartz: Rams

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.)

Wacker: Seahawks

Walker: Seahawks

Preston: Seahawks

Doon: Seahawks

Schwartz: Seahawks

Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)

Wacker: Packers

Walker: Packers

Preston: Packers

Doon: Packers

Schwartz: Packers

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m.)

Wacker: Chiefs

Walker: Chiefs

Preston: Chiefs

Doon: Chiefs

Schwartz: Chiefs

Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 8:20 p.m.)

Wacker: Eagles

Walker: Eagles

Preston: Dolphins

Doon: Dolphins

Schwartz: Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings (Monday, 8:15 p.m.)

Wacker: 49ers

Walker: 49ers

Preston: 49ers

Doon: 49ers

Schwartz: 49ers

()

By MATT OTT (AP Business Writer)

Applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in eight months last week as businesses continue to retain workers despite elevated interest rates meant to cool the economy and labor market.

Jobless claim applications fell by 13,000 to 198,000 for the week ending Oct. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the fewest since January.

Jobless claim applications are considered a proxy for layoffs.

The four-week moving average of claims, which flattens out some of the week-to-week volatility, ticked down by 1,000 to 205,750.

Though the Federal Reserve opted to leave its benchmark borrowing rate alone at its most recent meeting, it is well into the second year of its battle to rein in persistent inflation. The central bank has raised its benchmark rate 11 times since March of 2022, with part of its goal to cool hiring and bring down wages. But the labor market has held up better than expected.

In September, employers added 336,000 jobs, easily surpassing the 227,000 for August and raising the average gain for each of the past three months to a robust 266,000. The unemployment rate remained at 3.8%, close to a half-century low.

In August, American employers posted a surprising 9.6 million job openings, up from 8.9 million in July and the first uptick in three months.

Besides some layoffs early this year — mostly in the technology sector — companies have been trying to retain workers.

Overall, 1.73 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended Oct. 7, about 29,000 more than the previous week.

A pro-Palestinian “die-in” at Harvard University yesterday is being followed by a call for a “general strike” this afternoon.

The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee, already embroiled in a scathing letter the group co-signed blaming Israel for the Hamas terror attack Oct. 7, is now urging fellow Crimson students to “walk out of class.”

An Instagram post on the @HarvardPSC page states, “Stand in solidarity with Palestinians Facing Genocide. Walk out of class, meet at Mass Hall. Thursday — 1-3 pm.”

The post already has 1,210 likes and comments that run the gamut from “You guys are amazing” to “Prove that you stand with Palestine by leaving the USA, UK, EU and remaining in Palestine.”

Another comment pointed out that access to Harvard Yard appears to be limited to just students who can show a campus identification.

This all comes a day after members of the group and supporters marched to the Harvard Kennedy School to stage a “die-in” while chanting “Free, free Palestine” and “Barry, Barry you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”

They were heckling former President Barack Obama who was scheduled to attend the “Harvard Internet Summit,” but backed out reportedly due to COVID symptoms.

The protesters were reportedly targeting Obama for his support during his tenure in the White House for Israel.

A spokesperson for the PSC wrote that the group believes Obama is “deeply implicated” in the “ongoing genocide” of Palestinians by approving “billions of dollars” in military aid to Israel, the campus newspaper The Harvard Crimson reported.

This all comes as the war in Israel intensifies with both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) battling as Palestinians in Gaza seek refuge. An explosion at a Gaza hospital is being blamed on Israel, yet the IDF is saying it was an errant rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF posted audio backing up that claim on X, the formerly called Twitter.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union and they still hold 200-plus hostages.

This is a developing story …