Did you know yesterday was National Tight Ends Day? Of course you did, because no one shut up about it
By the way, Happy Byemageddon! Six NFL teams had Week 7 off, and that is most of any week on the 2021 NFL schedule.
The result was a ton of bad football, but there were some gems in the muck
Here is a rundown of what happened in Week 7. Also, did you know that yesterday was National Tight Ends Day?
The Bengals had lost five consecutive games to the Ravens, and their best performance in their last three matchups was a 24-point loss at home in 2020. They went into Baltimore on Sunday with a 4-2 record, but as 6.5-point underdogs against the 5-1 Ravens, and had no truly impressive victory on their 2021 resume.
It didn’t look promising for the Bengals when the Ravens opened up the second half with a quick score on three passes, including a gorgeous 39-yard rainbow from quarterback Lamar Jackson to wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in the back of the end zone to retake the lead at 17-13.
From this point forward, quarterback Joe Burrow, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, and the Bengals defense mashed the Ravens into lumped crab meat. It took the Bengals a combined three minutes and 53 seconds to score touchdowns on their next two drives. During that period, Chase caught three passes for 120 yards including a six-yard pass that he turned upfield for an 82-yard touchdown. He finished the game with eight catches for 201 yards, and Burrow with 416 yards passing and three touchdowns.
The Ravens did not score another point on the stout Bengals defense that entered the game ranked fifth in defense DVOA, per Football Outsiders. That 41-17 road victory should put the rest of the AFC on notice.
Don’t be shy, this is a judgment-free zone. Raise your hand if you thought the Chiefs’ offense was in trouble when they went into halftime tied 10-10 against Washington, and you then felt silly when they scored 21 unanswered points in the second half. Even though the Chiefs were tied for last place in the AFC West, their offense is still one of the best in the league with one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. That’s plenty reason to believe that the Chiefs had a good chance to raise their record above .500 against the Titans, ravaged by injury in the defensive backfield, even if they’re going up against Derrick Henry with arguably the worst defense in the NFL.
The Chiefs put up a stinker in Week 7 against the Titans. I mean a spilled vinegar, spoiled milk, old broccoli kind of a stinker. The Titans had their way with the Chiefs’ defense, as expected. They didn’t throw an incomplete pass until just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter and had scored 24 points with three minutes remaining in the first half.
However, the Chiefs hadn’t scored a single point and only had two first downs in the entire game up to this point. Then on the ensuing drive, quarterback Patrick Mahomes took off on a scramble and fumbled at near midfield. The Titans kicked a field goal to halftime up 27-0.
But this is the Chiefs, a superhero offense that can leap 20-point deficits in a single bound, especially when their defense shuts out their opponent in the second half. Well, it’s hard to come back when every time the offense gets into a rhythm a yellow flag stops the music. Poorly timed penalties killed the Chiefs throughout the game, especially in the second half, as they lost 27-3, dropping them to a 3-4 record on the season.
James Harden, the Colts are with you in spirit. The Brooklyn Nets expressed some displeasure with the NBA’s newest emphasis on not calling fouls when the ball handler leans into the defender to create the contact. Harden said in a post-game press conference that he feels like he is the poster boy for that officiating adjustment.
In a game that was soaked by an atmospheric river, for those who don’t live in California it’s pretty much what it sounds like, it was difficult to sustain any type of offense. Towards the end of a slippery second quarter, the Colts recovered a fumble at the 49ers’ 47-yard-line. That’s typically great field position, but not when the river is flowing directly into a football stadium. As a solution, the Colts showed their solidarity with Harden when Colts quarterback Carson Wentz threw up a jump ball to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and 49ers defensive back Emmanuel Moseley was called for pass interference. The Colts scored a touchdown on that drive.
Their only other touchdown was in the third quarter and they got it almost the exact same way. The 49ers fumbled the ball in their own territory and two plays later Wentz threw up a jump ball to Pittman. The pass was short but 49ers’ defensive back Jaquiski Tartt inadvertently ran into Pittman and was called for pass interference. Two plays later, the Colts took the lead on a Jonathan Taylor touchdown run and didn’t relinquish it for the rest of the game.