Key takeaways and analysis from Week 7 in the NFL

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Ravens take flight Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / Getty

A new Super Bowl contender has officially entered the chat.

This Ravens team's ceiling should've been obvious to all in the preseason. With one of the game's most electrifying quarterbacks finally getting some support on offense, and the defense quietly returning to the league's elite, all the pieces seemed to be in place.

But a frustrating start prompted some concern as to whether this group would ever put it all together. Promising drives would too often come up short, and all Baltimore had to show for its investment in the receiver position was one untimely drop after another.

No longer. Sunday's 38-6 win over the suddenly potent Lions demonstrated everything the Ravens can be. When things are clicking, that may well be the class of the NFL.

Lamar Jackson finally got some help from his receivers, and the result was his most dominant performance in the last two years. The former MVP completed 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 36 yards and one score on the ground. As right tackle Morgan Moses said of his star quarterback after the win: "It's a video game."

While Lamar's supporting cast could always revert back to the unit we saw over the first six weeks of the season, this new-look offense - in terms of both scheme and personnel - likely just needed reps to put it all together. That should be a scary thought for the rest of the league.

Not to be outdone, Baltimore's defense was somehow every bit as good in the stunning blowout. Remember: This is a Detroit offense that entered this week ranked third in total yards, fourth in scoring, fifth in EPA/play, and seventh in success rate, according to Ben Baldwin's database. The Lions also topped Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking ratings through the first six weeks.

That's not quite the way they looked against the Ravens. In a performance that should cement his status among the NFL's top head coaching candidates, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald had the Lions clamped in every facet of the game. Most notably, the Ravens had eight defenders recording multiple pressures, with Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh notching five each, according to Next Gen Stats.

Teams with this much juice on both sides of the ball simply don't come around all that often. Could this finally be Baltimore's year?

Major Bills letdown Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

This wagon has a flat tire.

Sunday's loss to the spiraling Patriots dropped the Bills to an underwhelming 4-3 on the year and, more importantly, highlighted some major issues with the current state of this team. For the first time in years, there's real reason for concern in Buffalo.

Most importantly, injury issues are really starting to take their toll on the defensive side. This unit, unsurprisingly, isn't the same without a pair of Pro Bowl talents in Matt Milano and Tre'Davious White. With star defensive tackle Ed Oliver also out of action this week, the Bills were helpless against one of the league's worst scoring attacks.

It's tough to imagine a more alarming result for a typically stout defense than allowing this version of Mac Jones, in this version of the Patriots' offense, to complete 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

The Bills' offense was largely fine, aside from the one brutal Josh Allen turnover, but the margin for error is just so much smaller if the defense is this undermanned. Rather than having backup for some high-variance play, everything could now fall on the shoulders of the Bills' offense. That's no recipe for success.

Might this lead to the Bills getting aggressive at the deadline? Whether it's additions at linebacker and/or corner to replace Milano and White, or perhaps a weapon to raise the floor on offense, a few reinforcements would go a long way toward restoring the team's ceiling.

As things stand, the once sky-high potential seems to be fading.

It's bad in Green Bay Dustin Bradford / Getty Images Sport / Getty

I'm here to apologize for getting caught up in some Week 1 excitement.

Jordan Love certainly looked the part in the opener, leading Green Bay to a big win and seemingly opening the door for the Packers to somehow enjoy yet another seamless franchise quarterback transition.

Six weeks later, any such ideas can probably be put on hold. Love's play has progressively trended in the wrong direction, with a three-interception performance in a Monday night defeat representing rock bottom. Then came Sunday's loss to the Broncos.

While a bye week to reset and prepare for an all-time bad Denver defense seemed the perfect get-right opportunity, the bad times only continued for Green Bay. The Packers were somehow held scoreless in the first half, with Love managing a mere 47 yards.

The second half was a notable improvement, as Love led three straight scoring drives for a late lead, but the damage had already been done. Denver only needed a field goal to jump back in front with minutes to play, and Love was intercepted on a desperation deep ball on the following drive to seal the game.

It's probably not the hottest take to suggest that this Packers team, despite some initial optimism for the post-Aaron Rodgers era, isn't going anywhere. With that in mind, the rest of this season should be about evaluating Love for the future.

While the former first-round pick did sign a new deal before this season, it's nothing that'd keep Green Bay from moving on if, say, it ended up in a position to draft a new quarterback.

That's very much on the table based on what we've seen, and haven't seen, from the Packers thus far.

Quick slants

A.J. Brown rules

Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Eagles' big win over the Dolphins on Sunday night once again brings us back to one of the best draft trades in recent memory. Howie Roseman getting Brown from the Titans in exchange for the No. 18 and No. 101 picks during the first round in 2022 will always be the move that pushed this juggernaut over the top. And Brown just keeps getting better. He led Philly to its biggest win of the season with his fifth straight 125-yard performance, tying Calvin Johnson and Pat Studstill for the longest streaks in NFL history. Players over picks, always.

Garrett is unstoppable

I have no idea who's winning Defensive Player of the Year since counting stats tend to be the leading factor in accolades. But this one isn't even close based on the eye test - Myles Garrett has been in a class of his own. The all-world pass-rusher was unblockable in the Browns' win over the Colts, recording two strip sacks (including one that was recovered for a TD), and a superhuman effort to block a kick. Just give him the award now.

Josh McDaniels ain't it

Here's a quick look at Josh McDaniels' accomplishments during his brief time in Las Vegas:

• Lost to the Colts in Jeff Saturday's coaching debut
• Lost to the Rams despite starting QB Baker Mayfield being with the team for just two days
• Lost to the 1-5 Bears and an undrafted free-agent QB making his first career start

I was all for McDaniels getting another shot as a head coach so far removed from his disaster stint in Denver, but what else is there to see here? It's fair to wonder how much longer Mark Davis is going to put up with the regular embarrassment.

A costly decision

Chase Young has been a logical trade candidate ahead of next week's deadline, but it didn't have to be this way. Washington curiously declined the former No. 2 pick's fifth-year option this spring, making this season his contract year. Young is making that decision look foolish now that he's healthy, with another two sacks in Week 7 giving him five in five games this year. Losing such a talented player just as he gets some better injury luck and starts to turn the corner is less than ideal.

Giants better with Tyrod?

Nobody here will make the case that Daniel Jones is worse than Tyrod Taylor (at least not yet). But the passing game sure seems to operate better with the latter under center. Taylor completed 18 of 29 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns in a crucial win over Washington on Sunday. Also of note: Darren Waller had a season-high 98 receiving yards and his first touchdown of the year. The Giants have to make it work with Jones, but they shouldn't be rushing him back from his neck injury.

Bagent shows he belongs

Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Raiders deserve criticism for their pathetic effort, but that should take nothing away from Tyson Bagent's impressive debut for the Bears. The undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd looked remarkably comfortable in his first extended regular-season action. He demonstrated poise in the pocket, sound decision-making, and the ability to extend plays with his legs. At the very least, Chicago appears to have found an interesting backup prospect.

Hope for the Colts

A 39-38 loss to the Browns will feel like a blown opportunity for the Colts. When the sting of defeat wears off, though, Indy fans should have no trouble seeing the positives. Gardner Minshew and the Colts' offense gave a historically good Browns defense all it could handle, which is an extremely positive sign for the system now in place under Shane Steichen. Add in a healthy Anthony Richardson next year, along with some improved offensive weapons, and this unit could be primed to take off.

Sam's Sack Tracker

Welcome back to your weekly update on Sam Howell's pursuit of history. After taking another six sacks against a Giants defense that entered this week with a mere five on the season, the Commanders quarterback finds himself on pace for 97 sacks on the year. That'd be 21 more than current record-holder David Carr took back in 2002. Howell's flashes of playmaking ability are still giving him some value, but his pocket presence is incredibly concerning.

Does anyone want the NFC South?

New year, same story. To no one's surprise, not a single NFC South team appears all that interested in taking control of the division. The Saints' offensive issues - and the terrible returns on the Derek Carr signing, in particular - were on full display Thursday night. It was the Falcons' turn Sunday, and their tendency to shoot themselves in the foot overshadowed a walk-off win over the Bucs. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to this fantastically mediocre division.

AFC West secured

It's not too often that a division is decided before we get to November, but that's the case with the AFC West. The Chargers are once again a disappointment, the Broncos have been a dumpster fire under Sean Payton, and the Raiders are, well, the Raiders. The Chiefs' offense finally took off in Sunday's win over the Chargers, leaving little doubt that an eighth straight division title is in the cards. Travis Kelce hauled in 179 of Patrick Mahomes' 424 passing yards on the day as Kansas City put together its most impressive offensive effort of the year.

Stat of the week

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have connected on their last 28 targets dating back to Week 5.

The odds of the duo completing every one of the 28 targets based on the completion probability of each attempt?

0.03% (1 in 3,000)

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- Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 22, 2023

MNF lookahead

49ers vs. Vikings

The Vikings haven't had as much luck with one-score games this year. In fact, it's swung so far in the other direction that a 2-4 record probably makes them seem worse than they actually are. The season is quickly getting away from them, though, and a prime-time matchup with the 49ers doesn't make things any easier. San Francisco has a clear advantage on both sides of the ball, particularly with the Vikings still missing Justin Jefferson. A fifth loss should send Minnesota into fire-sale mode ahead of next week's trade deadline.

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