NFL

Why your NFL team won, lost in Week 7

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Admin

• Hot against the blitz: Jared Goff picked apart the Vikings’ blitzes as the Lions ended the Vikings’ undefeated streak.

• Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars win in London: Lawrence was excellent in the Jaguars’ second win of the season.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

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Denver Broncos 33, New Orleans Saints 10

Why the Broncos won: The Broncos offense ripped apart the Saints defense on the ground, rushing for a combined 225 yards on 35 carries while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Javonte Williams led the way with 88 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, earning a 77.8 rushing grade. But the Broncos’ ability to break off big runs was key — they had eight rushes of 10 yards or more.

Why the Saints lost: The Saints’ offensive line was beaten up, and Spencer Rattler was a sitting duck against the Broncos defense. Rattler was pressured on 45.5% of his dropbacks and was sacked six times, completing just 54.5% of his passes for 46 yards, earning a 24.2 overall grade.

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Jacksonville Jaguars 32, New England Patriots 16

Why the Jaguars won: Trevor Lawrence was excellent between the numbers, completing 13-of-15 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. He was kept clean on 81.0% of his dropbacks too, earning an 85.6 overall grade out of a clean pocket while completing 14-of-17 pass attempts for 180 yards.

Why the Patriots lost: The Patriots just couldn’t get their run game going. As a team, they rushed for 38 yards on 15 carries, earning a putrid 2.5 yards per carry. The Jaguars’ big second quarter where they scored 22 points likely hurt the gameplan, but the Patriots never established themselves as a threat on the ground.

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Seattle Seahawks 34, Atlanta Falcons 14

Why the Seahawks won: Geno Smith completed 18-of-28 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns in the win, and he targeted the middle of the field effectively against the Falcons. Smith completed 10-of-11 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown and earned a 78.9 passing grade in the game.

Why the Falcons lost: Turnovers and mistakes killed the Falcons in this game. Kirk Cousins threw two costly interceptions while also losing a fumble, and those giveaways proved costly. The Falcons were also penalized nine times and lost 72 yards to penalties. Sometimes you beat yourself.

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Buffalo Bills 34, Tennessee Titans 10

Why the Bills won: The Bills’ passing game looked as good as it has all season, with Josh Allen completing 63.6% of his passes for 323 yards and two touchdown passes. Allen also had two big-time throws, earning a 78.8 passing grade, and hooked up with Amari Cooper four times for 66 yards and a touchdown. Cooper earned a 90.8 overall grade in his Bills debut.

Why the Titans lost: The Titans struggled in pass protection, allowing Mason Rudolph to be pressured 19 times and sacked four times. Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere especially had trouble in pass pro, allowing eight pressures and a sack, posting a 21.0 overall grade.

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Cincinnati Bengals 21, Cleveland Browns 14

Why the Bengals won: The Bengals relied on their stars in the passing game to get the job done again. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase combined for nine catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Higgins earned an 82.8 overall grade, while Chase recorded a 76.8 grade. Having two excellent receivers who are able to make plays helped get the Bengals over the hump.

Why the Browns lost: The Browns just weren’t able to generate any offense on the ground. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the leading rusher for the Browns, but the team only rushed for 77 yards at 3.7 yer carry. Nick Chubb earned just two yards per carry and a 55.6 rushing grade on his return to action, and the lack of balance on offense just killed drives for the Browns.

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Green Bay Packers 24, Houston Texans 22

Why the Packers won: The Packers’ pass rush took over against the Texans. The defense earned 18 total pressures and four sacks on C.J. Stroud, with Rashan Gary leading the way with six pressures. Linebacker Eric Wilson sacked the quarterback twice and earned an 88.8 pass-rushing grade.

Why the Texans lost: C.J. Stroud had his worst game of the season, as the Texans’ passing game accounted for just 86 yards. Stroud earned a 59.5 passing grade while completing just 47.6% of his passes. He was sacked four times by the dominant Packers pass-rush.

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Indianapolis Colts 16, Miami Dolphins 10

Why the Colts won: The Colts’ offensive line remains one of the premier units in the NFL after another strong day against the Dolphins defense. The offensive line allowed just four total pressures the entire day, and only two pressures in true pass sets. Four of the Colts’ starters had plus-80.0 pass-blocking grades in true pass sets.

Why the Dolphins lost: The Dolphins’ passing game has been among the worst in the NFL, and their inability to get their two main receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, involved is a sure enough way to struggle in through the air. Hill and Waddle were targeted just four times and caught two passes for 19 yards, while Hill earned a 46.9 receiving grade.

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Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 29

Why the Lions won: Brian Flores’ commitment to blitzing didn’t pay off against the Lions. Jared Goff was blitzed on 17 dropbacks and completed 15-of-16 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown while averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. The Lions quarterback earned an 83.9 overall grade against the blitz and remains on a heater.

Why the Vikings lost: Like most teams, the Vikings defense just couldn’t contain the Lions’ tough running game, allowing 5.3 yards per carry. Jahmyr Gibbs did the most damage, forcing eight missed tackles while breaking off two runs of 10 yards or more. The usually disciplined Vikings’ defense missed 11 tackles in the run game.

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Philadelphia Eagles 28, New York Giants 3

Why the Eagles won: Saquon Barkley had his revenge game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, rushing 17 times for 176 yards and a touchdown, notching an 85.2 rushing grade. As a team, the Eagles dominated the Giants on the ground, rushing for 270 yards and three total touchdowns.

Why the Giants lost: Without Andrew Thomas, the Giants’ offensive line couldn’t contain the Eagles’ pass rush. Daniel Jones was pressured on 46.7% of his dropbacks, completing just 3-of-5 passes for 21 yards, and was sacked seven times, earning a 48.1 passing grade. The Giants quarterback couldn’t help himself, but wasn’t helped by his protection.

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Los Angeles Rams 20, Las Vegas Raiders 15

Why the Rams won: The Rams’ defense wreaked havoc in the Raiders’ backfield, generating 24 total pressures and eight quarterback hits. Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse notched a career-high seven pressures and five quarterback hits, while interior rushers Byron Young and Kobie Turner combined for seven total pressures. The defense was disruptive all game.

Why the Raiders lost: Gardner Minshew threw three interceptions after entering the game, but it’s under pressure where he really struggled. Minshew was pressured on 15 dropbacks and completed 2-of-13 attempts for 14 yards and two interceptions, averaging 1.1 yards per attempt. He earned a 23.7 passing grade when pressured.

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Washington Commanders 40, Carolina Panthers 7

Why the Commanders won: Marcus Mariota stepped in for the injured Jayden Daniels and didn’t miss a beat. Mariota excelled when kept clean in the pocket, completing 16-of-19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown while averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. He added a big-time throw and earned an 87.2 overall grade from a clean pocket.

Why the Panthers lost: The Panthers defense has struggled all season, and it was beaten up on the ground by a resilient Commanders offense that wouldn’t quit. The defense allowed 214 rushing yards on 37 carries and missed eight tackles, with the Commanders averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

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Kansas City Chiefs 28, San Francisco 49ers 18

Why the Chiefs won: Despite it not being the most efficient game on the ground, the Chiefs were able to set the tone through the run game, rushing for 184 yards and four touchdowns off 39 carries as a team. Kareem Hunt has been the workhorse for the last two weeks — he carried the ball 22 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns — while Patrick Mahomes and Mecole Hardman both added rushing touchdowns, with Mahomes accumulating an 82.6 rushing grade.

Why the 49ers lost: Brock Purdy struggled against a tough Chiefs defense, completing 54.8% of his passes for 212 yards, earning a poor 48.0 passing grade. Purdy threw three interceptions and had a turnover-worthy play rate of 7.1% as the offense struggled to generate anything. In a game where the Chiefs dominated possession, Purdy throwing three interceptions was key.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 37, New York Jets 15

Why the Steelers won: Najee Harris impressed again, rushing 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown, earning a 73.5 rushing grade and averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Even with Jaylen Warren back in the fold, Harris has been the workhouse and forced eight missed tackles against the Jets while ripping off three runs of 10 yards or more.

Why the Jets lost: The Jets couldn’t contain the Steelers in the receiving game. George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and Calvin Austin III averaged 27.9 yards per reception between the trio, and the Jets’ defense gave up 16.5 yards per reception in the game — with explosive plays doing the damage.

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