The Athletic has live coverage from NFL Week 7 games.
Pressure has started to mount across the NFL.
Last week, we saw the first in-season coach firing as the Tennessee Titans let go of Brian Callahan, and the ice could be getting thin in Miami.
Meanwhile, front-runners like the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills both suffered their second consecutive losses after 4-0 starts. And teams like the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears (both winners of three straight) seem to be surging.
This week’s action kicked off with an AFC North meeting between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. Sunday morning will feature the final London-based contest of the season — this time between the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Another 11 contests take place later on Sunday, before the weekend wraps with a Monday night doubleheader between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.
Here are five of the most compelling storylines to follow this week.
Champs in crisis
There’s trouble in the City of Brotherly Love. The Eagles fell last week to the New York Giants in a stunner, marking the first time they suffered back-to-back regular-season losses since the final two weeks of the 2023 season. Now the 4-2 Eagles will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak since that same 2023 campaign. Philadelphia will head to Minnesota, where the Vikings come off their bye week. A tough Brian Flores defense awaits an Eagles offense that looks like a shell of itself, ranking 30th in total offense, 25th in rushing, 29th in passing and 15th in points. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts said this week that the Eagles are still searching for their identity, which is troubling given the fact we’re almost at the midway point of the season. Thus far, Saquon Barkley hasn’t delivered the type of dominant performances we saw last season. After averaging 125.3 yards per game and 5.8 per rushing attempt, Barkley hasn’t posted a 100-yard game this season and has averaged just 3.4 yards per attempt. If there’s a weakness to the Vikings’ defense, it could be in the rushing department, where Minnesota has surrendered 132.2 yards per game (ninth-most in the league). Is this the week we see the Eagles really lean into their run game and hope that opens up things in the passing game?
Philadelphia will likely see a familiar face directing the Vikings’ offense. Carson Wentz, whom the Eagles drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2016, will get another start for Minnesota as J.J. McCarthy continues to work his way back from a high ankle sprain that has sidelined him much of the season. Philadelphia’s secondary has struggled both with health and consistency, which doesn’t exactly bode well when preparing for a receiving unit led by Justin Jefferson, who entered Week 7 ranked third in the NFL with 89.8 yards per game, but is, however, still seeking his second touchdown catch of the season. (Eagles at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox).
Bounce-back performances?
The Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars all lost very winnable games last week. The Commanders blew a late-fourth-quarter lead and turned the ball over three times before losing to the Bears on a last-second field goal. Dallas, meanwhile, led the Carolina Panthers early in the fourth quarter before falling by a field goal with time expiring as well. The Jaguars, who showed great promise while reeling off three victories, including what seemed like a statement win over the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time, fell flat in a 20-12 loss to the Seahawks. All three teams will try to get back on track this week and resume their quests for playoff campaigns.
Washington travels to Dallas, where both teams badly need a victory. If the Commanders expect to return to the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1992, they can’t afford to lose to the Cowboys and fall further behind the Eagles. Washington must do a better job of taking care of the football and must capitalize on facing a Dallas defense that has surrendered 411.7 yards per game (a league high) and 30.7 points (second-most). But Washington’s defense must work hard to contain Dak Prescott, who is playing some of the best ball of his career, completing 71.6 percent of his passes while recording 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. Despite the injury-related absence of CeeDee Lamb (who will be back this week) and injuries along the line, the Cowboys’ offense has continued to roll, thanks largely to Prescott and offseason acquisition George Pickens, whose six touchdown receptions are tied for first in the league.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars also find themselves in need of a victory with the Indianapolis Colts looking to add to their lead in the AFC South. The Jaguars take the international stage against the Rams, who have an identical 4-2 record. Jacksonville struggled last week to protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and this week, it faces another strong defensive front, anchored by young linemen Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner. Jacksonville’s work-in-progress offense also needs improved support from a defense that, until last week, had recorded multiple takeaways in every game. Matthew Stafford leads the NFL with 1,684 yards and has thrown only two interceptions against 12 touchdown passes. Jacksonville coach Liam Coen does have strong familiarity with the Rams, having coached under Sean McVay for four seasons. Will the former L.A. offensive coordinator manage to help keep his mentor and his squad in check and continue the upstart Jaguars’ surprising success? (Rams vs. Jaguars in London, 9:30 a.m. ET, Sunday, NFLN; Commanders at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox).
Vrabel’s return to Tennessee
Everybody loves a good revenge game. This week, Mike Vrabel and the AFC East-leading New England Patriots roll into the coach’s old stomping grounds, riding a three-game win streak and looking to build further momentum. Nashville, of course, is where Vrabel spent the first six seasons of his head coaching career, leading the Titans to the playoffs three times. The Titans fired Vrabel after back-to-back losing seasons (2022, 2023) and power struggles with management. Now, however, the Titans are in an even greater state of disarray after another general manager firing this past offseason and the axing of Callahan earlier this week after a 1-5 start.
Interim coach Mike McCoy — elevated from senior offensive assistant — inherits a team that does have talent in spots but plenty of deficiencies. His goal is to keep the team united and coax it toward more complete and fundamentally sound efforts. This is a tough game to have to start out against, given Vrabel’s knowledge of the roster and the organization and the way the Patriots are playing as they boast a 3-0 record on the road. Vrabel has refused to take the bait when asked this week about the revenge factor. He has tried to downplay the narrative, saying, “We’re not trying to win one for the Gipper here.” But everyone who knows the fiery former linebacker firmly believes that deep down, he will do everything in his power to hammer his former team. (Patriots at Titans, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS).
Would-be contenders
Two surprise divisional leaders face off in Los Angeles as the Chargers (4-2) host the Colts (5-1) Sunday afternoon. The Chargers lost two straight, then got back on track (they hope) with a win over the Miami Dolphins. Now they welcome the Colts, who will test L.A. on both sides of the ball.
A balanced offense and an opportunistic and stingy defense (nine takeaways and only 19.3 points allowed) have translated into the perfect recipe for success for Indianapolis. Jonathan Taylor’s 603 rushing yards and seven touchdowns lead the NFL, and Daniel Jones ranks seventh in the NFL with 1,502 passing yards. Just behind Jones is the Chargers’ Justin Herbert (1,493 yards). With injuries along his offensive line, Herbert will find himself under pressure both literally and figuratively. He and the Chargers need a win to hold off the Broncos (winners of three straight) and steadily improving Chiefs. Second-year running back Kimani Vidal could help lighten Herbert’s load if he can deliver a performance similar to last week’s, when he gained 124 yards on 18 carries in his first NFL start. However, unless the Chargers’ defense makes some adjustments from last week, when De’Von Achane gashed them for 128 yards on 16 carries, they could be in for a long day trying to stop Taylor.
This is Indianapolis’ second trip to L.A. in four weeks. The Colts let one get away from them as they faced the Rams at SoFi Stadium. Now, they’ll try to seal the deal and maintain the best record in the AFC. (Colts at Chargers, 4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS).
Jonathan Taylor and the surging Colts look to get a win as they return to SoFi Stadium, the site of their only loss this season. (Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
NFC Championship preview?
Familiar foes face off as the Detroit Lions host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rematch of the 2023 divisional round showdown that Detroit won 31-23.
For much of this season, Detroit and Tampa Bay have ranked among the hottest teams in the NFL. At 5-1, the Buccaneers own the best record in the NFC, and Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP candidate, having led his team on four game-winning drives despite rampant injuries all around him, especially at wide receiver. The Lions ripped off four straight victories until last week’s loss at Kansas City and now return home highly motivated to put that frustrating defeat behind them.
A Detroit victory would help the Lions keep pace with Green Bay in the NFC North, and also could come in handy during the postseason. A Bucs victory, meanwhile, would add to Tampa Bay’s cushion in the NFC South and keep Todd Bowles’ team in the driver’s seat in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The Buccaneers should get reliable veteran wide receiver Mike Evans back from injury, but they’ll now be without impressive rookie pass catcher Emeka Egbuka. The Lions have dealt with injuries in their secondary, however, so things might balance out in this department. Tampa Bay’s ability to contain the Lions’ two-headed rushing attack of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery could serve as an indicator of the outcome of this game. Tampa Bay ranks among the stingiest run defenses in the league (holding opponents to 88.2 rushing yards per game), and the Lions have the eighth-best ground game (128.7 ypg).
But you can certainly count on Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield (both former No. 1 draft picks cast off by their original teams only to revive their careers elsewhere) for some gunslinger heroics. Goff entered Week 7 leading the NFL with 14 touchdown passes while Mayfield trails with 12 of his own, so we just might be in for a shootout. (Buccaneers at Lions, 7 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN).
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