NFL Week 7 Recap: A Hot Mess

So far, each week of the 2021 NFL season has had a theme, and regarding Week 7, the theme can be summed up in one three-letter word: meh. An argument can be made that football fans were due for such a week this season. After all, the first six weeks have seen games with captivating drama, as well as a lot of overtime. Week 7? Not so much.

The centerpiece of the underwhelming Week 7 was the continuous decline of the Kansas City Chiefs, who were blasted, 27-3, by the Tennessee Titans. The worst part about that loss? Derrick Henry didn't really run for a lot of yards, and he had a touchdown pass. Yes, you read that right--not TD run, TD pass. Patrick Mahomes added to his increasing (can't believe I'm saying that) number of turnovers--throwing an interception and losing a fumble in the defeat. Mahomes now has 11 total turnovers (nine INTs and two lost fumbles) this season. That is a huge number for him. Last season, it took over a month for Mahomes to throw one INT, and he stayed stuck at one for nearly the rest of the season!

The Chiefs are now 3-4 and are still in the bottom of the AFC West. About three weeks ago, I figured that the Chiefs will fix this and get back on track. It has not been the case so far. The Kansas City Chiefs, the team who made back-to-back Super Bowls, are in serious trouble, and I really don't know if they'll get out of this hole they're in and even get a Wild Card spot.

Blowouts were the thing in Week 7, and the most embarrassing one, in my view, had to be the Carolina Panthers losing 25-3 to--of all teams--the New York Giants. The same Giants who are a total mess this season, yet they played like the old Eli Manning team against this disappointment of a Panthers team. The Panthers really fooled a lot of fans. When they were 3-0, it looked like they could be a serious playoff contender, or even take the NFC South. They have been literally everything but that in their last four games; finding all sorts of ways to lose games. Sam Darnold has also declined as well, to a point where many are wondering if it really was the Jets making him look bad during his time with the team, or if Darnold just isn't good. Because of the Atlanta Falcons' close 30-28 win over the Miami Dolphins (the only nailbiter in the week), the Panthers are now in the bottom of the NFC South.

One of the few good things to come from Week 7 was the Cincinnati Bengals' big statement win over the Baltimore Ravens. In a game that decided first place in the AFC North, Joe Burrow and the Bengals took it to the Ravens, winning 41-17 to move in to a tie for first, with that win putting Cincy ahead of Baltimore. It's official: the Cincinnati Bengals are for real. It can be said that the Bengals are the best team in the AFC this year; they are truly a well-oiled machine this season. The Bengals will head to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets, which looks like a given win for Cincy. The Jets are coming off a terrible blowout loss to the New England Patriots, and they received Joe Flacco in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Oh man.

I said this all season, and I'll say it here: I am so deliriously happy with the Green Bay Packers defense this season. I haven't been this pleased with the Packers defense in years, and that's mainly because in past years, they make too many mistakes on defense, and it forces Aaron Rodgers to become a world beater at quarterback and do more than he should have to do. Granted, Rodgers does it and succeeds, but he shouldn't have to do it literally every game. Now, in those past seasons, the Packers defense has about one or two weeks of competency before going back to old habits. This season? I've yet to see the old habits really come out. This defense is doing things. A lot of things. 11 takeaways this season. Perfect on red zone defense in the team's 24-10 win over the Washington Football Team.

The Packers have won six straight games, and for once, it's not all Rodgers. It's a team effort; a consistent team effort, on both sides of the ball. This is all I wanted as a Packers fan; hell, this is all I begged for as a Packers fan. I do not ask for this defense to be perfect. I don't ask for this defense to be the 1985 Bears or the 2000 Ravens, because all of that is impossible. All I ask is for the Packers defense to do things and make Rodgers' job easier; make it so that he doesn't have to do everything every week. I've been seeing a lot of that so far, and the thing that makes it even more epic: this defense is gelling in spite of various injuries to key players.

Tom Brady became the first to throw 600 TD passes this season; that awesome milestone was the only exciting moment in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 38-3 blowout win over the Chicago Bears. Well, that and Mike Evans (who caught the ball) nearly giving that important ball away to a fan. The week began with the Cleveland Browns' 17-14 win over the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, and we also saw the Arizona Cardinals remain unbeaten with a 31-5 win over the Houston Texans. The Detroit Lions started well, but still lost, 28-19, to the Los Angeles Rams. An underwhelming Sunday Night game saw the Indianapolis Colts win 30-18 over the San Francisco 49ers, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 13-10, in a very messy Monday Night game--ending a very boring Week 7.

Week 8 will get off to a very awesome start, at least in this fan's opinion. A very important game in the NFC; the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. This game could end up deciding the #1 seed in the NFC, which the Packers had in 2020. On Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings (who are both coming off byes) will face each other, and Monday Night Football will see the Kansas City Chiefs host the New York Giants.

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