SPORTS TODAY
Another Sunday, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 7 has had no shortage of major storylines so far: After Joe Flacco and the Cincinnati Bengals outdueled Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off this week’s schedule, a couple of other surprising teams stole the spotlight, including the Cleveland Browns against the sinking Miami Dolphins.
Some results were fairly predictable, like Mike Vrabel leading a decisive win over his old team, the Tennessee Titansthanks to another crisp performance from quarterback Drake Maye. Others were a bit more eye-opening, like the Los Angeles Rams laying waste to the Jacksonville Jaguars overseas, despite the latter entering the international contest with a promising 4-2 record. And then there were the literal no-contest matchups, like the Kansas City Chiefs blanking the rival Las Vegas Raiders in a 31-0 shutout.
Which players, coaches and teams were the biggest winners (and losers) of Week 7? Here are our top picks for the most noteworthy standouts of Sunday’s matchups, for both better and worse:
SPORTS TODAY Winner: Bo Nix
Down 19 points in the fourth quarter? No worries. Nix has built a reputation as a late-game fighter, and it showed up in a big way on Sunday, when the New York Giants looked poised to run away with a road upset against his Denver Broncos. The second-year quarterback led five straight scoring drives and totaled four of his own touchdowns to fuel the Broncos’ massive comeback.
SPORTS TODAY Loser: Brian Daboll
The embattled Giants coach may be best friends with hotshot rookie Jaxson Dartbut his seat may heat up after his squad surrendered 33 points in the fourth quarter of a would-be win over Denver. His handpicked emergency kicker, Jude McAtamneymissed two extra points. And it can be hard to overcome the kind of gut punch the locker room will feel after an “L” like this.
SPORTS TODAY Winner: Brian Schottenheimer
Why aren’t we talking more about what this guy’s doing — or at least enjoying — at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys? America’s Team may still lack a playoff-caliber defense, but Dak Prescott has been slinging it like MVP material for most of the year. That continued against the rival Washington Commanderswith Javonte WilliamsCeeDee Lamb and George Pickens all making splash plays.
SPORTS TODAY Loser: The Commanders
Sunday was a double whammy for Washington. Not only did Dan Quinn’s team, which finished 2024 on the doorstep of the Super Bowllook increasingly old and slow playing catch-up with the Cowboys, but star quarterback Jayden Daniels also left with a hamstring injury. That’s Daniels’ second significant injury of the year, and we’re not even to the midway point of 2025 just yet.
SPORTS TODAY Winner: Andy Reid
Reid’s Chiefs looked like they might finally be returning to title-caliber form in a prime-time rout of the Detroit Lions in Week 6. Everything finally clicked against the Raiders, though, with Patrick Mahomes greatly benefiting from the 2025 debut of Rashee Rice. The formerly suspended wide receiver showed up with seven catches and two scores to balance out Reid’s offensive arsenal.
SPORTS TODAY Loser: Tua Tagovailoa
Each week has basically been a new low for the Miami Dolphins quarterback, both on and off the field. Fresh off a public apology for implying his teammates were slacking off in the building, Tagovailoa tossed three picks in a hapless blowout loss to none other than the Cleveland Browns. Back-breaking turnovers have been his 2025 calling card.
SPORTS TODAY Winner: Matthew Stafford
No Puka Nacua? No problem for the Los Angeles Rams quarterback, who gave London a show for the ages despite rainy conditions against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stafford may be 37, but he slung it like he was 27 on the international stage, tossing five scores, including three to Davante Adams. He also felt zero pressure, getting elite defensive support to the tune of seven sacks.
SPORTS TODAY Loser: Aaron Glenn
Look, we’re not going to sit here and suggest all rebuilds are effective overnight; Glenn’s old team, the Detroit Lions, endured lots of bumps before emerging as a real contender. But after Sunday’s ugly 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthersin which he finally benched Justin Fields despite repeatedly assuring reporters he would not, Glenn became the first Jets coach to ever start 0-7.
SPORTS TODAY Winner: The Eagles‘ passing game
Philadelphia produced some scarily erratic passing work in a two-game skid prior to Sunday, especially considering the wealth of talent in their lineup. Up against Brian Flores’ exotic Minnesota Vikings defense, however, Jalen Hurts really settled in, distributing one timely dart after another to both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They enjoyed their most fluid aerial attack in a long time.
SPORTS TODAY Loser: The Titans
Was Tennessee right to move on from Mike Vrabel after the 2023 season? You can still make that case. But there’s no denying Vrabel finds himself in a much better place than his former organization. Making their first appearance under the interim direction of Mike McCoy, the Titans once again lost the ball with rookie Cam Ward under center, gifting an easy win to Vrabel’s Patriots.
SPORTS TODAY Winner: Ben Johnson
The Chicago Bears aren’t necessarily winning pretty. But any Chi-Town resident would’ve signed up for a 4-2 start in a heartbeat. Even with quarterback Caleb Williams posting a so-so stat line against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Johnson kept the ground game churning through both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangaiwhile his defensive guru, Dennis Allen, also showed up.
