JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 7
Hi there, I hope everyone enjoyed another great week of football. The deeper we go into the season, the more we are seeing a real separation between the elite teams in the league and the teams already thinking of next year. Okay then, enough of that, it is time for my thoughts on the week that was in the NFL.
1 – Thursday night – Week 6 in the NFL kicked off Thursday night in Philadelphia as the Eagles hosted Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Brady was efficient and effective as the Bucs scored three touchdowns in the first half, and then hung on to win. Because of the bright spotlight that shines on Brady and their offence, not enough is being said about the Bucs defence. Even though their secondary was shorthanded, and that Richard Sherman left the game early with a hamstring injury, the Bucs D still held the Eagles to under 120 yards passing. If they can get their secondary healthy, the Bucs defence is ultimately going to play a huge role in their success.
2 – “I still own you!” – Bears fans may not like to hear this, but Aaron Rodgers isn’t wrong; he does still own you! Rodgers threw two touchdowns as he beat the Bears for the 20th time in career. If you include the playoffs, with Rodgers running the show, the Packers are 22-5 against the Bears. By the way, after the game, Rodgers told reporters that a female Bears fans flipped him the double bird after he ran in for a touchdown. Rodgers, who is more than capable of backing up his words, responded with a “I still own you!” Sorry Bears fans, but as an old-school wrestling fan, I love that kind of smack talk.
3 – The Ravens – With Lamar Jackson playing at a MVP level, you can be forgiven if you forget how many bloody injuries the Ravens are dealing with. How many injuries you ask? The Ravens have 14 players still listed on their long-term injury list! Despite all of the injuries, the Ravens just keep playing and winning and getting better. Each and every week, LaMar Jackson gives us a ‘wow’ moment, and every week John Harbaugh reminds us how good of a coach that he is.
4 – Undefeated – Covid protocols cost the Cardinals their head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Not that it mattered, because Kyler Murray threw four touchdowns and the Cardinals defence sacked Baker Mayfield five times. Looking ahead to week 8, Murray and the Cardinals take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the Thursday night game. So far, every time the Cardinals have faced a hurdle, they have been able to overcome it and remain undefeated.
5 – Diggs-mania! – No, not Stefon Diggs, the Bills Pro Bowl receiver. No, I am talking about Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. Stefon’s brother Trevon leads the NFL interceptions and his pick-six in the 4th quarter was the difference as the Cowboys came back to beat the Patriots in over-time. What Trevon Diggs has down so far this season is remarkable, the man has seven interceptions and two pick-sixes! Diggs is a big reason why the Cowboys are such a dangerous team this year. By the way, the record for the most interceptions in a single season is 14, set way back in 1952 by Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane.
6 – The Rams – The Rams quietly followed up their loss to the Cardinals by beating the Seahawks two weeks ago, and then this past week, they crushed the Giants. Matt Stafford and the Rams are determined to keep the pressure on the Cardinals in the heated battle for top spot in the NFC West. What has been interesting in the past two weeks is how Sean McVay has been committed to running the football. Up next, the Rams take on the Lions and then they face the Texans.
7 – Winless in Detroit – With the Jaguars win over the Dolphins in London, England, which means there is one winless team left in the NFL, the poor Detroit Lions. One week after losing a heartbreaker to the Vikings, the Lions got pounded by Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Now, the Lions have to face the Rams next week. Looking at the Lions schedule, they should be able to win at least one game this year. Positive thoughts! Like a few teams around the NFL, the Lions front office are already deep into planning for the 2022 draft (they had better be!). Flying under the radar for next year’s draft is the Eagles. As of right now, the Eagles are on pace to have three picks in the top 10 next year!
8 – Pressure – Thanks to the Ravens, Buccaneers, and the Packers, the pressure is on a lot of teams around the NFL. All three teams are 5-1 and all three teams are led by legit MVL candidates at quarterback. This means teams like the Bengals, Browns, Panthers, Saints, Bears and Vikings are under immense pressure to go on a winning streak to even have a shot at winning their respective division. Barring that, all the aforementioned teams are playing for the Wild Card.
9 – T.J Watt – The Pittsburgh Steelers are not the juggernaut team they used to be. However, they still have some scary players on defence, most notable, T.J Watt. Watt was a one-man wrecking crew Sunday night as the Steelers beat the Seahawks in over-time. Watt ended up with seven tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits, three tackles for a loss, he deflected three passes and he capped it all off by forcing Geno Smith to fumble in over-time. On that play, Watt was being triple-teamed, then he shed the blockers and stripped the ball from a scrambling Smith. That is why team’s pay defensive players like Watt big money.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 6 in the NFL wrapped up Monday night in Tennessee as Derrick Henry and the Titans went toe-to-toe with the Buffalo Bills and their league leading defence. This is what makes Derrick Henry so special, everyone on the Bills, everyone in the stadium and everyone watching at home knows that he is going to get the ball, and he still has a big game. Henry shredded the Bills for 143 yards and three touchdowns as the Titans hung on to beat the Bills in another excellent Monday night game. Henry’s 76-yard touchdown in the first half is the reason I feel he is the power running back that I have ever seen. 250 pound running backs might be as strong and tough as him, but I have never seen a back that big that was so light on his feet and had that kind of open field speed. And Henry did all of this against what was the best defence in the NFL.
Week 7 will kick off Thursday night in Cleveland as Baker Mayfield and the injury riddled Browns host the surprising Denver Broncos.
Week 7 continues Sunday with a great AFC North match-up between Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Baltimore to take on LaMar Jackson and the red-hot Ravens.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost NFL expert. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
