NFL Week 7 grades from around the league

The Seahawks (5-1) have a Hall of Fame-bound linebacker (Bobby Wagner), and they traded draft picks to fortify their secondary with All-Pro Jamal Adams and starters Quandre Diggs and Quinton Dunbar. Adams' return will not be enough; this defense will hold the Seahawks back. Seattle's decision to largely ignore its pass-rushing needs this offseason led to the team recording zero QB hits in a 70-minute game and squandering an all-time NFL effort. Seattle finished 31st in sacks last season and has a worse group now. Russell Wilson is the MVP frontrunner; the Seahawks cannot waste this form. They must be prepared to part with more draft capital at the Nov. 3 trade deadline.

SEAHAWKS GRADE: B | NEXT: vs. 49ers (Sun.)

The only team to draft first-round quarterbacks in back-to-back years since the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts, the Cardinals (5-2) saw their Kyler Murray decision reach its peak audience Sunday night. Murray (four TDs accounted for, 360 passing yards) outdueled Wilson (three TDs, three INTs) while helping the Cards to a stunning comeback. After tiring out the Seattle front seven, Murray now has 13 TD passes and seven rushing scores. The highest-ceiling QB in the Cards' 101-year history, Murray is a stealth MVP candidate who has thrust a previously wayward team into relevance.

CARDINALS GRADE: A-minus | NEXT: vs. Dolphins (Nov. 8)

Days after Antonio Brown's resurgence, the Steelers (6-0) showed they have fully moved on. Their post-Brown corps helped Ben Roethlisberger methodically shred the unbeaten Titans in the first half, giving the Steelers an important cushion. Despite Pittsburgh's latest find (Chase Claypool) going catchless, route-running maven Diontae Johnson and ex-Brown sidekick JuJu Smith-Schuster combined for 18 receptions and 165 yards. They fit well with post-elbow surgery Ben, who is not as eager to fire deep balls. The Steelers' Brown-less (and largely Ben-less) offense ranked 32nd in DVOA last year. Pittsburgh's reload has produced an AFC favorite.

STEELERS GRADE: A-minus | NEXT: at Ravens (Sun.)

The Steelers converted their first seven third downs and did basically whatever they wanted in the first half Sunday. Pittsburgh's final third-down line -- 13-for-18 -- reveals an obvious issue for Tennessee (5-1). Though the Titans were on their third game in 13 days, their defense has taken a step back this season -- despite getting Malcolm Butler back and adding Jadeveon Clowney. They have allowed an NFL-worst 61% third-down conversion rate. After defensive coordinator Pees' retirement, Mike Vrabel and defensive play-caller Shane Bowen have work to do to better complement the team's potent offense.

TITANS GRADE: C-plus | NEXT: at Bengals (Sun.)

Yes, Dak Prescott and each Cowboys above-average O-lineman missed Sunday's game. But numerous starters from Dallas' 2018 playoff team and other former postseason starters in their primes reside on this roster. Nine ex-Pro Bowlers played for the Cowboys (2-5) on Sunday, yet the visitors trailed a bad Washington team 22-3 before Andy Dalton's injury. The Cowboys have trailed by at least 14 points in six straight games. Their 2019 and '20 seasons represent tremendous disappointments after the franchise handed out so many extensions in that span. Dallas' core is built to win now. This is an organizational failure. 

COWBOYS GRADE: F | NEXT: at Eagles (Sun.)

Amid the rampant futility in an NFC East division that has seen its teams post a combined 7-20-1 record, Washington's defensive line and auxiliary pass rushers jump out. In the strange position of vacillating between races for the No. 1 overall pick and a division title, Washington (2-5) dominated Dallas and moved away from the Trevor Lawrence pursuit for a bit. Cowboys QBs absorbed six sacks and fumbled thrice. Washington's 22 sacks rank fourth in the NFL, with Montez Sweat now at five. Perhaps Washington should hold onto contract-year Pro Bowler Ryan Kerrigan, despite its D-line surplus. The playoffs are somehow in sight.

WASHINGTON GRADE: A | NEXT: vs. Giants (Nov. 8)

The Falcons blasted Kenny Golladay after most of his six catches Sunday, but the fourth-year wide receiver's toughness was essential to the Lions' comeback. Detroit's top target smoked Atlanta's beleaguered but healthier secondary for 114 yards, and the visitors' buzzer-beating escape would have been impossible had Golladay not snagged a 29-yard pass to allow the Lions (3-3) to avoid a Hail Mary scenario. With Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen just signing $20 million-per-year deals, the Lions' 26-year-old WR1 will soon surpass Calvin Johnson as the highest-paid wideout in franchise history.

LIONS GRADE: B  | NEXT: vs. Colts (Sun.)

After seeing Dan Quinn take repeated hits for Falcons collapses, interim coach Raheem Morris will take a turn. The Falcons (1-6) held a 98% probability to beat the Lions on the visitors' final drive, but Morris' defense caved -- allowing a wide-open T.J. Hockenson TD to seal what cannot be called a stunning loss. Already breaking margin-related collapse records, the Falcons lost for a third time this season with a 98% win probability. The rest of the NFL, per ESPN Stats and Info, has four combined such losses. Maybe back off Todd Gurley? The Falcons still allowed a 75-yard game-winning drive after their back's accidental TD.

FALCONS GRADE: D-plus | NEXT: at Panthers (Thu.)

Matt Rhule sent his kicker out to try a 65-yard field goal, and it was the right move. The fourth-and-19 would-be game-tying sequence should be replayed for a while anyway, with Joey Slye's record-breaking effort falling millimeters short. And it shows Rhule's squad is well ahead of where it should be. The Panthers gutted their roster and were rightfully viewed as one of the league's worst teams ahead of Week 1. Carolina (3-4) pushed a New Orleans team predicted by many to win Super Bowl LV, staying with the Saints despite its run-game struggles forcing Teddy Bridgewater to do all the heavy lifting.

PANTHERS GRADE: B  | NEXT: vs. Falcons (Thu.)

No, the Panthers defense is not exactly playoff-caliber. And Brees did not mince the unit with deep strikes. But the NFL passing kingpin was working with two undrafted free agents (Deonte Harris, Marquez Callaway) and ex-third-rounder Tre'Quan Smith. Brees' Pro Bowl left tackle, Terron Armstead, also left with an arm injury. The completion percentage icon still worked his usual mid-range game (287 yards, 8.0 per attempt, two TDs) and was arguably at his 2020 best despite missing Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Judgment should be withheld until Brees' troops return. Having the Saints at 4-2 without Thomas is acceptable.

SAINTS GRADE: B-plus | NEXT: at Bears (Sun.)

Mayfield did not complete a pass until the second quarter and was without Odell Beckham Jr. for most of the day. The Cleveland quarterback finished with a career-high five TD passes and helped the Browns (5-2) escape after final-drive lasers to Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones. The new CBA will make the 2018 first-round class guinea pigs, with their fifth-year options being fully guaranteed (as opposed to guaranteed for injury only) if picked up next May. Mayfield will face tough sledding sans Beckham, who revealed he tore an ACL. But outings like Sunday's -- especially given Browns 2.0's QB history -- will help Mayfield's option case.

BROWNS GRADE: B | NEXT: vs. Raiders (Sun.)

The Bengals are now 1-12-1 in one-score games during Zac Taylor's tenure. Taylor's defensive coordinator, Lou Anarumo, received more help than his predecessors, with the usually frugal Bengals (1-5-1) signing several free agents to bolster the shaky unit. While they were without top corner William Jackson and D-linemen Sam Hubbard and D.J. Reader, the Bengals allowed Mayfield to go from being benched in Week 6 to completing 21 straight passes. Anarumo minimizing the roles of all-time sack leaders Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins is curious, and the first-time DC must be considered on the hot seat entering the midseason stretch.

BENGALS GRADE: C | NEXT: vs. Titans (Sun.)

Buffalo's long-reliable pass defense has shown cracks this season, and it allowed some rare Jets success Sunday. But the Bills (5-2) shut that down in the second half. Sam Darnold tallied four of his 120 passing yards after halftime, and Hughes led a six-sack Bills effort to stonewall the NFL's worst team. Hughes registered two sacks, three QB hits, forced a fumble and intercepted Darnold on a tipped pass. Those were the first sacks of Hughes' season, and they helped a reeling Bills team keep its suddenly commanding AFC East lead.

BILLS GRADE: B | NEXT: vs. Patriots (Sun.)

It is easy to bash the 2020 Jets, the NFL's lone winless team. But it should be acknowledged the tri-state area and NFL RedZone viewers who stopped in to check out this game witnessed a bend-but-don't-break clinic. Each of the Bills' nine drives featured plays in Jets territory. None produced a touchdown. The 0-7 team forced Tyler Bass to attempt eight field goals -- six of which he made -- and recovered a Josh Allen fumble. With the Jets potentially dealing more veterans soon, after sending nose tackle Steve McLendon to Tampa, their defense at least presented a challenge Sunday.

JETS GRADE: C-minus | NEXT: at Chiefs (Sun.)

The mostly Bradley Roby-less Texans provided an acceptable tonic for a humbled Packers offense. Adams did what he pleased against Houston's bottom-end defense, dicing up the unit for 13 catches, a career-high 196 yards and two TDs. The Packers (5-1) made a curious decision in late 2017, giving a player with zero 1,000-yard seasons a $14.5M-per-year extension. With the NFL's receiving market beginning its shift months later, that deal became quite Packers-friendly. With Adams' deal expiring after the '21 slate, the 28-year-old star stands in strong position to cash in again next offseason.

PACKERS GRADE: A-minus | NEXT: vs. Vikings (Sun.)

The Dolphins are watching this situation closely. The Texans are now 1-6 and barreling toward the NFL's basement. They do not have their 2021 first- or second-round picks, having dealt them in 2019's Laremy Tunsil trade. With Houston's Bill O'Brien-shaped roster housing numerous veterans that do not make sense on a rebuilding team, who does the rudderless franchise trade away before the deadline? There are 13 vested veterans (four-plus years' experience) in this lineup and others who play as backups, with a new regime likely en route. The Texans' decisions over the next eight days will be interesting.

TEXANS GRADE: D  | NEXT: at Jaguars (Nov. 8)

As everything else clicks for the Buccaneers (5-2), their 2019 first-round pick has launched his ascent as well. After an injury-plagued rookie season -- albeit one that featured two return TDs -- White was everywhere Sunday. The noted horse enthusiast notched 11 tackles and a career-high three sacks -- the first of which a wicked display of his 4.42-second 40 time and the third a punishing collision with Derek Carr on a fourth-and-1 -- and is rewarding the Bucs for being the first team since 2009 to use a top-five pick on an off-ball linebacker. 

BUCCANEERS GRADE: A | at Giants (Mon.)

Perhaps the Raiders' persistent pressure on Patrick Mahomes was an aberration. Because in a game in which the team needed its defense -- after its O-line missed practice all week amid the franchise's latest COVID-19 scandal -- Tom Brady was unbothered in a 369-yard, four-TD performance. The Raiders (3-3) failed to sack Brady and hit him just once. They are tied for 30th with seven sacks this season, reminding of the team's 2018 slate -- its first without Khalil Mack -- when it recorded just 13. And no, 2019 No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell has not contributed to this year's total.

RAIDERS GRADE: D-minus | NEXT: at Browns (Sun.)

The quarterback Bill Belichick may or may not have been forced to trade returned to Foxborough and created more issues for the current Patriots. The 49ers were up 30-6 in the third quarter. Despite being down to their third-string center, the 49ers (4-3) saw their fourth- and fifth-string running backs -- Wilson and JaMychal Hasty -- exceed six yards per carry in a 197-yard San Francisco rushing outing. Wilson gashed the Pats' dependable defense for 112 yards and three TDs before leaving with an injury. Kyle Shanahan's team has done well to stay afloat amid its injury avalanche.

49ERS GRADE: A-plus | NEXT: at Seahawks (Sun.)

The Patriots had hoped to resurrect the 2015 MVP after he ranked 30th in QBR from 2016-19. While Newton testing positive for the coronavirus should be noted, even if the former star said he was asymptomatic, the Pats (2-4) have QB issues they have not experienced since the early 1990s. Newton's throwing motion looks off, and his usual accuracy issues have worsened -- partially because of low-end weaponry. He has a 2-7 TD-INT ratio, and this three-game losing skid -- the Pats' first in 286 games -- inserts doubt about Newton's future as a starter and New England's hopes for a wild-card berth.

PATRIOTS GRADE: F | NEXT: at Bills (Sun.)

The Chiefs went 0-for-9 on third down and won by 27 points. That is the second-highest victory margin for a team that failed to convert a third down, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Denver's recent issues with basic football sequences in this rivalry made it difficult to gauge Kansas City's performance, but with the Chiefs (6-1) forcing four turnovers and scoring two non-offensive TDs, they navigated an increasingly shorter hurdle with ease. 

CHIEFS GRADE: B-plus | NEXT: vs. Jets (Sun.)

Peyton Manning led the Broncos to seven straight wins over the Chiefs. His successors have now lost 10 consecutive games in this rivalry. The Chiefs, who have now beaten their top rivals by three scores in three straight, serve as a reminder how far away the once-formidable Broncos are. Denver (2-4) committed four turnovers, with Melvin Gordon fumbling twice -- including a rare errant flea-flicker pitch -- and justifying skepticism about his signing . Elway's Drew Lock investment is looking like his Case Keenum and Joe Flacco forays, and the Broncos look no closer to escaping their lower-middle-class status.

BRONCOS GRADE: F | NEXT: vs. Chargers (Sun.)

In allowing 30-plus points for a sixth straight game, the Jaguars tied an NFL record. They are firmly on the Trevor Lawrence radar -- where they started the season -- and figure to have a new head coach soon. But the team that used a No. 4 overall pick on a lumbering running back (Leonard Fournette) saw his undrafted successor continue his "others receiving votes" Rookie of the Year run. James Robinson's career-high 122 rushing yards kept the Jags (1-6) in Sunday's game; his 706 scrimmage yards rank fourth in the NFL. The explosive Division I-FCS product will be a nice resource for whichever QB the Jags draft in 2021.

JAGUARS GRADE: C-minus | NEXT: vs. Texans (Nov. 8)

Seventh in passer rating and ninth in QBR, Justin Herbert has soared well beyond any reasonable expectation for his debut season. This year's third quarterback drafted paired a career-best 347-yard passing exhibition with 66 rushing yards. Herbert again shined without veteran O-linemen Trai Turner and Bryan Bulaga and added blocking tight end Virgil Green to his growing list of off-grid TD targets. The Chargers (2-4) finally managed a win with Herbert, who has adjusted to the starting reins quicker than Drew Brees or Philip Rivers did. The Oregon product is the easy Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite nearing midseason. 

CHARGERS GRADE: A-minus | NEXT: at Broncos (Sun.)

Allen Robinson and Jalen Ramsey spent two years as Jaguars teammates; they will face off as opponents for a second time. Ramsey won the first matchup, with Robinson catching four passes for 15 yards in the Bears' November 2019 loss to the Rams. New Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is moving his top cover man around formations this year, so he will see plenty of Robinson. The Bears (5-1) have targeted Robinson 66 times (fifth-most entering Week 7) this season, but Ramsey's presence will increase the need for auxiliary targets Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney (56 combined targets) to show up for Nick Foles. 

MONDAY: at Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET

Rising through the NFL coaching ranks at a speed that somewhat rivals current boss Sean McVay, Staley has gone from Bears outside linebackers coach -- under Matt Nagy -- to Rams defensive coordinator in two years. (And his in-between stop only featured the "Broncos OLBs coach" title.) The Vic Fangio disciple has the Rams (4-2) ranking third in scoring defense, though a key caveat exists. The Rams' four wins have come over the NFC East. While the Bears have questions of their own (a plus-12 point differential), Staley's unit -- which also features ex-Bears first-round pick Leonard Floyd -- should not be viewed as reliable just yet.

MONDAY: vs. Bears, 8:15 p.m. ET

Hours after Thursday night's collapse, the Giants traded edge rusher Markus Golden. The team that dealt away Jerry Reese-era investments Eli Apple and Snacks Harrison (in-season) and Odell Beckham Jr., Jason Pierre-Paul and Oliver Vernon (offseason) should be viewed as an active seller. Golden Tate looms as an obvious trade chip, but Evan Engram and guard Kevin Zeitler would probably fetch better draft capital. Engram's status as a Reese draftee at a scarcer position (tight end) makes him a player to watch ahead of the Nov. 3 deadline. Both Engram and Zeitler are signed through 2021.

GIANTS GRADE: C | NEXT: vs. Buccaneers (Mon.)

NBC's "Sunday Night Football" graphics staff hovers above its NFL contemporaries, and the crew will likely focus on a certain division's futility ahead of the network's 14th  straight year broadcasting an Eagles-Cowboys game. The Eagles needed perfectly placed Carson Wentz throws to Travis Fulgham and Boston Scott to make it to 2-4-1, but with the Cowboys imploding and Washington outgunned at quarterback, Philly should be viewed as the divisional favorite. As depressing as that distinction appears, the team will have many starters back by the time it resurfaces on national TV in late November. 

EAGLES GRADE: B-minus | NEXT: vs. Cowboys (Sun.)

Game script-wise, the Ravens have shown one way to win since giving the keys to Lamar Jackson: build a lead and bludgeon the team trying to capture it. Baltimore (5-1) now has Yannick Ngakoue set to team with former Jaguars teammate Calais Campbell and Ravens alpha edge rusher Matt Judon. This is at least the team's best pass rush since 2014's Terrell Suggs-Elvis Dumervil- Pernell McPhee 1.0 crew, and Ngakoue brings five sacks to a pass rush that already ranks fourth in the NFL with 22. The Ravens have now traded a third-round pick and two fifths to ensure Jackson and Co. can figure out their issues without having to play from behind.

NEXT: vs. Steelers (Sun.)

Minnesota's Ngakoue trade signals a white flag. The Vikings' hopes of contending while grooming young defenders on the job did not pan out -- largely because of their highest-paid player's issues in three blowout losses. Kirk Cousins' 10 INTs have the Vikings (1-5) poised to consider selling more parts. They seemingly have Irv Smith Jr. ready to take over for 10-year starter Kyle Rudolph, and the team would likely be OK with plugging second-round rookie Ezra Cleveland into embattled left tackle Riley Reiff's spot. The Vikings' Cousins-centered mission remains flawed, however, regardless of the mid- and late-round draft capital deadline deals bring.

NEXT: at Packers (Sun.)

Doing well not to rush Tua Tagovailoa into the starting lineup showcases the Chris Grier-Brian Flores era's superior roster planning compared to previous Dolphins regimes' scattershot approaches. Tagovailoa being ready by Week 8 is a major win for the Dolphins (3-3), who were only able to get their long-sought-after QB savior at No. 5 overall because of the severe hip injury he suffered last November. This represents the biggest step in Miami's aggressive rebuild plan. Despite an incomplete roster, the work this Dolphins regime has done presents a better setup for Tua than Ryan Tannehill received.

NEXT: vs. Rams (Sun.)

Sold the prospect of a top-flight offensive line and then seeing the team invest in an elite college running back, Philip Rivers has seen his Colts circumstances resemble his shaky Chargers foundation. The Colts (4-2) rank 28th in rushing and last in yards per carry (3.6) -- a year after Indianapolis finished seventh and 11th in these categories. Football Outsiders grades the Colts' previously formidable offensive line 26th in adjusted line yards, which has certainly hurt Jonathan Taylor's ascent. If this element cannot improve, the Colts will exit a second season with little to show for their post-Andrew Luck years.

NEXT: at Lions (Sun.)