Week 7 began with the Jaguars beating the Saints. It’ll end with the Vikings hosting the 49ers on Monday night.
Between those games, there’s some of the best action we’ve seen this season.
In the early window, the Patriots (2-5) upset the Bills (4-3), scoring a touchdown on a Mac Jones pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds left. The Lions (5–2) visited the Ravens (5–2) and were ambushed. Lamar Jackson produced one of the best games anybody has enjoyed this season, accounting for 393 total yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, the Falcons (4–3) outlasted the Buccaneers (3–3) in a battle for first place, with Younghoe Koo hitting a game-winning, 51-yard field goal as time expired.
As for the late games, the Steelers (4–2) went to SoFi Stadium for a date with the Rams (3–4) and rallied for a key victory, keeping them a half-game out of first place in the AFC North. Meanwhile, the Chiefs (6–1) hosted the Chargers (2–4) in an AFC West matchup at Arrowhead, and Kansas City won, led by Patrick Mahomes throwing for 424 yards and four scores.
Finally, the Eagles (6–1) dispatched the Dolphins (5–2) on Sunday Night Football behind a defensive performance that limited Miami to 10 offensive points while sacking Tua Tagovailoa four times.
SUNDAY
Eagles 31, Dolphins 17
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- What it means for Dolphins: Miami (5–2) needs to prove it can handle the league’s best teams. The Dolphins have pounded the Panthers, Broncos and Giants, and they’ve beaten the Chargers and Patriots. But they lost 48–20 to the Bills and now have another double-digit defeat. With the Chiefs coming up in two weeks, Miami will need to prove it can handle the best teams, or just be another contender with more questions than answers.
- What it means for Eagles: After a disappointing loss to the Jets, Philadelphia (6–1) bounced back, rolling past Miami with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. The Eagles rolled up 355 total yards on offense, while holding the Dolphins to 244. Jalen Hurts overcame a knee injury to throw for 279 yards and two touchdowns. And A.J. Brown had a huge game against the Dolphins’ secondary (Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey were both out), catching 10 passes for 137 yards and a score.
Patriots 29, Bills 25
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- What it means for Bills: Buffalo (4–3) has some real problems. For the first time, we saw the losses of linebacker Matt Milano and corner Tre’Davious White show up. Mac Jones torched the Bills for 272 yards and two touchdowns, going 25-of-30. Offensively, Buffalo had a miniscule 10 points halfway through the fourth quarter. The Bills have to make adjustments on both sides of the ball.
- What it means for Patriots: New England (2–5) has its issues, but for at least this week, a reprieve from the negativity, especially after Bill Belichick recorded his 300th regular-season win. The question is whether Jones’s performance was a one-off, or if coordinator Bill O’Brien found something he can rely on. Perhaps that something is rookie receiver Damario Douglas, who caught four passes for 54 yards while also notching a 25-yard punt return. If nothing else, Douglas has explosiveness nobody else on the Patriots has.
Chiefs 31, Chargers 17
- What it means for Chargers: Los Angeles’ defense remains a mess. The Chargers (2–4) knew they had to stop Travis Kelce first and foremost. Kelce then posted 12 catches on 13 targets for 179 yards and a touchdown. Coach Brandon Staley was billed as a defensive guru when he came over before the 2021 season from the Rams. Yet Los Angeles has time and again been torched by land and air. Facing a familiar opponent, the Chargers watched the Chiefs roll up 483 yards and 25 first downs.
- What it means for Chiefs: The AFC West is over. Kansas City (6–1) is now three games ahead of the Raiders, 3.5 games up on the Chargers and four clear of the Broncos. Barring a disastrous slew of injuries, the Chiefs are now playing for the AFC’s top seed the rest of the way. Furthermore, Kansas City should be thrilled with the passing output after a rocky first six weeks, as Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns.
Browns 39, Colts 38
- What it means for Browns: What now happens with Deshaun Watson? Watson only threw five passes in his return from a rotator cuff injury and was intercepted before having to leave after being placed in concussion protocol. PJ Walker wasn’t great in his place, but he did lead the Browns (4–2) on a game-winning drive, capped by Kareem Hunt’s game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left. It should be an interesting week by Lake Erie.
- What it means for Colts: Through five games, Cleveland had allowed only 200.4 yards per game, the best figure in the NFL by 60.4 yards. Yet with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis (3–4) lit the Browns up for 456 yards, including Minshew throwing for 305 yards on 13.3 yards per attempt. It’s impossible to predict where the Colts end up in the standings come December and January, but coach Shane Steichen has done an incredible job.
Steelers 24, Rams 17
- What it means for Steelers: Pittsburgh doesn’t win pretty, but it wins. The defense was excellent all afternoon, forcing Matthew Stafford into a key interception while holding him to 14-of-29 passing. With the offense consistently struggling outside of throws to George Pickens, the Steelers have to win with a good turnover ratio and low-scoring affairs. Coming out of the bye, they found a way to do so.
- What it means for Rams: This one hurts. Los Angeles is now 1–3 at home and the schedule ahead is difficult with games against the Cowboys and Seahawks over the next three weeks. Additionally, the Rams need to find offense beyond receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, especially with running back Kyren Williams out on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Ravens 38, Lions 6
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- What it means for Lions: It’s a bad game, so the Lions can just flush it. Detroit has shown it can beat good teams, including the Chiefs and the Buccaneers. Jared Goff was atrocious and under pressure all day, but that hasn’t been and won’t be the case most weekends. It was an ugly game against a good team on the road. The Lions will bounce back.
- What it means for Ravens: We might look back at Baltimore’s win as when Todd Monken’s offense clicked for Lamar Jackson. The 2019 MVP was brilliant against Detroit, throwing for 255 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in the first half, staking Baltimore to a 28–0 lead. He finished with 357 yards and four total scores. Additionally, the Ravens have a stud in rookie receiver Zay Flowers, who caught four passes for 75 yards.
Falcons 16, Buccaneers 13
- What it means for Falcons: Much of the talent about Atlanta (4–3) centers around its trio of first-round picks on offense over the past three years. However, it’s the defense which should be getting shine. The Falcons have not allowed more than 24 points in any game this season, led by star safety Jessie Bates III, who has three interceptions. The key will be finding a pass rush. Atlanta has just 13 sacks on the year.
- What it means for Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield is playing well enough to keep the Bucs (3–3) in most games, but he needs more help. Entering Sunday, Tampa Bay was averaging a league-worst 3.0 yards per carry, and taking away Mayfield’s yardage, the Buccaneers ran for 41 yards on 2.4 YPC. Offensive coordinator Dave Canales must figure out a way to unlock Rashaad White, especially when he calls runs on early downs.
Seahawks 20, Cardinals 10
- What it means for Cardinals: With Kyler Murray, the Cardinals (1–6) will be intriguing. Nobody is suggesting a big surge or a playoff run, but Arizona has kept almost every game close this season. Murray is a sizable upgrade over Joshua Dobbs, who has done an admirable job but is clearly a backup. The big question is whether inserting Murray back into the lineup is a good long-term move for the Cardinals, who are firmly in the race for USC’s Caleb Williams.
- What it means for Seahawks: With DK Metcalf out Sunday, Seattle (4–2) needed someone to step up. Once again, the Seahawks got big catches, including a highlight-reel touchdown grab from rookie Jake Bobo. They also got a second consecutive week of good play from fellow first-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has a combined eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown over the past two games.
Broncos 19, Packers 17
- What it means for Packers: Green Bay (2–4) has many problems, but the biggest is its run defense. The Packers already have two games where they’ve surrendered more than 200 rushing yards. In Denver, the Broncos romped for 145 on a whopping 5.8 yards per carry. If Green Bay can’t stop the run, there’s little chance for the defense to reach its potential. The continued issue also calls coordinator Joe Barry into question, who has been the ire of Packers fans over the past few years.
- What it means for Broncos: The defense is starting to play better under new coordinator Vance Joseph. While it wasn’t pretty at times, Denver (2–5) held the Chiefs to 19 points last Thursday. This week, Green Bay only mustered 17 coming off its bye, limiting Jordan Love to 180 passing yards. Denver still has myriad issues to sort through for both units, but it’s an improvement over the abject dumpster fire we saw from Sean Payton’s club through the first five weeks.
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Giants 14, Commanders 7
- What it means for Commanders: Sam Howell should dress in two pairs of pads. Washington (3–4) has allowed an absurd, mind-boggling 40 sacks to lead the league, including six against the Giants. Washington has some talent, but the offensive line combined with Howell’s inability to unload the ball makes it tough to believe in the Commanders. In case you’re wondering, the record for sacks allowed in a season? The 1986 Eagles permitted 104.
- What it means for Giants: The Giants (2–5) won’t do it because Daniel Jones just signed a $160 million deal, but Tyrod Taylor has a case to remain the starter. Taylor is a journeyman, but he’s capable and more decisive in his reads. Against Washington, Taylor threw for 279 yards on 9.6 yards per attempt with two touchdowns. In 59 career regular-season games, Jones has never exceeded all three of those figures.
