By Matthew DelDonna, PSO Director of Football Development
Oct 26, 2020



Week 7’s slate of games included a handful of wild finishes, including an AMAZING NFC West battle in the desert between the Seahawks and Cardinals, an incredible back-and-forth scoring match in the Battle of Ohio, a Titans comeback that wasn’t enough to stay undefeated, and yet another blown Falcons lead. Another surprise that came out of Week 7 was the New England Patriots, and not for the reason many would expect. SF came into Foxborough and blew out NE 33-6, a loss that has never been seen during the Belichick era.

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Key Fact: Tyler Lockett is the 3rd WR ever w/ 15+ REC, 200+ REC YDS, & 3+ TD in a single game

Best Highlights:

  • Zane Gonzalez hits two clutch kicks to end regulation and OT

  • Simmons makes clutch INT to set up GW FG

  • DK hawked Budda Baker on potential Pick-6

  • K1 has a career day and picks up a massive win

  • Tyler Lockett, human cheat code

  • Diving INT by Quandre Diggs

Most Valuable Intel: Arizona is officially a contender, not a pretender

Arizona got a HUGE divisional win against a previously undefeated Seahawks team that seemed to have the game put away late in the 4th quarter, largely thanks to their DC’s pinpoint decision-making when the defense needed stops. Well-calculated blitz schemes helped cause three Russell Wilson INTs, one of which was late in OT inside SEA territory. These were critical to overcoming the deficit the Cardinals faced until the very end of the game and showed that they have a legitimate shot at going toe-to-toe with the rest of the NFL’s best.

Final Results: @ARZ (+166) d. SEA 37-34 [ARZ +3.5 / o55.5]

Key Fact: There were 5 go-ahead PASS TD’s in the 4th QTR, the most in the 4th QTR of any game in NFL history

Best Highlights:

  • Mayfield pinpointed an incredible game-winner

  • Baker was playing his best when it mattered

  • Landry dropped in a dime to Peoples-Jones

  • Myles Garrett strip sack is simple

  • Burrow & Higgins made plays in the 4th Qtr

Most Valuable Intel: Baker showed he can be Cleveland’s franchise Quarterback

An exciting back-and-forth matchup ended with the Browns shattering the Bengals’ hearts as a TD with 0:11 left in the game secured CLE’s sweep of the Battle of Ohio games for 2020. They move to 5-2 behind Baker Mayfield after his bounce-back performance following a poor outing against the Steelers. Once Odell Beckham Jr. was injured, the Browns 2018 No.1 overall pick showed his lofty potential by morphing into CLE’s alpha-dog and bringing his A-game for a big victory over the Bengals. The Browns are off to their best start (5-2) in the 21st century and now have their QB1 looking the best he’s ever looked. 

Final Results: CLE (-201) d. @CIN 37-34 [CIN +4.5 / o50]

Key Fact: Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-0 for the 1st time since 1978

Best Highlights:

  • AJ Brown hit the jets for 73yd house call

  • TEN gave itself a chance for a comeback on this incredible INT

Most Valuable Intel: Steelers are the Chiefs biggest threat in the AFC

Jumping out to a 24-7 lead in the first half, it seemed that the Steelers were going to run away with the win against the Titans and solidify themselves as the top team in many national power rankings. TEN was then jolted back to life in the second half, outscoring PIT 24-3. It all came down to the last play of the game as K Stephen Gostkowski attempted to send the game into OT but alas, his kick sailed wide right and PIT held on to win it in dramatic fashion. The Steelers remain undefeated at 6-0 and have the defense, veteran QB, coaching, and weapons to challenge the Chiefs come January.

Final Results: PIT (+103) d. @TEN 27-24 [PIT +1 / push51]

Key Fact: ATL’s 3rd loss this season with a win probability of 98+%, the most by any team in the 21st century

Best Highlights:

  • Hockenson hauls in Stafford’s clutch GW-TD pass

  • Falcons would’ve won if Gurley didn’t score here

  • Golladay goes all the way up and makes a great catch

  • Hurst pulls in the catch after crazy ricochet 

Most Valuable Intel: The Falcons opponent can never be counted out

The Falcons’ late-game collapsing habit continued once again against the Detroit Lions. Another team that seems to find new ways to lose seemingly every week, Stafford and co. finally pulled through on their final drive and won the game in the closing seconds to pull away with a 23-22 victory. The Falcons have been blowing leads ever since infamously losing despite a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl. This team may not get right until they clean house from that day that changed this franchise’s fortunes. With ATL is now seemingly playing to lose and secure a high draft pick for next year, those changes could be coming sooner than later. 

Final Results: DET (+102) d. @ATL 23-22 [DET +1 / u54]

Key Fact: Drew Brees completed his 52nd career game-winning drive, trailing only Peyton Manning (54)

Best Highlights:

  • DJ Moore scores a pair of TDs, including this 74-yd bomb

  • Cook makes a nice juggling TD catch on TE Day

  • Brian Burns bends past LT for strip sack 

Most Valuable Intel: Carolina can be a playoff contender with a healthy C-Mac

CAR had a pretty decent outing, but NO was just slightly better as they came away with the narrow win 27-24. With both team’s best players out, DJ Moore had a good day with a pair of TDs but the CAR running game could not really seem to get going, which certainly affected the outcome. NO got its 3rd win in a row, bumping its record up to 4-2 and the Panthers dropped below .500 at 3-4, but are hopeful that McCaffrey will be able to make his long-awaited return next week. Some counted this team out in Matt Rhule’s first year, but they’ve continued to show they can hang with good teams and a healthy C-Mac could boost them enough to pick up more coveted wins en route to playoff contention.

Final Results: @NO (-317) d. CAR 27-24 [CAR +7 / o49.5]

Key Fact: Aaron Rodgers now has the 2nd most career games w/ 4+ PASS TD & a 125+ passer rating (22)

Best Highlights:

  • Adams gets wide open for 2nd TD of day

  • Rodgers to Adams is always automatic

  • Tonyan made the most of National TEs Day on this catch

Most Valuable Intel: Packers prove last week’s blowout loss was a fluke

Following a rather uncharacteristic performance against the Bucs, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had a major bouce back game in Houston as they took down the Texans 35-20. Davante Adams had a career day, hauling in 13 catches for a career-high 196 yds and 2 TD while Rodgers returned to form and threw 4 PASS TD. GB, now 5-1, ties CHI for 1st place in the NFC North and will hope for a Rams win tomorrow night which would put them back in sole possession of the top spot. HOU falls to 1-6 and its future looks bleak as the organization can’t play for a higher draft spot in the 1st round since they don’t have one.

Final Results: GB (-140) d. @HOU 35-20 [GB -3.5 / u55.5]

Key Fact: This is the 1st time in NFL history that every team in a division has had fewer than 3 wins through Week 7

Best Highlights:

  • Scary Terry hauls in dime from Allen, takes it for TD

  • The WAS defense gets the early safety

  • Cowboys rookie QB showed some promise here

Most Valuable Intel: Cowboys lose another QB in a tumultuous season

The Cowboys dropped another game in which their offense looked terrible and couldn’t do anything right. To make matters worse, they may be without QB Andy Dalton for a period of time after he suffered a nasty blow to the head. Rookie QB Ben Dinucci out of JMU entered the game in Dalton’s relief but was rather ineffective as WAS came away with a big win 25-3. Interestingly enough, this win puts WAS right into the playoff conversation as it is only 0.5 games out of 1st place in the NFC East despite a 2-5 record. Another takeaway could be how bad the NFC East is this season but that storyline has been exhausted by now. 

Final Results: @WAS (+100) d. DAL 25-3 [WAS +1 / u44.5]

Key Fact: Justin Herbert is the only player w/ 1,500+ PASS YDS & a 100+ PASS RTG in his 1st 5 career games  

Best Highlights:

  • Over the top, to the house

  • Herbert has a knack for throwing dimes

  • Minshew Magic can drop dimes too

  • Duuuval gets 6 off a blocked punt

Most Valuable Intel: Herbert has ROY written all over him

With the help of a dangerous receiving corps, rookie QB Justin Herbert has looked phenomenal in his first NFL season and continued that success against the Jaguars, picking up his first career win as a starter after multiple last-second losses. Every throwing decision he makes seems to always be the right one and his passes are always right on the money. JAX gave him a run for his money though as they kept things interesting in a shootout game that temporarily had the look of another blown win for LAC. However, Herbert held on to the lead and moved his name up the ROY ranks in the process.

Final Results: @LAC (-391) d. JAX 39-29 [LAC -8 / 048]

Key Fact: Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski are now tied for 2nd-most TDs (92) in NFL History [Steve Young & Jerry Rice]

Best Highlights:

  • Brady LAUNCHES it to Miller for 6

  • Brady takes all-time TD pass lead from Brees

  • Nelson Agholor making plays in Vegas

Most Valuable Intel: Tom Brady is still at the top of his game

As good as Tom Brady and the Bucs are playing, Tampa Bay could get even more dangerous than they looked today. Earlier in the week, they landed Antonio Brown to deepen their already strong receiving regimen with a 4x All-Pro wideout. Now with the likes of Brown, Evans, Gronk, Godwin, and a versatile RB room, there’s no telling how scary this offense can get, not to mention they have one of the best defenses in the league. This is the most talent Tom Brady has ever been around and it’s showing in his play, regardless of the date on his birth certificate. 

Final Results: TB (-186) d. @LVR 45-20 [TB -3.5 / 051.5]

Key Fact: Kansas City Chiefs’ 43 points without converting a single 3rd or 4th down is the most ever

Best Highlights:

  • Pringle takes the kickoff end-to-end for 101 yds

  • Sorensen takes this INT to the house

  • Flea flicker goes wrong for DEN

  • Clyde can’t be contained in the snow

  • Mecole snags Mahomes pass with 1 hand

Most Valuable Intel: Chiefs are the champs for a reason and on their own level 

The Chiefs’ dominant win over their division rival Broncos didn’t come at the hands of their offense but rather the defense and special teams’ phenomenal performance as 14 of KC’s 43 PTS came off of a 101-yd kickoff return and a pick-6. This could very well spell trouble for the rest of the AFC as they now have to worry about KC’s defense in addition to an explosive offense that won them the Super Bowl last year. It’s hard to imagine anybody beating this team when they’re at their full strength as they have the supporting cast in place that lead KC to victory even when Mahomes isn’t on his MVP game. 

Final Results: KC (-302) d. @DEN 43-16 [KC -7 / 046]

Key Fact: Cam Newton became the 1st player in NFL history with 30,000+ career PASS YDS and 5,000+ RUSH YDS

Best Highlights:

  • Wilson got the hat trick

Most Valuable Intel: These aren’t the same Patriots anymore

The New England Patriots people have gotten to know over the last two decades are not that team anymore. Even though NE was able to find a good successor to Tom Brady in Cam Newton, it is clear that Brady’s departure has had a bigger impact than most anticipated and it really showed on Sunday against the 49ers. NE’s 27-pt loss was the worst at home in the Bill Belichick era, which speaks volumes to how much can change in just a year. Not all hope is lost, but the Pats need to turn things around much sooner rather than later in order to get their season back on track. Their entire season could be defined by the results of their game vs. division-rival Buffalo next week. 

Final Results: SF (+150) d. @NE 33-6 [SF +3 / u44]

Key Fact: The Philadelphia Eagles are the 1st Week 7 sub-.500 division leader in NFL history

Best Highlights:

  • Jones has the end zone in sight…and trips

  • Wentz throws a beautiful game-winning TD to Boston

  • Graham’s strip-sack seals the W for PHI

  • Wentz hits Hightower on a 59-yd bomb

  • Bradberry makes an incredible toe-tap INT

  • Fulgham continues his NFL emergence

  • Tate hauls in a bullet TD from Jones

  • Mills goes full extension for INT

Most Valuable Intel: NFC East divisional rivalry matchups have huge implications

Of course, divisional matchups are always important to teams who want to win their respective division. Winning these games gives teams a huge advantage over their rivals, especially if there’s two or three of them fighting for a playoff spot. However, this year divisional games in the NFC East will be of incredible importance, more than usual, due to the fact that it’s currently Week 7 and its leader has a losing record (first time that’s ever happened). All four NFC East teams will most likely finish with mediocre to poor records at the end of the year, but one will make the playoffs no matter what, so it will really come down to not necessarily whose record is more outstanding, but who has the best record when it comes to those 12 division games.

Key FactNFC West has a combined .704 win%, the 2nd-highest combined win% for a division through 7 weeks

Best Highlights:

  • Rams defense came to play on MNF

  • Punters can be elite too

  • The Bears’ D did their best to cover for their offense

  • Foles’ playmakers did make a couple plays

  • McVay whipped out the quick snap for the TD

Most Valuable Intel: An elite Punter makes a huge difference in winning games

Often an overlooked aspect of a team’s success is its ability to punt the ball and pin an opponent deep in its own territory. This can make a huge difference when paired with a great defense to stop the opposing offense and force a punt. Winning the field position battle makes it easier for them to put points on the board. This has been the case for the Rams a number of times in the past and was again on MNF as Johnny Hekker was able to pin the Bears offense deep in their own territory, therefore making it much tougher for them to score. This is a major part of their game and when executed correctly can make a huge difference in the final outcome.

Final Results: LAR (-293) d. CHI 24-10 [LAR -6.5 / u44]

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