We had some great games in Week 7. Several of the marquee matchups lived up to the hype- and then some. Here’s a look back at the results and what you can take from them for next week.
Chiefs 30 Dolphins 20
The Dolphins are starting to fade into the team that everyone thought they would be. The problem lies in the QB position, where Gus Frerotte has come back down to earth. Kansas City only had one day to practice and equipped themselves quite nicely.
Cardinals 20 Titans 10
Arizona is progressing very, very, very, very, very ,very ,very slowly. Nevertheless, progress is being made. Granted, they beat the youngest team in the NFL on Sunday. But, the offense is clicking and the defense is finally coming around. Steve McNair was hurt for a change, so backup Billy Volek had a chance to make the most of the situation. He did not.
Bears 10 Ravens 6
Brian Billick is an average head coach, relying on a good defense to him games. Unfortunately, for a former offensive guru, he sure doesn’t have a clue how to even average 15 points a game! Chicago won a typical Bears game with grit, moxy, good defense and no offense.
Lions 13 Browns 10
Jeff Garcia was terrific at QB for Detroit. He is the only reason the Lions win this game. Romeo Crennel has Cleveland believing. Now, if only we can make him believe Trent Dilfer should not be an NFL QB anymore. In inserting Garcia, Detroit may actually have salvaged their season.
Colts 38 Texans 20
Indianapolis did enough in the second half to pull away. However, Houston showed that the Colts defense is beatable. This was supposed to be the NFL’s best against its worst and it was closer than it should have been. Don’t book those Super Bowl tickets just yet Indy fans.
Vikings 23 Packers 20
Brett Favre was sensational, Daunte Culpepper was good. Green Bay’s defense was terrible and Minnesota’s defense was decent. That was the difference here. A last-second field goal by the Vikes gave them this hard fought victory. As sickening as it is, this dysfunctional bunch is right back in the divisional race. Let’s see them do it against an NFL-caliber defense though…
Giants 24 Broncos 23
As usual, Denver was great out of the gate and faded down the stretch. They’ve been hanging on as of late for wins, but Eli kept coming and lead them to the winning score with five seconds left. Manning is for real folks, and so are the Giants. Denver still sits atop their division, but the Chiefs are breathing down their necks.
Raiders 38 Bills 17
Wow, Buffalo’s so-called solid defense looked terrible against Kerry Collins. Oakland was happy to have Randy Moss back in the end zone and their own defense played all right. Kelly Holcomb blew a golden chance to get the Bills into first place and maybe even win himself a permanent job.
Eagles 20 San Diego 17
A great game with two great teams- one of whom is now only 3-4 on the season. The Chargers have found ways to lose games at the end and this one was no different. A key fumble gave Philly the victory. Who says you can’t win without a running attack? McNabb and company do just fine throwing the ball 50 times a game. Note to Eagles defense: nice job on containing Tomlinson when everyone thought you were going to get run over.
Steelers 27 Bengals 13
Pittsburgh showed that Cincinnati are the NFL’s “Not ready for primetime players.” The Steelers played typical Steeler ball and ran right over the Bengals. Carson Palmer was a little disappointing in this one. No matter, the Bengals are still in first place- albeit in a tighter race than it could have been had they won.
Seahawks 13 Cowboys 10
For the second week in a row, Dallas buckled at the end. A terrible interception by Bledsoe, reminded me why I thought he was done at the end of last season. The Cowboys were missing their running back Julius Jones. However, they should have won this game. Seattle continues to beat on the bad teams and struggle against the decent ones.
Rams 28 Saints 17
I don’t care what the circumstances are that surround the Saints, they are better than their record and that should reflect directly on QB Aaron Brooks. This team was up big in this one and did nothing in the second half to maintain their advantage. But give St. Louis credit, they kept on trucking behind light-armed Jamie Martin at rear pivot. Without Holt and Bruce, the Rams kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Man, are they annoyed Bledsow threw that pick or what?
Washington 52 49ers 17
The Redskins are not this good, but San Francisco is this bad! Washington finally got their ground game going and 49er QB Alex Smith looked like a Pop Warner player trying to play with his dad’s friends. An ugly, ugly performance by the entire San Francisco team. Washington will come back to earth next week when they play the Giants.
by Matthew 
