NFL Week 7 Recap

(AP Photo/Andy King)
Adrian Peterson is back, which means the Vikings are back too.
AP rushed for a season high 153 yards in the 21-14 win.

Seahawks vs. Niners: 13-6 Niners
Seahawks Player of the Week: Marshawn Lynch- 103 rush yards
Niners Player of the Week: Frank Gore- 131 rush yards

This defensively dominated game came down to the wire as expected. The Seahawks held a lead for the first half, but allowed the Niners to outscore them 10-0 in the final 30 minutes of the game. Seattle's defense has proved time after time that they can hang with the big boys, but their offense will need to improve if they want to become serious threats.

Titans vs. Bills: 35-34 Titans
Titans Player of the Week: Chris Johnson- 195 rush yards, 2 touchdowns
Bills Player of the Week: Ryan Fitzpatrick- 225 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 109.8 passer rating

Will the real Chris Johnson please come back? Well, fantasy owners of CJ2K finally got their wish. Johnson rushed for a season high 195 yards in the win against the Bills. The Bills led for most of the fourth quarter, but veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck orchestrated a drive with just over a minute left to win the game for the Titans.

Redskins vs. Giants: 27-23 Giants
Redskins Player of the Week: Robert Griffin III- 258 pass yards, 89 rush yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 108.9 passer rating
Giants Player of the Week: Victor Cruz- 7 receptions, 131 receiving yards, touchdown

Let me just say, RG3 can seriously play. Is it almost too far to say that I was actually excited when he burned my Giants to pick up a fourth and long with under three minutes to play? He is exciting and he doesn't play like a rookie. Unfortunately for the Redskins, Eli one-upped Griffin III by throwing a 77 yard touchdown with just a minute left to play in the game.

Browns vs. Colts: 17-13 Colts
Browns Player of the Week: Brandon Weeden- 264 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, 96.0 passer rating
Colts Player of the Week: Andrew Luck- 186 pass yards, 2 rush touchdowns, 74.8 passer rating

The Colts barely beat the Browns in one of Sunday's least exciting NFL games. In the loss, the Browns lost rookie running back Trent Richardson to injury. Just when the team was picking up some momentum (fair to say?) they lose their biggest threat.

Packers vs. Rams: 30-20 Packers
Packers Player of the Week: Aaron Rodgers- 342 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 132.2 passer rating
Rams Player of the Week: Steven Jackson- 57 rush yards, touchdown

Rodgers was flawless against the Rams last Sunday, once again throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams still played well for their standards, and hung on tight until late in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals vs. Vikings: 21-14 Vikings
Cardinals Player of the Week: LaRod Stephens-Howling- 104 rush yards, touchdown
Vikings Player of the Week: Adrian Peterson- 153 rush yards, touchdown

First and foremost, Kyle Rudolph: WHERE YOU AT? The big fella lost my fantasy team another crucial loss by posting a goose egg this weekend. Seriously, a catch for no gain would have tied up my matchup! Anyways, the Vikings bounced back from their loss to the Redskins, as Adrian Peterson rushed for a season hight 153 yards. Seems like the Cardinals' luck has officially run out after starting off the season 4-0.

Saints vs. Bucs: 35-28 Saints
Saints Player of the Week: Drew Brees- 377 pass yards, 4 touchdowns, interception, 130.1 passer rating
Bucs: Player of the Week: Josh Freeman- 420 pass yards, 3 touchdowns, 115.2 passer rating

I typed in "Drew Brees" instead of Saints and it didn't even cross my mind as incorrect. Brees again led the Saints to victory, this time throwing for FOUR first half touchdowns. Jonathan Vilma didn't have too great of an impact in his debut, but the Saints are glad he is back nonetheless. Also, credit to Josh Freeman for doing his best to keep up with Brees. Had the touchdown call be allowed, his name would be all over the news this week.

Cowboys vs. Panthers: 19-14 Cowboys
Cowboys Player of the Week: Miles Austin- 5 receptions, 97 receiving yards, touchdown
Panthers Player of the Week: Brandon LaFell- 4 receptions, 53 receiving yards, touchdown

As Cousin Sal said on Bill Simmons' podcast this week, "The Panthers out-Cowboy'd the Cowboys." I couldn't agree with Cousin Sal anymore. This is a game the Panthers should have won. Both teams played like garbage, but the Panthers still outplayed the Cowboys. Cam Newton gets heat for his depressing press conferences, but he is right. Changes need to be made.

Ravens vs. Texans: 43-13 Texans
Ravens Player of the Week: N/A
Texans Player of the Week: Arian Foster- 98 rush yards, 2 touchdowns

Wow! The Texans crushed the banged up Ravens. This one wasn't even close midway through the second quarter when the Texans jumped out by 20. Two things learned from this game:
1. JJ Watt and the Texans are the best team in the AFC, hands down.
2. The Ravens are crumbling, and have no shot at a Super Bowl run this year.

Jaguars vs. Raiders: 26-23 Raiders (OT)
Jaguars Player of the Week: Cecil Shorts- 4 receptions, 79 receiving yards, touchdown
Raiders Player of the Week: Carson Palmer- 298 pass yards, 2 touchdowns, interception, 74.4 passer rating

This was not a pretty game to say the least. The Jaguars lost Blaine Gabbert AND MJD as their 14 point lead disappeared late in the second half. Both of these teams stink, so the end result is not so important.

Jets vs. Patriots: 29-26 Patriots (OT)
Jets Player of the Week: Jeremy Kerley- 7 receptions, 120 receiving yards
Patriots Player of the Week: Rob Gronkowski- 6 receptions, 78 receiving yards, touchdown

The Jets blew this game when the Patriots gave it to them. The sad thing is, Mark Sanchez probably played the second best game of his season, and they Jets  still lost. The Patriots might have won, but they let the NFL know that they have a serious issue with holding onto leads late in the game.

Steelers vs. Bengals: 24-17 Steelers
Steelers Player of the Week: Jonathan Dwyer- 122 rush yards
Bengals Player of the Week: N/A

The Bengals let the Steelers walk away with murder in this game. If they weren't so bad on offense, and if AJ Green didn't disappear, the Bengals would be campaigning for possibly the best team in the AFC North. Mike Wallace dropped at least five balls, but the Steelers still managed a way to win the game.

Lions vs. Bears: 13-7 Bears
Lions Player of the Week: Titus Young- 6 receptions, 81 receiving yards
Bears Player of the Week: Bandon Marshall- 6 receptions, 81 receiving yards, touchdown

Let me just finish off last week's games by saying: Jason Hanson... REALLY! You're "pointless" PAT with thirty seconds left actually gave my opponent one extra point, which costed my fantasy team a loss that might have ended my season. Back to reality football, the Bears are scary good. They shutdown Megatron and the Lions' offense with ease. Their offense was a little subpar, but defense wins championships.


Going to do things differently from here on out. From now on, I will be posting my predictions for the Thursday night game at the bottom of the recap. This way, it doesn't look silly to have one game posted from Thursday-Sunday with no picture or other analysis. Also, maybe my predictions will turn out a little better on Thursdays

Bucs vs. Vikings: 23-17 Vikings

The Vikings returned to form last week with a big win against the Cardinals. AP is looking like vintage Best Running Back In The League AP, which is never a good sign for opposing defenses. If Christian Ponder can limit his turnovers, something he has struggled with in recent weeks, the Vikings should pull out a win. I know the Bucs' offense put up good numbers last week, but that was against one of the worst in the league.