Week 7 in the NFL is suddenly juicy.
A few teams decided not to wait until November’s trade deadline to bolster their rosters, and as a result, Davante Adams is a New York Jet and Amari Cooper is a Buffalo Bill. Both are expected to play Sunday.
The Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers meet in a showdown. No one would ever turn down a Super Bowl rematch, which is what we’ll get in Sunday afternoon’s window when the San Francisco 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs.
And perhaps few pegged bragging rights as the league’s best team on the line for Sunday’s Detroit Lions–Minnesota Vikings clash. Perhaps even fewer predicted Baker Mayfield’s having a chance to make his MVP case against Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
Our NFL experts Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer discuss what intrigues them as the rest of Week 7 unfolds.
Sunday features a Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers. The 49ers are injured but finding ways to win. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, even if they’re not playing their best football yet. What interests you most about this game?
Howe: The Chiefs aren’t going to do much Sunday, for better or worse, that significantly alters my perception of them. The 49ers, on the other hand, are all over the place. Though that can be explained away due to injuries, they’ve overcome worse in the past to win bigger games. I’d like to see whether Brock Purdy can steal the show on this stage. Patrick Mahomes’ numbers have been pedestrian by his standards, so Purdy has an avenue to show out if the 49ers can grab their first signature win of the season.
Sando: Can Purdy’s increased scrambling make the difference for San Francisco in a close game? He had two inconsequential scrambles in the 49ers’ overtime loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl last season. Purdy’s legs have added another dimension to his game this season. His 8.4 EPA on scrambles through six games nearly matches his full-season total from 2023. It’s not far behind the 10.8 total for Mahomes in five games this season.
Keefer: I’m with Jeff — there’s very little the Chiefs can do at this point that’ll change how I see them. Statistically, Mahomes is off to the worst start of his career, yet Kansas City is one of two teams in the league still undefeated. It’s earned the right to be judged in January and February, not October. This game is about the 49ers, who haven’t looked right since rolling the New York Jets in their opener. Was an up-and-down start simply a byproduct of mounting injuries, or does this team not have the same firepower it’s had the last several years? I’m betting on the latter. It wouldn’t surprise me if it took the 49ers the better part of two months to look right again, after the offseason contract drama, the spate of early injuries and the lingering heartbreak from last year’s overtime Super Bowl loss.
Does the winner of Sunday’s Lions-Vikings game have a legitimate claim as the league’s best team? Can the Lions still reach lofty expectations without Aidan Hutchinson?
Howe: Oh, absolutely. Both teams look terrific atop the best division in the league, and their wins have been coming against quality opponents. Plus, both quarterbacks and defenses have been good. These aren’t teams stacking wins because of an elite player or two — they’re both loaded across the board. As for the Lions, I’d never dismiss Hutchinson’s importance, but this roster is good enough to win the Super Bowl, and there’s a decent chance they acquire a pass rusher before the trade deadline. The margin for error has decreased substantially, but they’re still shaping up to be a championship-level team.
Sando: That’s harder to support if the defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs move to 6-0 by beating the 49ers. Kansas City has proved it can win multiple ways. The Lions and Vikings have generally won a certain way. I would not bet against Kansas City in a neutral-site game of consequence, no matter the opponent.
Keefer: Until the Chiefs lose a game of consequence, no one else can claim they’re the best team in football. (Remember: Kansas City’s last loss was Christmas Day.) That being said, Minnesota and Detroit are legitimate contenders in the NFC, and whoever wins this division in January is going to have earned it. For the Lions, Hutchinson is irreplaceable — he was in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation with T.J. Watt — and playing one of the most important positions in the game. Consider: He was leading the league with a 20.5 pressure rate; the Lions’ next five rushers (minimum 55 pass rush snaps) are collectively at 10.2. Detroit still has an excellent roster, maybe the league’s best top to bottom, but Hutchinson’s absence will catch up to the Lions sooner or later.
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Ravens-Bucs on Monday night is one of the week’s best games. Where is Lamar Jackson on your MVP leaderboard? Should Baker Mayfield, who leads the league in TD passes, be in the conversation?
Howe: Jackson is my MVP at this point, and he’s got a solid buffer between the field. And absolutely, Mayfield is a real candidate. The Bucs look like they’ll make a charge for a high seed in the NFC playoffs, and Mayfield is the biggest reason for this surge. We’ll just wait to see where those two QBs stack up with Mahomes, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, Purdy, Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Sam Darnold. And hey, maybe a non-QB will have a shot.
Sando: Jackson and Jayden Daniels reside near the top of the list for me based on the impact they’ve made this season, and the context of that impact. Both are driving success on offense to win in spite of less-than-stellar defensive support. I have a harder time putting Mayfield in that category based on how he affects the opposing defense.
Keefer: If Jackson keeps this up, it’s going to be really difficult for voters not to give him his second straight MVP and third since 2019. No quarterback is doing what he’s doing on a week-to-week basis, despite some early flashes from Allen. Mayfield’s working himself into the conversation with another stellar season in Tampa, but I don’t think he’s reached the level that Jackson, Allen and Mahomes have. And that matters in voters’ eyes.
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The New England Patriots are in London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. What are your thoughts on Drake Maye’s starting debut against the Texans last week?
Howe: I really liked Maye’s debut. Their offense looked like a completely different group with the rookie under center, which was unexpected after the earlier struggles across the board with the line and skill positions. Maye’s 40-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte was the Patriots’ best pass in the post-Tom Brady era, and I liked the ball placement on the TD to Pop Douglas. The three turnovers need to be cleaned up, but I’m not worried about that until it becomes a trend.
Sando: Maye flashed ability with his arms and legs but was fighting a hopeless battle against a strong Texans defense and was not consistently accurate. I’m interested in seeing how he performs against the Jaguars. Allen, Caleb Williams, Stroud, Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa combined for 14 touchdown passes with one interception against Jacksonville this season. Deshaun Watson was the only opposing quarterback to have a statistically poor game against the Jaguars. Let’s see where Maye falls on that list while keeping in mind he has less support and less experience than any of the QBs that torched Jacksonville this season.
Keefer: It was telling that Maye threw for more touchdowns in his first start than the Patriots had all season up to that point. He looks like the spark this team badly needs on offense, for this season and the future. It wouldn’t be stunning if Maye continues his strong start overseas: He’s facing a Jaguars defense that’s among the league’s worst. So far, Jacksonville is 31st in defensive EPA/play, 31st in points allowed, 32nd against the pass and 29th in pressure percentage.
Davante Adams is now a Jet. It appears Russell Wilson will make his Pittsburgh Steelers debut. Does Adams fix all of the Jets’ woes? Would the Steelers be making the right move starting Wilson over Justin Fields?
Howe: On paper, Adams doesn’t fix what we’ve seen from the Jets through six weeks. But the team might find something after Robert Saleh’s firing and the Adams trade. It’s a long shot, but I saw enough out of Aaron Rodgers last week to think the potential does exist to sneak into the playoffs. With the Steelers, my bigger concern is the defense hasn’t looked as dominant as of late. If they can play great complementary football, I’d stay with Fields. If they’re looking for a pass-heavy boost, I’d understand the switch to Wilson, but I’d quickly return to Fields if it’s clear he gives them the best chance to win.
Sando: Adams allows Rodgers to play the way he wants to play, without adjusting for receivers who are unfamiliar with his ways. I’d expect to see the two connect on back-shoulder passes and other throws requiring feel and coordination between quarterback and receiver. The Jets’ other problems will remain problems for them. The Pittsburgh situation appears strange on the surface, but if you’ve watched Fields closely, it’s easy to see why Mike Tomlin might want to see whether another quarterback can improve the passing game. The professional manner in which Fields has handled the situation suggests the team can go back to him at any point and probably get similar play.
Keefer: From an entertainment perspective, this might be the most fascinating game of the week. I actually like Mike Tomlin’s logic here — he’s seen what he has with Justin Fields, who’s been better than he was in Chicago but has left the door open for Wilson to step in. That the Steelers are 4-2 adds another layer of intrigue: They’ll be fighting for a playoff spot over the next few months, and Tomlin’s decision will have major ramifications. As long as the Steelers don’t slip into a freefall, finding out whether Wilson is a better fit for the offense — and more prolific as a passer — is the right move. On the other sideline, I imagine the Jets will insert five or 10 plays for Adams in his debut, hoping his built-in chemistry with Rodgers translates instantly. It’s a splashy move, but I still don’t see New York making the playoffs when the regular season is over. This team is simply too inconsistent.
(Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
