The Indianapolis Colts firmly established themselves as genuine contenders on another pulsating NFL Sunday, while the Denver Broncos staged the mother of all comebacks.
The Colts lead the league, but challengers are emerging from all sides, with the New England Patriots continuing their resurgence and the Kansas City Chiefs firmly back in business.
Jalen Hurts finally got the Philadelphia Eagles offense moving, the Green Bay Packers showed their mettle, and the Dallas Cowboys continue to be the league's shooters.
Why the Colts are real contenders
There's no denying the Colts are a real contender right now as they lead the NFL at 6-1 following their 38-24 rout of the Chargers in Los Angeles, with Daniel Jones putting to rest any doubt that his strong start to the season has been a highlight.
Running back Jonathan Taylor is a touchdown machine, scoring his third hat trick of the season to bring his total to 11 in seven games.
This star power has played a key role in Indianapolis becoming the NFL's leading scorer with over 33 points per game, and their key strength is how skillful they are with the ball.
They entered the game with the league's best points per pass percentage and scored five touchdowns and one field goal on nine possessions against the Chargers.
When they don't have the ball, they rank third in forcing turnovers (11), and when they do have it, they rarely give it away and almost always score.
The defense is giving up a lot of yards, but with 20 points in the game, it's seventh-best, and it all adds up to a rising power that's truly hard to stop.
Knicks lead epic comeback to Denver
Without a doubt, it's the game of the week: Bo Nix went crazy and led the Denver Broncos to a stunning 33-32 victory over the plucky and hapless New York Giants.
Coming out of the game with a 19-0 lead after three quarters, Nix became the first quarterback to throw two passes and two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Denver's 33-point blitz was the second-best in history.
Even as the Knicks somehow gave Denver the lead, impressive Giants rookie quarterback Jackson Dart sparked a response with his fourth total touchdown of the game, seemingly winning it with just 37 seconds left.
Still, that was enough time for the Knicks to lead the field goal streak and get Denver out of jail again – but they'll have to do better if they want to go far this season.
Let the eagles and leaders fly
The Super Bowl champions came roaring back from back-to-back losses when Hurts finally opened up his shoulders to throw for 326 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 as the Eagles beat the Vikings 28-22.
Hurts hasn't been on the same page with his receivers lately, but DeVonta Smith had a career-best 183 yards and a score, while AJ Brown caught two touchdowns in a freestyle game that Eagles fans have been waiting for.
Philadelphia typically takes a more conservative approach, but with Hurts throwing for the most yards per 20 yards (215) of his career, this could be a sign that they're taking the handbrake off.
Patrick Mahomes also let the ball fly in his 93rd regular-season win as returning wide receiver Rushey Rice sparked a 31-0 victory over a rather dismal Las Vegas Raiders team.
More tough challenges lie ahead, but the Chiefs are now four wins out of five after a rocky start, averaging 31.5 points per game over the last four years and only the Colts running the ball more clinically.
The Chiefs are definitely on the rise.
Who are the hopefuls and hopefuls in the NFL?
Drake May will be in the running for MVP if he continues to play with such composure and precision for the Patriots.
He set a team record with a 91.3% completion percentage in the win over the Titans, and considering Tom Brady has been their quarterback for two decades, that's quite an accomplishment in just his second season.
The Pats are 5-2 and have won all four road games, including their last three, although their last matchup was against the Titans.
Green Bay beat Arizona 27-23, but it was far from convincing—Micah Parsons had three sacks that proved decisive—but Cards backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett still got some joy from the Packers defense.
They have also looked a bit toothless in attack when Josh Jacobs has not been on the pitch, so the key to their progress is keeping their star defender fit and moving forward.
Dak Prescott had his fourth straight three-touchdown game as the Dallas Cowboys showed off their offensive prowess again to beat struggling Washington, which lost Jaden Daniels to a hamstring injury.
That's a major concern for the Commanders, who had no answer for CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Javonte Williams, who combined for 308 yards and two scores.
At 3-3, Dallas could easily run wild and beat anyone with their offense, but they still have a lot to prove on defense.
Only the Patriots can match Chicago's four-game winning streak after the Bears overcame hot and cold Caleb Williams to defeat the struggling Saints.
The Bears have rushed for 222 yards and two scores while the defense leads the league with 16 turnovers after three interceptions and a Spencer Rattler fumble – a combination that can help you in the NFL.
But they will want more from Williams.
The San Francisco 49ers have injury problems, but as long as they have Christian McCaffrey, they have a chance.
The Niners are now 5-2 after McCaffrey totaled 201 yards and two touchdowns to beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-10.
A wretched Miami proved to be the antidote to Cleveland's woes, as the Browns scored 31 points and beat the Dolphins – having previously not scored more than 17 points in a game.
Finally, the New York Jets, who benched Justin Fields during a 13-6 loss to Carolina, dropped to 0-7 for just the third time in their history.
NFL Week 7 Results and Highlights
- Los Angeles Rams 35-7 Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints 14-26 Chicago Bears
- Miami Dolphins 6-31 Cleveland Browns
- New England Patriots 31-13 Tennessee Titans
- Las Vegas Raiders 0-31 Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 Minnesota Vikings
- Carolina Panthers 13-6 New York Jets
- New York Giants 32-33 Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts 38-24 Los Angeles Chargers
- Washington Commanders 22-44 Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons 10-20 San Francisco 49ers
