NFL Week 7 winners, losers: Joe Burrow rallies Bengals; huge day for running backs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running game. The Buccaneers welcomed their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, back into the lineup on Sunday, but they probably could have won this game without him given how dominant their running game was in a 43-13 win over the Carolina Panthers. Bucky Irving rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, Kenneth Gainwell rushed for 88 yards on 14 carries, and the team had 258 yards on 49 carries as a group. 

Minnesota Vikings. It is not always pretty, but style points do not matter in the NFL. The bottom line: They are 6-0 for the first time since the 2009 season thanks to a dominant defense in a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Andre Szmyt, kicker, Cleveland Browns. Another week, another walk-off kick for Szmyt who has now made three game-winning kicks for the 5-2 Browns, setting the stage for a huge first-place game in the AFC North next weekend in Pittsburgh. His walk-off kick on Sunday came in a 20-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. 

Kendal Daniels, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons. A week ago Daniels was carted off the field in a scary incident. This week he helped clinched the Falcons 29-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers with an interception.

Bo Nix's legs.  Nix has had a miserable season in the passing game, having been relegated to a check-down merchant who is not trusted to go down field. He is still capable of making some plays, and he showed that on Sunday with this 62-yard touchdown run in the Denver Broncos 30-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

NFL Week 7 losers

Baltimore Ravens second-half woes. It is hard to defend. It is impossible to justify. The Ravens took another double-digit lead and turned it into another loss, making it the 17th time that has happened since the 2020 season. It is already the third time this season. It is no longer a John Harbaugh issue, and it is not just the fact quarterback Lamar Jackson is injured. 

Aaron Glenn, head coach, New York Jets. Glenn is now 5-19 as the Jets head coach, and the latest defeat saw his team give up 28 points to an 0-5 Miami Dolphins team playing without its best offensive player. His team has one interception in his 24 games as head coach. 

Houston Texans defense. The Texans are now 2-5, and their defense has to own a lot of that disappointing record. They had no answer for J.J. McCarthy or any of the Giants running backs on Sunday. A preseason Super Bowl contender is now facing a daunting mountain to climb when it comes to simply making the playoffs. 

Daniel Jones, quarterback, Indianapolis Colts. Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores dialed up blitz after blitz on Sunday, and Jones had no answer for any of it. He completed just 13-of-22 passes for only 108 yards and threw a late interception to end the game. The Colts are just 3-13 in their past 16 games going back to the end of the 2025 season. 

Trey Smack, kicker, Green Bay Packers. Not only did Smack miss two field goals in a 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, the field goals were both kicks that should have been chip shots. 

Roughing the passer penalties. Officiating is a tough job. It is a fast game, and in real time, you do not have the benefit of super-slow-motion replays. That still does not excuse some of the roughing the passer flags that get thrown on a weekly basis, and Sunday was an especially egregious day for it. Quarterbacks need, and deserve, some protection. They are the money-makers for the NFL and it makes sense they want to keep them on the field. It is still going too far with what is being penalized.