Week seven of the NFL schedule brought us another entertaining round of games and another early start overseas. Six of the 12 games on the schedule Sunday afternoon were decided by six points or less. Two were decided on the final play of regulation and a third needed overtime to determine a victory. There are plenty of surprises in the standings to this point of the year and it will be interesting to see how things unfold going forward.

We saw the ranks of the unbeaten thinned this week as well. Let’s take a look at everything that went down in a Sunday chock full of action.

Pittsburgh vs. New Orleans (in Saint-Denis, France): The day started off with a 9:30 am ET start with an interconference tilt in France. While there was concern about the game because of the civil unrest in France, it went off without any major issues. We didn’t see a ton of points but the Steelers were better than the Saints offensively. Pittsburgh dominated the ground game, outrushing New Orleans 148-18. Another good game for Jaylen Warren, who ran 18 times for 101 yards while adding three catches for 36 yards. Rico Dowdle got his work too, running nine times for 41 yards and reeling in six passes for 46 yards. Disappointing game for DK Metcalf, who had just two catches for 56 yards on five targets. For the Saints, they can’t get Travis Etienne Jr. back to help the run game. Seventeen carries for 18 yards? The Kendre Miller/Alvin Kamara combo racked up 14 carries for…11 yards. That’s right, the running backs averaged 2.3 FEET a carry. Tyler Shough was good, hitting 30 of 38 for 278 yards with a touchdown and an interception. However, he led the team with a whopping seven rushing yards.

San Francisco at Atlanta: Scratch San Francisco from the ranks of the unbeaten as they were unable to overcome their self-inflicted wounds on top of a slew of injuries. The 49ers were down their top two receivers and then had Christian McCaffrey miss a stretch with a thigh injury. He owned a 34-31 advantage in snaps over Kaelon Black though Black (12 carries, 63 yards, TD) was more productive than CMC (seven carries, 39 yards, TD) in the run game. McCaffrey did grab six passes for 61 yards. Brock Purdy completed 27 passes but only seven went to wide receivers. The 49ers turned the ball over four times, including a pair of interceptions. Purdy was drawing attention in the MVP race but was outplayed by Michael Penix, who was 25 of 34 for 213 yards and three scores. Atlanta rallied from 14-3 down and won despite Bijan Robinson being limited to 63 yards on the ground.

Cleveland at Tennessee: Who would have thought that a matchup between the Browns and Titans would be one of the more entertaining games in the early window? Cleveland piled up 491 yards of offense in the game and still needed a last minute drive to pull out the win on a 32-yard field goal by Andre Szymt at the final gun. Deshaun Watson threw for 308 yards and ran for a score while Quinshon Judkins piled up 96 yards and two scores on the ground. Big games for KC Concepcion (eight catches, 129 yards, three carries, 23 yards) and tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (six catches, 91 yards) for the Browns. Not so much for Denzel Boston (three grabs, 27 yards on eight targets), who turned in a second straight dud. Tony Pollard did everything he could for the Titans, carrying 25 times for 129 yards and three scores while adding three catches for 26 yards. Cam Ward continues to underwhelm. Is he a lost cause and destined to become the next JaMarcus Russell? As for Cleveland, remember the Kardiac Kids? Here’s hoping that this version doesn’t have a Red Right 88 moment at the wrong time.

Indianapolis at Minnesota: This game was just ugly. Entering the fourth quarter, neither team had even 200 yards of total offense and neither team ended with more than 275 yards in the game. Trailing 10-6 after three quarters, Kyler Murray gave the Vikings the lead for good with a five-yard TD pass to T.J. Hockenson on the first play of the fourth quarter. Minnesota’s defense did the rest as the Colts couldn’t generate any points. Spencer Shrader missed field goal attempts from 56 and 48 yards in the second half. Daniel Jones continued to sputter as he was just 13 of 22 for 108 yards and an interception. Jonathan Taylor (18 carries, 95 yards, TD) still owned a 41-20 edge in the snap count over Seth McGowan (11 carries, 46 yards) but one has to wonder if he, among others, will be dealt by the November 10 deadline. Interesting to see Jordan Mason come back off IR and rack up 15 carries for 68 yards on 38 snaps. Meanwhile, Aaron Jones Sr., who carried the run game in Mason’s absence, played just 15 snaps and had eight carries for 26 yards with 17 coming on one run. That’s something to watch going forward. Minnesota is going to need better offensive showings going forward as the schedule gets tougher.

Miami at New York Jets: Give Miami credit as they pulled out their first win of the season. The Dolphins had a couple long, sustained drives in the first half that helped stake them to a 21-7 advantage. Malik Willis didn’t try to do too much, throwing for 208 yards and two scores while adding 37 yards and a score on the ground. Ollie Gordon II had 103 yards and a score on the ground. Who thought Greg Dulcich would go for five catches and 86 yards? Sure you did. You probably think Ray Finkel was a good kicker too. For the Jets, nice showing for Mason Taylor, who had five catches for 62 yards and two scores plus a two-point conversion. He outsnapped Kenyon Sadiq 37-22 and Sadiq caught his lone target for six yards. Back-to-back good games for Omar Cooper Jr., who had five catches for 115 yards and a score, including a 60-yard play. Braelon Allen ran 17 times for 104 yards and Geno Smith threw for 287 yards with three scores and an interception. It will be interesting to see if Allen cuts into Breece Hall’s workload when he comes back.

Tampa Bay at Carolina: Backs to the wall, Tampa Bay welcomed back Baker Mayfield after he missed three-plus games with a dislocated thumb. The thing of it was, they didn’t need him to do much of anything in the game. Mayfield was just seven of 11 for 64 yards and a score in the contest. Tampa Bay exploited the Panthers’ run defense to the tune of 258 yards and three scores. Bucky Irving had 24 carries for 106 yards and two scores. Sean Tucker added seven carries for 52 yards and a score. There was even a Kenneth Gainwell (14 carries, 88 yards) sighting! Even the defense (four turnovers, fumble return for a score) and special teams (defensive two-point conversion on a blocked PAT) got involved in the rout. This was Carolina’s worst showing since the opener against the Bears. Bryce Young threw for 163 yards and hit Darren Waller on a 50-yard touchdown pass but also had two picks plus lost a fumble. Tetairoa McMillan (four grabs, 40 yards) and Jalen Coker (one catch, nine yards, four targets) were non-entities in this game. The Panthers still lead the NFC South with a 3-3 mark but this is a bad division no matter how you slice it. Don’t be surprised if 8-9 wins it for a second straight year.

Cincinnati at Baltimore: This game was a tale of two halves. Baltimore had control of the game in the first half and took a 13-0 advantage to intermission. The turning point in the game came on the opening play of the fourth quarter, Trailing 14-13, Baltimore had 4th and 2 at the Cincinnati 12. Rather than kick a field goal, Jesse Minter chose to go for it and called a pass play to backup tight end Josh Cuevas. It fell incomplete, the Bengals went 88 yards in 12 plays to score and go up 21-13. Baltimore’s last four drives after that: punt, interception, turnover on downs, end of game. Cincinnati racked up two more scores and won going away. Joe Burrow threw for 292 yards and four scores after a subpar first half. Tee Higgins racked up six grabs for 148 yards and a score to overshadow Ja’Marr Chase (five catches, 62 yards, TD) in the game. Tyler Huntley was good enough, going for 298 yards with a score and an interception. Zay Flowers had another big showing with eight catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. However, Derrick Henry was stonewalled, carrying 17 times for just 45 yards. Put your hand up if you had the Ravens in the basement of the AFC North as we get to Halloween. Sure, and Charlie Brown got something other than rocks when he went trick or treating.

New York Giants at Houston: Give John Harbaugh credit for what he’s done. The thought process was that the Ravens struggled in the tail end of his tenure, blowing more double-digit leads than any other team in the league. That’s still happening in Charm City but Harbaugh has taken a team playing their THIRD-STRING quarterback and a guy that they acquired less than a month ago, to the top spot in the NFC East. J.J. McCarthy was solid, hitting 20 of 28 throws for 252 yards. Cam Skattebo, who barely saw the field last week after his overtime fumble against Washington two weeks ago, ran for 124 yards and a score. All three running backs (Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary) had rushing scores, as did Jameis Winston. McCarthy outplayed C.J. Stroud, on the road, and Singletary’s 30-yard scoring run in overtime gave the Giants the win. The Texans dropped to 2-5 on the year with the loss. Marvin Harrison Jr. had his first touchdown with Houston but it was his lone catch of the game. Where was Nico Collins? He had two catches for six yards on five targets. His longest catch was FOUR yards. Houston is 0-4 at home. That simply doesn’t cut it.

Denver at Arizona: It wasn’t the prettiest of showings by the Denver offense, who continues to be uninspiring no matter who is calling the plays. Nonetheless, the Broncos did hang 30 points though two of their three touchdowns were on big plays. I don’t think you’re going to see Bo Nix go for a 62-yard jaunt on a weekly basis. Simlarly, I don’t think RJ Harvey is going to have a 52-yard score off a reception. Jonah Coleman (nine carries, 54 yards, two catches, 15 yards), fresh off injured reserve, had 30 snaps for Denver. Meanwhile, Harvey (three carries, six yards, two catches, 54 yards, TD) saw 16 snaps and J.K. Dobbins (six carries, 23 yards, TD) had 14. No truth to the rumor that Sammy Winder and Steve Sewell were next in line to see action. For the Cardinals, Bam Knight had a slight edge in snaps (43-38) over Tyler Allgeier but finished with better numbers. Knight finished with seven carries for 48 yards (29 on one run) while adding three catches for 15 yards. Allgeier had eight carries for 19 yards and three catches for 30 yards. It will be interesting to see what unfolds when Jeremiyah Love is healthy again. Trey McBride (10 catches, 111 yards, TD) continues to be matchup proof. He has at least seven catches in every game this season.

Green Bay at Detroit: This NFC North matchup was expected to be a track meet given how explosive each side’s offense is and how porous the defenses are. As it turned out, both teams moved the ball pretty easily but self-destructed when in striking distance to put points on the board. Green Bay turned the ball over on downs at the Lions 7. Not to be undaunted, Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled at the Packers’ 6 just before the half. The Lions turned it over on downs at the Packers 6 late in the third quarter. Then they gave it up on downs, in a TIE GAME, at their OWN 22-yard line, with under five minutes to go. Somehow, they survived that and ended up driving to set up Jake Bates’ 22-yard winner with no time remaining. Everyone was excited about Josh Jacobs coming back, right? He carried 11 times for 36 yards. Yes, he caught five passes for 55 yards and a score but the Green Bay run game turned in another 60 yard, 3.2-yard per carry average. Five guys had at least 39 receiving yards for Green Bay but none had more than 57. Goff had a decent afternoon, throwing for 303 yards with two touchdowns. He also fumbled twice, losing one. Gibbs ran 29 times for 116 yards and caught five balls for 27 yards. Really nice showings for Amon-Ra St. Brown (nine catches, 153 yards) and Jameson Williams (five grabs, 91 yards, two TD) in the game. One thing that seems pretty much a foregone conclusion? Trey Smack likely hits the unemployment line this week. He missed two point blank field goals, one from 35 yards on the opening possession, and one from 26 yards after that failed fourth down by the Lions late in the game. Hitting 11 of 16 field goals won’t get it done and as Jerry Glanville once said, “This is the NFL and that stands for Not For Long if you keep making horseshit plays like that in this league.”

Los Angeles Rams at Las Vegas: The Rams ran all over the Raiders, jumping in front 28-3 in the first half before the Raiders got a field goal to make it 28-6 at intermission. Las Vegas struck back with two touchdowns in 1:39 early in the fourth quarter to get within 28-18. The Raiders couldn’t get any closer though, dropping their fourth straight game. Kyren Williams (16 carries, 99 yards, two catches, 22 yards) and Blake Corum (17 carries, 93 yards, catch, eight yards) both scored on the ground as the Rams piled up 199 rush yards. Williams had a slim 37-32 edge in snaps. One thing we saw the Rams go back to heavily this week was the 13 personnel. Colby Parkinson (five catches, 48 yards), Davis Allen (four catches, 20 yards, two TD) and Tyler Higbee (two grabs, 14 yards) each saw at least 50 snaps. Meanwhile, the receivers opposite Puka Nacua were non-entities. Ashton Jeanty caught eight balls for 61 yards and a score but he’s not doing you any favors with his ground game production. He had eight carries for a paltry 15 yards. Tre Tucker (five catches, 103 yards, TD) is clearly the #1 receiving option for the Raiders while Brock Bowers (six receptions, 73 yards) continues to provide solid numbers on a week in, week out basis.

Kansas City at Seattle: Kansas City was unbeaten on the year heading into this game, which was the Kenneth Walker III return to the Emerald City. Things didn’t go swimmingly for the Chiefs. They were blanked at the half and didn’t find the end zone in the contest. The Chiefs never even reached the red zone. Patrick Mahomes was neutralized: while he was sacked just once, he was hit seven times, fumbled once and was picked off once. Walker III was shut down as he finished with 14 carries for just 32 yards while adding four catches for 21 yards. In the last game before Zach Charbonnet expects to return, Emanuel Wilson finished with 24 carries for 100 yards and a score. Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned in another stellar outing with nine catches for 150 yards and a score. He had a couple beautiful grabs along the sideline in the contest. Sam Darnold threw for 258 yards with a score. He also had a pick right before the half when Rashid Shaheed ran into Smith-Njigba that set the Chiefs up with a chance for points. Harrison Butker had a rough night, missing from 58 yards short and 45 to the right.

As for Monday night, we’ve got the movable force against the resistible object. Dallas has a leaky defense but the Eagles are lacking their top two receivers in DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Saquon Barkley hopes to play and Dallas Goedert is off the injury report. Still, do you want a gutted offense against a sieve defense or a full strength offense against a banged up defense. In the end, Dallas claws out a tight win on the road, 31-28.

--Chris Kubala