The Lions and Ravens reign with permission from the Chiefs and other conclusions from Week 7

And, even without Aidan Hutchinson, the Detroit Lions are capable of carrying out home games as complicated as facing the, until then undefeated, Vikings. A great team that put up a great battle and, despite losing, we can expect them to go very far this year. But even in the face of that test, Detroit knew how to thrive and did so by having the courage to find solutions when the running game was not as efficient as we are accustomed to. The battle was in the first downs, to put the game in the hands of Jared Goff and that is what happened, it was Goff who had to make the difference for better or worse… And boy did he come out successful. The Lions QB has been playing at a stratospheric level in recent weeks, he had a perfect game against Seattle (18/18 passes completed), he executed the Cowboys, leading a historic beating in Arlington… And none of those performances were up to par. of the level at which he played on Sunday in Minneapolis. The test was very complicated, because the Vikings designed the game to put the decisions in his hands, force him to pass and send all the heat possible through blitzes and exotic pressures that could confuse him. Nothing could be further from the truth. Goff navigated the pressure masterfully; Not in vain is he the best QB in the NFL against the Blitz this season, and in the most complicated test, that of Brian Flores and all the pre-snap disguises he prepares for his pressures, Goff signed an excellent 13/15 passes against the Blitz and averaged about 15 yards per pass under pressure. He knew how to be patient, did not panic in obvious passing situations and used the check down masterfully, always giving yards after catch options to his receivers, using all those players who attacked the line of scrimmage to his advantage. The pressure was very insistent, the Vikings sent Blitz in 15 of the 25 passes that Goff threw in this game, total aggressiveness and before it, a command of the situation by the Lions that was amazing. It’s as if they always had answers for what Minnesota asked. Jared Goff finished the game with an impressive 22/25 for 280 yards and 4 touchdown passes.

That this happens on the day that your career is not as consistent as it usually is is a very good sign and that, Jahmyr Gibbs signed a handful of very important explosive runs, but down by down, the Lions’ ground game did not contribute in the way in which he usually does it. That even in this way, Detroit knows how to take the game forward is a sign of a champion team. By the way, let’s not forget to highlight Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has no qualms about working on the days when he is not the protagonist, but who, when the team is in demand, appears to be the salvation again and again. time. His game in Minnesota was excellent and his appearances were always very relevant.

That said, the Vikings showed, despite the loss to a team that is a clear contender for the ring, that they are a team worth considering to go very far. They played a great game, they held their own and even knew how to get back into the game when the deficit was large. We could see Sam Darnold playing at a great level, Aaron Jones being very important on the ground and, of course, Justin Jefferson demonstrating, once again, why he is the best WR in the NFL right now.

It would not be strange for this match to be repeated in the Playoffs, even, why not, in a conference final. Both teams have that caliber.

The Kansas City Chiefs came into this game being considered underdogs to win. Patrick Mahomes’ record when he is an underdog? 12 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. Perhaps not considering the Chiefs favorites will have to be reviewed. And even more so when they have not only won all 6 games at the start of the season (something that they had never achieved with Mahomes), they have accumulated 12 consecutive victories since last season.

And it’s true, you see that attack play and it doesn’t play well, it doesn’t shine but… it’s very efficient. The running game is solid and Mahomes and Andy Reid always find solutions. It is a team that knows how to get ahead, that knows how to win games. In the previous win, Juju Smith-Schuster came back from the dead for 130 yards. On this occasion the WR who took center stage was Mecole Hardman… The Chiefs always find a way.

Mahomes was not good at all against the Blitz (1 of 4 for 7 yards), he was not good at deep (0/3 and 1 INT), but he was fantastic passing in the first 10 yards, against zone, outside the numbers and in Play Action. He accepted what the defense offered him and exploited it. And, as always happens in games that Mahomes considers important, he made the difference with his legs. That 33-yard run, in which he first outpaces Fred Warner to turn the corner, then sends Dee Winters to the ground by braking and accelerating again, marks the end of the game. Let it be consummated with a 1-yard run in which he collides with Malik Mustapha, who had been knocking down Chiefs players all game with brutal tackles and in the collision with Mahomes the one who goes to the ground is the 49ers safety.

This Chiefs offense has the rare virtue of getting just what it needs at the right time and that has a lot of value.

Although for value, Spagnoulo’s defense, which has managed to create a system with absolute balance, in which playing with base personnel, that is, with 3 LBs on the field, has not yet received a play of more than 20 yards of passing and, at the same time, they manage to constantly affect the QB, playing to guess who is going to go forward to chase him and who is going to go backwards in coverage. That flexibility, that ability to hide what is going to happen when the ball is put into play, is giving them an enormous ability to dictate what happens on the field.

The reality is that right now the Chiefs are in the driver’s seat, both in their division and in the American Conference and they do so, apparently, in a quite comfortable way.