Another Sunday, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 7 has had no shortage of major storylines so far: After Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals outdueled Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off this week’s schedule, a couple of other surprising teams stole the spotlight, including the Cleveland Browns against the sinking Miami Dolphins.
Some results were fairly predictable, like Mike Vrabel leading a decisive win over his old team, the Tennessee Titans, thanks to another crisp performance from quarterback Drake Maye. Others were a bit more eye-opening, like the Los Angeles Rams laying waste to the Jacksonville Jaguars overseas, despite the latter entering the international contest with a promising 4-2 record. And then there were the literal no-contest matchups, like the Kansas City Chiefs blanking the rival Las Vegas Raiders in a 31-0 shutout.
Which players, coaches and teams were the biggest winners (and losers) of Week 7? Here are our top picks for the most noteworthy standouts of Sunday’s matchups, for both better and worse:
Winner: Andy Reid
Reid’s Chiefs looked like they might finally be returning to title-caliber form in a prime-time rout of the Detroit Lions in Week 6. Everything finally clicked against the Raiders, though, with Patrick Mahomes greatly benefiting from the 2025 debut of Rashee Rice. The formerly suspended wide receiver showed up with seven catches and two scores to balance out Reid’s offensive arsenal.
Each week has basically been a new low for the Miami Dolphins quarterback, both on and off the field. Fresh off a public apology for implying his teammates were slacking off in the building, Tagovailoa tossed three picks in a hapless blowout loss to none other than the Cleveland Browns. Back-breaking turnovers have been his 2025 calling card.
No Puka Nacua? No problem for the Los Angeles Rams quarterback, who gave London a show for the ages despite rainy conditions against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stafford may be 37, but he slung it like he was 27 on the international stage, tossing five scores, including three to Davante Adams. He also felt zero pressure, getting elite defensive support to the tune of seven sacks.
Loser: Aaron Glenn
Look, we’re not going to sit here and suggest all rebuilds are effective overnight; Glenn’s old team, the Detroit Lions, endured lots of bumps before emerging as a real contender. But after Sunday’s ugly 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers, in which he finally benched Justin Fields despite repeatedly assuring reporters he would not, Glenn became the first Jets coach to ever start 0-7.
Winner: The Eagles’ passing game
Philadelphia produced some scarily erratic passing work in a two-game skid prior to Sunday, especially considering the wealth of talent in their lineup. Up against Brian Flores’ exotic Minnesota Vikings defense, however, Jalen Hurts really settled in, distributing one timely dart after another to both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They enjoyed their most fluid aerial attack in a long time.
Loser: The Titans
Was Tennessee right to move on from Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season? You can still make that case. But there’s no denying Vrabel finds himself in a much better place than his former organization. Making their first appearance under the interim direction of Mike McCoy, the Titans once again lost the ball with rookie Cam Ward under center, gifting an easy win to Vrabel’s Patriots.
The Chicago Bears aren’t necessarily winning pretty. But any Chi-Town resident would’ve signed up for a 4-2 start in a heartbeat. Even with quarterback Caleb Williams posting a so-so stat line against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Johnson kept the ground game churning through both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, while his defensive guru, Dennis Allen, also showed up.
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