Week 7 took away perfection from one of the two teams that remained with an undefeated record in the campaign, leaving only the defending champions of the last two Super Bowls, the <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/influential-nfl-players-of-2021/" title="Influential NFL Players Of 2021″>Kansas City Chiefs, with an immaculate record.
But there was nothing immaculate about Kansas City’s victory over San Francisco, one where two of the NFL’s highest-profile quarterbacks combined for a terrible performance.
That seemed to be the theme of a seventh date devoid of great individual performances on Sunday. We counted only three wide receivers and zero passers in this edition.
Without further ado, the Colossus of Week 7 of the 2024 NFL regular seasonfollowed by the Honorable Mentions of the day, as always, in alphabetical order:
If you want to see the best team in the National Conference, you have to look at Detroit.
The Lions undefeated Minnesota, at home, to take the top of the NFC North by storm – with the help of the tiebreaker -, and putting the rest of the NFL on notice.
Gibbs filled the role of general in the battle, leading the charge with 15 carries and 116 yards with two touchdowns, and adding four catches for 44 yards in the Lions’ victory, setting the pace for victory.
Gibbs’ two touchdowns occurred as part of a 21-point second quarter that helped Detroit take control of the game, managing to retain control of the score until almost the end of regulation, when a field goal in the final stretch ensured the triumph.
Gibbs has paid off big time on the first-round pick invested in him – 12th overall pick in 2023 -, doing his part to demystify the idea that high picks should not be invested in running backs.
Honorable mentions
Saquon Barkleyrunning back, Philadelphia Eagles. Believe me, there is special motivation when players find themselves on the other side of the field from the team that considered them replaceable. This Sunday, against the Giants, Barkley broke out with 17 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown, averaging an incredible 10.4 yards per attempt, as the Eagles crushed the Giants in the NFC East game.
Tank Bigsbycorredor, Jacksonville Jaguars. Bigsby continues to take advantage of the opportunities he receives from the Jaguars, and the absence of Travis Etienne Jr. In another London match he once again opened the doors to prominence. He ran the ball 26 times for 118 yards with two touchdowns, in the Jags’ beating of the Patriots at Wembley Stadium.
Beanie Bishop Jr., esquinero, Pittsburgh Steelers. Welcome to the NFL, rookie. Bishop, an undrafted rookie for the Steelers, stole two passes from Aaron Ropdgers in a primetime game. The first of them was a beauty through the center of the field, anticipating a pass for Garrett Wilson to keep the ball in one hand. The second, after a rude mistake by Wilson that bounced the ball directly to Wilson, was returned by the defensive back to the goal zone in the third half, regaining the momentum for Pittsburgh.
Najee Harriscorredor, Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike what we had usually seen with the Steelers this year, running the ball did not open spaces to run, but it was up to the passing game to open up the defense, move the linebackers away from the trenches, so that Harris could, later, Check the clock to close out Sunday night’s victory. Harris, of course, responded with 21 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s blowout win over the Jets, his second appearance of the year on our list.
Aaron Jonesrunning back, Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings lost their undefeated streak – barely – against a better-armed rival in all their lines, but no one can blame Jones for an effort of 14 carries for 93 yards with a touchdown and three receptions for 23 yards this Sunday.
DK Metcalfreceptor abierto, Seattle Seahawks. Once again, Metcalf is one of the few wide receivers to feature at the position on our weekly list in 2024. The Seattle star caught four passes for 99 yards — including a 35-yarder from Jaxon Smith-Njigba— in the victory over Atlanta that once again leaves the Seahawks at the top of the NFC West. Unfortunately, he left today’s match abandoned with a knee injury.
Joe Mixoncorredor, Houston Texans. How important has Mixon been to Houston? The Texans had a very entertaining duel against Green Bay, one in which the quarterback C.J. Stroud He didn’t have a particularly good time. Luckily, Mixon was there to keep the Texans competitive, with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, accompanied by two receptions for 9 yards.
George Pickensreceptor abierto, Pittsburgh Steelers. We knew that Russell Wilson It might cost him a bit in his first start of the season and official debut for the Steelers, but if anyone made him look good tonight it was Pickens, who made acrobatic catches from start to finish to inflate his quarterback’s stats. Pickens capped the evening with five receptions for 111 yards with a touchdown, in a game that ended with a scandalous score in favor of Pittsburgh.
Sesame Robinsonrunning back, Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta does not finish making a growth spurt, and this Sunday it is confirmed that they cannot be trusted week after week. The one we can trust is Robinson, who carried the ball 21 times for 103 yards with one touchdown, adding three catches for 40 yards in a very complete game for the Texas product.
John Smithala cerrada, Miami Dolphins. It was difficult to find any truly brilliant punch between these two offenses, but we are not going to argue against the production of Smith, the only Miami player who caught more than two passes on the day, suffering from a very limited level at the quarterback position. Smith had seven balls for 96 yards and a touchdown in a game that definitely did not feature any pyrotechnics.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, receptor abierto, Detroit Lions. Detroit presented its arguments this Sunday as the best team in the National Conference, and St. Brown was, without a doubt, one of the main speakers. He had 112 receptions and a touchdown on eight receptions to complement Gibbs’ outstanding work as the spearhead of the Lions’ attack.
