NFL Week 7: Lions get an "A" for a major road win; Falcons get 'B +' to defeat the giants

For most of Matthew Stafford's career, the Lions' offense was rather one-dimensional. Since Stafford's recruitment in 2009, Detroit's offensive strategy has been essentially to let him throw the ball as often as possible and hope something good will happen.

However, all this could change this year thanks to rookie Kerryon Johnson.

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In an unusual development, Stafford's right hand actually rested on Sunday as Johnson rushed for 158 yards on the 32-21 win at Detroit at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Johnson's performance was surprising, but only because such fast performances are so rare for Lions. Prior to Sunday, the Lions had not scored more than 150 yards since 2011.

In fact, Stafford has thrown so much over the past seven years that he has placed in the top nine. The NFL has been trying its luck every season since 2011. This could change this year, however, if Johnson continues to defend himself as he did in Miami.

A big chunk of Johnson's distance traveled with the Lions who needed it the most. Detroit being trapped inside his own 10-yard line in the second quarter, the rookie escaped for a huge 71-yard run.

The race allowed Matt Prater to give the Lions a 10-0 lead.

Johnson's big day helped the Lions to rush for a total of 248 yards, which is remarkable because it's the highest number of yards in Detroit. never rushed into a game during the 10 years of Stafford's career. The Lions' hasty attack was so impressive that even the Golden Tate congratulated her on her victory over the Dolphins.

My takeway of the game:
The match was launched ?, our fans were big in Miami, and the sun was very hot! The big team wins the city of Detroit!

– Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) October 21, 2018

The rushed Lions attack does not need to produce 248 yards a week for the team to succeed. If Stafford has learned one thing from his career, it is that he does not need much help in attack, he just needs help. When the Lions rush for more than 150 yards, Stafford is 12-1.

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The victory over Miami is a perfect example of how a powerful attack in the race could make the Lions more successful. With the Lions parading steam dolphins, it helped Stafford unravel Miami's high school through the air, and he certainly benefited from it. Stafford had a very effective performance with two touchdowns, completing 18 of 22 passes for 217 yards.

Stafford having thrown only 22 passes, it's almost unheard of: The show in Miami was the third lowest total of his career.

Of course, if Johnson continues to function as he did, it could become a usual thing. After ending the Lions 70-game series without a 100-yard scorer earlier this season, the Lions would like Johnson to help end another series: their 26-year-old winless playoff series . In a far north of the NFC, it's not crazy to think that the Lions and their offensive offensive offensive suddenly diversified could end up deserving a place in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers 20-19 on Tennessee

The Titans did not make a lot of mistakes in this game, but the ones they did hurt a lot. Marcus Mariota not only launched the first interception of red zones of his whole career, but the Titans also had to contend with a fourth-quarter miss from Ryan Succop, who is normally reliable. All Tennessee recipients, from Corey Davis to Taywan Taylor to Tajae Sharpe, also seemed to record at least one crucial drop. The return flight from London to Nashville will be long.

The Chargers did not have Melvin Gordon, but they did not need him thanks to Philip Rivers' two long bombs. The Chargers' quarterback racked up 306 yards, including 125 yards in two passes: a 75-yard touchdown to Tyrell Williams and a 55-yard strike to Mike Williams. It's a good thing that Rivers has his long ball in London because he was not helped by a ground game that only produced 47 yards. This game marks the third time since 2010 that the Chargers won after finishing with less than 50 rushing yards.

Detroit 32-21 in Miami

Kerryon Johnson was not the only Lions running back to have a big day. In fact, each back touching the ball seemed to do some damage. LeGarrette Blount rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown in just ten runs. Golden Tate also took part in the rushed action with a carry for 30 yards. Although the Lions had a surprising 248 rushing performance, the biggest shock of the day could have been Michael Roberts. The tight end of the Lions, who probably does not belong to your fantasy lineup, has captured Matthew Stafford's two touchdown passes.

The biggest problem of the Dolphins in this game is that their defense could not leave the field. After forcing the Lions to play Detroit's second offensive possession, the Dolphins would not force another kick for the rest of the game. The Dolphins were bulldozed by a rushed Lions attack that lasted 248 yards. The total number of yards per head is the highest in Miami since 2007. The Dolphins dropped 7.08 yards per race, which is even worse when you realize Detroit ran the ball 35 times.

Minnesota 37-17 on N.Y. Jets

It seems that Adam Thielen could actually be discovered. The receiver of the Vikings captured nine passes for 110 yards and is now only the second player in NFL history to cross the 100 yard mark in each of his team's first seven games. Thielen's biggest catch was recorded in the first quarter when he scored a 34-yard touchdown by Kirk Cousins. Latavius ​​Murray also scored points for the second consecutive week with 69 yards and two touchdowns in just 15 runs.

Sam Darnold against the Vikings' defense was hardly fair. The rookie quarterback struggled early and often, ranging from 17 out of 42 to 206 yards. Things got worse in the second half with Darnold, who started his three interceptions in the last two quarters. Darnold's three interceptions led Minnesota to 13 points and wiped out any hope of the Jets coming back in the second half. Of course, it 's not as if the Jets really had other options in attack. On the field, the Jets were limited to 71 yards.

Tampa Bay 26-23 over Cleveland (OT)

The Browns seem to find a new way to lose each week. In this week 's edition of "How the Browns Have Lost," Jabrill Peppers has escaped a punt in overtime to allow the Bucs to score. That was the only Cleveland business figure. The Browns offensive line also struggled to protect Baker Mayfield, who was sacked five times. The Browns have now lost 24 straight games on the road, with the last four being four points or less.

Although Jameis Winston had a great number of passes (365 yards), he nearly gave up the game by personally representing three of Tampa's four turnovers (two interceptions and a lost fumble). Of course, everyone on the Buccaneers list seemed to have a busy day, including the man who managed the winning shot, Chandler Catanzaro. After missing an extra point in the second quarter and a potential goal as the winner of the game at the end of regulation time, Catanzaro exchanged himself by hitting a 59-yarder to carry in overtime .

New England 38-31 above Chicago

Bill Belichick will probably want to give a match ball to his special teams after what they've managed to do against the Bears. The Patriots' special teams scored TWO touchdowns in Chicago. Cordarrelle Patterson, who made up for a breakaway lost earlier in the game, scored the first goal of the game. The second special team, TD, returned 29 yards on a blocked kick by Kyle Van Noy. Offensively, the Patriots also thrived despite the absence of Rob Gronkowski. Once Gronk eliminated, Josh Gordon had four passes for 100 yards in a match where Tom Brady had 277 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bears attack played well against New England, with the exception of two small errors by Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears quarterback threw two interceptions in the second half and they were both reselling because the Bears had entered the Patriots territory with both orders. Of course, the Bears' biggest problem was that they had dropped two special touchdowns. You can not do that against the Patriots and expect to win.

Houston 20-7 above Jacksonville

Suddenly, one begins to have the impression that the Texans could have the best defense of the AFC South. In this divisional clash, the Texans beat the Jags to their own defensive play. The Texans' defense imposed three turnovers, which earned him 10 points for Houston. The Texans also held a bag party in Jacksonville with Jadeveon Clowney in the lead. Clowney picked up two of Houston's four sacks, all in the second half. Most encouraging for the Texans could be the fact that Lamar Miller (22 races, 100 yards) broke the 100-yard mark for the first time since 2016.

One would think that the Jaguars would be struggling with a quarter situation during the seven weeks of the season, but apparently this is not the case. Blake Bortles (6 of 12, 61 yards, two fumbles lost) was so bad against Houston that he was beaten in the third quarter for Cody Kessler, who has never won a single game in his NFL career (0- 8). Carlos Hyde did not play for Jacksonville, but the Jags would probably have been able to use it. Bortles led the team to the race (30 yards) although he spent most of the second half on the bench.

Indianapolis 37-5 over Buffalo

That's what happens when you start a quarterback (Derek Anderson) who has been on the team for less than two weeks and your best offensive player (LeSean McCoy) loses an injury in the first quarter. The first half was a total disaster for the Bills as each of their belongings ended with a punt or turnaround. The Bills defense has been good enough to keep most games closed this season, but not this week. Buffalo was steamed for 220 yards on the ground.

This game was basically a gigantic feat for the Colts. Andrew Luck not only scored four touchdown passes, but Marlon Mack also rushed to a 126-yard career-high. Thanks in large part to Mack, the Colts totaled 220 rushing yards, their highest total of races since 2007. Of course, the only thing more impressive than the Colts 'offense could have been the Colts' defense. The Colts have forced five turnovers against the Bills, the highest total of their team since 2010. Surprisingly, the only player to not be perfect was Adam Vinatieri, who missed two more points.

Carolina 21-17 in Philadelphia

After a difficult start to the match, Cam Newton put the Panthers on his back in the fourth quarter and led them to victory. Carolina took the lead 17-0 after three quarter-finals, Newton warmed up in the fourth quarter, scoring 201 of his 269 yards and tackle on two touchdown passes. Newton's performance allowed the Panthers to score 21 points behind the last game of the game, marking the spectacular comeback of 10:41. where Caroline only had 83 yards at half-time.

During three quarters, it seems that the Eagles were going to flee with this match, but the fourth quarter has arrived. After yielding 138 yards and zero points in the first three quarters, the Eagles defense was burned for 233 yards and 21 points in the final quarter of the game. Offensively, the Eagles still have nothing to do to help Carson Wentz. Philly has totaled only 58 yards rushing, which is now the lowest total of the team racing in a home match during Wentz's career.

New Orleans 24-23 on Baltimore

It took 18 years, but Drew Brees finally beat all the NFL teams. Although Brees was not perfect (22 out of 30 for 212 yards and two touchdowns), he was great when he had to be, leading the Saint to 17 points in the fourth quarter. Faced with the best defense of the NFL, Brees scored 11 of 14 attempts for 118 yards and one touchdown on the three goals scored that produced those 17 points.

Joe Flacco almost made an impressive comeback, but no one will remember it because the unlikely happened: Justin Tucker missed an extra point. Before Sunday, Tucker had never missed an extra point in his career (222 out of 222).

Los Angeles Rams 39-10 on San Francisco

The Rams are an unstoppable juggernaut that can embarrass you in every phase of the game, which the 49ers discovered on Sunday. In this match, the San Francisco attack had no chance against a Rams defense that totally abused C.J. Beathard. Aaron Donald counted four of the seven bags of L.A. and the Rams imposed four turnovers. The Rams' defense was so good that it overshadowed the fact that Todd Gurley had three touchdowns and had a punt blocked for his safety.

C.J. Beathard will probably have nightmares of Rams defense until the end of his days. The 49ers' quarterback was fired seven times and, when he was not removed from his duties, he launched interceptions. Beathard made two choices and even lost a breakaway in a game where the 49ers were not really able to get anything in attack, defense or special teams.

Washington 20-17 over Dallas

Jason Garrett trained not to lose and then lost anyway. With a time left and 12 seconds before the game, Dallas led 20-17, the Cowboys could have done anything: take a shot in the end zone, try to get closer to the kick, but instead, they directed Ezekiel Elliott to the center. On the field, the Cowboys have made only one big mistake against Washington and it's a costly mistake. Within five minutes of the end, Dak Prescott lost a fumble near the end zone, but the Redskins eventually recovered for a touchdown.

The Redskins defense nearly won this match for Washington with a performance consisting of four sacks and one touchdown. In the game of goals, Ryan Kerrigan created a big band and then Preston Smith recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

Kerrigan was forced ahead of the Redskins by amassing two of his four sacks. The Redskins also held Ezekiel Elliott to just 34 yards, the second lowest total of his career.

Kansas City 45-10 on Cincinnati

If the NFL has learned one thing from this game, it is that you should never put the Bengals in prime time. The Bengals faded under the lights of Kansas City in an eruption where nothing went. The defense gave up 551 yards, Andy Dalton made a six-man choice, and Cincinnati was only able to score 10 points against a Chiefs defense that has yielded 28.7 points per game since Sunday night. The Bengals are now 0 to 6 in "Sunday Night Football" since Dalton was recruited in 2011. That 35-point loss was the team's biggest loss since the 2009 season, tied with the fourth defeat the history of the team.

The Chiefs' offense has recorded huge numbers this season, but nothing beats what they did Sunday night. Against the Bengals, the Chiefs scored a high in points (45) and a record in yards (551). The total number of yards was the highest of the leaders under Andy Reid and the highest total of the team since 2004. Although Patrick Mahomes has achieved staggering numbers (358 yards, four touchdowns), Kareem Hunt stole the mark with a total of 181 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, and let 's not forget that the Chiefs' defense also had its best performance of the season, limiting the Bengals to just 10 points and 239 total yards. To put this total in perspective, this game marked the first time of the season as the Chiefs even managed to score less than 350 yards by an opponent.

Falcons 23-20 against the giants

For once, the Giants offense seemed actually a little functional, especially in the second half, with 17 points. However, the wrong decision-making continues to be a problem for the Giants and anyone who would attend the end of the match would probably agree that New York has totally botched their clock management over the past 90 years. seconds. The biggest problem for the Giants this Monday is the same they have experienced all season: their offensive is to accumulate a high number of yards, but produces no point. Eli Manning had 399 yards and a touchdown, but it was not TD who came before the Giants' last offensive game. Although Odell Beckham (143 yards) and Sterling Shepard (167 yards) both had a big night, the Giants' land attack was completely halted while New York rushed for only 61 yards.

The Falcons did not enter the red zone once in this match, but they were able to win the victory thanks to a foul that was imposed when it was necessary and a kicker not to be missed. Even though the Falcons never entered the Giants' 20-yard line, they still had two touchdowns thanks to a 30-yard run by Tevin Coleman and a 47-yard pass by Matt Ryan to Marvin Hall. The rest of the Atlanta score game is due to kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, who has found himself stuck. In his debut with the Falcons, Tavecchio scored three goals, one for 40 yards, one for 50 yards and one for 56 yards, which earned him less than two minutes.