NFL 2024 Week 7 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was Week 7 brought us some interesting storylines. Such storylines like Sean Payton returning to New Orleans, a run fiesta in London, a "White Out" in Green Bay of sorts, a back-and-forth affair in Minnesota, a rematch in San Francisco and when it is all said and done, the Kansas City Chiefs are still the last undefeated team left in the NFL.

NFL Week 7 Freaky Stat

From 2006 to 2021 when Sean Payton coached the Saints, he only had two games where he lost at home by 20 points. The Saints achieved that mark in just two consecutive weeks. 

NFL Week 7 Recap

Denver 33, New Orleans 10

Pick: Broncos

Sean Payton's new team beats his old team in his return to New Orleans. Bo Nix had 16 of 26 passes completed for 164 yards. Nix the runner had 10 carries for 75 yards with a 32-yard run in the game being the longest run. He had no touchdowns or interceptions in the win. Javonte Williams was a force to be reckoned with in the game. He had 14 carries for 88 yards and scored two touchdowns from 8 and 5 yard plays. Troy Franklin had five catches for 50 yards in the game with a 30-yard play being the longest pass play. The defense took advantage of a Spencer Rattler fumble that was snagged by Cory Barton for a touchdown. Wil Lutz hit four field goals in the game for Denver. Denver had 389 total yards in the game. It was a no-contest as Denver held the only lead in the game. For the Broncos, they get out of the .500 column and enjoy a long rest at 4-3. 

Spencer Rattler hit 25 of 32 passes for 172 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass or an interception in the game except for the fumble previously mentioned. Needing a jump start, the Saints went with Jake Haener who threw 3 of 4 passes for 38 yards and a touchdown pass to Cedrick Wilson Jr. The Saints running game wouldn't do a whole lot in this one as Kendre Miller had six carries for 36 yards. Alvin Kamara had just seven carries for 10 yards. Cedrick Wilson Jr. had six catches for 57 yards in the game to be the Saints leading receiver. New Orleans had 271 total yards in the game. For the Saints, its their fifth-straight loss after going on a 2-0 start to start the year. 

Next week:

Denver: vs Carolina
New Orleans: @ LA Chargers

TW: 1-0

New England 16, Jacksonville 32

Pick: Patriots

The Jags run game run over the Pats in London. Drake Maye hit 26 of 37 passes for 276 yards with two touchdowns. The first touchdown went to Jamycal Hasty on the Patriots first drive of the game. It would be last touchdown for the Pats until the 4th quarter with a Joey Slye field goal that the Patriots scored in the 1st half. The 2nd touchdown went to KJ Osborn on a pass to a very tight window. A pass that veterans would hit. The Patriots run game would not get a lot of rushing yards in the game as both Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson both rushed for 18 yards respectively while Maye had 15 yards as a longest run. Hunter Henry was the leading receiver for the Patriots with eight catches for 92 yards. It was a long day for Ja'Lynn Polk as he was targeted three times for no catches. New England had 295 total yards in the game. The big thing in the game was the defense allowing 171 rushing yards. For the Patriots, they head back home with a 1-6 record. 

Trevor Lawrence hit 15 of 20 passes for 193 yards with a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. that was the first of three touchdowns the Jags scored in the 2nd quarter. Thomas Jr. was the leading receiver for the Jags with five catches for 89 yards and had a huge 58-yard big play. Tank Bigsby was the star in the game for the Jaguars who had 26 carries for 118 yards and scored two touchdowns from 1 and 4 yards.  The Jaguars had a special teams touchdown as Parker Washington took a punt return to the house for a 97-yard score. The longest punt return in Jaguars history. The key to the win was the run game as inside runs were the name of the game. One big drive the Jaguars had was from 11 minutes but unfortunately was a turnover on downs result. The Jaguars had 364 total yards in the game. For the Jaguars, they improve to 2-5 and head back home in the states. 

Next week:

New England: vs NY Jets
Jacksonville: vs Green Bay

TW: 1-1

Cincinnati 21, Cleveland 14

Pick: Bengals

The Battle of Ohio! Joe Burrow hit 15 of 25 passes for 181 yards with two touchdowns. Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase were the players that caught the passes from Burrow. Chase Brown had 15 carries for 44 yards in the game. Tee Higgins had four catches for 82 yards with a 25-yard play being the longest in the game for the Bengals. Cincinnati didn't have a lot of offensive yardage but they won regardless, they had 223 total yards in the game. The special teams of the Bengals had a boost in scoring as Charlie Jones had a 100-yard kick six in the opening kickoff. For the Bengals, they improve to 3-4 on the season, might have to keep on them if they can get going.

Cleveland had a trying day. DeShaun Watson hit 15 of 17 passes for 128 yards. He would not finish the game as he suffered an Achilles injury that results in a season-ending injury. Dorian Thompson-Robinson saw some play time but he hit 11 of 24 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions. Jameis Winston, the journeyman, hit 5 of 11 passes for 67 yards with a touchdown pass to David Njoku. Thompson-Robinson had three catches for 44 yards with a 34-yard run being the longest Browns play in the game. Nick Chubb made his return since Week 2 and had 11 carries for 22 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard play. Myles Garrett had a thing or two to say about fans booing Watson's injury. The Browns had 336 total yards in the game For the Browns, they drop to 1-6 on the season.

Next week:

Cincinnati: vs Philadelphia
Cleveland: vs Baltimore

TW: 2-1

Detroit 31, Minnesota 29

Pick: Lions

The Battle of the North in the Twin Cities. Jared Goff hit 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns. Amon Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond were the Lions that caught the two passes. Jahmyr Gibbs had 15 carries for 116 yards and had two touchdowns from 45 and 8 yard plays. Amon Ra St. Brown was the leading receiver for the Kitties with eight catches for 112 yards. Detroit had 391 total yards in the game. It was a game of leads as the Vikings had a 10-0 lead early but would regain the lead with a 28-17 margin but the Vikings would soar back to get to a 29-28 lead. Jake Bates would hit the go-ahead field goal from 44 yards to give the Lions the final lead of the game. For the Lions, they get to 5-1 and now have a 1st place lead in the NFC North.

Sam Darnold hit 22 of 27 passes for 259 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The touchdown pass went to obviously Justin Jefferson. Aaron Jones who was questionable for this game, had a 34-yard run that ended in him in the endzone for a touchdown. He had 14 carries for 93 yards in the game. Justin Jefferson had seven catches for 81 yards to be the leading receiver for the Vikings. Ivan Pace Jr. had a huge role in the game as he recovered a David Montgomery fumble for a touchdown on a 36-yard return. A big thing for the game was a missed opportunity to go up by three points but a failed two-point conversion happened that would keep the Lions in a possession range. For the Vikings, their undefeated bid ends as they drop to 5-1.

Next week:

Detroit: vs Tennessee
Minnesota: @ LA Rams (Thursday night)

TW: 3-1

Houston 22, Green Bay 24

Pick: Packers

Love-Stroud did not disappoint. CJ Stroud hit 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards in the game. A quiet day for him. Joe Mixon carried the ball 25 times for 115 yards with two touchdowns from 4 and 2 yard plays. Mixon had a 32-yard play that was the longest gain for the Texans in the game. Dalton Schultz had one catch for 28 yards and was the leading receiver for the Texans. Kaimi Fairbairn hit three field goals in the game for Houston. The biggest thing for the Texans was obviously the low output of passing yards. They also had an interception that their defense had but would not capitalize on it with a touchdown but with a field goal. Houston had 197 yards of offense in the game. For the Texans, they drop to 5-2 for the season.

Jordan Love hit 24 of 33 passes for 220 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Dontayvion Wicks, Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs were the Packers that caught the passes from Love. The first interception happened in the 1st quarter but would result in a Texans field goal. Romeo Doubs had eight catches for 94 yards in the game. Josh Jacobs had 12 carries for 76 yards in the game. The longest play for the Pack was a 30-yard pass play to Wicks. Green Bay had 277 total yards in the game. Brandon McManus would hit the game-winning field goal from 45 yards as time expired. McManus was picked up by the Packers this week. For the Packers, they get to 5-2 on the season.

Next week:

Houston: vs Indianapolis
Green Bay: @ Jacksonville

TW: 4-1

Miami 10, Indianapolis 16

Pick: Colts

Anthony Richardson returns against Miami. Tyler Huntley hit 7 of 13 passes for 87 yards with a touchdown to Jonnu Smith on the 2nd drive of the 1st quarter. Huntley would leave the game with an injury. Tim Boyle hit 8 of 13 passes for 74 yards. De'Von Achane had 15 carries for 77 yards in the run game. Jonnu Smith had seven catches for 96 yards for the Dolphins. Miami had 337 total yards in the game. The points weren't there for the Dolphins as ultimately points scored is the reason why you win games. For the Dolphins, they drop to 2-4 on the season.

Anthony Richardson made his return to the Colts, much to my shock. He hit 10 of 24 passes for 129 yards while rushing 14 times for 56 yards. Tyler Goodson had 14 carries for 51 yards with a touchdown to be the only score for the Colts. Michael Pittman had three catches for 63 yards in the game. Indianapolis had 284 total yards in the game. Only pitfall for the Colts was a fumble in the redzone. Can't have that sadly. For the Colts, they move up to above .500 with 4-3.

Next week:

Miami: vs Arizona
Indianapolis: @ Houston

TW: 5-1

Philadelphia 28, NY Giants 3

Pick: Eagles

Saquon Barkley makes his return to New Jersey. Jalen Hurts hit 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards with a touchdown and had seven carries for 22 yards with two touchdowns. The Hurts touchdown went to AJ Brown on a 41-yard play that gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead with the point after in the 2nd quarter. The star of the game was Saquon Barkley who had 17 carries for 176 yards with a touchdown. He had a 55-yard in the game but it wasn't a touchdown. Brown had five catches for 89 yards to be the leading receiver for the Eagles. Philly had 339 total yards in the game and most of the yardage was on the run. It was a revenge game for Barkley who played for the Giants in the previous five seasons. For the Eagles, they improve to 4-2 on the season.

Daniel Jones had 14 of 21 passes for 99 yards in the game. His backup Drew Lock didn't do much either with 3 of 8 passes for 6 yards. Tyrone Tracy Jr. had six carries for 23 yards. Malik Nabers made his return after dealing with an injury the previous two games. He had four catches for 41 yards with a 14-yard play being the longest gain for the Giants. The only points was a Greg Joseph field goal from 38 yards in the 2nd quarter. The Giants had 119 yards of offense in the game. For the Giants, they drop to 2-5 on the season.

Next week:

Philadelphia: @ Cincinnati
NY Giants: @ Pittsburgh (Monday night)

TW: 6-1

Seattle 34, Atlanta 14

Pick: Seahawks

The Battle of the Birds in Atlanta. Geno Smith hit 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns. The first went to DK Metcalf for a 31-yard play and the 2nd went to Kenneth Walker III for a 17-yard play. Jaxon Smith-Njigba played quarterback for a snap and hit a 35-yard play to Metcalf. Kenneth Walker III had 14 carries for 69 yards with a touchdown. DK Metcalf had four catches for 99 yards in the game. Seattle had 339 total yards in the game. A key to the game was how well the defense would handle the Falcons offense. The team had previously allowed 30+ points in quite a few games and even had a fumble-six that was recovered by Derick Hall for a score. They would handle the Falcons offense well. For the Seahawks, they improve to 4-3 on the season. 

Kirk Cousins had 24 of 35 passes for 232 total yards with a touchdown pass to Drake London but also had two interceptions in the game. Bijan Robinson had 21 carries for 103 yards with a touchdown and had a 26-yard gain both on the ground and receiving that was the longest for the Falcons. Kyle Pitts had seven catches for 65 yards in the game. Atlanta had 385 total yards in the game. The key obviously for the Falcons was to keep up the good momentum but the Cousins turnovers and the fumble cost the Falcons the game. For the Falcons, they drop to 4-3 as their 3-game winning streak ends. 

Next week:

Seattle: vs Buffalo
Atlanta: @ Tampa Bay

TW: 7-1

Tennessee 10, Buffalo 34

Pick: Bills

Buffalo manhandles the Titans. Mason Rudolph made his first start for the Titans in this game. He hit 25 of 40 passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nick Westbrook was the player that caught the pass from Rudolph for a touchdown. Along with the interception, the Titans also fumbled in the game. Tony Pollard had 16 carries for 61 yards in the game. Chigoziem Okonkwo was the leading receiver for the Titans had four catches for 50 yards. The Titans needed more production on offense and they kind of did get that result for the first three quarters. Tennessee had 289 total yards in the game and drop to 1-5 on the season.

Josh Allen hit 21 of 33 passes for 323 yards with two touchdowns. The first went to Ty Johnson and the 2nd went to his newest weapon in Amari Cooper. Cooper was acquired via trade from Cleveland. Ray Davis had five carries for 41 yards with a touchdown. James Cook had 12 carries for 32 yards with a touchdown. Keon Coleman had four catches for 125 yards with a 57-yard gain being the longest in the game. Buffalo had 389 total yards in the game. The trade for Cooper was kind of necessary in an effort to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC. It should be noted that they play the Chiefs at home on November 17th. For the Bills, they move up to 5-2 on the season.

Next week:

Tennessee: @ Detroit
Buffalo: @ Seattle

TW: 8-1

Carolina 7, Washington 40

Pick: Commanders

The Commanders win but it came at a cost. Andy Dalton hit 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards and two interceptions. He would get benched for Bryce Young. Young wouldn't do a whole lot as he had 2 of 2 passing for -4 yards. Yikes. Chuba Hubbard had the only touchdown in the game as he rushed for six on a 4-yard play. Hubbard had 17 carries for 52 yards in the game. Jatavion Sanders had six catches for 61 yards with a 29-yard play being the longest for him. Carolina had 180 yards of offense in the game. Safe to say that the defense and turnovers were the factors in this game. For the Panthers, they drop to 1-6 on the season.

Jayden Daniels had 2 of 2 passing for six yards and rushed for 50 yards on three carries with a 46-yard run being the longest in the game for Washington. He would not finish the game as he took a hit to the ribs and was enough for him to go back to the locker room for x-rays and was put on street clothes the rest of the game. Marcus Mariota, the journeyman, hit 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott were the players that received the passes from Mariota. Brian Robinson Jr. had 12 carries for 71 yards with a touchdown run. Terry McLaurin had six catches for 98 yards in the game. Washington, despite the loss of Daniels, had 421 total yards of offense in the game. Austin Seibert had four field goals in the game while getting a 49-yard field goal to go through the goal posts. For the Commanders, they keep pace with the Eagles in the NFC East race. 

Next week:

Carolina: @ Denver
Washington: vs Chicago

TW: 9-1

Las Vegas 15, LA Rams 20

Pick: Rams

A rough one in Inglewood for the Raiders. Aidan O'Connell hit started for the Raiders and hit 6 of 10 passes for 52 yards. He would leave the game with a broken thumb. His replacement was Gardner Minshew. Minshew didn't help the Raiders case as he hit 15 of 34 passes for 154 yards and three interceptions. Alexander Mattison had 23 carries for 92 yards in the loss. Brock Bowers had 10 catches for 93 yards. The scoring would come from Daniel Carlson who hit five of five field goals with a 47-yard attempt being the longest for him in the game. Las Vegas had 317 yards of offense. For the Raiders, they drop to 2-5 on the season.

Matthew Stafford hit 14 of 23 passes for 154 yards with an interception. Kyren Williams was the scoring machine for the Rams as he had 21 carries for 76 yards with two tuddies. Tyler Johnson had four catches for 57 yards with a 37-yard gain being the longest in the game for the Rams. Tutu Atwell had six catches for 51 yards. The Rams defense got a score on a Gardner Minshew sack which caused the ball to fumble and was recovered by Kam Curl for a 33-yard return for a score. Safe to say the Rams kept this game a close one than it should've but the Rams offense needed someone to step up with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua unavailable. Los Angeles had 259 total yards of offense. For the Rams, they improved to a 2-4 record.

Next week:

Las Vegas: vs Kansas City
LA Rams: vs Minnesota (Thursday night)

TW: 10-1

Kansas City 28, San Francisco 18

Pick: Chiefs

A rematch that ended up being in favor of the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes hit 16 of 27 passes for 154 yards with two interceptions. Mahomes the runner did better as he had five carries for 39 yards with a touchdown. He had a 33-yard run that was the longest run in his career. Kareem Hunt had 22 carries for 78 yards with two touchdowns. Noah Gray had four catches for 66 yards. Travis Kelce had four catches for 17 yards. Mecole Hardman had two carries for 38 yards with a touchdown. Kansas City had 329 total yards of offense in the game. The passing game wasn't there for the Chiefs as Patrick Mahomes has six touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. For the Chiefs, they keep the undefeated streak alive and keep a 12-game winning streak going (including the playoffs) at 6-0.

Brock Purdy would have a tough time as a passer in this game as well. Purdy hit 17 of 31 passes for 212 yards with three interceptions. Purdy the runner had eight carries for 27 yards with two touchdowns. Jordan Mason had 14 carries for 58 yards. George Kittle had six catches for 92 yards with a 41 yard play in the game. San Francisco had 310 total yards in the game. The miscues on offense and turnovers doomed the 49ers in the game as they kept this game close but imagine if they didn't have those turnovers. Brandon Aiyuk would play in the game but he is likely out with a possible ACL tear. The receiving corp was diminished as Jauan Jennings was out and Deebo Samuel as well. For the 49ers, they drop to 3-4 on the season and have yet to beat Patrick Mahomes.

Next week:

Kansas City: @ Las Vegas
San Francisco: vs Dallas (Sunday night)

TW: 11-1

NY Jets 15, Pittsburgh 37

Pick: Steelers

Steelers win big as the team celebrates the 50th anniversary team that won Super Bowl IX. Aaron Rodgers had a rough one as he hit 24 of 39 passes for 276 yards with a touchdown pass and had two interceptions. The touchdown pass went to Tyler Conklin. Breece Hall had 12 carries for 38 yards with a touchdown and had six catches for 103 yards. The 57 yard play was the longest play for the Jets as it was a Rodgers to Hall connection. Davante Adams, the recent acquisition from Las Vegas, had three catches for 30 yards. The Jets had two touchdowns with a two-point conversion in the 1st half. They would not score again in the 2nd half. The Jets had 323 total yards in the game. The offense was quiet in the 2nd half when they were supposed to be the biggest offense in the game coming into this season. At least better. For the Jets, they drop to 2-5 as their season is now slipping away.

Russell Wilson made his debut as a Steeler in this game. He hit 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. George Pickens caught the first touchdown and Van Jefferson caught the other touchdown. Wilson would also get a touchdown via running into the endzone. Najee Harris had a great day as he had 21 carries for 102 yards with a rushing touchdown of his own. George Pickens had five catches for 111 yards to be the leading receiver for the Steelers. Pittsburgh had 409 total yards in the game. They got off slow in the game but would heat up afterwards. For the Steelers, they improve to 5-2 to keep up the pressure against the Ravens in the wild AFC North race.

Next week:

NY Jets: @ New England
Pittsburgh: vs NY Giants (Monday night)

TW: 12-1

Baltimore 41, Tampa Bay 31

Pick: Ravens

A wild one in Tampa Bay. Lamar Jackson hit 17 of 22 passes for 281 yards with five touchdown passes. Tying a franchise single-game record. Derrick Henry caught one, Rashod Bateman caught one, Justice Hill caught one and Mark Andrews caught the last two for scores from Jackson. Derrick Henry had a good game as he had 15 carries for 169 yards with a 81-yard run being the longest in the game. Rashod Bateman had a 49-yard touchdown play but had a 59-yard play that was the longest passing play for the Ravens. The game was pretty much in hand by the start of the 4th quarter. The close score would come from the Buccaneers in garbage time. Baltimore had 508 total yards in the game. For the Ravens, they get to 5-2 and Lamar Jackson now has a 23-1 record against the NFC in the regular season.

Baker Mayfield hit 31 of 45 passes for 370 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions came to Marlon Humphrey who committed the robbery during the 2nd quarter. Mike Evans had one and Rachaad White had two touchdowns in the game. Bucky Irving had a touchdown run while getting nine carries for 23 yards in the game. Rachaad White had the leaging rusher for 10 carries for 40 yards in the game. Cade Otton had eight catches for 100 yards. The loss might've been more costlier as Mike Evans went down on a hamstring injury and Chris Godwin went down with a leg injury during the 4th quarter. Tampa Bay had 481 yards in the game. The defense really had a letdown in the game as they couldn't stop the Ravens offense. They kind of got run over by a buzzsaw. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 4-3 on the season.

Next week:

Baltimore: @ Cleveland
Tampa Bay: vs Atlanta

TW: 13-1

LA Chargers 15, Arizona 17

Pick: Chargers

A battle in the desert. Justin Herbert hit 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. JK Dobbins had 14 carries for 40 yards in the game. Will Dissly had eight catches for 81 yards in the game. The Chargers offense would be a quiet one as the Chargers had just five field goals and would not see a player touch the endzone in the game. They would not see a goal-to-go situation in the game. They did have a redzone drive but it would end up being a field goal. Los Angeles had 395 total yards in the game. For the Chargers, they drop to 3-3 in the game.

Kyler Murray hit 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Murray would also get a touchdown run in the game. The Murray touchdown went to Greg Dortch. James Conner had 19 carries for 101 yards in the game. The Murray rushing touchdown was from 44 yards. James Conner had two catches for 51 yards in the game. The Cardinals had 326 total yards in the game. The Cardinals would have more touchdowns than the Chargers but would rely on their kicker less. Chad Ryland would come into the clutch and hit a 32-yard field goal that gave the Cardinals a two-point win. For the Cardinals, they improve to 3-4 on the season.

Next week:

LA Chargers: vs New Orleans
Arizona: @ Miami

TW: 13-2

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11

Week 6: 13-1

Week 7: 13-2

Total: 73-34

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
2023: 161-111

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

-Tom