4th & Monday: What the fog happened in Week 7 around the NFL
This wasn't the Super Bowl rematch you were looking for.
The only drama in the much-anticipated showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots was just how thick the fog would get in Foxborough.
The Patriots capped a good day for the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins each pulled out close wins to improve to a surprising 4-2 on the season, leaving them just a half game behind division-leading New England.
Surprising, in a bad way, were the lifeless offenses of the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts, who were each shut out in Week 7. The Cardinals' loss in London was particularly painful, as quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a broken arm. The Broncos' blank score line represented that team's first in 25 years. And the stars of Atlanta's offense say there's no reason to panic despite their continued struggles.
There was also bad news if you were on the edge of your seat all week wondering how the Packers would respond in their first game without Aaron Rodgers.
And one of the few redeeming things about the Cleveland Browns is no more: Joe Thomas' record streak of consecutive snaps played ended at 10,363. He wasn't able to help after the Browns made another change at QB.
MORE: 40 things we learned from Week 7
THE MUST-SEE MOMENTS YOU MISSED
— Cincinnati defender Vontaze Burfict is well known for his dirty play. But to kick an opposing player in the head just a minute into the game? Well, that's something.
— The much-anticipated Super Bowl LI rematch was played in heavy fog, and NBC had to ditch its traditional game cameras because it was so thick.
— After an embarrassing 27-0 home loss, the finger-pointing began in the Colts locker room with receiver T.Y. Hilton throwing the offensive line under the bus for its dreadful performance in giving up 10 sacks.
But at 2-5 and in last place in the division, Paste BN Network columnist Gregg Doyel is pointing the finger at Hilton and the clueless Colts. And now that they've hit rock bottom, coach Chuck Pagano's hot seat is now scalding.
— Frustration bubbled up for the Seahawks as well when receiver Doug Baldwin pushed assistant coach Tom Cable during a heated sideline exchange.
— The Bears beat the Panthers in a game in which Chicago threw the ball only seven times. Thing is, that's not even the most amazing stat from the Bears' win.
— Bengals coach Marvin Lewis did not like being asked why he went for it on a particular fourth down, so he did the obvious thing and walked out of the postgame press conference.
— Emergency kickers are rarely pressed into action, but Cowboys safety Jeff Heath knows you have to be ready just in case. After Dan Bailey suffered a groin injury, Heath took over kicking duties and was 2-of-3 on extra points, including banking in his first try off an upright.
— Who knows how many touchdowns Jets WR Robby Anderson ends up scoring this season, but he's making his moments count. Anderson caught his second TD of the year Sunday vs. the Dolphins and then proceeded with this A+ celebration.
— The celebration game was also strong in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers played a delightful game of hide-and-seek after a JuJu Smith-Schuster touchdown.
— One fan is still upset with Chargers owner Dean Spanos over the team's move to Los Angeles and he's using a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to publicly disparage Spanos and the NFL. Joseph McRae has flown a banner at every Chargers home game so far. Sunday's message: "Dean Spanos ... Cheap, Inept Weasel! #FightForSD"
— How do you stick it to a division rival? Run a perfectly-executed fake punt with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
— We're still a long way from knowing who will play in Super Bowl LII, but we do now know that Justin Timberlake will headline the halftime show.
— If you aren't aware of the Bills Mafia, enjoy: during pregame festivities, a Bills fan jumped through a burning table and yes, he caught on fire.
RUNDOWN
Bills 30, Buccaneers 27: In a pretty even game across the board, Tampa Bay turned the ball over three times, with the final fumble setting up a game-winning Buffalo field goal.
Bears 17, Panthers 3: Chicago's defense is giving the Bears hope in the NFC North as the Mitchell Trubisky project continues. But Trubisky threw just seven passes in the win as Bears defender Eddie Jackson made NFL history with his performance.
Titans 12, Browns 9: It's unclear what was more heartbreaking — Cleveland coming up short of its first win of the season, or the end of Joe Thomas' incredible snap streak.
Saints 26, Packers 17: Brett Hundley didn't look bad in his first NFL start filling in for Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers got a reality check in the loss.
Jaguars 27, Colts 0: The Jaguars handed the Colts a historic loss on Sunday. It was the first time Indianapolis has been shut out since 1993.
Rams 33, Cardinals 0: The Rams rolled into London to shut out the Cardinals, who will be without QB Carson Palmer for the at least next eight weeks.
Dolphins 31, Jets 28: Did New York's fourth-quarter meltdown in Miami prove the Jets are who we thought they were?
Vikings 24, Ravens 16: Love special teams? This was the game for you! The two teams combined for nine field goals, which tied an NFL record.
Cowboys 40, 49ers 10: Ezekiel Elliott was back in top form for the Cowboys, running all over the 49ers for three total TDs in a rout.
Steelers 29, Bengals 14: Ben Roethlisberger showed he's far from finished, and the Steelers shut down the Bengals in the second half for a big division win.
Chargers 21, Broncos 0: Los Angeles continued to rebound from an 0-4 start with a third straight win, handing rival Denver its first shutout loss in 25 years.
Seahawks 24, Giants 7: Russell WIlson threw three second-half TDs, and the Seahawks defense dominated Eli Manning and the depleted Giants.
Patriots 23, Falcons 7: The Patriots left the punchless Falcons in the fog during a dominating win devoid of any of the drama of the two teams' previous meeting in Super Bowl LI.
Raiders 31, Chiefs 30 (Thursday): Week 7 got off to a frantic start with the Raiders stunning the Chiefs on a last-second touchdown.
EYES ON THE (FANTASY) PRIZE
The breakout star of the week had to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard. The pass-catching rookie has lived in the shadow of Cameron Brate for most of the season, but he caught more passes on Sunday (six) than he had in his first five games combined (five). Howard tallied 98 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns on those six receptions.
The Vikings backfield looks considerably different after Latavius Murray’s big day running the ball. He could have been dropped after Jerick McKinnon’s impressive performances the past two weeks, but he should be re-added now.
New Orleans Saints wideout Ted Ginn didn’t get into the end zone, but he caught all seven of his targets for 141 yards in his best game of the season.
And although Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler exited early with a chest injury, backup Matt Moore (13-for-21, 188 yards) stepped in and hit Kenny Stills for a pair of touchdown passes. Stills finished with 85 yards on six receptions.
Fantasy football: Week 7 takeaways
INJURY UPDATE
— Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer broke his arm against the Los Angeles Rams in London and will be out for at least eight weeks and possibly the season.
— Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler went to the locker room with a chest injury and was replaced by backup Matt Moore. Multiple reports indicated the Dolphins fear he suffered a cracked rib, which would make it difficult for him to return Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.
— Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas saw his incredible record streak of 10,363 consecutive snaps played end when he left with a triceps injury and did not return.
— Indianapolis Colts rookie safety Malik Hooker — one of the few bright spots in what has been a dismal season in Indy — will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
— Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace was placed in concussion protocol and ruled out Sunday after taking a hit from Minnesota Vikings safety Marcus Sherels.
— Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury.
COMING NEXT WEEK
MONDAY: Week 7 wraps up on Monday with an NFC East showdown as the Philadelphia Eagles play host to the Washington Redskins (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
TUESDAY: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 7. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL FAN Power Rankings.
THURSDAY: Week 8 kicks off with Thursday Night Football as the Miami Dolphins travel up the East Coast to take on the Baltimore Ravens (8:25 p.m. ET, CBS, NFL Network and streaming live on Amazon Prime). Before the game make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 8 game.