The Chiefs Have Their Swagger Back, and What Else We’re Learning in Week 7

The Sunday of Week 7 began with five Matthew Stafford touchdown passes, even without star receiver Puka Nacua, in a Rams blowout of the Jaguars in London. The standout games on this side of the pond featured the Eagles holding off the Vikings, the Colts trying to continue their 2025 magic against the Chargers, and an old-school NFL battle between the Commanders and Cowboys. It’s the 132nd meeting between Washington and Dallas, with the Cowboys leading the all-time series 79–50–2. Jayden Daniels & Co. might have something to say about that.

We’ve got you covered across the league. FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide the lessons we’re learning from every Sunday game and what they mean for each team going forward.

Rams: The offense is scary even without Puka Nacua. 

We know what Davante Adams is (and has been) in the NFL, so it’s not like Matthew Stafford is devoid of high-end talent at the offensive skill positions without Puka Nacua, who missed the game due to an ankle sprain. But we saw just how deep the Rams are in terms of how many playmakers they can depend on in Sunday’s blowout victory of the Jaguars. 

In the first half alone, when L.A. scored 21 of its 35 points, eight different Rams had three receptions, including three with at least three catches (Adams, Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson). Kyren Williams is one of the better running backs in the NFL, too. It’s why L.A.’s offensive attack, led by Stafford and coach Sean McVay, can beat you in so many different ways. And it hasn’t even really scratched its surface yet. The Rams entered this week ranked 16th in points. 

Jaguars: Offense will hold the Jags back from meeting their potential. 

Jacksonville had issues in all three phases in London. But the offense has been consistently problematic for the Jags this season, raising questions about how far they can go in Year 1 with Liam Coen. The decision to go for it on fourth down three times in a row in the second and third quarter deep in Rams territory was killer in particular. The Jags failed to convert all three times, losing out on the opportunity for points. But there were also drops and miscues by the pass-catchers. And Trevor Lawrence was sacked seven times. He has been very inconsistent this season as well. 

It comes in a year when the Jaguars’ defense has flashed promise, particularly in taking the ball away, with first-year coordinator Anthony Campanile. The offense is looking like a unit that will hold Jacksonville back. It produced just 12 points last week against the Seahawks — like the Rams, the caliber of opponent the Jags need to beat to be considered contenders. — Ben Arthur

Panthers: First three-game winning streak since 2021.

The Panthers are now 4-3, a huge step for Dave Canales from 5-12 in his first year as head coach. This win was about Carolina’s defense. Corner Jaycee Horn had two interceptions, and even though it was against the winless Jets, the Panthers controlled the game from start to finish. 

Quarterback Bryce Young leaving the game, reportedly with an ankle injury, is a concern moving forward, but the Panthers continue to run the ball well, with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard combining for 110 yards on 31 carries in Sunday’s win. The Panthers host the Bills next week, and a win would serve as a strong “take them seriously” justification for their recent success. 

Jets: Things go from bad to worse for NFL’s only winless team.

Whatever expectations you had for Aaron Glenn’s first season with the Jets, an 0-7 start has to be below them. Justin Fields, unable to generate any spark of offense, was benched after going 6-for-12 for 46 yards in a loss to Carolina. Backup Tyrod Taylor moved the ball more consistently but threw two interceptions and generated only three points. 

We hesitate to use a phrase like “winnable games” with this Jets team, but they have the Bengals, Browns and Ravens in their next three, and those three were 6-14 entering today’s games. Star cornerback Sauce Gardner leaving with concussion symptoms only makes things tougher. This looks like a Jets team in position for a top-three draft pick, and you wonder where the few wins might come from. – Greg Auman

Eagles: Their big-play passing attack finally worked.

The Eagles’ strength was always supposed to be in their rushing attack, but it’s pretty clear this season that Saquon Barkley and their offensive line aren’t what they were one year ago. That shouldn’t mean the Eagles are doomed, though, and on Sunday they reminded everyone why. They are loaded on offense even when they struggle to run. Jalen Hurts had his first 300-yard passing game since Week 3 of last season, completing 19-of-23 passes for 326 and three touchdowns. He was electric in his connection to both DeVonta Smith (9-183-1) and the previously unhappy A.J. Brown (4-121-2). 

It’s risky to rely on that because they struggled enough at times to connect deep that the Eagles kept the Vikings in the game, and they still needed a defensive touchdown to pull the game out. Relying on a powerful rushing attack is still a better long-term strategy, and the Eagles might need it to have a real chance at a Super Bowl repeat. But no one should underestimate their passing game. It still has dangerous potential.

Vikings: Minnesota should hold off on J.J. McCarthy’s return.

McCarthy was supposed to be Minnesota’s unquestioned starter this season, but all that changed when he sprained his ankle early in the season. Now, according to a report, he’s likely to return to action in two weeks. Why? He may be the Vikings’ future, but he was not playing well before his injury. And while his backup, veteran Carson Wentz, hasn’t been perfect, he’s been better and so has the offense under his direction.

Against the Eagles on Sunday, Wentz was 26-of-42 for 313 yards and the offense totaled 387 in a 28-22 loss to the Eagles. Yes, his two early interceptions hurt — especially the pick-six — and it would be a lot better if the Vikings’ offense stopped settling for field goals. But the offense is moving and Wentz has gone 2-2 filling in for McCarthy. The Vikings are 3-3 overall and and have a chance to make a run at the playoffs. It’s hard to say which quarterback gives them the better chance to do that in the long run. But the smart move would be to keep riding Wentz and at least try to find out. – Ralph Vacchiano

Patriots: Drake Maye should be a leading candidate for MVP. 

Yes, Baker Mayfield has been playing at an absurd level. Patrick Mahomes is heating up. Bijan Robinson is probably the best non-quarterback right now. But when you combine what Maye is doing from a production standpoint while leading the red-hot Patriots — after beating the Titans, they’re on a four-game winning streak — you can’t not put the second-year quarterback in the MVP conversation. 

In New England’s win on Sunday, he had a 91.3% completion rate on 23 passing attempts — the highest completion percentage in a game in Patriots history (minimum of 20 pass attempts). The former No. 3 pick has now had 200-plus passing yards and a 100-plus passer rating in six straight games, a span in which New England has gone 5-1. While the Patriots surely aren’t surprised that Maye is becoming the quarterback they hoped for, considering the flashes he had as a rookie, the size of the leap he’s made is stunning. 

Titans: In first game with interim coach Mike McCoy, it’s the same old Titans. 

The Titans hung in there with the Patriots, a more talented team, in the early going. They even took an early lead. They scored the game’s first touchdown, courtesy of a beautiful strike from No. 1 pick Cam Ward to fellow rookie Chimere Dike for a 38-yard touchdown. This was a ball game in the first half. 

But then the Titans began to look like they have all season, letting the game get away with them. They had poor game management at the end of the first half. They allowed 21 unanswered points to finish. The stronger start is something to build on with McCoy, but Tennessee hasn’t shown an ability to keep games competitive for four quarters. An interim coach doesn’t change the fact that this is a bad team. – Ben Arthur

Dolphins: Sloppy, uninspired performance signals time for coaching change.

A week after publicly calling out teammates for being late or not attending player-only meetings, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins laid an egg against the Cleveland Browns. Tagovailoa fumbled three times, threw three interceptions and was under siege by Myles Garrett and Cleveland’s defense most of the day. Tagovailoa was replaced late by rookie Quinn Ewers.

The Dolphins finished with 10 accepted penalties for 98 yards and dropped to 1-6 overall. They’ve lost three in a row and looked disinterested against one of the worst teams in the league in the Browns. Miami’s sloppy and uninspired effort is a direct reflection of the team’s leadership and a sign that Mike McDaniel is being tuned out in the locker room. It’s time for a new voice at head coach in Miami.

Browns: Cleveland (finally) leans on run game led by rookie Quinshon Judkins.

After throwing the ball 52 times in a loss to the Steelers last week, the Browns turned their offense over to Judkins. And the rookie running back out of Ohio State responded with 84 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns, including a long run of 46 yards. An offense built on running the football to protect rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel should serve as the blueprint for head coach Kevin Stefanski. It was implemented to perfection in a win over the visiting Dolphins.  

Along with igniting the running game, Cleveland finally got some takeaways. After not forcing a turnover for the past two games, the Browns got three takeaways against Miami, converting those miscues into 14 points. With an aggressive, opportunistic defense and an offense led by Judkins, the Browns should take some pressure off Gabriel, who earned his first victory as a pro. – Eric D. Williams

Raiders: QB change needed to spark an anemic Las Vegas offense.

Las Vegas finished with 95 total yards on offense and was kept off the scoreboard for the first time this season. The Raiders have scored just 26 points combined in the past three games. Quarterback Geno Smith leads the league in interceptions (10) and struggled to get anything going offensively, throwing for just 67 yards. The Raiders finished with three first downs in a game in which they looked woefully overmatched against Kansas City’s defense.

Yes, the Raiders paid Smith decent money this offseason after acquiring him in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks. However, Smith has failed to engineer a productive, explosive offense through the first seven games of the year. And while all the blame certainly does not fall on Smith, the easiest move for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and head coach Pete Carroll to make in a lost season for the Raiders is to make a switch at quarterback to Kenny Pickett. 

Chiefs: Return of WR Rashee Rice adds juice to Kansas City’s offense.

In his first game back after serving a six-game suspension to start the year, Rice finished with seven catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Patrick Mahomes hit Rice on a 2-yard shuffle pass for a score on the opening drive of the game, then found the SMU product again on a fade route for a 3-yard touchdown just before the end of the first half. Mahomes had 206 yards passing and three touchdown passes in the first half alone as the Chiefs dominated the undermanned Raiders.

How badly did Kansas City dominate? Mahomes was on the sidelines watching the game as backup Gardner Minshew replaced him at the end of the third quarter. Winners of four of their past five games, the Chiefs are rolling, and Rice clearly brings another dimension to an offense playing at a high level heading into another big-time matchup. Kansas City hosts the Commanders next Monday night. – Eric D. Williams

Saints: Is Chris Olave playing his way out of New Orleans?

Olave caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, his second straight game with at least 90 yards receiving. He’s done that only one other time in his career — Weeks 12 and 13 in the 2023 season. It makes him even more compelling as a potential trade target for contenders with the deadline fast approaching. Despite his injury history, Olave figures to be a strong WR2 investment for teams that have a franchise quarterback in place. And for the Saints, whose 2025 season is going nowhere, Olave would net valuable draft capital as they look to build for the future. 

Bears: Ben Johnson’s team can win ugly. 

We entered this season talking about how Ben Johnson could make the Bears’ offense more creative and dynamic, but what we’ve seen to this point is that he’s made Chicago a tougher team. That’s what is defining its four-game winning streak. Second-year QB Caleb Williams hasn’t played particularly well in the past three games, but the Bears are still winning. On Sunday, it was because their run game was elite (222 yards, 2 TDs, 5.5 yards per carry) and the defense put together another big-time performance (four takeaways, four sacks, held Saints to 14 points). The Bears dominated time of possession, too — 36:19 to 23:41. 

Maybe you look at Chicago’s winning streak with a grain of salt. None of the victories have come against teams with a winning record through seven weeks, after all. But the Bears are showing that they have an ability to finish, a trait of great teams. And if Williams can play more consistently, maybe this is a team we’re talking about in December. – Ben Arthur

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