Raiders, Packers and the other big disappointments of NFL Week 7

With six teams on a bye in Week 7, there was a reduced crop of players and coaches to drop the ball over the weekend. Inevitably, there were still individuals who showed out, and those who didn’t play up to their caliber. We’ll take a look at the players and people who didn’t perform in the most recent slate of games.

Many circled the Lions vs Baltimore Ravens contest as the premier matchup in the early part of the schedule, but Detroit was bludgeoned from the opening kickoff. It was a strange result, as usually the Lions are the team that establishes their physicality at the line of scrimmage. It’s possible that the loss of David Montgomery affected them more than fans initially realized.

Despite a turbulent start to the season, Las Vegas still had a chance to have a record over .500 after seven weeks, and had a golden chance to achieve that against the Chicago Bears. The Raiders started a reserve quarterback themselves, but have more talent on paper against Chicago. Las Vegas was never really in a game against one of the weaker teams in the NFL.

It was a roller coaster ride, but Cleveland was able to edge out the Indianapolis Colts for a 39-38 victory. Although the Browns got it done, how they ended up winning might be cause for concern down the road. Their defense made big plays, but conceded a lot of points to a struggling Colts offense. This could be a recipe for trouble if Deshaun Watson can’t lead Cleveland’s offense.

The schedule set Buffalo up perfectly for a spot to get right against the New England Patriots, but the Bills couldn’t take advantage. This was the second straight week that Buffalo played down to an inferior opponent, and this time it cost them a win. The Bills are still one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC, but need to come out with more intensity each week.

It was one of the most confusing storylines of Week 7. The Atlanta Falcons weren’t deploying star rookie running back Bijan Robinson, and no one knew why. It turns out that Robinson had a severe headache leading up to kickoff. However, Atlanta chose not to make Robinson inactive, but opted to greatly scale back his workload.

Week 7’s contest against the Denver Broncos has to come as a major disappointment for Packers fans. Denver’s defense had ranked at the bottom of many categories, and Green Bay’s offense could not take advantage. It seems like running back Aaron Jones is still not fully healthy, and that quarterback Jordan Love is hesitant to let the ball go in the pocket.

The Dolphins were tested against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, and their record setting running game was held in check. Raheem Mostert couldn’t consistently rip off chunks of yardage, which left Miami’s offense in several third and long situations. Teams across the league might look long and hard at Philadelphia’s gameplan to contain Miami moving forward.

Playing the Kansas City Chiefs on the road is one of the most daunting tasks in the NFL today, but Los Angeles had to have hoped for better in their divisional clash. Justin Herbert is widely viewed as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, but at some point will need to come up with victories against some of the premier teams in the league.