KC and Baltimore, oh my! Cincinnati and Tennessee came out on top. What a Week 7 it was. Derrick Henry threw the ball, Daniel Jones caught the ball, and Cupp and Chase were solid.
Trouble in Kansas City. What is wrong with the Chiefs? Sitting at 3-4, the preseason Super Bowl favorite is struggling to stay in playoff contention. Mahomes has nine interceptions so far this year. He had 11 total INTs in 2020 and 2019 combined. I keep waiting for the Chiefs to turn it on, but it hasn’t happened … at least not yet.
The Lions are tanking the right way. This is how a horrible team should play. The Lions are throwing everything at the wall from imaginative play-calling to aggressive play. Nobody wants to watch an 0-7 team run the ball twice, throw an incomplete pass, and then punt. Yes, the Lions may go 1-16 this year–perhaps even lose them all–but at least fans are watching entertaining football.
Ja’Marr Chase is the Rookie of the Year. Vindicated! That’s me I’m writing about. On Twitter, people were all over me about Ja’Marr Chase and how the Bengals had blown the draft and ruined the franchise. Surprise! (Not to me.) Chase is lighting it up week after week. He is on a record-setting pace, and Burrow-to-Chase has turned into one of the NFL’s deadliest connections.
Matt Nagy has to go. Chants of “Fire Matt Nagy” during an AWAY game?! Well, the Bears are horrible, and (as I’ve said repeatedly) Nagy is not a good coach. He is still trying to find a way to get Andy Dalton on the field, and he refuses to adjust the offense to fit Justin Fields’s style of play. To add to all of that, a story came out that Nagy told Fields over the headset that the Bucs had twelve men on the field and that the Bears had a free play. But Tampa Bay didn’t have illegal participation, and an interception resulted. The embarrassment continues.
Week 7 Team Power Rankings
Bengals: Cincinnati didn’t just win a game in Baltimore. They dominated the Ravens. The 41-17 thrashing was impressive, and Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase overshadowed the usual star of the show, Lamar Jackson. The Bengals now have road wins over the Ravens and the Steelers, and they are in the division’s driver’s seat for the AFC North crown. The Jets are next on the road. Then comes the November 7 clash with the Browns.
Titans: What are the words I’m searching for … ah, “for real.” The 27-3 win over the Chiefs–coming a week after they knocked off the Bills–tells us that the Titans are back, now at 5-2 on the year. Derrick Henry threw more touchdown passes (1) than Mahomes (0), and Tennessee forced three turnovers.
Patriots: New England got out ahead early on Sunday and never looked back. The game ended 54-13. The Patriots did exactly what they needed to do to get back on track–not just beating the Jets, but making a statement in the process. Maybe, just maybe, the Bills have competition in the otherwise dreary AFC East. How will New England do when it goes head-to-head with Buffalo? Hold your breath for the answer. Both games come in December.
Giants: Another surprise! The Giants beat down the Panthers without Barkley. Daniel Jones looked like a solid QB, too. What’s more, he wasn’t too bad at wide receiver (one reception for 16 yards).
Mount Rushmore Rankings
Cooper Kupp, ten catches, 156 Yards, two TDs. Kupp is making yet another appearance in my Mount Rushmore rankings, and I may just put him on the side of that mountain permanently. He is closing in on 1000 yards for the season.
Ja’Marr Chase. Eight Catches, 201 Yards, one TD. My Rookie of the Year pick had another phenomenal game. The man cannot be stopped, and he is well on the way to having a record-breaking rookie year (his 21.5 yards-per-catch average leads the NFL).
Mike Evans, Six Catches, 76 Yards, three TDs. Mike Evans was one of two preferred targets on Sunday (along with Chris Godwin, who had eight receptions, 111 yards, and scored one TD). Even though Evans gave away Brady’s 600th TD pass, he found the end zone enough to make up for it.
“Patriots Running Back Committee,” 127 Yards, four TDs. I’m talking about Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor. Harris took most of the carries on Sunday (he has nearly 450 on the year), and I think he has found a worthy partner in newcomer Taylor.
