NFL Week 7 breakdown: Bengals surprise, Chiefs are in trouble, NFC has a power five
While the AFC appears to be wide open, things are a bit different over in the NFC.
There are five NFC teams with one or fewer losses – the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Two of those teams – the Cardinals and Packers – play Thursday in one of the season's best matchups so far.
The Cincinnati Bengals made a dramatic statement in a rout of the division rival Ravens in Baltimore.
The Kansas City Chiefs are heading in the opposite direction, as the two-time reigning AFC champs were throttled by the Tennessee Titans.
NFL Week 7's biggest moments
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes had to leave Sunday's loss to the Titans after a brutal sack in the fourth quarter.
- Tom Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 600 touchdowns.
- The Buccaneers had to retrieve Tom Brady's 600th career touchdown ball after Mike Evans gave it to a fan.
- A young Buccaneers fan got emotional after a moment with Tom Brady.
- A fan climbed into the Ravens' radio broadcast booth to ask for a beverage.
- Despite Sam Darnold being benched in Sunday's loss to the Giants, Panthers coach Matt Rhule says Darnold will remain the starter.
- Jets QB Zach Wilson had to leave Sunday's defeat in Foxborough after sustaining a knee injury.
- Is there anything Titans RB Derrick Henry can't do? He had a nice touchdown pass during Sunday's win over the Chiefs.
- Washington QB Taylor Heinicke cost himself an easy touchdown due to a relatively new NFL rule.
NFL Week 7 analysis
- Winners and losers: Tom Brady – at 44 years old – continues to play at an elite level. The AFC, meanwhile, appears to be wide open.
- 32 things we learned: Top NFC teams continue to win. The Bengals would be the AFC's top playoff seed, if the season ended today (which, thankfully, it doesn't).
- No more 'rainbows and flowers' for Patrick Mahomes and struggling Chiefs: The Chiefs and Mahomes looked terrible in their loss to the Titans. But Jarrett Bell writes that Kansas City's malaise this season goes much deeper than the marquee QB's struggles.
- Former No. 1 pick powers AFC team's rise from doormat to threat: The Bengals played down the significance of their meeting with the Ravens ahead of Sunday, but a win proved the extent of Cincinnati's turnaround, Mike Jones writes.
NFL Week 7 rundown
- Colts 30, 49ers 18: The Colts weathered the "bomb cyclone" to prevail in rainy Santa Clara.
- Cardinals 31, Texans 5: The Cardinals got a couple Kyler Murray health scares during this rout of the lowly Texans.
- Buccaneers 38, Bears 3: Tom Brady reached another incredible milestone in this rout of the Bears.
- Rams 28, Lions 19: Matthew Stafford threw for three touchdowns against his former team, which fell to 0-7 on the season.
- Raiders 33, Eagles 22: The Raiders are now 2-0 under interim coach Rich Bisaccia.
- Patriots 54, Jets 13: The Patriots dominated an opponent familiar to getting dominated in Foxborough, and recorded the season's first 50-burger in the process.
- Falcons 30, Dolphins 28: This last-second victory for the Falcons dealt the Dolphins their sixth straight defeat.
- Giants 25, Panthers 3: This one got so lopsided that Panthers QB Sam Darnold got benched.
- Bengals 41, Ravens 17: The Bengals made an absolute statement with this demolition of a division rival in their own stadium.
- Packers 24, Football Team 10: The Packers cruised to a sixth consecutive win ahead of their massive showdown against the unbeaten Cardinals on Thursday night.
- Titans 27, Chiefs 3: It was a rough day for Kansas City, which now sits in last place in the AFC West and saw its star quarterback get injured.
- Browns 17, Broncos 14 (Thursday): If you play fantasy football, hopefully you were fortunate enough to pick up D'Ernest Johnson off the waiver wire.
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
With six teams on bye in Week 7, the best players available on the fantasy waiver wire this week might have just been dropped because their teams didn’t play.
Elsewhere, Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage seems to have recovered fully from an ankle injury that sidelined him for three games. He caught six passes for 67 yards – 49 of them coming on a long TD pass from QB Matt Ryan. Calvin Ridley is still the Flacons’ clear No. 1 wideout, but Gage gives them a legitimate threat from the slot.
Eagles running back Miles Sanders left early with an ankle injury. If that should linger, Kenneth Gainwell could play a much bigger role. He had five carries for 20 yards and caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown. Boston Scott (7-24, TD) could also be worth considering in deep leagues.
Brandon Bolden and J.J. Taylor seem to have moved ahead of Rhamondre Stevenson in the Patriots backfield. Bolden led the team with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Taylor had a pair of short-yardage scores in a blowout win over the Jets. However, a tougher matchup awaits in Week 8 at the Chargers.
Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah is making the most of limited targets. He had three passes thrown his way on Sunday, catching all of them for 91 yards and turning two into touchdowns. He’s now scored five times in four weeks.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 7 wraps up when the Seattle Seahawks host the New Orleans Saints (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). If the Seahawks are to turn around their disappointing season, it'll have to start Monday night.
Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 7.
Thursday: Week 8 kicks off with a high-octane showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 8 game.
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