NFL Week 7 Recap: What We Learned About Every Team, Game by Game

Published 1:10 pm Sunday, October 22, 2023

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 (3–2) visit SoFi Stadium for a date with the Rams (3–3). Both are vying for a playoff spot, but the loser will take a tough step back in a winnable game. Meanwhile, the Chiefs (5–1) host the Chargers (2–3) in an AFC West matchup at Arrowhead in Kansas City.

Finally, the Eagles (5–1) and Dolphins (5–1) give us what could be the season’s best game to date in Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football.

Note: This story will be updated throughout Sunday.

SUNDAY

Patriots 29, Bills 25

Jones connected with Gesicki with 12 seconds left to lift the Patriots past the Bills.

Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports

  • 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. 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.

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.

Ravens 38, Lions 6

Andrew had four catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson passed for 357 yards.

Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

  • 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. 

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.

Bears 30, Raiders 12

  • What it means for Raiders: There’s no reason to believe in a miracle playoff bid. Las Vegas (3–4) went into Sunday’s game with a chance to get over .500 and make some noise. Instead, the Raiders were easily handled by rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent and a Chicago defense which ranks among the league’s worst. Now, the Raiders have a Monday night trip to Detroit to take on a Lions team that got destroyed by the Ravens.
  • What it means for Bears: Matt Eberflus hasn’t lost the team. Despite a brutal start to the campaign, including defensive coordinator Alan Williams’s resignation and Justin Fields struggling mightily, the Bears have won two of their last three since beginning 0–4. It’s not what many in Chicago dreamed of when the summer began, but it’s a positive development.

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