FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 7 and what they mean for each team going forward.
Lions: You live by the sword of Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness, you can die by it, too. But then you can be resurrected? It was like a battle of wills to start the game between Campbell’s Lions and Brian Flores’ defense in Minnesota. After multiple pre-snap penalties, the Lions faked a punt on fourth-and-7 in their own territory and Flores wasn’t fooled. They didn’t come close to converting. One Aaron Jones 34-yard run later, and the Vikings got up on the Lions quickly. But ever the resilient team, quarterback Jared Goff and Detroit battled back, scoring four straight touchdowns after going three-and-out in their first three possessions.
It’s time we talk about Goff in the MVP conversation. He started the game against the previously un-figure-out-able Flores defense with 15 straight completions and Detroit served the Vikings their first loss of the season to take control of the league’s best division. Also, defensive back Brian Branch needs to be thrown into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He was everywhere for a defense that just lost Pro Bowl edge Aidan Hutchinson, who was previously considered the team’s best defender. Branch has slid into that role now seamlessly.
Vikings: You live by the sword of Brian Flores’ aggressiveness, you can die by it, too. But then you can be resurrected? En route to four straight touchdowns, Goff beat Flo’s blitz schemes multiple times but then linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. went in for the scoop-and-score to give the Vikings a 29-28 lead with 5:50 to play in the game. It was clear these two teams are the best in the conference as they traded blows back and forth. Someone had to win. And for the first time this season, it was Minnesota.
They’re now 5-1 on the season, but it wasn’t a loss I think the Vikings should feel bad about at all. There were moments of pure brilliance from Pace, from quarterback Sam Darnold, from wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones. Even left tackle Christian Darrisaw got a shout-out from the Vikings’ official social media account. Minnesota is an incredibly complete team and about to get tight end T.J. Hockenson back from injury. These Norsemen are for real, and it’s making this division as a whole so much fun to watch. — Carmen Vitali
Terry Bradshaw compares Jared Goff to Tom Brady after Lions’ win
Texans: Where was Stefon Diggs? Yes, C.J. Stroud had one of the worst games of his career on Sunday against the Packers (10-for-21 for 86 yards and no TDs). But it would help if the veteran receiver, Diggs, would show up for a big game — particularly in the absence of the injured Nico Collins. But Diggs finished with five catches for 23 yards this week. The Texans have relied heavily upon RB1 Joe Mixon since his return coincided with the absence of Collins. And that kept things patched together against the Patriots last week. But Mixon (25 carries, 115 yards, 2 TDs) couldn’t buoy the entire offense when matched up with Green Bay. Stroud shriveled up. Diggs followed suit. Maybe it’s just a one-off. But maybe we’re finally seeing signs of the Texans’ expectations weighing them down.
Packers: Jordan Love is playing a little bit like 2023 Josh Allen. Love has thrown an interception in each of his five games played this year. He has eight interceptions total on the season. And it’s certainly an issue, but I’m not sure it’s a problem. It’s a product of his aggressiveness and his development as a passer. Because, of course, Love also has 15 touchdowns this year. Even with the turnover issues, Love managed this game well against one of the best signal-callers in the NFL. He erased most of his negative plays with positive ones. Love is already one of the most promising young QBs in the NFL, but when he starts cutting out the turnovers, he might creep into the conversation with Patrick Mahomes. — Henry McKenna
Patriots: Jerod Mayo’s team has no identity. It was supposed to be built around the defense. But that unit is an abomination, particularly when attempting to defend the run. The Jaguars finished with 39 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Jacksonville completely controlled the game on the ground, with the Patriots’ front seven looking hopeless and hapless. Before becoming New England’s head coach this season, Mayo was a linebacker and then a linebackers coach. He’s supposed to, at least, have a hard-nosed unit in the interior of his defense. But the Patriots got bullied in London on Sunday. And by the Jaguars? It’s one thing for the Patriots to have a terrible offense — everyone expected that. But their defense has been one of the worst units in the league. And that’s concerning given that’s what Mayo likely planned to build the franchise around — a stout defense.
Jaguars: Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. is a true No. 1 receiver. Even on a day when the Jaguars featured their run game, Thomas’ consistency and big-play abilities were evident. Jacksonville picked Thomas at No. 23 overall, and it didn’t seem like he would have an easy rise into the WR1 spot on the depth chart. After all, the Jaguars already had Christian Kirk on the roster and they had just signed Gabe Davis. But there’s no doubt who Trevor Lawrence trusts with the ball among those receivers. It’s obviously Thomas. Not only is he absurdly fast, but he also has reliable hands and strong route technique. He has a touchdown in three of the past four weeks, showing he can fill the shoes of Calvin Ridley, who left as a free agent. It honestly looks like Thomas is a better fit than Ridley was in Jacksonville. That’s good news for Lawrence, who still needs to dig himself out of a bad start this season. — Henry McKenna
Seahawks: Mike Macdonald’s defense came back in a big way Sunday, playing its best game of the season to end a three-game losing streak in beating Atlanta. Derick Hall’s fumble recovery for a touchdown was the biggest play, but Seattle also picked off Kirk Cousins twice and didn’t give up a pass play longer than 28 yards, ending Atlanta’s three-game win streak. The NFC West has started slowly enough that Seattle’s 4-3 record is good for at least a share of first place, and the Seahawks will need their defense to stay at a high level if they want to stay atop the division standings.
Falcons: Can Atlanta’s defense play well enough to keep them atop the NFC South? Sunday saw a three-game win streak end at home with a 34-14 loss to Seattle, with Atlanta’s defense forcing no turnovers. Even in their three wins, the Falcons had given up 25 points per game. (The loss got out of hand enough Sunday that rookie Michael Penix Jr. came in for a brief NFL debut.) Instead of potentially picking up a game in the standings with the Bucs facing the Ravens on Monday, Atlanta missed an opportunity, which puts even more on the line when the Falcons go to Tampa next week for a huge divisional showdown. — Greg Auman
Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa is going to have to save Mike McDaniel. It’s a weird situation. McDaniel turned Tua into a league-leading quarterback, saving the QB’s career. But because the coach has been largely unable to produce without the quarterback, McDaniel might just be on the hot seat. You get the credit for building the guy up. But you don’t get credit when your team is losing without him. Tua is expected to try to play Week 8, according to multiple reports. He needs to turn things around for the Dolphins — and fast. And for so many reasons, he needs to do so without suffering another concussion. Miami’s season depends upon Tagovailoa’s health and production. If Tua can’t come back and reignite the offense, then McDaniel definitely will be on the hot seat. And even worse, what happens if Tua gets hurt again?
Colts: Anthony Richardson has opened the door for a quarterback controversy — even in a win. Joe Flacco was putting up solid numbers for the Colts, and the return of the starter, Richardson, meant the Colts saw their offense halt — particularly the passing offense. Just look at what Flacco did against the Titans (189 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and the Jaguars (359 yards, 3 TDs) compared to what Richardson did to the Dolphins (129 passing yards, 56 rushing).
The Colts will want to stick with Richardson, because they want him to be their future. But it’s pretty clear that in the short-term, Flacco is the better fit to win games. So how will Indy manage this situation going forward? Do the Colts want to try to eke out wins despite Richardson, with everyone — including those in the locker room — knowing he’s not their best QB? Or do they want to replace their face of the franchise with a journeyman to try to make the playoffs? It’s a legitimately tough call. I don’t have an answer. — Henry McKenna
Colts QB Anthony Richardson on Indy’s win over Dolphins
Titans: Brian Callahan is a first-year offensive playcaller and it shows. He killed all the momentum the Titans had at halftime, when they held a surprising 10-7 lead, with his questionable decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 in negative territory on his team’s first drive of the third quarter. Not only was Tennessee stuffed, but it also woke up Josh Allen and the Bills offense to the tune of 27 unanswered points in the second half. That play call is an example of the kind of aggressive decision you can’t make on the road in a tight contest against a superior team. And this isn’t the first time this season we’re questioning Callahan about his playcalling. Just six games into Callahan’s head-coaching career, the hope is he gets better managing games. But that’s the kind of decision-making that adds even more doubt about his ability to develop Will Levis, who has regressed in Year 2.
Bills: Amari Cooper will be the No. 1 receiver the Bills desperately needed. Five days after joining the team, he was second on the team with 66 yards and a touchdown on four receptions in Sunday’s blowout win over the Titans. So imagine what it could look like once he’s able to immerse himself in the playbook and build a rapport with Allen. He opens up opportunities for Buffalo’s other receivers (see rookie Keon Coleman, who erupted for 125 receiving yards). And Cooper’s performance didn’t come against a slouch of a defense. The Titans stink, and they were without top cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, but they still ranked first in the league entering the week in yards allowed. Sunday was confirmation that Cooper puts the Bills in the conversation with the Chiefs, Ravens and Texans at the top of the AFC. — Ben Arthur
Bengals: It was the kind of performance Bengals fans wanted to see from their defense, allowing just one score until the final two minutes of the game. Granted, the Browns shuffled quarterbacks but they did have running back Nick Chubb back finally, and it showed in that first touchdown of the day for Cleveland. The Bengals got four sacks on Browns quarterbacks, too, including two from Trey Hendrickson. Offensively, Joe Burrow hit two of his favorite targets for touchdowns in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the latter coming on a 25-yard pass. It wasn’t easy against a stingy Browns defense — the Bengals left much to be desired on third down — but that’s a division matchup for you. The Bengals are inching closer to .500 and are entering a stretch of the season where they should be able to stack wins. They’re going to have to if they want to be taken seriously as contenders.
Browns: Cleveland got a boost with the news that Nick Chubb would be returning to the lineup, and after quarterback Deshaun Watson went down with an Achilles injury in the second quarter, Chubb promptly got into the end zone on a one-yard score. He had just 22 yards on 11 carries, and he’ll have to shake off the rust quickly given the Browns’ uncertainty under center. Dorian Thompson-Robinson came in relief but then got injured, throwing emergency quarterback Jameis Winston into the lineup at the end of the game. Winston threw a dart to tight end David Njoku to give the Browns a little bit of life with 1:27 left on the clock. They couldn’t recover the onside kick, but Browns fans at least got to see some offense at long last. They get the Ravens next, but Cleveland may finally be on track toward some stability going forward. — Carmen Vitali
Eagles: As good as Jalen Hurts and his receivers may be, the Eagles are, at their heart, a running team. That’s always been when their offense has been at its best during the Nick Sirianni era. And it’s why the Eagles spent all that money on Saquon Barkley. They really committed to the run against the Giants, handing the ball off on 38 of their 65 plays. But not only was it successful (Barkley had 176 of the Eagles’ 270 rushing yards), it led to some big plays (Barkley had runs of 38, 41 and 55 yards). It also brought the defense in, which opened things up for A.J. Brown (5 catches, 89 yards). They forget that too often and, unless Hurts is on, it throws their offense out of whack. But Sunday, against a good Giants defense, was a reminder of how good the Eagles offense is when they remember who they are.
Giants: It was just like old times for QB Daniel Jones — bad old times, like before his offensive line started playing well this year. In the first game since losing LT Andrew Thomas for the season, Jones was battered by the Eagles defense. He was sacked seven times and was pressured constantly before he was benched in the fourth quarter. He wasn’t helped by Brian Daboll’s odd decision to call only three running plays in the entire first half. But if the Giants’ line can’t function with Josh Ezeudu taking over for Thomas, they have no chance of digging out of their 2-5 hole. Their offense was pathetic enough before, when Jones actually had time in the pocket. Without that, they’ll be lucky to score a touchdown the rest of the way. — Ralph Vacchiano
Saquon Barkley on dominant performance against former team
Panthers: It should be pretty clear to everyone that the Andy Dalton experiment is over in Carolina. He may have once given the Panthers their best chance to win, but they’re 1-6 now, they’ve lost four straight, and Dalton has thrown four interceptions in the past two games and six in the last four. It’s time to go back to Bryce Young. No, that’s not going to fix anything. And yes, it very likely will make things worse in Carolina — if that’s even possible. But Young was still the No. 1 overall pick in the draft just last year and the Panthers banked their entire future on him. They’re now in the middle of another lost season; they can’t make it a completely wasted year for Young, too. He has to play to get better. And they have to see if he has the ability, because they’re going to be in position to draft a new quarterback in a few months. They need all the information they can get to make a good decision. Watching Dalton start 10 more games does nothing to help them with that.
Commanders: So much of Washington’s great start has been because of its electric rookie QB, Jayden Daniels. But the Commanders showed on Sunday that they’re not just a one-man team. After Daniels left the game early because of a rib injury, the Commanders didn’t miss a beat. (By the way, Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, posted on social media mid-game that “He’s fine.”) Marcus Mariota came in and wasn’t as exciting, but he took advantage of all the weapons around him. The Commanders have playmakers in the passing game (Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz), a strong rushing attack (Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler) and an offensive line that’s performing unexpectedly well. Yeah, OK, they were playing a pretty awful Panthers defense. But Washington was nearly flawless on offense, which isn’t easy to do with a backup QB under any circumstances. That’s how good Daniels’ surrounding cast really is, which bodes well for them when he returns. — Ralph Vacchiano
Raiders: Davante Adams is gone, but the Raiders should continue to look to be sellers ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline. Sunday, despite a valiant fourth-quarter effort, served as further evidence that this season is going nowhere. With the loss to the Rams, Las Vegas has now been outscored 86-46 in its last three games, all losses. A rebuild should be imminent. That should make even superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby expendable. He’s the heart and soul of the Raiders, but he has no guaranteed money left on his deal, which runs through 2026. He’s also the kind of talent that could net an early-round pick, which is obviously valuable for rebuilds. As of now, Las Vegas is slated to have four picks in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft.
Rams: The Rams are poised to be a dangerous team by the end of 2024. Call me crazy for that proclamation with their 2-4 start, with one of those wins coming narrowly Sunday against a bad Raiders team, but all the Rams have to do is stay enough afloat through the early part of the season. It’s because they’re set to get Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and other injured starters back later in the year. And despite being short handed, three of Los Angeles’ four losses have come by six or fewer points, showing its competitiveness. Not to mention, its defense has flashed plenty of promise. The unit harassed Gardner Minshew relentlessly on Sunday. The Rams are closer to putting it all together than their record would suggest. Every year, there are teams that go on late-season runs that can alter the playoff race (whether or not they qualify). The Rams have the potential to be that. — Ben Arthur
The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)
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