The Rundown of Week 7 in the NFL

 

Week seven of the NFL season showcased how both Bay Areas are going in absolute opposite directions. The Raiders are staying alive in the AFC wild card contention, while the 49ers were embarrassed once again. Oakland has already matched their win total from last year and finally put everything together in their convincing victory in San Diego. Things won’t get much better for San Francisco, as they are in the midst of the toughest stretch of their season. As we approach the halfway point of the season, division races all around the NFL are only getting tighter.

 

Week 7 Game Highlights:

 

Seahawks @ 49ers: San Francisco continued their dismal season, as they were vastly outplayed by the division rival Seahawks on Thursday night by a final of 20-3. The 49ers offensive line was absolutely pitiful all night long, allowing six sacks. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was downright pathetic, completing only four passes to his wide receivers and leading his offense to just eight first downs. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch carved up the San Francisco defense, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown. In the winning effort, Seattle finally picked up their first road win of the year.

 

Texans @ Dolphins: The Miami Dolphins were incredibly dominant in their 44-23 win over Houston, scoring a whopping 41 points in the first half. Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill completed his first 18 passes and finished with four touchdown throws. Running back Lamar Miller was sensational, rushing for 175 yards and a score. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry scored twice in the first quarter and ended with 83 total yards. The Dolphins have scored 82 points in their first two games under new head coach Dan Campbell.

 

Jets @ Patriots: The New England Patriots and QB Tom Brady overcame a very mediocre start in the first three quarters and pulled out a 30-23 win by scoring two touchdowns in the last seven minutes. New England wide receivers dropped six passes along the way, which is the most for a Patriots team in the last 10 years. But tight end Rob Gronkowski hauled in 11 catches for over 100 yards, and receiver Danny Amendola had eight catches and a touchdown, as New England stayed undefeated. The Jets will face another tough matchup in Oakland next Sunday.

 

Raiders @ Chargers: The Silver and Black turned in their most complete effort of the year, dominating San Diego for the first three quarters in the 37-29 final. Rookie wideout Amari Cooper continued to impress, finishing with 133 receiving yards and a touchdown. The Oakland offense was very efficient, scoring on their first seven possessions. Raiders running back Latavius Murray had a nice bounceback performance by rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown. Oakland survived a late comeback effort by the Chargers, in which they scored 23 points in the final quarter.

 

Week 8 Games to Watch:

 

Dolphins @ Patriots, 5:25p.m. PT Thursday on NFLN

The Miami Dolphins are looking to stay undefeated under Campbell as they take on the defending champion Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Miami is coming off a dominating win over Houston at home last Sunday, in which they scored an unreal 41 points in the first half. Meanwhile, New England just got past the division rival Jets by a final of 30-23 in a game in which they were outplayed for most of the afternoon. Nonetheless, the Patriots are still in command of the AFC east and have yet to taste defeat this season.

 

49ers @ Rams, 10a.m. PT on FOX

The 49ers are trying for their first road win of the year in this NFC West battle with the very talented, but inconsistent St. Louis Rams. St. Louis is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. They have showed immense promise at times this season, specifically in their wins over Seattle and Arizona. Rams first round pick Todd Gurley has taken the NFL by storm the last three weeks, rushing for at least 125 yards in each contest. San Francisco has been miserable against divisional foes this year, having been outscored 67-10 in those games.

 

Bengals @ Steelers, 10a.m. PT on CBS

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger makes his triumphant return to the Steelers after sitting out the last four weeks because of a knee injury. Pittsburgh is chasing the red hot, 6-0 Bengals for first place in the AFC North. The high powered Cincinnati offense is third in the NFL in points scored per game, led by quarterback Andy Dalton who has the fifth most fantasy points this season. Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is trying to rush for over 110 yards for the fourth time in his last five games.

 

Jets @ Raiders, 1:05p.m. PT on CBS

After an extremely satisfying victory on the road in San Diego, the Oakland Raiders return home to face arguably their toughest test of the year against the New York Jets. The Jets have given up the second least amount of yards in the NFL this season. Raiders top wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree will be matched up with star cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Oakland running back Latavius Murray is up against a New York defense that has given up the least rush yards in the league. The Jets are coming off a very frustrating defeat at the hands of the Patriots, in a game that they surely should have won. Oakland has lost six of their last eight games against New York.

 

Packers @ Broncos, 5:30p.m. PT on NBC

This week’s edition of Sunday Night Football is a clash of two undefeated teams that are feeling very different about themselves right now. Green Bay is a favorite to win the NFC and return to the Super Bowl, while Denver is continuing to struggle every week, but is finding a way to win these high stress games. It’s no secret that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has experienced a dramatic dropoff in his performance this season, compared to recent years. But it’s been the Denver defense, ranked number in the league, that has carried this team time and time again when it matters most.