This past Sunday gave us a heady mix of matchups. Division rivalries were renewed, star quarterbacks clashed, and recent Super Bowl adversaries locked horns once again. The action lived up the billing. Four games were won by teams that had been trailing by more than ten points, while two games were decided in the final minute of regulation. 

Detroit and Kansas City will come out of the week with the most headlines. The Lions are now 5-1 for the second season in a row, while Kansas City remain undefeated, making them the sixth reigning champion to reach 6-0 since the turn of the Millennium. Below, we’ll take a look at the best games of the day, sum up the winners and losers of Sunday’s actions, and dig into the best stats from Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season. 

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NFL Week 7 scores

Thursday:
Denver Broncos (4-3) 33 @  New Orleans Saints (2-5) 10

Sunday:
New England Patriots (1-6) 16 @ Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) 32
Seattle Seahawks (4-3) 34 @ Atlanta Falcons (4-3) 14
Tennessee Titans (1-5) 10 @ Buffalo Bills (5-2) 34
Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) 21 @ Cleveland Browns (1-6) 14
Houston Texans (5-2) 22 @ Green Bay Packers (5-2) 24
Miami Dolphins (2-4) 10 @ Indianapolis Colts (4-3) 16
Detroit Lions (5-1) 31 @ Minnesota Vikings (5-1) 29
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) 28 @ New York Giants (2-5) 3
Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) 15 @ Los Angeles Rams (2-4) 20
Carolina Panthers (1-6) 7 @ Washington Commanders (5-2) 40
Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) 28  @ San Francisco 49ers (3-4) 18
New York Jets (2-5) 15 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) 37

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GAME OF THE WEEK: Detroit Lions 31 — 29 Minnesota Vikings

Sunday marked the 125th clash between these division rivals. Very few matchups between the two have ever carried this much attention or weight in the overall direction of the league. Even with the majority of the season left to play, this game felt important, both for these franchises and in the battle for the top seeding in both the NFC North and the conference as a whole. 

Fox’s broadcast set the narrative early. With the help of a laughable chess board graphic, colour man Greg Olsen set the scene for a tactical battle between Minnesota’s defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the Lions’ offensive wunderkind Ben Johnson. Behind a deep defensive line (nine different Vikings had recorded a sack going into Week 6) and Flores’ propensity for disguising coverages, Minnesota had given rival quarterbacks nightmares. Under Johnson’s guidance, Jared Goff had registered two straight games with 150-plus passer rating. The Lions had scored 99 points over their previous two outings. Something had to give. 

In the early going, it seemed the Vikings would continue their defensive dominance. Goff struggled to identify the free blitzer, taking an Andrew van Ginkel sack on the third play from scrimmage and leading three straight three-and-outs. On their first possession, deep in their own territory, the Lions dialled up a fake punt by direct snapping the ball to the personal protector. Dan Campbell’s gamble was quickly punished, with the Vikings stuffing the fake and scoring on a 34-yard Aaron Jones run just two plays later. Will Reichard would add a 57-yard field goal to give the hosts a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

Where Johnson and Goff struggled in the opening stanza, they replied emphatically in the second quarter. Goff led three straight drives of 65+ yards, identifying Flores’ repeated blitzes and checking to the correct play time and again. Jamhyr Gibbs showcased his explosive yet languid running style on a 45-yard rush, Amon-Ra St Brown hauled in a 34-yard lob on a post pattern, and Gibbs again capped off another drive with an eight-yard scoring tote. Lions lead 21-10 at the half. 

In a game of see-sawing momentum, these NFC North foes met something approaching equilibrium in the third. Justin Jefferson bagged a 25-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the half, beating one-on-one coverage on the outside before showing his unrivalled body control to snare a Sam Darnold pass.  The Lions again showed impressive balance, mixing success on the ground and through the air before Khalif Raymond found the endzone on a crossing route from 20 yards out. 

Rookie kicker Reichard continued his perfect start to his NFL career in the fourth scoring field goals of 42 and 48 yards to cut the lead to just five points with a little over six minutes remaining. Just seconds later, the Vikings would re-take the lead, after an embattled David Montgomery fumbled, allowing Ivan Pace Jr. to scoop and score on a 36-yard return. Both offenses struggled to take ultimate control of the game, as the Lions would have to punt the ball back to Minnesota on their ensuing possession. Darnold couldn’t chain enough success together either, giving Detroit two minutes to advance the ball. Runs of 14 and 16 yards by Gibbs, and another 14-yard pass to St. Brown set the game winner up perfectly. Jake Bates nailed the 44-yard attempt, giving the Lions a 31-29 win, and possession of the lead in a resurgent NFC North. 

MVP OF THE WEEK: Saquon Barkley

The life of the British NFL fan is one of constant sleep deprivation. Monday mornings in the fall and winter are a real slog, as you’ve inevitably stayed up too late to catch the first quarter of Sunday Night Football. John Mara is probably feeling the same way this morning. The clip of Mara saying ‘he’d have a tough time sleeping’ if Saquon Barkley ends up in Philadelphia is doing the rounds again on social media, as the ‘Quad God’ gashed his former employers repeatedly on Sunday. The Eagles would best their division rivals 28-3 off the back of the star running back’s 176 rushing yards. 

Barkley repeatedly said he didn’t view the matchup as a ‘revenge game’ in the week prior, but he certainly played with the ferocity of a man scorned. He showed both big play potential, ripping off dashes of 55 and 38 yards, as well as tenacity between the tackles on a three-yard scoring plunge. Barkley’s 761 yards from scrimmage this season are the most by a player in his first six games for a new team since a certain Saquon Barkley amassed 801 yards in the same time frame as a New York Giant in 2018. 

WINNERS & LOSERS 

Winner: Kliff Kingsbury
Given the clock management calamities, relationship breakdowns and living room related memes that dogged the end of Kliff Kingsbury’s tenure in Arizona, it’s easy to forget how highly rated Washington’s OC was earlier in his career. A certified quarterback whisperer, who’d worked closely with studs like Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, a schemer with a clear philosophy based on RPOs and simple passing concepts that got the best out of his signal callers. When Jayden Daniels took a shot to the ribs on Sunday, Commanders fans were probably cursing their luck. Here’s the rookie star who’d breathed life into their moribund franchise in considerable pain, with Marcus Mariota taking the field. No bother, Kingsbury’s plan was still good enough to torch an admittedly awful Carolina Panthers defense for 33 points and 400 yards. Mariota looked perfectly comfortable in this scheme and while, he might lack the supreme physical gifts of Daniels, he’s more than capable of steering the ship under Kingsbury’s tutelage. 

Loser: Brock Purdy
Speaking to journalists following his team’s 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said: “We didn’t do anything really good on offense. I know [Brock Purdy] he’d love to have all three of those picks back. Brock’s been playing unbelievable this year. He’s done some good things on offense this year but today wasn’t that day.” While the inane chatter about Brock Purdy’s credentials as a starting QB largely abated last season, he remains an easy target of blame for the Niners faltering offense. Week 7 was easily the Iowa State alum’s worst game of the season. Both his second and third pick were inexcusable, especially with the final interception coming deep in Chiefs territory during a fourth quarter comeback attempt. Put in the context of injuries to the Niners’ three starting receivers, an ejection for star left tackle Trent Williams and the continued excellence of Steve Spagnoulo’s defense, and it’s likely just a blip for Purdy. However, when Patrick Mahomes was able to overcome two picks of his own, and again find a way to secure the win, narratives about the Niners and their quarterback’s inability to win the biggest games will inevitably spring up. How might this perception affect Purdy’s position when it comes to negotiating his contract in the offseason? 

Winners: Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson
So often a safe haven for the Jaguars over the years, there was deep concern that this year’s trip to London could be programme ending. Doug Pederson made a number of worrying comments about the team’s culture after the Jags’ Week 6 loss to the Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so much so you began to worry if his team was even bothered about backing up their coach at Wembley on Sunday. An initial 10-0 deficit against the Pats sounded alarm bells, but both Pederson and Trevor Lawrence can feel some respite as they head back to Duval County. Lawrence marshalled the offense with little fuss, leading the Jags to 25 straight points in the second and third quarters. Tank Bigsby again impressed on the ground, amassing 116 yards and two scores. That said, the next four weeks will be a testing slate for the Jags, as they travel to Green Bay and Minnesota, as well as hosting the Lions and Eagles. While the temperature on Pederson’s seat may have been turned down momentarily, it could still reach intolerable heat by the end of November.

Losers: The Cleveland Browns’ organisation
Where to start with this mess? Let’s work backwards. On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns fans cheered when their starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was carried from the field with a suspected Achilles injury. That perturbed star defensive end Myles Garratt, who described Watson as a ‘model citizen’. It’s worth repeating that Watson has had 24 civil cases relating to accusations of sexual assault levied against him in the past few years. The Browns’ offense is last in yards-per-game. It is scoring 15.6 points per game, the fourth worst tally in the league. Deshaun Watson is 31st rated quarterback in EPA per play, and 32nd in success rate per TruMedia. He has only one game this season with two passing touchdowns. Joe Flacco, who was run out of town to placate Watson, has eight straight games with two or more passing scores. To have Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking snaps in relief of Watson instead of Flacco, or even Jameis Winston, is organisational malpractice. Of course the Browns fans should cheer. Watson is their ineptitude writ large. Schadenfreude is all they have left at the Factory of Sadness. 

Winner: Mike Tomlin
Sunday night was a much needed reminder for football fans everywhere. As much as we love to second guess coaching decisions, the 32 men leading NFL franchises know more about this sport than we ever will. In Mike Tomlin’s case, a Super Bowl-winning coach without a losing season in 17 years as a head coach, we absolutely should give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, this guy’s got winning records out of Duck Hodges, Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett. When he surveyed Justin Fields’ patchy play over the past few weeks, he was able to look past the obfuscating rushing touchdowns, and see his offense needed a veteran’s touch. Not only that, Russell Wilson’s famed deep ball could finally be the key to unlocking the undoubtedly talented, but perma-frustrated, George Pickens. The young wideout caught two passes of 35+ yards, and scored his first touchdown of the season last night. Russ finished Sunday night’s win over the Jets with two touchdowns, and 266 yards through the air. If Wilson can keep firing off those moonshots, protect the ball (he ended with zero turnovers), and avoid the rush at a rate close to his Seahawks best (he took one sack against the Jets) then he should be the perfect compliment to the Steelers’ punishing defensive front. At 5-2, you’d fancy Pittsburgh to continue Tomlin’s streak of winning seasons, and possibly cause a few headaches in the postseason to boot. 

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Parker Washington’s 97-yard return was both the first punt returned for a touchdown and longest scoring play in International Series history.
• There have been 57 one-score games in the NFL this season. That’s tied for the most ever through seven weeks.
• Jared Goff’s statline of 22 for 25 with 280 yards and two touchdowns netted him a 140 passer rating against the Vikings. Goff is the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record three straight games with a 140+ rating.
• Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams recorded 76 yards and two scores on the ground in his team’s 20-15 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Williams has scored a rushing touchdown in nine straight games, which is tied for the fourth longest streak of all time.
• With his two rushing touchdowns against the Giants, Jalen Hurts now sits third all-time for ground scores by quarterbacks. It’s the thirteenth time he’s scored multiple rushing touchdowns in a game, the most in league history.
• Brock Bowers’ 477 receiving yards through the first seven games is the third highest for a tight end in league history. Only Kyle Pitts and Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka have tallied more.