NFL standings after week 7: Winners and losers in the AFC and NFC divisions

Week 7 of the NFL kicked off on Thursday with the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints game that saw Broncos head coach Sean Payton defeat his former team in a 33-10 beating. On Sunday, we saw Russell Wilson make his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers and it did not disappoint, as he quickly made his case as their QB1 in a dominant win over the New York Jets. The Minnesota Vikings finally suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions, who won the game with a last-minute field goal and took the top spot in the most competitive division in the league this season. The Kansas City Chiefs remain the sole undefeated team at 6-0 after their win over the San Francisco 49ers in a Super Bowl rematch.

And those are just the highlights!

Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from Week 7.

NFL Week 7: Winners and Losers

Winner: Mike Tomlin/Russell Wilson

Quarterback Russell Wilson made his debut with the Steelers after missing the first six weeks with a calf injury. Justin Fields brought them to a 4-2 start, so not everyone agreed with head coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to bench him and start Wilson. Even after the first quarter, that decision was still being questioned as fans started to boo Wilson. In the end, the joke was on the doubters, as Wilson ended up increasing his completion percentage from 33% to 60% in the last three quarters, and setting a franchise record for passing yards (264) and points scored (three total touchdowns) in a debut as he took the Steelers to a 37-15 win over the New York Jets. If he plays like that again next week when the Steelers face the Giants, Wilson may earn the permanent spot as the starter, and that would be thanks to Tomlin’s decision to give him a shot and see what he’s got.

Winner: The undefeated Chiefs

The Chiefs just keep finding ways to win, even despite suffering from several injuries. Their replacements keep stepping up as major contributors like running back Kareem Hunt did against the San Francisco 49ers. With Isiah Pacheco out, Hunt scored two touchdowns in the first half, helping to bring them to their 28-18 victory over the Niners in their Super Bowl rematch. The trio of head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has become unstoppable. And in fact, a large part of their current success while dealing with offensive injuries is thanks to Spagnuolo’s defense, who has only allowed 17.2 points per game through Week 7, and who limited to the Niners to just an 18% third-down conversion rate and intercepted Brock Purdy three times.

Winner: Jared Goff

The Lions claimed the top spot in the NFC North from the Vikings with their 31-29 victory on Sunday, not to mention the top seed in the NFC. In that win, Lions QB Jared Goff completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns against Brian Flores’ dominant defense. After six weeks, Goff is in the MVP conversation as he leads the NFL in passer rating (111.5) and average yards per attempt (9/3), plus has 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions on the season.

Winner: Saquon Barkley

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley faced his former team, the New York Giants, for the first time on Sunday, dealing with loud boos from the crowd at MetLife Stadium. He dealt with the boos with class and had the last laugh by putting up 176 rushing yards and a touchdown in their 28-3 blowout win over the NFC East rival Giants.

Loser: Davante Adams and the Jets

Even after the much-anticipated Aaron Rodgers-Davante Adams reunion, the New York Jets still couldn’t get their offense going as they fell 37-15 to the Steelers. Adams was held to just three catches for 30 yards, which will do nothing to ease that “helpless feeling” he has of not being able to impact games. Nearly 41-year-old Rodgers is under contract for one more season, but he’s been unable to connect with his receivers, and now Adams has been added to the list, despite their previous success together with the Packers. In the second half of the game, Adams was targeted three times but failed to catch any of them. He’s gone from playing for the 2-5 Raiders to playing for the 2-5 Jets.

Loser: The Houston Texans

The Texans lost 24-22 to the Green Bay Packers, with Bobby Slowik’s conservative playcalling anything but helpful. Thanks to his decision to play it safe and go for a field goal, he left enough time on the clock for Jordan Love to lead a game-winning drive. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was just 10 of 21 and threw for a career-low 86 passing yards, no touchdowns, and was sacked four times. In a battle of two rising star quarterbacks, Slowik did not put trust in his own, which ended up costing them the win.

Loser: The Browns’ season...and wallet

The Cleveland Browns’ outlook went from bad to worse when quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered an Achilles tear that’s likely to end his season, potentially even bleeding into next season as well. The 1-6 Browns knew it was a mistake to give Watson a fully-guaranteed contract a long time ago, but after his performance this season, and now his extended absence, that regret must be growing even deeper still. Even if the Browns get first pick in the draft and get a new quarterback next year, Watson is going to cost them a lot. He’s still owed $92 million in base salary for the next two years after this season and releasing him would only result in a dead cap hit that would set them back even longer.

Loser: Jerod Mayo and his “soft” Pats team

After the Patriots lost to the lowly Jaguars in London on Sunday, their own head coach Jerod Mayo called them “soft”.

“We’re a soft football team across the board. We talk about what makes a tough football team, and that’s being able to run the ball, being able to stop the run and that’s being able to cover kicks. We did none of those.”

He is right that they can’t stop the run and they also can’t seem to score, two things that will quickly shoot you to the bottom of the standings. The Patriots gave up 171 rushing yards to Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium, plus a 96-yard punt return for a touchdown. Mayo has not had a great start to his tenure as the Pats’ head coach with a six-game losing streak currently at hand. So far this season, quarterback Drake Maye has been their one bright spot, as he’s completed 64.1% of his pass attempts for 541 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions, plus 68 yards on the ground.

NFL standings after Week 7

AFC East

AFC West

AFC North

AFC South

NFC East

NFC West

NFC North

NFC South