The Commanders fell to 3-4 and could have trouble making it back to the playoffs given a difficult upcoming stretch.
Jalen Hurts sparked the Eagles against the Vikings by repeatedly throwing deep to DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown.
The Raiders’ shutout loss to the Chiefs reinforced how far the team has to go to compete in the AFC West.
Week 7 in the NFL was a study in the league’s polarities.
Things got off to a rousing start when the Joe Flacco-led Cincinnati Bengals defied expectations by taking down the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers in dramatic fashion. But the excitement didn’t carry over to the early portion of Sunday’s action, as the Los Angeles Rams’ rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars in London would be a harbinger of an early slate that repeatedly exposed the disparity between the league’s haves and have-nots. But a week rife with lopsided affairs still ended up producing an all-time comeback with the Denver Broncos’ stunning victory over the New York Giants.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 7 in the NFL:
Winners
Jalen Hurts
Trying to project where the Philadelphia Eagles and their volatile offense are headed is a dangerous game, as the unit has lacked consistency even from drive to drive. But the passing attack’s performance in a 28-22 win over the Minnesota Vikings felt like it held significance beyond a one-off outing. Hurts achieved just the third perfect passer rating (158.3) in a game in Eagles history, and he did so by airing out shots downfield to DeVonta Smith (nine catches, 183 yards, 1 TD) and A.J. Brown (four catches, 121 yards, 2 TDs). Optimism might be tempered given the unit’s previous missteps in building on success this season, and running back Saquon Barkley sure could use a get-right game of his own as he continues to seek his first 100-yard performance of 2025. But another troublesome showing would have pushed this group into panic territory, and Hurts ensured the team wouldn’t sink to a third consecutive loss.
Denver Broncos’ fourth-quarter wake-up call
Luck? Skill? Scoring 33 points in the fourth quarter after being shut out through the first 45 minutes of action unquestionably requires heaping portions of both. But the Broncos’ historic turnaround in a thrilling 33-32 escape against the New York Giants ensured that a day intended to honor late franchise great Demaryius Thomas won’t soon be forgotten. Late regroupings have become an uncomfortable way of life for Sean Payton’s crew, which also rallied to topple the Eagles two weeks ago and squeezed out a win against the New York Jets last Sunday in London. But the Broncos still sit atop the AFC West at 5-2 despite not playing anywhere close to their best football, and Bo Nix’s breakthrough bodes well for an offense that has too often been limited by the quarterback’s play this season.
Kansas City Chiefs’ receiving corps
‘Everybody Gotta Eat,’ indeed. Kansas City’s offensive mantra manifested on the field upon Rashee Rice’s return from a six-game suspension, with nine different players catching a pass from Patrick Mahomes in a 31-0 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders before the starting quarterback’s exit in the third quarter. Rice got in the mix early with two short touchdowns, but the real benefit of his presence is a compounding effect for a receiving corps that finally got its top trio on the field – albeit a year-plus later than the coaching staff and front office initially envisioned. Now, a unit that was so thoroughly maligned throughout September appears to be in prime position for the stretch run of the season.
Mike Vrabel
The Tennessee Titans are responsible for plenty of strange scenes this season. The most bizarre, however, might be the home-field crowd chanting Vrabel’s name toward the end of a 31-13 blowout win by the New England Patriots coach, who was in his first game back at Nissan Stadium since he was axed as the team’s coach after the 2023 season. Vrabel downplayed the payback element in the run-up to the tilt, making clear he took no joy in the dismissal of struggling successor Brian Callahan. But if the best revenge is living well, then there’s no question that the midseason Coach of the Year front-runner came out ahead of the franchise he led for six years. Former Titans standout Harold Landry III got in on the redemption act, too, bagging Cam Ward for one of New England’s five sacks on the day.
Chris Olave’s price tag
As the NFL trade deadline draws closer, it doesn’t appear as though there will be a robust group of sellers – or moveable targets. One exception, however, could be the New Orleans Saints, who can more easily focus on the long-term outlook than other teams, especially after a 26-14 loss to the Chicago Bears dropped the team to 1-6 in Kellen Moore’s first season. But will Olave, the silky smooth vertical threat, be among the assets up for bidding? The Athletic reported over the weekend that the team is working on an extension for him, and he continued to reinforce his value to the franchise Sunday by notching five catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. That effort marked the first career multiple-touchdown outing for the fourth-year receiver. With so few building blocks in place, it’s understandable that the Saints would be reticent to move him, even though he’d fetch a nice return in a deal. No matter where he ends up, however, Olave looks to be in a favorable spot to set up a payout that extends will beyond his fifth-year option in 2026.
Micah Parsons
The Green Bay Packers pass rusher’s full impact hasn’t been captured in the box score this season. That all changed Sunday. On a day when many of his teammates appeared to be still shaking off the effects of a delayed arrival on the road trip, Parsons was downright essential. His career-high three sacks more than doubled his season output, and his five quarterback hits were nearly half of his team’s total (12). Sure, facing Jacoby Brissett, a veteran backup who’s not exactly known for being nimble, helped allow Parsons to tee off on the Cardinals. But this is the kind of dominance that can propel not only the Packers – who stand at 4-1-1 despite not playing up to par in the last month – but also Parsons in the Defensive Player of the Year race.
Losers
Washington Commanders
Much of the skepticism regarding the staying power of last year’s surprise entrant in the NFC championship game centered on whether Washington was headed for a regression to the mean when it came to its good fortune, particularly on the injury front. So far, that concern has proven prescient, with the Commanders encountering plenty more turbulence in Year 2 under Dan Quinn. Availability of its top players has certainly been a problem, as a team that entered Sunday’s 44-22 defeat to the rival Dallas Cowboys without its top three receivers later lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a hamstring injury. But Quinn acknowledged after the game that injuries weren’t the driving force behind the result, with the coach instead pointing to miscues from the veteran-laden roster (including 11 penalties for 118 yards) and a defensive performance that has prompted a full-scale evaluation of what changes needed to be made. Most troubling for Washington: With matchups against the Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions coming up next – and two showdowns with the Eagles set for the final three weeks – it won’t take much for the season to spin off its axis, even if Daniels’ injury doesn’t sideline the signal-caller for long.
Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel
A 31-6 embarrassment at the hands of the Cleveland Browns was a fitting way to wrap up things up after Tagovailoa pointed the finger at his teammates – and perhaps coaches – for the team’s lack of leadership. After all, haven’t unforced errors – particularly by the quarterback – been the recurring theme of this catastrophe of a season? That certainly continued Sunday, when Tagovailoa – who was later benched for newly promoted rookie backup Quinn Ewers – threw three interceptions for the second consecutive game. McDaniel, meanwhile, estimated his team was responsible for ‘probably 20 plays that were self-inflicted wounds.’ Desperation is setting in for the embattled coach, who threw out the puzzling proposition that Miami could change its playing style if it had to. Multiple reports indicated that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross would resist an early firing, but things are looking awfully dire for an organization speed-running its own implosion.
Las Vegas Raiders
What exactly do the Silver and Black actually do well? Ever since the Josh McDaniels days, there’s been no clear answer beyond ‘put Maxx Crosby on the field.’ The arrivals of Pete Carroll and Geno Smith were supposed to change all that, giving Las Vegas at least some semblance of baseline competence. But the Raiders have now lost by 31 or more points for the second time in three weeks, and there are no discernible signs of progress. The offense is downright lifeless, with the three first downs representing the second-lowest single-game total for any team in the Super Bowl era. With Crosby exiting the game due to back and knee injuries, the defense offered little resistance to a Chiefs attack that coasted to 30 first downs and 434 yards – totals that no doubt would have been higher had Andy Reid not pulled back in the final quarter. Maybe a bye will allow for some needed reflection, but with the likes of the Jaguars, Broncos and Cowboys awaiting on the other side, it’s difficult to spot more than one or two additional potential wins left on the schedule.
Viewers of Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets
Anyone who elected to tune into a game featuring the NFL’s last winless team probably should have known better than to expect a seamless viewing experience. Yet the Fox broadcast of the Panthers’ 13-6 win over the Jets featured an odd wrinkle: fuzzy audio commentary that more closely resembled an old-timey radio broadcast. Between the offensive ineptitude and the sound quality, the whole experience could have had a throwback quality … if, you know, the matchup hadn’t featured a team that only came into existence in 1995.
Justin Fields
Jets coach Aaron Glenn explained the second-half benching of his starting quarterback by saying after the game ‘we needed a spark at that time.’ Given that 36-year-old journeyman Tyrod Taylor was the figure tasked with igniting that spark, maybe Glenn just wanted to see something different after yet another game of futility. The Jets’ coaching staff had held firm in its backing of Fields after his calamitous outing in London last week against the Denver Broncos, but Sunday felt like a sharp turn. And while Taylor threw two interceptions, the passing attack looked far more capable of threatening defenses downfield. Maybe Glenn is finally seeing what was readily apparent to so many others: moving forward with Fields, even in a lost 0-7 season, isn’t a viable option.
Los Angeles Chargers
Leave it to Derwin James to sum up what went wrong for the Bolts in a 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. ‘We looked like (expletive) today,’ the star safety said. ‘We looked like trash today. We gave up 40 points in our own stadium.’ Well, almost. But when a defense gives up 6.9 yards per play, things have a way of feeling even worse than they are. Los Angeles’ defense looked as putrid as its mustard-esque uniforms, with the unit yet again unable to hold its ground against a top rushing attack. And despite Justin Herbert throwing for a career-high 420 yards, the offense couldn’t claw all the way back after his two costly interceptions. Having dropped three of the last four games, this Chargers team looks a long way off from a typical Jim Harbaugh production, with no easy answers on how to figure out a return to form.
Carson Wentz and Isaiah Rodgers
Tough day for a pair of former Eagles against their old team. Wentz did manage to pass for 313 yards and had a few key runs, but two early interceptions – including a pick-six to Jalyx Hunt thrown when Jalen Carter was barreling down on the quarterback – put Minnesota in a massive hole. He also repeatedly came up short when the Vikings needed him the most, as the offense went just 1-for-6 in the red zone. Rodgers, meanwhile, was roasted on Smith’s 79-yard touchdown bomb and then victimized by Brown on a 45-yard sluggo route by Brown that sealed the game. Wentz is still dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, but he could be called on again with the Vikings facing a short week before facing the Chargers on Thursday.
Spencer Rattler
The second-year signal-caller had been impressively discerning through his first six starts this season, standing alone as the only quarterback with 200 pass attempts to have one or fewer interceptions. But in facing his former coach in Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Sunday, Rattler came undone with a four-turnover game. Chicago punished him early and racked up four sacks and seven hits on the day. From there, Rattler seemed to do some uncharacteristic pressing, as he airmailed a pick to Bears safety Kevin Byard that derailed any legitimate hopes of a comeback. Rattler has been one of the few bright spots for New Orleans this season, so this shouldn’t threaten his standing. But he can’t afford to have this become his standard.
Shad Khan
The Jacksonville Jaguars owner has seen his franchise flop at Wembley Stadium in a more dramatic fashion than it did in Sunday’s 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. But the setback was certainly a reality check for a team that was trying to capture a bit of the Rams’ magic by installing Liam Coen and James Gladstone at the helm. Overcoming 13 penalties is an imposing task for any outfit, but the inability of Trevor Lawrence and the passing attack to get anything going left the Jaguars essentially rudderless as the Puka Nacua-less Rams broke away thanks to five Matthew Stafford touchdown passes. And unlike last season, there’s no second leg for Jacksonville to make another impression on the London audience.
This post appeared first on USA TODAY
