Week seven not only had some dynamic gameplay but we also celebrated “National Tight Ends Day” this year on Sunday, October 22. Congrats on your day Tight Ends! Some teams just dominated their opponents while others will need to start to face the music with the realization that they might not be the teams we had expected to win it all. We still have a long way to go as the season is almost at the halfway point. Patterns of play are starting to emerge on the field.
Here are the grades for all 32 teams after week 7:
Arizona Cardinals: D+ (Last week D)
The Cardinals played a little better against the Seahawks, but still couldn’t finish the game and lost 20-10. Joshua Dobbs didn’t throw any touchdowns or interceptions but did score a rushing touchdown on the day, Hollywood Brown caught three receptions for 49 yards, and Emari Demercado rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, Garrett Williams had one interception while the rest of the team had two sacks against Geno Smith. The Cardinals are not the best team in the league this season, but they’re most certainly not the worst, either.
Atlanta Falcons: C+ (Last week D+)
The Falcons turned their week six loss around on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 16-13 victory. Desmond Ridder did not throw any touchdowns or interceptions but was able to score a rushing touchdown. The Falcon’s defense got three sacks and an interception against Baker Mayfield in the contest. This win for Atlanta shows the winner of the NFC South will be a nail-biter between all four teams in the division!
Baltimore Ravens: A (Last week B-)
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The Baltimore Ravens truly came alive in their week seven victory over the Detroit Lions, Lamar Jackson threw three touchdowns, no interceptions, and scored a rushing touchdown. The defense held their own as they sacked Jared Goff five times and Geno Stone snagged himself an interception. It was a true statement victory for the Ravens as they continue to show they’re here to dominate the AFC North!
Buffalo Bills: D+ (Last week B)
The Bills ran into a trap of a game against the struggling New England Patriots. The trap was set with the Bills losing the first half. They tried to come back in the second half, and by letting the game slip away in the very end of the fourth quarter- the trap held. Josh Allen threw two touchdowns and one interception in the game, but his efforts weren’t enough to escape the loss against the Patriots.
Carolina Panthers: Bye Week (Last week D+)
The Panthers as a whole have playmakers that can win, but the defense and potentially some of the coaching keeps holding the team back from earning their first win so far this season. The Panthers need to find a way to turn things around fast in order to secure their first win.
Chicago Bears: B (Last week D)
The Bears miraculously turned things around in their week seven victory over the hurting Las Vegas Raiders at home. Tyson Bagent played well, threw one touchdown, no interceptions, and was sacked once while D’Onta Foreman scored two rushing touchdowns on the day. Tremaine Edmunds had an interception and Jaylon Johnson had two interceptions and a defensive touchdown! The Bears may not be a playoff-caliber team, but they can eke out a few wins this season!
Cincinnati Bengals: Bye Week (Last week B)
The Bengals may have been on a bye week, but they are looking to build a lot of momentum and add to their two-game winning streak.
Cleveland Browns: C+ (Last week C+)
The Browns had DeShaun Watson return to action against the Indianapolis Colts. He threw an interception but unfortunately had to leave the game with an injury as PJ Walker took the offensive controls. Walker also threw an interception, but credit goes to the Browns rushing attack which bailed them out as they escaped Indianapolis 39-38 in a wild back-and-forth nail-biting battle between the two teams.
Dallas Cowboys: Bye Week (Last week B-)
With Dallas on a bye week, they can return to play one of two ways. Will they show up as the team that burned-out against the San Francisco 49ers in week five or will they be able to reignite the fire that they had when they faced the New York Giants in week one.
Denver Broncos: C (Last week F)
The Broncos may be one of the NFL’s worst teams coming into week seven against the Packers, but thanks to P.J. Locke’s interception at the very end of a rough game, there was a bright moment. Russell Wilson threw a touchdown to Courtland Sutton and the Broncos rushing attack combined for 145 yards on the ground. However, the Bronco’s defense did not get a sack the entire day. Even with the19-17 win, the defense is a major weakness for Denver moving forward against other opponents.
Detroit Lions: D (Last week A)
The Lions and Jared Goff went from throwing no interceptions in week six to throwing one interception to Geno Stone in week seven. The receiving and rushing games for Detroit played fine, but the defense couldn’t even stop the Raven’s Lamar Jackson and company in their week seven 38-6 loss. No doubt, the Lions will turn things around after this and take this loss out on their next opponent!
Green Bay Packers: D+ (Last week Bye Week)
This game potentially hurt the Packer’s chances of being a sub .500 team in the league moving forward although they have the talent to turn things around. Jordan Love threw two touchdowns to Romeo Donna and Jayden Reed but threw a costly game-ending interception to Broncos’ cornerback P.J. Locke. All the Packers can do is learn from their mistakes in this game and move forward for the following weeks.
Houston Texans: Bye Week (Last week B-)
The young and powerful Texans team has the potential to earn second place in the AFC South if they continue playing their cards right against their upcoming opponents with C.J. Stroud leading the way.
Indianapolis Colts: C- (Last week D)
The Colts may have played better in their week seven matchup, but this was a back-and-forth game between both the Browns and the Colts. Gardner Minshew played a fair game with two touchdowns and one interception and Jonathan Taylor bulldozed his way into the end zone with a rushing touchdown. The Colt’s defense did what they could against the Brown’s offense with two interceptions, but in the end, it just was not enough to halt the Browns’ run game in this down to the wire nail-biter.
Jacksonville Jaguars: B- (Last week B)
The Jags are on a winning streak with their week seven victory over the New Orleans Saints. Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense attacked early and prevented New Orleans from attempting a comeback, while securing the win for Jacksonville. Lawrence threw a touchdown to Christian Kirk and no interceptions. Travis Etienne Jr. scored two rushing touchdowns. The Jags also had a sack and a Foyesade Oluokun interception for a 24-yard touchdown to top the night off!
Kansas City Chiefs: B+ (Last week B-)
The Chiefs did what they do best in week seven which is dominate and conquer. Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdowns, and Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Rashee Rice, and Isiah Pacheco all scored. Bryan Cook and L’Jarius Sneed both picked off passes from Justin Herbert, and the rest of Chief’s defense sacked Herbert five times. If the Chiefs keep playing like this, they can potentially get back to the Super Bowl.
Las Vegas Raiders: D- (Last week C+)
Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t play due to an injury he sustained in the team’s week six victory over New England. Backup Brian Hoyer did not have a good game losing to the Bears 30-12 as he threw two interceptions. Third-stringer Aidan O’Connell threw the Raider’s only touchdown and another interception. The rush game was held to only 39 yards, and the defense had two sacks. The Raiders are looking like they need to fix the offensive line and make smarter plays to be successful in the following weeks.
Los Angeles Chargers: D+ (week C-)
The Chargers entered a small slump into their week seven loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Justin Herbert threw one touchdown against two interceptions and was sacked five times. Joshua Kelley and Gerald Everett scored LA’s only two touchdowns on the day and Asante Samuel Jr. had an interception against Patrick Mahomes. If the Chargers can’t turn this around, this could potentially be a sign of disaster for them moving forward.
Los Angeles Rams: C- (Last week B+)
The Rams looked like they could and still have the potential to be a playoff-caliber team, but they took a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and their aggressive defense led by TJ Watt. Matthew Stafford threw one touchdown to Tutu Atwell and one interception to Watt who returned it for 24 yards. The Ram’s defense only had two sacks and no interceptions against Kenny Pickett. It is back to the drawing board for the Rams as they prepare for their next opponents.
Miami Dolphins: C (Last week A)
Tua Tagovailoa played a decent game despite the loss on the road in a loud Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field. Even with a descent game, there certainly were some cracks and missteps. He threw one touchdown and a costly interception to Darius Slay in the 17-31 loss to Philadelphia. The Dolphins’ run game was held to 45 yards, and Tyreek Hill and Jerome Baker (who intercepted Jalen Hurts) scored the only two touchdowns for Miami all night. When the Dolphins are exposed, like they were in week seven, it’s an opportunity for other teams to continue to exploit Miami’s weaknesses, on all fronts!
Minnesota Vikings: B+ (Last week C+)
The Minnesota Vikings surprised everyone with a major statement win over the San Francisco 49ers at home. Kirk Cousins threw two touchdowns against one interception while Jordan Addison scored both of Minnesota’s receiving touchdowns. The Viking’s defense is the unit that put the brakes on San Francisco thanks to Camryn Bryne picking off Cousins twice and Dean Lowry recovering a fumble. The Vikings have a lot more fight in them than a lot of people thought!
New England Patriots: B- (Last week D-)
This pullout victory for the Patriots gives Bill Belichick his 300th regular season win! The question for Mr. Belichick is, “Is the win sweeter if it comes at the very tail end of the game?” Mac Jones and the Patriot’s offense played a good game and kept Buffalo’s defense on their toes the whole game. Jones threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jabrill Peppers snagged an interception for the Patriots in the victory.
New Orleans Saints: D+ (Last week C)
Derek Carr and company played a tough and hungry Jaguars team that pounced on them in the first half. It wasn’t until the second half the Saints rallied with an attempted comeback, which ultimately fell short. Carr threw a touchdown and interception while Taysom Hill and Michael Thomas scored two touchdowns, a piece, for New Orleans. Defensively the Saints couldn’t get a sack or interception on Jacksonville all night! It’s back to the drawing board for the Saints moving forward.
New York Giants: C+ (Last week D)
The Giants played a close game against the Washington Commanders, who sustained their intensity throughout the entire game. Tyrod Taylor threw two touchdowns in the game (one of them being a first-half touchdown at home to Darren Waller) and the second touchdown to Saquon Barkley to help the G-Men secure their second win of the season.
New York Jets: Bye Week (Last week B-)
The Jets may not have the quarterback squared away due to Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury and Zach Wilson’s inconsistent play, but the defense is flying high and doing a wonderful job keeping the team afloat.
Philadelphia Eagles: A- (Last week D+)
The Eagles in their iconic Kelly-Green jerseys had a wonderful game against the Miami Dolphins. Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns against one interception, and had a rushing touchdown along with Kenneth Gainwell. Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown both had to receive touchdowns and Darius Slay had an interception against Tua Tagovailoa and the Eagle’s defense had four sacks against Tagovailoa. The Eagles quickly turned things around against the Dolphins and showed the world why they’re an elite team overall.
Pittsburgh Steelers: B- (Last week Bye Week)
The Steelers may not have the best offense, but they know how to win with the run game and their defense. Kenny Pickett may not have thrown a touchdown pass, but he did score a rushing touchdown along with Najee Harris and Jaylen Waddle. On defense TJ Watt had an interception he returned for 24 yards and the rest of the defense was able to sack Matthew Stafford twice. The Steelers are an aggressive playing team that can kick up the dust in the Wildcard round of the playoffs!
San Francisco 49ers: D (Last week C)
Who are you and what have you done with the 49ers? The 49ers struggled on the road in Minnesota with Brock Purdy throwing one touchdown against two interceptions in their week seven loss to the Vikings. Christian McCaffery scored a receiving and rushing touchdown but it wasn’t enough. The 49ers defense couldn’t even sack Kirk Cousins, but did get an interception off of him. The 49ers have a lot of work to do to regain the form we saw at the beginning of the season.
Seattle Seahawks: C+ (Last week D)
The Seahawks turned their week six loss into fuel to take out on their week seven opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. Geno Smith threw two touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo respectively against one interception and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 105 yards on 26 carries. The Seahawk’s defense did not have any interceptions against Joshua Dobbs but did have four sacks and eight pass deflections against him in the 20-10 victory.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: D+ (Last week D)
Even though Baker Mayfield played a fair game throughout the day with one touchdown and an interception, the Bucs’ offense was able to muster 13 points despite the close loss. Mike Evans scored the only touchdown for Tampa while Chase McLaughlin kicked two field goals. The Buc’s defense only had one sack and no interceptions. The NFC South is still wide open and it’s anyone’s division after week seven’s loss for Tampa!
Tennessee Titans: Bye Week (Last week D+)
The Titans have a quarterback issue. Ryan Tannehill is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in week six. The Titans also have struggled on the field, all season long. The Titans may also be questioning their decision with their trade of safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles for Terrell Edmunds and two late-round draft picks.
Washington Commanders: D (Last week C+)
The Commanders are a hit-or-miss team, this season, as they have been able to pull out wins for themselves but have also suffered some very painful losses, at the same time. Sam Howell threw an interception and no touchdowns while Brian Robinson Jr. scored Washington’s only touchdown of the game against the New York Giants. After the game, Commander’s tackle Jonathan Allen sounded off on the team’s loss. It looks like it is back to the drawing board for the Commanders!
