Week 7 Takeaways for the 2026 NFL Season
This week featured the first-ever NFL game in Paris! But we won’t be covering that. Aside from the game being rather uninteresting (you should really watch Steelers RB Jaylen Warren though; he’s so underrated), you already know how I feel about these international games. This game somehow went forward despite all of the protests in France, but I’ll save my rant because you’ve already read several versions of it. Between lossless teams losing, a winless team winning, kicking troubles, and divisional smackdowns, we have plenty else to discuss. We cover all of that and more in our week 7 takeaways for the 2026 NFL season!
TNF: Bears Make Things Tougher Than Necessary but Beat Patriots
The reason I always cover TNF games is that they often give me an excuse to talk about teams that we don’t often address. This game involved two teams we’ve discussed fairly often this year, but those are the breaks I guess. Besides, how can I skip the game with a beautiful tribute to Mike Ditka? New England came into this game with numerous OL injuries and two of their top receivers (Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins) also out. It showed during a first quarter where the Pats turned the ball over on downs and punted twice. On that 4th-down play, Bears CB Kyler Gordon earned his 4th sack in 2 games back from injury.
The Bears had no such trouble starting. Much of their early production came from WR Luther Burden III (4/130/1, all in the first half). Burden is becoming the star that Rome Odunze (4/69) was supposed to be. The latter had a bad drop but rebounded with some big catches late in the 4th quarter and an onside kick recover at the game’s end. After falling behind 13-0, New England did get going in the second quarter. The Patriots nearly took the lead, but QB Drake Maye (24/31, 321 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 4/26/1 rushing) blew it with an end zone INT. They relied almost entirely on their TEs and RBs, getting almost nothing from their WRs.
Chicago extended their lead once more with QB Caleb Williams (22/33, 308 yards, 2 TDs) continuing his brilliant play. However, the game unexpectedly got closer. On the final play of the half, at the CHI 48, New England sent several receivers deep left and threw the ball to RB Rhamondre Stevenson (6/22; 5/93/1) out of the backfield. He didn’t even have to lateral the ball: he sliced through the porous defense for a TD. After trading TDs to start the third quarter, Chicago went into a shell like they did last week against Atlanta. It didn’t help that TE Colston Loveland (7/69/1) had 2 drops or that TE Cole Kmet (3/28) left on a cart (knee).
The Chicago defense really stepped up in the second half and maintained the team’s 27-21 lead. Williams led a great final drive to salt the game away, but he took a dumb sack in field goal range. K Cairo Santos emerged to kick the 58-yard try anyway, nailing it despite doinking a 53-yarder earlier in the quarter. He bested his previous career-long by 3 yards. That effort finished the Pats off and moved the Bears to 5-2. Despite the loss, I think NE is on a good trajectory. They’ll improve once they get healthier. Chicago is the team to beat in the NFC North. I don’t care that Minnesota is 6-0. The Bears are better, and I’ll stand by that.
Luck Runs Out for SF, KC as Two Undefeated Teams Fall
Just like that, only one undefeated team remains. I’ll get to those Vikings when they do lose (which should be very soon), but for now, we have the 49ers and Chiefs. San Francisco’s loss was bound to happen. We actually saw the script just last week against Washington. All Atlanta did differently in week 7 was finish the job. Both games started the same way: a quick double-digit lead for the Niners. Last week, the departure of WR Mike Evans wrecked San Francisco’s offense. He didn’t play at all this week, and the hits kept coming. RB Christian McCaffrey (7/39/1; 6/61 receiving) left injured, came back, but didn’t look 100%.
As much as I believe that QB Brock Purdy has been the MVP this year, there’s only so much he can do. By the second quarter, he had TE George Kittle (8/88, FUM) and nothing else. The offense quickly sputtered and started making mistakes. Purdy (27/40, 288 yards, TD, 2 INTs) threw a red zone INT while trying to throw the ball away, but that was mostly an amazing play by Falcons S Jessie Bates III. He threw another INT to LB Kendal Daniels (11 tackles) on the game’s penultimate drive. That was the man who left in an ambulance last week, so it was great to see him back. Purdy’s teammates didn’t really have his back either.
Rookie RB Kaelon Black (12/63/1) did some good things but lost a crucial fumble. On the game’s final drive, even Kittle coughed up the football. Fittingly, Bates forced it, and Daniels recovered it. K Eddy Pineiro missed another PAT, allowing Atlanta’s subsequent FG to push the game to 2 scores. The defense finally wore down from overuse, and it had no answers for Atlanta’s grinding attack. QB Michael Penix Jr (25/34, 213 yards, 3 TDs) faced no pressure and simply chipped away. With all these injuries, the margin for error decreases. SF can’t make these mistakes moving forward, but I think they’ll learn from this.
Kansas City got punched in the mouth. There’s no other way to put this. They went to the home of the defending champion Seahawks, and the main story was the return of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to Seattle. Only the Chiefs’ defense apparently made the road trip, but it had nothing on Seattle’s Dark Side. Walker (14/36; 4/21 receiving) had by far his worst outing of the year, as the Seahawks rallied to every tackle. QB Patrick Mahomes (19/133, 165 yards, INT), despite taking just 1 sack, faced relentless pressure, and it showed. He looked off all night, and KC never even reached the red zone. They amassed just 213 yards of offense.
Seattle’s offense wasn’t prolific, but it was good enough. RB Emanuel Wilson (24/100/1) got stronger as the game went on, outplaying Walker. QB Sam Darnold (20/28, 257 yards, TD, INT) delivered pinpoint passes most of the night and converted 11 of 16 third downs. His one blemish came on an INT in the end zone right before the half because two of his receivers collided. Chiefs K Harrison Butker missed the follow-up FG though (and another, which is a concern), so it didn’t matter. Of course, the offense ran through WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9/150/1). I have nothing else to say about him other than that he’s ridiculously good.
Credit for the 20-3 win belongs to that ferocious defense though. Since S Nick Emmanwori returned from injury, the unit has just looked different. With his versatility, the Seahawks can match up against any personnel grouping with their base defense. That’s a key aspect of their game plan, as is the front 4 wreaking havoc. Everyone on the defensive line did their part in both run support and pass disruption. For the first time all year, we saw the Seahawks as they were supposed to be. They want to be a smothering defense with an opportunistic offense. Kansas City is still very good, but Seattle is rising to their prior heights.
Bengals, Buccaneers Dominate Division Rivals on the Road
Unexpectedly, two teams that sleepwalked through much of the early portion of the schedule roared to life this week. Naturally, it took division rivals to coax that form out of them. Cincinnati didn’t start off so well. In fact, against the Ravens, their whole offense was out of sorts during the first half. They scored 0 points, while their inability to tackle WR Zay Flowers (8/137/1) allowed backup QB Tyler Huntley (23/34, 298 yards, TD, INT), still in for Lamar Jackson, to earn a career-high in passing yards while building a 13-0 lead. At halftime, when things looked bleak, Cincy WR Ja’Marr Chase said something, and everything changed.
Following the break, the Cincinnati offense exploded for 35 points. Five drives, five TDs (with one punt afterward during garbage time). QB Joe Burrow (22/30, 292 yards, 4 TDs) lit up the Ravens, firing TDs to 4 different players. Of course, WRs Tee Higgins (6/148/1) and Chase (5/62/1) led the way. THIS was the offense we’ve been waiting to see. Meanwhile, the defense pitched a shutout by stopping the run and keying in on Flowers. The blowout dropped Baltimore into last place in the tough AFC North, while Cincy is beginning their annual coming-out party. We’ll see how far it can take them given their better-than-normal start.
The 1-5 Buccaneers received some welcome news: the return of QB Baker Mayfield, complete with a glove from the Tampa Bay Rays to protect his thumb. Facing the division-leading Panthers, Mayfield (7/11, 64 yards, TD)…had to do almost nothing. Tampa’s 3-headed monster of a rushing attack, featuring RBs Bucky Irving (24/106/2), Kenny Gainwell (14/88), and Sean Tucker (7/52/1) destroyed Carolina’s defense. On the other side, the Panthers couldn’t do anything. QB Bryce Young (14/27, 163 yards, TD, 2 INTs, FUM) had by far his worst game of the year. Making matters worse, tackle Taylor Moton fractured his fibula and left on a cart.
TB’s pressure wreaked havoc. Having come into the game with no sacks, DE Yaya Diaby took Young down 3 times on Sunday. S Tykee Smith picked off a pass and blocked a PAT, while CB Zyon McCollum earned an INT and returned that blocked kick for a 2-point conversion. The Bucs’ most complete showing of the year produced a 43-13 crushing. This is the NFC South, so Carolina still leads the division at 3-3, but nobody is out of this yet. Tampa Bay might be turning a corner at the perfect time. In most cases, being 2-5 would be major trouble. As it stands, they’re just 1.5 games out of first, and they’re suddenly lurking.
Giants Overcome Rookie K in OT; Packers Cannot Withstand Theirs
Harrison Butker wasn’t the only kicker who struggled mightily this week. Two rookies tried their best to wreck their teams’ chances of victory, but only one succeeded. The kicker who failed was the Giants’ Dominic Zvada, who missed both of his FG attempts in a game that went to OT. You may remember that he missed three field goals against Washington, a game that ended in a tie because of his errors. New York would not allow Zvada to mar the starting debut of QB JJ McCarthy though. In all honesty, McCarthy (20/28, 252 yards) played…well! He made good throws, didn’t turn the ball over, and exceeded his Viking self.
The fact that NY’s offense played so well against the Texans’ defense is either a compliment toward the Giants and an indictment of Houston. I think it’s the latter, as that unit is a massive disappointment. New York’s running game is for real though. Benched RB Cam Skattebo (17/124/1) returned with a vengeance, and his career-long 42-yard sprint put NYG in FG range during OT. Fellow RB Devin Singletary (5/41/1) took the next carry 30 yards for the winning score, sticking it to his former team. In a lousy NFC East, the Giants are now in a very strong position. If McCarthy and Skattebo play like this every week, they could win the division.
Green Bay did not have the Giants’ luck with regard to their kicker, 6th-round pick Trey Smack. The writing was on the wall when the Packers’ first drive ended with a missed 26-yard FG. Those are pretty unforgiveable in the pros. Points were surprisingly hard to come by. Detroit’s defense, which had been a sieve, played much better with S Brian Branch finally back from his torn Achilles. The great safety nabbed an INT in his return, and he really opened up the defensive game plan. RB Josh Jacobs (11/36; 5/55/1 receiving) returning from suspension didn’t help the GB run game. He helped as a receiver but did drop a critical late TD.
Detroit should’ve run away with this game. QB Jared Goff (22/32, 303 yards, 2 TDs), RB Jahmyr Gibbs (29/116; 5/27 receiving), and WRs Amon-Ra St Brown (9/153) and Jameson Williams (5/91/2) all had fantastic games. Unfortunately, their 4th-down lunacy burned them again. Up 17-14 and facing 4th-and-5 at the GB 6, Detroit turned the ball over on downs instead of kicking. A bit later, tied at 17, they went on 4th-and-1 and got stuffed…at their own 24! That should’ve given Green Bay a sure lead, but Smack missed again from 35 yards, and Detroit kicked the winning FG instead. For yet another year, GB’s kicking game is costing them wins.
Dolphins Notch First Win of Season over Suddenly Flailing Jets
Just as there is only 1 undefeated team left in the league, only 1 winless team (the LA Chargers) remains too! That’s because the Miami Dolphins finally broke through and nabbed a victory against the Jets. It actually is more unreal than that: when the Dolphins scored a TD on their opening drive, it was their first time with a lead at any point this season. When they scored again on their second possession, it may as well have been a party. The return of rookie WR Caleb Douglas (2/70/2) helped a lot, as both of his catches went for TDs. RB Ollie Gordon II (25/103/1) is also doing a really good job as the starting back.
Part of this is the ineptitude of the Jets’ defense. Their offense did just fine, with QB Geno Smith (23/30, 287 yards, 3 TDs, INT) having one of his better days. RB Braelon Allen (17/104; 6/30 receiving) did a good job filling in for Breece Hall. Rookie WR Omar Cooper Jr (5/110/1) stacked his second straight strong performance, while TE Mason Taylor (5/62/2) scored twice on National TE Day. But my goodness, that defense. I’m not sure how you make TE Greg Dulcich (5/86) and QB Malik Willis (14/21, 208 yards, 2 TDs; 8/37/1 rushing) look like stars, but NYJ did. Miami had zero turnovers, went 3/3 in the red zone, and went 3/3 on 4th down.
New York played better in the second half, but by then it was much too late. They had already fallen behind by 14 at home against an 0-5 team. As well as the offense played, they’re not built to come from behind. Miami is the opposite: their run-based attack is best when playing with the lead, but they literally had zero leads before this game. And that’s where I actually think the Fins have room to grow. If you’ve watched them closely, you’ll notice that they’ve made some strides. They had a chance to win in Minnesota thanks to their defensive effort, while they made a late surge against Cincinnati on the back of a spirited offensive stretch.
In my last two power rankings, I’ve had Miami dead last. Their collection of talent is probably still the league’s worst. However, I no longer think they’re the worst team in the league. New HC Jeff Hafley has done a pretty good job with what he has, and the Dolphins are consistently more competitive than they were to start the season. I’m aware that I’m offering little consolation to the fan base, which knows the season is likely still lost and that a long rebuilding process is underway. You can see tangible progress though, which is more than plenty of other teams can say. The next step is finding a franchise QB to build around.