NFL Week 7 is drawing to a close and Sunday’s action delivered surprises and plenty of takeaways as we approach the midway point of the 2022 season. November is fast approaching, which brings the NFL trade deadline, so we’re no longer in overreaction territory.
It all starts with the quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are two of the best players in NFL history. Unfortunately, age catches up to everyone and a poor supporting cast isn’t a valid excuse when even the casual observer can see the visible decline of the future Hall of Famers. Unfortunately for the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that means their contention window has closed.
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As we bid farewell to a pair of all-time greats, there is also excitement for the present and future. Week 7 is the latest example of the NFL’s new era, with the next wave of talent taking over the league. From the emergence of a new core in Seattle to the stellar play of two young quarterbacks, the NFL’s future is brighter than ever.
Here are the winners and losers from NFL Week 7.
Winner:
The Seattle Seahawks have received plenty of criticism for their recent draft classes. While general manager John Schneider built an NFL dynasty, it fell apart because he made so many bad decisions in recent years. It’s fair to say fans are starting to forget about the Jamal Adams trade, the L.J. Collier pick and the 2017-’18 draft classes.
Just look at Seattle’s rookies. Tariq Woolen – the 153rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – entered NFL Week 7 tied with a league-high four interceptions and Pro Football Focus ranks him as one of the best cornerbacks this season. Offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas – selected 9th and 72nd overall – are emerging as pillars on the offensive line. Finally, running back Kenneth Walker has eclipsed 100-plus scrimmage yards in his first two starts.
The Seahawks are doing it again, building through the NFL Draft and finding gems on Day 2 and Day 3 who will become integral parts of their core. Now just imagine what they can do with those Broncos’ picks, including a top-10 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Loser: New Orleans Saints finally paying the bill after years of prolonging the inevitable
The NFL salary cap is very real. Mickey Loomis and the New Orleans Saints fought off the inevitable for so long, maneuvering through long-term financial obligations and salary-cap hits to still field a competitive roster. It worked for the most part, but New Orleans would lose one or two integral pieces each offseason. Eventually, the Grim Reaper would come to New Orleans with the franchise finally forced to pay the price for its decisions. We’ve now arrived at that time.
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Entering NFL Week 7 with the 20th-ranked offensive line in the NFL, via Pro Football Focus, losing in the trenches is a key part of the problem. The inability to find a quarterback since Drew Brees showed signs of decline and then after his retirement also plays a huge role in where the Saints are right now. Sean Payton saw the writing on the wall and he got out before his reputation took a hit.
The price is being paid this season, but it gets worse than a 2-5 record. The reckless and short-sighted decision to trade the 2023 first-round pick, grabbing Trevor Penning and Chris Olave in a multi-pick swap, could prove devastating. If the Saints can’t dig themselves out of this tailspin, they gifted a top-five pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. If that’s not painful enough, New Orleans is $55 million over the 2023 salary cap.
Winner: Joe Burrow returns to glory in NFL Week 7
After carrying the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl in February, quarterback Joe Burrow got off to a slow start this season. He posted an awful 73.1 quarterback rating with a 3-4 TD-INT ratio in Cincinnati’s first two games, both difficult losses. He started to clean things up as the offensive line improved, but he entered NFL Week 7 ranked 15th in ESPN QBR (51.8) and we didn’t see any MVP-caliber moments.
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Everything felt different on Sunday. When Burrow connected with Tyler Boyd for a 60-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the game, you could tell it would be a special day. Cincinnati scored touchdowns on each of its first four drives and Burrow finished the first half with 345 passing yards. The Bengals have now won four of their last five games and Burrow seems to have flipped the switch, setting the stage for a big performance on Monday Night Football In Week 8.
Loser: Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers aren’t fixable
Complexity isn’t the Green Bay Packers’ problem. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur can talk in circles about adjustments they need to make or how mental mistakes are responsible for the offensive woes. The thing is, the same excuses are being made and fans keep hearing the franchise quarterback and head coach downplay the concerns and talk about how the team will learn from it.
The problems can’t be fixed. Rodgers’ physical talent is in a steep decline, the offensive line is a mess and the talk about getting Aaron Jones more involved as a rusher is simply just white noise. Green Bay is unwilling to make the one change that would give it even a slim chance at becoming an average offense, making Jones the centerpiece of the game plan each week. Instead, LaFleur’s reliance on a 38-year-old quarterback who is still trying to play “Hero Ball” and completely disregards how much blame he deserves for the deeply-rooted issues in Green Bay. This is one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Winner: Josh Jacobs is thriving in a contract year
The Las Vegas Raiders declined the fifth-year team option on Josh Jacobs in April, a decision even the running back understood. After all, Jacobs was coming off a 2021 season with only 872 rushing yards in 15 games. Furthermore, his 4.2 through his first three seasons indicated that he was a replaceable running back who wasn’t worth a second contract. Consider NFL Week 7 the latest instance of Jacobs’ contract-year breakthrough.
- Josh Jacobs stats (last 3 games): 441 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards and six touchdowns
Jacobs is the Raiders’ offense right now. He received 23 touches on Sunday, with Josh McDaniels featuring him on 41.8% of the Raiders’ plays. We’re seeing signs of the player who earned first-round grades from talent evaluators in the 2019 NFL Draft and he is far outperforming anything we saw from him in his first three NFL seasons. Saquon Barkley will be the most coveted free-agent running back in 2023, but Jacobs will generate a ton of interest if he keeps this up.
Related: If you’re a fan of the Raiders, check out #RaiderNation rumors, rankings, and news here.
Loser: It’s over for Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Father Time is undefeated. Credit to Tom Brady for fighting it off for so long, he arguably should have been NFL MVP in his age-44 season and he led one of the most remarkable comebacks in NFL playoff history. But whether it’s his personal life that is weighing heavily on him and robbing him of the usual obsessive commitment to football or simply physical decline on its own, no one would fault him if he retired after NFL Week 7.
Brady certainly isn’t deserving of all the blame. Tampa Bay’s offensive line doesn’t allow Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to dial up the deep shots that made this offense so explosive in previous seasons. It’s also not Brady’s fault that Tampa Bay can’t establish an effective ground attack to save its life. Brady moves like a 45-year-old and that s a death sentence with everything going on around him. He has to regret coming back every day, because retirement sure looks nice right now.
Winner: Patrick Mahomes responds after tough performance
The best players in the NFL know how to respond to adversity, learning from their worst moments and following them up with unforgettable moments. Facing one of the best defenses in football, Patrick Mahomes put the Kansas City Chiefs on his back and carried them to a statement win over the San Francisco 49ers.
It wasn’t even a great start for Mahomes. He threw an interception on his second throw of the game, providing San Francsico with some early momentum and giving Kansas City’s fan base flashbacks to the Week 6 loss against the Buffalo Bills. Fittingly, the greatest quarterback of his era immediately put it behind him and responded with 422 passing yards, three touchdowns and a 147.9 passer rating the rest of the way. Up next, a well-earned bye for Mahomes and the Chiefs before they dive into an easy November schedule.
Loser: Dan Campbell’s time needs to be running out
Hard Knocks made everyone fall in love with Dan Campbell. He’s the type of head coach who everyone in the building love and fans want to run through a wall for. It’s great to know how to motivate professional athletes and to gain the respect of a fan base and locker room, but the only thing that matters in the NFL are resulting.
Following the loss in NFL Week 7, the Detroit Lions dropped to 1-5 and they’ve now lost consecutive games by at least three scores. Naturally, this is about more than one single game. Campbell is 4-17 as Detroit’s head coach, on pace to be even worse than Matt Patricia (13-29-1). It’s fine if the Lions want to wait until later in the season, but Campbell can’t be the head coach in 2023.
Stats from NFL Week 7 via ESPN and Pro Football Focus