Why Colts are real contenders as Denver defy odds
The Indianapolis Colts firmly established themselves as true contenders on another thrilling NFL Sunday, while the Denver Broncos staged the mother of all comebacks.
The Colts lead the league, but challengers are coming from all sides, with the New England Patriots continuing their resurgence and the Kansas City Chiefs firmly back in business.
Jalen Hurts finally got the Philadelphia Eagles offense moving, the Green Bay Packers showed off their fighting skills and the Dallas Cowboys are still the gunslingers of the league.
- NFL Week Seven – As It Happened
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Why the Colts are real contenders
There’s no denying the Colts are now the real deal as they lead the NFL at 6-1 after dismantling the Chargers 38-24 in Los Angeles, with Daniel Jones banishing doubts about his hot start to the season.
Running back Jonathan Taylor is a touchdown machine – scoring his third hat-trick of the season to take his total to 11 in seven games.
That star power has been key to Indianapolis being the NFL’s leading scorer at over 33 points per game – and their main strength is how clinical they are in possession.
They entered the game with the best points per drive statistics in the league and against the Chargers, they scored five touchdowns and a field goal with their nine possessions.
When they don’t have the ball, they are third best at forcing turnovers (11) and when they do, they rarely give it away and almost always score.
The defense is giving up a lot of yards, but with 20 points a game is seventh best, and it all combines to form a growing juggernaut that looks really hard to stop.
Nix leads epic comeback in Denver
Definitely the game of the week, with Bo Nix going crazy and leading the Denver Broncos to a stunning 33-32 victory over the plucky and unlucky New York Giants.
With a 19-0 shutout after three quarters, Nix became the first quarterback to throw two passes and two rushing touchdowns in a fourth quarter, with Denver’s 33-point blitz being the second-most in history.
Even when Nix gave Denver the lead, the Giants’ impressive rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart generated a response with his fourth total touchdown of the game, seemingly winning it with just 37 seconds left.
That, however, was enough for Nix to lead a field goal drive and get Denver out of jail again – but they’ll have to do better if they want to go far this season.
The Eagles and Chiefs let it fly
The Super Bowl champions came roaring back after back-to-back losses, with Hurts finally opening his shoulders to throw for 326 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 as the Eagles defeated the Vikings 28-22.
Hurts hasn’t been on the same page as his receivers lately, but DeVonta Smith had a career-high 183 yards and a score while AJ Brown caught two touchdowns in a freewheeling display that Eagles fans were clamoring for.
There’s generally a more conservative approach on Philadelphia’s part, but with Hurts throwing for the most yards on 20-yard tosses (215) in his career, that could be a sign that they’re taking the handbrake off.
Patrick Mahomes also let the ball fly in his 93rd regular season victory, while returning receiver Rashee Rice sparked a 31-0 shutout against the rather dismal Las Vegas Raiders.
Much bigger tests lie ahead, but it’s now four wins out of five for the 4-3 Chiefs after a rough start, averaging 31.5 points per game over the last four and with only the Colts in possession more clinical.
The Chiefs are definitely on the rise.
Who are the NFL contenders and contenders?
Drake Maye will force his way into the MVP race if he continues with this level of composure and precision for the Patriots.
He set a team record with a 91.3% completion rate in their win over the Titans and, considering this is a team that has had Tom Brady as their quarterback for two decades, that’s quite an accomplishment in just his second season.
The Pats are 5-2 and have won all four of their road games, including the last three, although that last one was against the Titans.
Green Bay beat Arizona 27-23, but it was far from convincing – Micah Parsons had three sacks that proved decisive, but Cardinals backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett still had some joy against the Packers defense.
They also looked a little toothless on offense whenever Josh Jacobs wasn’t on the court, so the key to their progress is keeping their star in shape moving forward.
It was a fourth straight game with three touchdowns for Dak Prescott as the Dallas Cowboys again showed off their offensive prowess to beat struggling Washington, who lost Jayden Daniels to a hamstring injury.
That’s a huge worry for the Commanders, who had no answers when CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Javonte Williams combined for 308 yards and two scores.
At 3-3, Dallas could easily run and with their offense could beat anyone, but they still have a lot to prove on defense.
Only the Patriots can match Chicago’s four-game winning streak after the Bears overcame a hot-and-cold Caleb Williams to beat the struggling Saints.
The Bears ran for 222 yards and two scores while the defense led the league with 16 turnovers, following three interceptions and a Spencer Rattler fumble – and that combination can take you far in the NFL.
But they will want more from Williams.
The San Francisco 49ers have injury issues, but as long as they have Christian McCaffrey, they have a chance.
The Niners are now 5-2 after McCaffrey threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns to beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-10.
Hapless Miami proved the antidote to Cleveland’s problems, as the Browns poured in 31 points to beat the Dolphins – having not previously managed more than 17 in a game.
And finally, the New York Jets, who benched Justin Fields in their 13-6 loss to Carolina, fell to 0-7 for only the third time in their history.
NFL Week 7 Results and Highlights
- Los Angeles Rams 35-7 Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints 14-26 Chicago Bears
- Miami Dolphins 6-31 Cleveland Browns
- New England Patriots 31-13 Tennessee Titans
- Las Vegas Raiders 0-31 Kansas City Chiefs
- Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 Minnesota Vikings
- Carolina Panthers 13-6 New York Jets
- New York Giants 32-33 Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts 38-24 Los Angeles Chargers
- Washington Commanders 22-44 Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers 27-23 Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons 10-20 San Francisco 49ers
