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#pounditFriday, March 29, 2024

15 key questions for NFL Week 7

Adrian Peterson

The Chiefs and Raiders gave us possibly the game of the season on Thursday night as Oakland came back and won 31-30 on the final play. The game featured plenty of big plays on both sides, as well as a controversial ejection. Fans can only hope that the rest of Week 7 turns out to be just as exciting.

Here’s a look at 15 key questions for the rest of the Week 7 games.

1. Is Adrian Peterson born again?

Peterson said he was thrilled to be traded from the Saints to the Cardinals, and he showed us why in his debut with Arizona. The 32-year-old turned back the clock with his first 100-yard rushing performance since 2015, finishing with 134 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. On his first drive alone, Peterson ran four times for 54 yards and capped things off with an impressive 27-yard score.

All Day obviously wasn’t a great fit in New Orleans, but some have wondered if age has contributed to his lack of production. He didn’t look a day over 22 in last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We’ll see if he can keep it that way in Sunday’s game against the Rams.

2. Can Brett Hundley keep the Packers in the playoff hunt?

Aaron Rodgers underwent surgery this week to repair a broken collarbone, and the star quarterback is going to miss most if not all of the rest of the season. That places the spotlight on Hundley, a third-year quarterback who threw three interceptions in a loss to the Vikings last week after Rodgers went down.

It would be unfair to judge Hundley based on that performance, but fans in Green Bay have every reason to be concerned. The Packers are 4-2 and looked like one of the strongest teams in the NFC before Rodgers’ injury. Hundley’s first three games as a starter will all be against NFC North opponents, so he’s taking over during a critical stretch. Time will tell if the former UCLA star is up to the challenge.

3. Have the Dolphins finally found their groove?

Despite how poorly they have played on offense through five games, the Dolphins are somehow 3-2 and right in the hunt in the AFC East. They finally showed some signs of promise in last week’s comeback win over the Falcons, with Jay Cutler throwing a pair of touchdown passes and star running back Jay Ajayi racking up 130 yards on 26 carries.

In Week 7, the Dolphins get to face the Jets at home. That may not be as easy of a task as it sounded like before the season, but Miami should have plenty of confidence after last week’s big road win. If momentum matters, they should have a big week.

4. Can the Giants’ build off of their shocking win in Denver?

The Giants will have another tough game at home this week against the Seahawks, but they have to be feeling good after they overcame incredible odds to beat the Broncos in Denver in Week 6. Even without Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard, the Giants put up 23 points (six of them on a pick-six), and were able to find success running the ball. Ben McAdoo finally gave up offensive play-calling duties, and it appeared to work. New York is basically playing for nothing but pride at this point, but getting the monkey off their backs had to have felt good. They have a great chance to make it back-to-back major upsets.

5. How much did the bye week help the Bengals?

The Bengals have been one of the most disappointing teams in the AFC through the early part of the season, but they won two straight games heading into their bye last week and have a great chance to get right back in the AFC North hunt this week if they can beat the Steelers on the road. Losing tight end Tyler Eifert for the season hurts, but A.J. Green and Andy Dalton appear to have finally gotten it going.

Pittsburgh is coming off a big road win over the Chiefs and is probably the better team, but Cincinnati is rested and has had an extra week to prepare. After they started the year 0-3, they could suddenly have a share of the division lead if all goes well in Week 7.

6. Will the Broncos bounce back after an embarrassing loss?

As we already mentioned, the Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history when they overcome more than a two-touchdown point spread to beat the Broncos in Denver. Despite having virtually no healthy wide receivers, the Giants still came up with a game plan good enough to put up points, and their defense stepped up in a big way. The question now for the Broncos is how they will respond.

In Week 7, Denver will travel to Los Angeles to take on a 2-4 Chargers team that has won back-to-back games and looked much better in recent weeks. If they find a way to beat Denver, the Chargers can stay alive in the AFC West, which is likely the best division in football. Trevor Siemian and the Broncos need to bounce back in a big way.

7. Can the Falcons get revenge against the Patriots?

Good coaches will tell you anything that happened last year has no bearing on this season, but it would be impossible for the Falcons to not feel added motivation heading into Sunday night’s game against the Patriots. The last time these two teams met was in Super Bowl LI, when New England somehow won the game in overtime despite trailing 28-3 at one point. Atlanta can act like that was a different year and a different team, but revenge has to be on some players’ minds.

The good news for Atlanta is New England’s defense has been abysmal this year — as in, worst in the NFL abysmal. If the Falcons game-plan properly, Julio Jones should be able to destroy the Patriots’ secondary. It would not be a shock if Atlanta came out on top.

8. Is Jameis Winston healthy?

Winston left last week’s game against the Cardinals after suffering a shoulder injury, but he returned to a full practice on Friday and Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter announced he will start on Sunday at Buffalo. Still, the injury will be worth monitoring. The Bucs don’t want to rush Winston back, and it would make no sense to have him play through pain this early in the season. That said, they’re 2-3 and could really use a win. Jameis will likely give it a go, but it will be interesting to see how effective he’ll be, especially playing against an opportunistic defense.

9. Does C.J. Beathard give the 49ers a better chance than Brian Hoyer?

Brian Hoyer was benched in last Sunday’s game against the Redskins after going just 4-of-11 for 34 yards, and third-round rookie C.J. Beathard took over. Beathard 19-of-36 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception while nearly leading the 49ers to a come-from-behind win over Washington.

In Week 7, Beathard will get his first NFL start as he faces a Dallas Cowboys team that is dealing with some injuries on defense. The good news is he won’t be under a lot of pressure, as the Niners are 0-6 and are in a total rebuilding year. Head coach Kyle Shanahan should give him a long leash. The good news is between the preseason and last week, Beathard has looked good every time he’s gotten a chance to play.

10. Can the Eagles seize control of the NFC East?

The Eagles currently hold the lead in the NFC West with a 5-1 record, and they have a home game against the second-place Redskins on Monday night. With a win, Philly could grab a comfortable lead in the division as we make our way toward the halfway point in the 2017 season.

Carson Wentz has made great strides in his second NFL season and looks like one of the better passers in the league. He has a passer rating of 99.6 through six games and has thrown just one interception in his last four starts. It’s no coincidence that the Eagles won all four of those games. If Wentz continues to protect the ball, good things will be in store for Philly.

11. Did DeShone Kizer really learn a lot sitting on the bench?

DeShone Kizer was benched last week in favor of Kevin Hogan, and the rookie has already been given his job back. Browns head coach Hue Jackson told reporters Kizer “learned a lot of things” by watching his team lose to the Houston Texans from the sideline, but we all know Jackson is going back to Kizer because of how poorly Hogan played.

The Browns are still searching for their first win, and Jackson has to tread the line between trying not to stunt his quarterback’s growth and trying to save his job. Kizer has thrown a whopping nine interceptions in five games this season and has just three touchdown passes, so it seems obvious he is not ready to be an NFL starter. He’ll still have to play the role of one on Sunday against the Titans.

12. Can the Jaguars take command in the AFC South?

The AFC South has been one of the weakest divisions in football since Peyton Manning left the Colts, and the truth is the division remains up for grabs this year. Houston is without some of its top defensive players, including J.J. Watt, and they will be on a bye week. The Titans don’t seem to have taken the step forward many were anticipating. The Jags, however, look like the real deal after bringing in a new regime and spending wisely in free agency.

Jacksonville is tied for the division lead at 3-3 entering Week 7. They can take a real step forward at Indianapolis this weekend. Expect their defense, ranked No. 7 in the league in points allowed per game, to give Jacoby Brissett a very tough time. The Jags lead the league in sacks (23), interceptions (10) and they’re second with six recovered fumbles. Brissett may be their latest victim, joining the likes of Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, and Deshaun Watson/Tom Savage, who have already been brutalized by their tough defense.

13. Will the Panthers make Mitch Trubisky look like a rookie?

Mitch Trubisky has gone 1-1 since taking over as the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback. He has done very little statistically in either of his starts, as he has yet to throw for more than 128 yards in a game, much less complete more than 12 passes in a contest. His mobility has been evident though, as he’s scrambled for 54 yards. The Bears have done him no favors with the timing of their promotion.

In his first start, he faced Minnesota’s defense, which is 5th in the league in points allowed per game. Last week he took on Baltimore (and won), which has the No. 11 defense at 20.7 points allowed per game. This week it’s Carolina, which is tied for ninth in points allowed per game, fourth in the league with just 280 yards allowed per game, and fifth in rushing yards allowed per game. Linebacker Luke Kuechly may be out with a concussion, but Trubisky may end up finding it even tougher to move the ball than he did in either of his first two starts. Keep in mind that Carolina has been exceptional on the road, going 3-0 and winning in tougher places than Soldier Field.

14. Can the Saints keep on rolling?

What looked like it would become yet another season of disappointment in New Orleans has completely turned around. Following an 0-2 start in which the Saints’ defense was gashed by the Vikings and Patriots, New Orleans made serious adjustments. They allowed just 13 points over their next two games, including a shutout, though they surrendered 38 last weekend to the Lions after getting out to a huge lead and letting down their guard.

New Orleans has won three in a row and seems to have found balance in their running game between Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. They’re also getting stellar play on the defensive line from Cameron Jordan. A big reason for their success recently has been the turnovers they’ve forced — they have seven interceptions in their last three games. Asking them to get another three picks this week is a lot, but it could be possible facing Brett Hundley, who was intercepted three times in relief of Aaron Rodgers last weekend.

15. Will Marcus Mariota be back to full strength?

Those who watched Marcus Mariota play in Week 6 saw a quarterback who looked like he was playing at half-strength. Mariota rushed back from a hamstring injury after missing just one week, probably because Matt Cassel was so ineffective in his place. Mariota showed very little mobility and was reluctant to run the ball. He had just two carries for 0 yards. He had rushed for at least 24 yards in every previous start. Mariota still managed his best passing game of the season as he threw for his highest completion percentage (71.9) and most yards (306).

The third-year QB is at his best when he’s mobile and able to keep opposing defenses on their toes. Will he be healed enough to show his complete arsenal, or will this be another week of Mariota being held back by limitations due to his hamstring?

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