Last week I wrote that the Chiefs were perfect even when they were sloppy. This week the sloppiness caught up with them, and it caught up with San Francisco too. Both of the league’s headline unbeatens lost on Sunday, which leaves the Minnesota Vikings as the only team in the NFL without a loss. Add a game in Paris, a 35-point second half in Baltimore, a pair of walk-off kicks and a Cowboys rout in Philadelphia on Monday night, and Week 7 had plenty to talk about. Here is what stood out.
Seattle Smothers Kansas City
The Seahawks did not just beat the Chiefs on Sunday night. They suffocated them. Seattle won 20-3, and Kansas City finished with one field goal and 213 total yards, only 50 of them on the ground.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the best player on the field with nine catches for 150 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown from Sam Darnold right after Ty Okada intercepted Patrick Mahomes. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season, and he leads the league in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Emanuel Wilson added 100 rushing yards and a 21-yard touchdown run that put it away.
The storyline everyone circled was Kenneth Walker III returning to Seattle in a Chiefs uniform. He came in leading the league at 133 rushing yards per game and left with 36 on 14 carries. Seattle has now gone 36 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Harrison Butker also missed from 45 and came up short from 58, and Mahomes threw for just 165 yards.
The one bright spot for Kansas City was Travis Kelce, whose four catches moved him past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter into fifth place on the all-time receptions list. The Chiefs are 5-1 and head to Denver next week. Seattle is 4-3.
Atlanta Takes the Ball Away from San Francisco
The 49ers were 6-0 and had turned the ball over only six times all season. In Atlanta, they turned it over four times, and the Falcons turned those four turnovers into 13 points in a 29-20 win.
San Francisco actually out-gained Atlanta 400 yards to 295 and led 14-3 early. Then the mistakes started. Kaelon Black fumbled in the second quarter. Jessie Bates III intercepted Brock Purdy at the Atlanta 10 in the third quarter. Kendal Daniels intercepted Purdy with 2:34 left and recovered a George Kittle fumble in the final minute. Along the way, Atlanta scored 23 straight points.
Michael Penix Jr. was efficient and clean, completing 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Nick Folk added three field goals.
In my Monday night recap last week, I said the Mike Evans injury was the story to watch. Evans was inactive on Sunday with Achilles tendinitis, Deebo Samuel was out with a hamstring injury, and Christian McCaffrey was limited by a thigh injury after scoring on the opening drive. Kyle Shanahan summed it up as “too sloppy to win.” The 49ers are 6-1 and get their bye this week. Atlanta is 3-4 and heads to Tampa Bay.
The Vikings Are the Last Unbeaten Team
Minnesota did not make it look easy, but the Vikings beat the Colts 16-10 and are 6-0 for the first time since 2009. They have won 11 straight games, which is the longest active streak in the league.
The defense did it again. Indianapolis scored on a 38-yard Jonathan Taylor run on the opening drive and then did not score again. Blake Cashman had 12 tackles, two sacks and four passes defensed, Will Reichard hit a 52-yard field goal with 1:39 left to put Minnesota ahead, and Harrison Smith sealed it with his 40th career interception in the final minute. The Vikings have allowed a league-low 74 points through six games.
The offense is still a work in progress. Kyler Murray threw for 150 yards, and Aaron Jones aggravated a knee injury in the fourth quarter. But at some point a 6-0 record speaks for itself. The Vikings go to Detroit next week, and that will be their toughest test yet.
Monday Night: Cowboys at Eagles
Two 2-4 teams met in Philadelphia, and only one of them looked like it still has a season to play for. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 38-21 and won for the first time in three weeks.
It was close for a while. Saquon Barkley and Dameon Pierce ran in touchdowns, Tanner McKee hit Makai Lemon for a 4-yard score late in the third quarter, the first touchdown of Lemon’s career, and the Eagles led 21-20. Then Dallas took over. Dak Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a 16-yard touchdown and ran in the two-point try himself, Brandon Aubrey added a field goal, and Javonte Williams punched in a 2-yard touchdown to put it away. The Cowboys scored the last 18 points of the night.
Prescott threw three touchdown passes, two to Lamb and one to George Pickens, with no interceptions. Dallas ran for 204 yards and never turned the ball over, and Aubrey made all three of his field goals, including a 55-yarder on the opening drive. Last week I wrote that the questions about Brian Schottenheimer’s job were officially here. This was the kind of answer he needed.
For Philadelphia, the slide keeps going. With Jalen Hurts out, McKee threw a touchdown pass and his first interception of the season, picked off by DeMarvion Overshown. The Eagles have lost five straight after a 2-0 start and are 2-5. The Cowboys are 3-4.
Thursday Night: The Bears Hang On
Week 7 started in Chicago, where the Bears beat the Patriots 30-24 to move to 5-2. Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes, and Luther Burden III had 130 receiving yards in the first half alone.
The play of the night belonged to Cairo Santos. After missing from 53 earlier, he hit a career-long 58-yard field goal with about a minute and a half left. Drake Maye threw for 321 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and New England pulled within six with 37 seconds left, but Rome Odunze recovered the onside kick to end it. The Patriots are 4-3.
Second-Half Comebacks
- Bengals 35, Ravens 13. Cincinnati trailed 13-0 at halftime and then scored 35 straight points. Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes in the second half, and Tee Higgins caught six passes for 148 yards and a score. Baltimore is still without Lamar Jackson and is 4-3. The Bengals are 4-2.
- Browns 27, Titans 24. Cleveland fell behind 14-0 and won it on a 32-yard Andre Szmyt field goal as time expired. Deshaun Watson threw for 308 yards and has now led a game-winning drive in all five of Cleveland’s wins. Tony Pollard ran for three touchdowns for Tennessee, which falls to 1-6.
The Rest of the Slate
- Steelers 16, Saints 10 (Paris). The NFL played its first regular-season game in France at the Stade de France, and Pittsburgh ground it out. Jaylen Warren ran for 101 yards, and the Steelers are 5-2.
- Buccaneers 43, Panthers 13. Baker Mayfield returned from a dislocated thumb and threw his 200th career touchdown pass, but the running game did most of the work. Bucky Irving ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and Tampa Bay piled up 258 rushing yards. A week after winning in Philadelphia, Carolina is 3-3.
- Giants 27, Texans 21 (OT). J.J. McCarthy won his first start for New York, Cam Skattebo ran for 124 yards, and Devin Singletary ended it with a 30-yard touchdown run in overtime. Malik Nabers has four straight 100-yard games. The Giants are 4-2-1.
- Dolphins 28, Jets 25. Miami got its first win of the season. Caleb Douglas caught two touchdowns, including a 63-yarder in the fourth quarter, and Ollie Gordon II ran for 103 yards with De’Von Achane out.
- Broncos 30, Cardinals 16. Bo Nix threw a long touchdown pass to RJ Harvey and broke off a 62-yard touchdown run, making him only the fifth quarterback in 100 years with a 50-yard touchdown pass and a 50-yard touchdown run in the same game. Denver is 5-2.
- Lions 20, Packers 17. Jake Bates won it with a walk-off field goal. Jared Goff threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, and Brian Branch intercepted Jordan Love in the fourth quarter in his return. Green Bay’s three-game winning streak is over.
- Rams 35, Raiders 21. Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes and became the Rams’ career leader in touchdown passes. He already holds that record in Detroit, which makes him the only player to hold it for two franchises. The Raiders have lost four straight.
Week 7 Scoreboard
| Matchup | Final | Records after |
|---|---|---|
| Patriots at Bears (Thu.) | CHI 30, NE 24 | CHI 5-2, NE 4-3 |
| Steelers vs. Saints (Paris) | PIT 16, NO 10 | PIT 5-2, NO 2-5 |
| 49ers at Falcons | ATL 29, SF 20 | ATL 3-4, SF 6-1 |
| Bengals at Ravens | CIN 35, BAL 13 | CIN 4-2, BAL 4-3 |
| Buccaneers at Panthers | TB 43, CAR 13 | TB 2-5, CAR 3-3 |
| Giants at Texans | NYG 27, HOU 21 (OT) | NYG 4-2-1, HOU 2-5 |
| Colts at Vikings | MIN 16, IND 10 | MIN 6-0, IND 2-5 |
| Dolphins at Jets | MIA 28, NYJ 25 | MIA 1-5, NYJ 2-5 |
| Browns at Titans | CLE 27, TEN 24 | CLE 5-2, TEN 1-6 |
| Broncos at Cardinals | DEN 30, ARI 16 | DEN 5-2, ARI 2-5 |
| Packers at Lions | DET 20, GB 17 | DET 4-2, GB 4-3 |
| Rams at Raiders | LAR 35, LV 21 | LAR 3-4, LV 3-4 |
| Chiefs at Seahawks | SEA 20, KC 3 | SEA 4-3, KC 5-1 |
| Cowboys at Eagles (Mon.) | DAL 38, PHI 21 | DAL 3-4, PHI 2-5 |
Byes: Bills, Jaguars, Chargers, Commanders
Looking Ahead
Seven weeks in, there is one unbeaten team left, and it is not the one most people would have picked in August. The Vikings’ trip to Detroit is the game I am circling, along with Chiefs at Broncos and Ravens at Bills. Week 8 starts Thursday night with the Panthers at the Packers.
Featured photo: Lincoln Financial Field, 2024 by JJonahJackalope, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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