NFL Week 7 breakdown: Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are dragging down NFC
NFL Week 7 is (almost) complete. Here are some of the biggest developments from Sunday's action:
- Father Time is undefeated, and might have caught up to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
- The entire NFC South is under .500, with the currently woeful Buccaneers leading the division.
- On Sunday, Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards – the highest total in the NFL so far this season ... and still 73 yards short of Norm Van Brocklin's 71-year-old record.
- The Giants and Jets are a combined 11-3.
Biggest moments of NFL Week 7
- Giants TE Daniel Bellinger was taken to the hospital with a bloody eye injury suffered in Sunday's win over the Jaguars.
- Seahawks WR DK Metcalf sustained a knee injury against the Chargers.
- Chargers CB J.C. Jackson was carted off the field with a knee injury.
- An NFL referee had a great reaction after Lions RB Jamaal Williams threw a ball at his head by accident.
- Commanders CB Benjamin St-Juste is the latest to troll the Packers by wearing a cheesehead.
- Not exactly how they drew it up: Chargers QB Justin Herbert caught his own pass, lost eight yards.
- Listen to the radio call as the Giants stop the Jaguars at the 1-yard line to improve to 6-1.
Key storylines from NFL Week 7
- Winners and losers: While the Bengals offense had a big day against the Falcons, the Packers are more than a receiver away from contention.
- 32 things we learned: With Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers both struggling, the NFC looks even weaker than expected. So is the much-hyped AFC West.
- Tom Brady farewell tour is turning into a train wreck: Brady has defied odds and shown incredible resilience over his Hall of Fame career, but he hit rock bottom with the Bucs' loss to Carolina, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Packers on life support: The Packers' season is more than just in trouble after Sunday's display against the Commanders, Pete Dougherty writes.
- Giants keep thriving by living on the edge: Down again in the fourth quarter and forced again to sweat out a final drive, the Giants are bringing teams to "the deep end" and surviving, Art Stapleton writes.
- What did Detroit do to deserve such bad luck? Other NFL teams have to deal with injuries and mistakes and dumb luck. Shawn Windsor asks: So why does it feel like it's always stacked against the Detroit Lions?
NFL Week 7 results
- Dolphins 16, Steelers 10: Miami snapped a two-game losing streak in Tua Tagovailoa's return.
- Seahawks 37, Chargers 23: Kenneth Walker III – 168 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Chargers – might be a force to be reckoned with.
- Chiefs 44, 49ers 23: Christian McCaffrey made his 49ers debut following Thursday night's blockbuster trade, but the Chiefs prevailed in this Super Bowl 54 rematch.
- Jets 16, Broncos 9: The Jets improved to 5-2 (yes, 5-2!), but the victory came at a hefty price.
- Raiders 38, Texans 20: Josh Jacobs and a pick-six by Duron Harmon pushed the Raiders to victory.
- Titans 19, Colts 10: Tennessee took control of the AFC South with a fourth consecutive win over Indianapolis.
- Commanders 23, Packers 21: Quarterback Taylor Heinicke – playing in place of injured starter Carson Wentz – outplayed three-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
- Panthers 21, Buccaneers 3: Behind third-string quarterback PJ Walker, the Panthers stunned Tom Brady and the heavily favored Buccaneers.
- Bengals 35, Falcons 17: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals offense was firing on all cylinders in this win.
- Cowboys 24, Lions 6: The defense picked up the slack for a predictably ragged Dak Prescott in the quarterback's return after missing five games.
- Giants 23, Jaguars 17: The Giants improved to 6-1 (yes, 6-1!) after stopping Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk at the 1-yard line as time expired.
- Ravens 23, Browns 20: The Ravens didn't blow a double-digit lead in this one, instead delivering a fourth consecutive defeat for the Browns.
- Cardinals 42, Saints 34 (Thursday): After back-to-back TNF duds in which the winning team scored 12 points, the Cardinals and Saints lit up the scoreboard as Arizona ended an eight-game losing streak at home.
The week ahead in the NFL
Monday: Week 7 wraps up with matchup between the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2). With a Patriots win, Bill Belichick can break a tie with Bears founder George Halas for the second-most wins by a head coach in NFL history.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 7.
Thursday: Week 8 kicks off with the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Baltimore Ravens at Raymond James Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert predictions for every Week 8 game.
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