NFL 2023 Week 7 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. Week 7 brought us some crazy storylines, a shootout in Indianapolis, a blowout in Baltimore, a defensive battle in Tampa, and a battle in Minnesota. All those games and more in this week's recap post! Let's get to work!

NFL Week 7 Freaky Stat

The Patriots win over the Bills was head coach Bill Belichick's 300th win as a head coach. Only Don Shula and George Halas have more wins than Belichick. 

NFL Week 7 Recap

Jacksonville 31, New Orleans 24: TW: Jaguars; CV: Saints

A late Saints surge gets staved off by Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence hit 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk. The Kirk touchdown culminated in a two-play, 46-yard drive where Kirk ran for the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown that eventually gave the Jaguars a 31-24 win. Lawrence was also the leading rusher with 59 yards rushing. There was some questions on whether or not Trevor Lawrence's ankle was healthy enough for the former Clemson quarterback to play in. Safe to say he looked alright. Travis Etienne would provide most of the grunt work as he rushed for 53 yards for two touchdowns. Christian Kirk's touchdown was somewhat of a redemption as earlier in the game he fumbled on a pass thrown to him which the Saints recovered. In the end, the Jaguars racked up 330 total yards of offense. Derek Carr would get used a lot in this game. The quarterback threw 33 of 55 passes for 301 yards with a touchdown pass to Michael Thomas in the 4th quarter. Carr unfortunately tossed an interception that was picked off by Foye Oluokun that lead to a pick-six that gave the Jags some boost in points. Alvin Kamara rushed for 62 yards in the game on 17 carries as well as getting 91 receiving yards. Taysom Hill would see the end zone while getting 18 yards rushing. New Orleans offense got off to a slow start but did get a respectable 407 total yards of offense. They would go 1 for 3 in goal-to-go situations. For the Jaguars, they improve to 5-2 and will likely maintain some cushion in the AFC South. For the Saints, they drop to 3-4 in 3rd place in the wild NFC South. 

Next week:
Jacksonville: @ Pittsburgh
New Orleans: @ Indianapolis

TW: 1-0; CV: 0-1

Atlanta 16, Tampa Bay 13: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers

Younghoe Koo comes in the clutch yet again for the Falcons. Desmond Ridder was efficient in the game with 19 of 25 passes for 250 yards with no touchdowns but didn't toss an interception either. Ridder would score the only touchdown for the Falcons on the 2-yard line that gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Ridder finished with 38 yards rushing. Tyler Allgeier rushed for 59 yards rushing. Cordarrelle Patterson had 56 yards rushing in the game. While the Falcons didn't throw an interception in the game but they did give up the football via fumble three times. They finished with 401 yards of offensive ball in this game. Baker Mayfield hit 27 of 42 passes for 275 yards with a touchdown pass to Mike Evans while Mayfield also tossed an interception. The Mike Evans play came on a 2nd and 10 play on the Atlanta 40-yard line for a 40-yard connection. Rashaad White rushed for 34 yards while Mayfield rushed for 32 yards, including a 31-yard run. Mike Evans caught six balls for 82 yards. Tampa got 329 total yards out of their offense. Both teams had trouble finding the endzone as the Falcons went 1 for 5 in redzone and goal to go situations and the Buccaneers went 0 for 2 in redzone and goal to goal situations. For the Falcons, they get to 4-3 and have sole possession of 1st place in the wild NFC South. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 3-3 and lose their 3rd game in the last four games. 

Next week:
Atlanta: @ Tennessee
Tampa Bay: @ Buffalo (Thursday night)

TW: 1-1; CV: 0-2

Buffalo 25, New England 29: TW: Bills; CV: Bills

The Patriots three-game losing streak ends as they topple the Bills juggernaut. Josh Allen had his trying moments in this game as he hit 27 of 41 passes for 265 yards with two touchdown passes to Stefon Diggs and James Cook. Allen also tossed an interception that was grabbed by Jabrill Peppers that lead to the Patriots first offensive touchdown. It was their first points off of a turnover this season. Josh Allen would also see the endzone in a tush push play that gave the Bills a temporary lead. The Bills would let loose James Cook with 56 yards rushing. On Tight Ends Day the Bills gave Dalton Kincaid eight catches for 75 yards. Buffalo's offense once again had a slow start but would make it a game in the 2nd half, finishing the game with 339 total yards. Mac Jones would have his finest game thus far with 25 of 30 passes completed for 272 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kendrick Bourne caught a pass for a touchdown while getting five other catches for 63 yards. Tight end Mike Gesicki caught the other Mac Jones touchdown that ends up being the game-winning one. Rhamondre Stevenson had 34 yards rushing. Ezekiel Elliott would see the endzone on the Patriots first points off a turnover this season on a 2-yard run up the middle. New England's offense got off to a good start, something that they were lacking for a majority of the season, and kept scoring to put up 364 total yards of offense. For the Bills, they drop to 4-3 with the Dolphins getting some cushion in the AFC East. For the Patriots, they get back on a winning column with a 2-5 record. 

Next week:
Buffalo: vs Tampa Bay (Thursday night)
New England: @ Miami

TW: 1-2; CV: 0-3

Cleveland 39, Indianapolis 38: TW: Colts; CV: Colts 

Four total touchdowns from Gardner Minshew would not be enough against the Browns. DeShaun Watson would start in this game but one complete 1 of 5 passes for five yards with an interception. He would leave the game with a concussion. PJ Walker would step in and provide 15 of 32 passes for 178 yards with an interception. Cleveland's running game would provide the scoring. Jerome Ford continues his season with 74 yards rushing with a touchdown that went for 69 yards (nice). The touchdown was the Browns first touchdown on their first drive. Kareem Hunt was the star for the Browns as he scored twice while getting 31 yards rushing. Pierre Strong Jr. had 25 yards rushing. The Browns defense would get a fumble six on a Minshew fumble that was forced by Myles Garrett and recovered by Tony Fields II for a 5-yard score. Dustin Hopkins did the grunt work as he went 4 for 4 on field goals, including a 58-yard attempt. Gardner Minshew hit 15 of 23 passes for 305 yards with two touchdowns but also tossed an interception. The first touchdown came to Josh Downs touchdown came on a 59-yard play that went to the right side of the field. The second touchdown came to Michael Pittman on a 75-yard short pass that the wide out caught and got that Yards After Catch yards to big proportions. Jonathan Taylor scored his first touchdown on the season on a 5-yard play while getting 75 yards rushing on 18 carries. Gardner Minshew had 29 yards rushing while seeing the endzone twice on a 17-yard and 4-yard plays. The total yards for both teams seemed to not match the scoreboard as the Browns got 316 total yards while the Colts got 456 total yards from their offense. For the Browns, they get to 4-2 to keep pace with the Ravens in the AFC North. For the Colts, they drop to 3-4 on the season with some lost pace against the Jaguars in the AFC South. 

Next week:
Cleveland: @ Seattle
Indianapolis: vs New Orleans

TW: 1-3; CV: 0-4 

Detroit 6, Baltimore 38: TW: Lions; CV: Lions

Lamar Jackson's four total touchdowns keeps the Ravens atop against the red-hot Lions. Jared Goff hit 33 of 53 passes for 284 yards with an interception. Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 68 yards rushing with the Lions lone touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 balls for 102 receiving yards in the game. The normally powerful Lions offense would either punt the ball or turn the ball over by downs on the Lions first seven drives. Detroit got 337 total yards of offense while getting 29:38 of possession time. Lamar Jackson was on fire in this game as he hit 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for 36 yards with a touchdown run. On National Tight Ends Day, Mark Andrews contributed to the holiday with four catches for 63 yards receiving while seeing the endzone two times. Nelson Agholor caught one ball for 12 yards. Gus Edwards rushed for 64 yards with a touchdown as well. Justice Hill got 46 yards rushing as well. The Ravens offense put up 503 total yards in the game with 146 rushing yards of the team. The 28 of the Ravens 38 points came in the first half. For the Lions, their four-game winning streak comes to an end but have a 5-2 record to look forward to. For the Ravens, they improve to 5-2 with 1st place in the AFC North. 

Next week:
Detroit: vs Las Vegas (Monday night)

Baltimore: @ Arizona

TW: 1-4; CV: 0-5

Las Vegas 12, Chicago 30: TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders

Tyson Bagent helps the Bears get their 2nd win of the season. Brian Hoyer started for the Raiders but didn't have a good game as he hit 17 of 32 passes for 129 yards and two interceptions. Aidan O'Connell would get some playtime as he hit 10 of 13 passes for 75 yards with a touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers but also tossed an interception. The Jakobi Meyers touchdown came on a short pass to the right for a 9-yard score that came to the 30-12 result as they missed the ensuing 2-point conversion. Josh Jacobs had 35 yards rushing on 11 carries. Turnovers played a huge factor in the game as the Raiders tossed three interceptions that led to Bears scores. Las Vegas' offense had 235 total yards. Tyson Bagent had a better game this week as he hit 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown pass to D'Onta Foreman. Foreman would also get two touchdown runs while racking up 89 yards rushing. Darrynton Evans had 48 yards rushing on 14 carries. Chicago's offense would be without Justin Fields but did put up a respectable 323 total yards in the game while giving up the football zero times. For the Raiders, they drop to 3-4 as they fall back to below .500 football. For the Bears, they improve to 2-5 as they give the Soldier Field faithful something to cheer about. 

Next week:

Las Vegas: @ Detroit (Monday night)
Chicago: @ LA Chargers (Sunday night)

TW: 1-5; CV: 0-6

Washington 7, NY Giants 14: TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders

A classic NFC East battle. Sam Howell hit 22 of 42 passes for 249 yards with an interception. The interception was caught by Deonte Banks of the Giants. Brian Robinson had 23 yards rushing with the Commanders lone touchdown. The touchdown was from a 4-yard play which Robinson went to the left and saw the endzone. Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 31 yards on seven carries. Tyrod Taylor hit 18 of 29 passes for 279 yards with two touchdowns to Darren Waller and to Saquon Barkley. Waller contributed to National Tight Ends Day with seven catches for 98 yards. The Saquon Barkley score would see him score on the play and then rush to the bench to catch a breath. He would need one as he hit 77 yards rushing on 21 carries. Washington had 273 total yards while New York had 356 total yards in the game. Defensive football reigned supreme as both teams combined for 6 for 31 on 3rd down conversions. For the Commanders, they drop to 3-4 as they get their fourth loss in the last five games since starting 2-0. For the Giants, their four-game losing streak ends as they improve to 2-5. 

Next week:
Washington: vs Philadelphia

NY Giants: vs NY Jets

TW: 1-6; CV: 0-7

Arizona 10, Seattle 20: TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks

Two touchdown passes from Geno Smith pave the way in the Emerald City. Joshua Dobbs hit 19 of 33 passes for 146 yards with zero touchdowns or zero interceptions with a touchdown run while racking up 43 yards rushing to finish the game. Emari Demercado rushed for 58 yards with 13 carries in the game. The Cardinals offense got 249 total yards with them getting 127 net rushing yards. They went 5 for 15 on 3rd down conversions while going 0 for 3 in 4th down conversions. They would do all of their scoring during the first half. They would go 51 yards but that resulted in turnover on downs. After the 2nd half, they wouldn't sustain a drive that went more than 20 yards. Geno Smith hit 18 of 24 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns but also tossed an interception. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo were the players that caught the passes from Smith. Kenneth Walker would get a 100-yard rushing game as he finished with 105 rushing yards on 26 carries with a 25-yard run being his longest in the game. Seattle would give up three turnovers including the interception but also forced and recovered two fumbles. Fortunately, the Cardinals could not do much with scoring on those turnovers. Seattle got 318 total yards from the offense with 115 rushing yards. For the Cardinals, they drop to 1-6 as they are currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak. For the Seahawks, they improve to 4-2 and keep pace with the 49ers in the NFC West. 

Next week: 
Arizona: vs Baltimore
Seattle: vs Cleveland

TW: 2-6; CV: 1-7

Pittsburgh 24, LA Rams 17: TW: Steelers; CV: Rams

A Steelers surge in the 4th quarter leads them to victory. Kenny Pickett hit 17 of 25 passes for 230 yards with a touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Pittsburgh's running game would come out firing. Najee Harris rushed for 53 yards with a touchdown run that gave the Steelers the lead. The Steelers scoring in the 4th quarter started on a high-adrenaline run from Jaylen Warren from the Rams 13-yard line and finished with 32 yards rushing. George Pickens caught five balls for 107 yards. Matthew Stafford hit 14 of 29 passes for 231 yards with a touchdown to Tutu Atwell but also tossed an interception that was caught by TJ Watt. The Watt interception lead to the Pickett dive for the touchdown. Royce Freeman rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries. Darnell Henderson would return for this game and rushed for 61 yards with a touchdown run on 18 carries. Both teams were efficient on offense as both teams were perfect on redzone and goal to go situations. The biggest play of the game came on a questionable spot on a Kenny Pickett tush push play on a 4th down and 1 play. Pittsburgh had a even 300 total yards of offense while the Rams got 354 total yards from their offense. For the Steelers, they improve to 4-2 and keep pace with the Ravens and Browns in the AFC North. For the Rams, they drop to 3-4 with fading hopes of a winning season in their midst. 

Next week:
Pittsburgh: vs Jacksonville
LA Rams: @ Dallas

TW: 3-6; CV: 1-8

Green Bay 17, Denver 19: TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos

A Jordan Love interception seals the victory in Mile High. Jordan Love hit 21 of 31 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns but also had an interception that resulted in the last Packers drive in the game. The interception was caught by PJ Locke on a 3rd down and 20 play. It looked to be a forced ball that didn't need to be. AJ Dillon rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries. Aaron Jones rushed for 35 yards on eight carries. It was a slow start for the Packers as they wouldn't get on the board until Anders Carlson hit a 29-yard field goal with 10:28 left in the 3rd quarter. They would miss a field goal, punt three times while ending a half in the 1st half. Russell Wilson hit 20 of 29 passes for 194 yards with a touchdown pass to Cortland Sutton in the 3rd quarter. He would not toss an interception in the game so that's cool I guess. Javonte Williams rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. Wil Lutz hit 4 for 4 on field goals that gave the total point count for the Broncos to 19. It was a mixed bag of results for the Broncos offense as they would only punt three times during the whole game. For total yards the two teams were similar as the Packers got 331 total yards of offense while the Broncos had 339 total yards of offense. For the Packers, they drop to 2-4 on the 2023 season as they are seeing the basement of the NFC North. For the Broncos, they move to 2-5 as they snap a two-game losing streak and get their 2nd win in the last five games. 

Next week:
Green Bay: vs Minnesota
Denver: vs Kansas City

TW: 4-6; CV: 2-8

LA Chargers 17, Kansas City 31: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

Travis Kelce did the most contributing on this National Tight Ends Day. Justin Herbert hit 17 of 30 passes for 259 yards with a touchdown pass to Gerald Everett as he did some contributing to the holiday. Herbert wouldn't contribute a whole lot to the cause as he tossed two interceptions to Chiefs Ljarius Sneed and Bryan Cook. Joshua Kelley had a good day as he rushed for 75 yards with a touchdown. The touchdown was scored on a 49-yard run in the 2nd quarter that tied the game at 10. The Chargers got 358 total yards of offense. They would not score a point in the 2nd half. Patrick Mahomes hit 32 of 42 passes for 424 yards with four touchdown passes with an interception. Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rasheed Rice and Isiah Pacheco were the players that caught those passes from Mahomes. Travis Kelce did the most damage as he had 179 of those 424 yards as he could make his case as being the best tight end in the NFL. Isiah Pacheco had 32 rushing yards on 13 carries. Safe to say that Taylor Swift was once again at Arrowhead and included Brittany Mahomes in a celebration dance. Kansas City had one of their best offensive performances of the season as they racked up 483 total yards in the game. For the Chargers, they drop a huge division game as they drop to 2-4 with the Broncos sneaking up behind them. For the Chiefs, they improve to an AFC best 6-1 record with a nice cushion in the AFC West. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: vs Chicago (Sunday night)
Kansas City: @ Denver

TW: 5-6; CV: 3-8

Miami 17, Philadelphia 31: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

The Eagles Kelly Green uniforms though. Tua Tagovailoa threw 23 of 32 passes for 216 yards with a touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill with 45 seconds left in the 2nd half that would decrease the Eagle lead to a 17-10 score. Raheem Mostert rushed for 45 yards on nine carries. Miami's defense would take a pick-six that was grabbed by Jerome Baker that gave the Dolphins a 17-17 tie in the 3rd quarter. All in all, the Dolphins offense was quiet as they got only 244 total yards of offense. Jalen Hurts rebounded from a rough game against the Jets last week. He hit 23 of 31 passes for 279 yards with two touchdowns to AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert. He would also throw the aforementioned interception that was grabbed by Jerome Baker. Jalen Hurts would also do damage with his legs as he got into the endzone while getting 21 yards rushing. D'Andre Swift rushed for 62 yards. Kenneth Gainwell rushed for 16 yards with a touchdown run. AJ Brown finished with 10 catches for 137 yards. Dallas Goedert took part in the National Tight Ends Day with five catches for 77 yards with a touchdown. Philadelphia's offense would do some work as they got 355 total yards in the game. Philadelphia dominated in the time of possession category as the Eagles got 36:43 while the Dolphins got 23:17 of possession time. Interestingly, the Eagles would go perfect on 4th down conversions as they got through four times. For the Dolphins, they drop to 5-2 with the 2nd best record in the AFC. For the Eagles, they join the Chiefs with the best records in the NFL with 6-1. 

Next week:
Miami: vs New England
Philadelphia: @ Washington

TW: 5-7; CV: 3-9

San Francisco 17, Minnesota 22: TW: 49ers; CV: Vikings 

Two touchdowns and two interceptions lift the Vikings past the 49ers. Brock Purdy wasn't at his best in this game as he hit 21 of 30 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey and threw two interceptions to Camryn Bynum. Christian McCaffrey would also run into the endzone for a score while getting 45 rushing yards while putting up 51 receiving yards with the aforementioned touchdown. It might not have been National Tight Ends Day on Monday but the founder of the holiday George Kittle put up 78 receiving yards on five catches. San Francisco's offense got to 325 total yards. The turnovers played a role in their loss but I would imagine the game would've been different if Deebo Samuel played. Kirk Cousins, who usually does poorly in primetime games, did well enough. He hit 35 of 45 passes for 378 yards with two touchdown passes to Jordan Addison. Cousins would toss an interception to Chavarius Ward. Alexander Mattison would get some meager rushing yards as he hit 39 yards. Cam Akers had 31 rushing yards. TJ Hockenson did better in this game compared to his counterpart an contributed to 11 catches for 86 yards but I'm sure Hockenson paid homage to the founder of National Tight Ends Day. Jordan Addison had a game as he caught seven passes for 123 receiving yards. Minnesota had one of their better games on offense as they got to 452 total yards with 378 of them coming from the pass. For the 49ers, it is their 2nd straight loss as they drop to 5-2. For the Vikings, it is their 3rd win in the last four games as they get to 3-4.

Next week:
San Francisco: vs Cincinnati
Minnesota: @ Green Bay

TW: 5-8; CV: 4-9

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Total: 60-46

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Total: 65-41

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the Week 8 Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom