The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the league’s greatest and most intriguing teams on bye this week. As a result, the NFL Week 7 schedule is jam-packed with games that only real NFL fans will enjoy.
While most weeks include stories, drama, and head-to-head rivalries, the intriguing nuggets in this week’s schedule are hard to come by. However, there are still a few games worth watching, so here are the three most interesting NFL Week 7 matches.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions — Sunday, October 24, 4:05 p.m. EST, FOX
Sean McVay with former quarterback Jared Goff and current quarterback Matthew Stafford | Christian Petersen/Getty Images; Andy Lyons/Getty Images
How does a 5-1 Los Angeles Rams club facing a 0-6 Detroit Lions team become one of the most interesting NFL Week 7 matchups?
The NFL, after all, is a coach-and-quarterback league, and the coaches and quarterbacks who play in it are very fascinating.
In the offseason, the quarterbacks swapped positions, altering the fortunes of two teams. With Matthew Stafford departing for Los Angeles and being replaced by the below-average Jared Goff, the Lions moved from a poor club that Stafford could only pull to mediocrity to a squad that was just plain awful.
On the other hand, Stafford has transformed the Rams from a club that won despite its quarterback to one that can win by dominating on both sides of the ball (and win when one side is suffering, as the Rams defense has been in early 2021). As a result, LA is a legitimate Super Bowl candidate.
Sean McVay is the offensive kid genius who has finally found a quarterback worthy of his play-calling brilliance. Plus, Goff has never beaten McVay in an NFL game.
On the opposite sideline, you’ve got the new Motor City Mad Man, Lions head coach Dan Campbell, in his debut season. He was weeping for his squad two weeks ago. He challenged Goff’s starting job last week.
What is he going to do this week? There’s no way of knowing, which adds to the intrigue of this NFL Week 7 game.
Sunday, October 24, 1:00 p.m. EST, CBS, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
In celebration of the Ravens’ Bengals week, here’s a video of Lamar Jackson proving his “he is Houdini” claim. twitter.com/ljRZNEh8hi
October 19, 2021 — Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34)
The Baltimore Ravens have won their past five games after a shocking overtime defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1. Lamar Jackson, the Ravens’ quarterback, has been outstanding in recent games and is a strong contender for his second NFL MVP Award.
In a nutshell, Jackson and the Ravens are legit.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore’s AFC North opponent, are 4-2, one game behind Jackson and company. The Bengals are headed to their best start since 2018, thanks to second-year wonder Joe Burrow, rookie phenom Ja’Marr Chase, and a (relatively) healthy Joe Mixon.
After starting 4-2, the Bengals reverted to their previous identity as the “Bungles,” going 2-8 in their last ten games. This squad is unique, and the offense — which is now rated 11th in the NFL — is a force to be reckoned with. However, aren’t the Bengals still the Bengals?
For Burrow and his team, this is a big-boy divisional game. Cincinnati must show up at The Bank in Baltimore on Sunday if they want to challenge the Ravens for the division title or even compete for a playoff berth with the rest of the AFC’s best teams. If they don’t win, they must play well enough to prove that they belong in the conversation.
This NFL Week 7 game will reveal a lot about the Bengals and decide if the AFC North will be a fight or a stroll for the Ravens.
Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs — Sunday, October 24, 1:00 p.m. EST, CBS
Many football fans undoubtedly had this NFL Week 7 game on their calendars before the season began. It includes the 11-5 AFC South champion Tennessee Titans and the 14-2 AFC Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs from previous season.
The contest has lost some of its luster, but that just adds to its intrigue.
The Chiefs are currently 3-3 and in last place in the AFC West. They’ve beaten clubs like the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Football team this season. However, they have struggled and lost against the AFC’s best teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, and Buffalo Bills.
The Tennessee Titans may finally be rounding into shape after an acceptable loss to the still-unbeaten Arizona Cardinals and an unforgivable loss to the lowly New York Jets. Last week, Derrick Henry rushed for 143 yards and the defense held tough in key moments to defeat the Bills. Coach Mike Vrabel’s squad may be on the verge of reclaiming its 2020 form.
Beating Kansas City will go a long way toward proving that Tennessee is returning for another postseason run.
This is a must-win game for Kansas City. If Patrick Mahomes’ team falls to 3-4, they will be in serious danger, and questions about “what’s wrong with the Chiefs?” will erupt in a frenzy. Just because of that potential, this NFL Week 7 game is worth watching.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
RELATED: Matthew Stafford Visited Sean McVay’s Rams After Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers Stayed at the Wrong Cabo Hotel
Related Tags
- pro football live
- cleveland browns super bowl
- cleveland browns videos
- cleveland browns football
- profootballtalk youtube