Lions take control of NFC North

It looks like no race for the division title in the NFL will be closer than the one in the NFC North.

The Detroit Lions pushed the Vikings off the top of the table, handing Minnesota their first loss of the season. Both teams are 5-1, although the Lions have the tiebreaker with the straight win. However, the 5-2 Green Bay Packers aren’t far behind after their huge win over the Houston Texans. While Jordan Love showed some brilliance – aside from the occasional mental lapse – it’s the Packers’ defense that makes the team look like an elite contender.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday of Week 7 in the NFL.

WINNER

The Chiefs continue to adapt and look like the best team in football

It seems like every time a key Chiefs player suffers an injury, he finds a way to turn his short-term replacement into a regular contributor. Running back Isiah Pacheco is out? Enter Kareem Hunt, who was previously with the team and may help solve the offense’s red zone issues.

The Chiefs entered Sunday ranked 29th^Th in the efficiency of the red zone (38.89%). In a 28-18 win against the San Francisco 49ers, Hunt had two red zone rushing scores in the second quarter alone. In fact, Kansas City scored touchdowns inside the 20 on four of its five plays. The Chiefs, winners of the last two Super Bowls, continue to look like the best team in football and that’s because of their balance. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense flies under the radar, but Kansas City (6-0) has one of the smartest and most contextually sound defenses in the NFL. The Chiefs limited the Niners to 2 of 11 (18%) third-down conversions and intercepted Brock Purdy three times.

Jared Goff, Ben Johnson and the Lions take control of the NFC North

Coordinator Brian Flores and the Vikings entered Sunday with one of the NFL’s fiercest defenses that had stumped passers like CJ Stroud and Brock Purdy. All Lions quarterback Jared Goff managed was 22 of 25 throws for 280 yards and two scores in a huge 31-29 victory.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who will surely become head coach in the next hiring cycle if he finds an opportunity he likes, leaned on his dominant offensive line to bore running lanes, which only unlocked the play-action passing game. This is where Goff feels most comfortable. It also mitigated Minnesota’s pass rush and the misdirection and disguises Flores uses to create pressure. Coach Dan Campbell managed the clock perfectly within two minutes, although a disastrous fumble return gave Minnesota a one-point lead (5-1). And so the Lions have now (5:1) secured an early lead in the division.

Packers D completely wipes out CJ Stroud, Texans adjust attack

The Texans are certainly missing star receiver Nico Collins, but they still have a dynamic passing attack behind quarterback CJ Stroud. The Packers shut it down completely. Green Bay held Stroud to 10 of 21 completions for 86 yards, a career low, in a thrilling contest. Stroud didn’t throw a touchdown.

The leading Houston receiver was tight end Dalton Schultz (one catch, 28 yards). Stefon Diggs, working with Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander, caught five passes on seven targets for 23 yards, including 17 on one play. The defensive line deserves a lot of credit for constantly pressuring Stroud, but first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who spent six seasons in the NFL as a defensive backs coach, has led Green Bay’s (5-5) secondary line. 2) formed into a unit of the league’s top units.

The Eagles continue their straight drive, pass rush rolling over another opponent

Philadelphia’s defense started Sunday with a win over the Cleveland Browns, its best five-sack game of the season. The Eagles then terrorized Daniel Jones and the Giants, sacking New York eight times in a losing effort. The Giants were never able to find a solid footing on offense and only scored three points. Due to the length of the sack, New York finished the game with just 43 net pass yards.

It shows how dangerous Philadelphia can be, even though it only converted 1 of 13 third-down attempts. While the pass rush took center stage, Saquon Barkley also starred, returning to MetLife Stadium with 187 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 19 touchdowns. The NFC East is wide open, but the Eagles (4-2), now healthy on offense, are trending upward.

LOSER

Where do the Jets go from here?

It’s hard to imagine New York being a true seller at the trade deadline, considering they’ve made a lot of effort to go all-in on this build with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. But it’s also hard to imagine the Jets not trying to prepare for the future and regain some of the assets they lost by acquiring many of their players after New York (2-5) lost 37-15 on Sunday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers continued to slip.

Rodgers will turn 41 in December and is under contract for another season. Still, his play and chemistry with his teammates were extremely unpredictable. Even Davante Adams, Rodgers’ veteran ally, had no receptions on three goals in the second half against Pittsburgh. The Jets have lost four in a row and need to correct mistakes quickly; Next up they have the New England Patriots (1-6) and they should win. But this season was a case study in what happens when a team superficially overhauls a deeply flawed and undisciplined roster: the problems remain.

A bad situation just got worse for the Browns

We’ve written here about how incredibly burdensome Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed contract is. With a torn Achilles tendon and a lengthy rehab likely to end the season, there’s not even a guarantee that Watson will be fully healthy at the start of next season.

In any case, the Browns (1-6) have yet to develop a plan for their future franchise quarterback as it has become clear that Watson is not that player. Still, according to Spotrac.com, the Browns owe Watson a base salary of $92 million in 2025 and 2026, and the potential dead cap hit for a release is almost comical considering how depressingly high it would be . The Browns appear to be a team that will go in the top five – possibly even first overall – in the 2025 NFL Draft. Selecting a quarterback should be a priority. Either way, Watson represents a sunk cost that will set the team back for years to come.

The Falcons’ flop shows how far they still have to go

Atlanta entered Sunday on a three-game winning streak and faced a Seahawks team that had lost three games. The Falcons outscored the Seahawks 385-339. They recorded two more first downs than Seattle. Atlanta converted 8 of 15 (53%) third downs, compared to 4 of 11 (36%) for the Seahawks. Total Offensive Plays: Atlanta 71, 56. The Falcons lost by 20 points.

Atlanta was terrible at situational football. On a third-and-15 with 10 seconds left in the first half, the Falcons had Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith kick the pocket and DK Metcalf hit a 31-yard touchdown strike. They allowed Seattle to score the final 17 points of the game. They were forced into nine penalties (72 yards) and lost the ball 3-0. All three giveaways occurred in the fourth quarter. One of them was a fumble return for a touchdown. The Falcons (4-3) have a lot of talent, but no pass rush. You are far from being a serious candidate.