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Santiago Leon and Joe Toscano recap the 2023 #nfl Week 7.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Joe Toscano – @joeybagovdonuts
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (IR, hamstring) has ben desingated to return to practice.
2023 NFL Week 6 Recap
CLE 39 IND 38
PJ Walker replaced injured quarterback Watson in the first quarter and directed a second straight fourth-quarter comeback, relying on Hunt’s second score of the day with 15 seconds left to give Cleveland a 39-38 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Watson made his first start since Sept. 24, then departed in the first quarter after taking a big hit that left him sprawled on the turf for several minutes. He was evaluated for a head injury and later was cleared to return but did not because Stefanski wanted to protect his franchise quarterback.
The Colts (3-4) lost their second straight as Gardner Minshew committed four more turnovers — three of which Cleveland turned into scores with the last one sealing the victory. He now has seven turnovers in his two starts since rookie Anthony Richardson injured his right shoulder.
Minshew still had the Colts on the precipice of victory thanks to two TD runs — matching his previous career total — and touchdown passes of 59 yards to Josh Downs and 75 yards to Michael Pittman Jr., whose score gave the Colts a 38-33 lead with 5:38 left.
Minshew was 15 of 23 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jonathan Taylor had 18 carries for 75 yards and his first score of the season, and Downs had five receptions for 125 yards
Jerome Ford had a 69-yard TD run ont the third play of the game and finsihed with 11 carries for 74 yards while Walker was 15 of 32 with 178 yards and one interception
Kareem Hunt’s TD with 15 seconds left won it for Cleveland, but it was Myles Garrett who took over this game, becoming the first player since at least 2000 with two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal in a single game.
WASHINGTON 7 Giants 14
Tyrod Taylor threw two second-quarter touchdown passes and the Dexter Lawrence-led defense had six sacks and made a last-minute stand to help New York snap a four-game skid with a 14-7 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Barkley finished 18 of 29 for 279 yards.
DET 6 BAL 38
Baltimore reached the end zone four times before Detroit even managed a first down Sunday, and the Ravens trounced the Lions 38-6 in a matchup of division leaders that was lopsided from the start. Jackson threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a near-perfect passer rating of 155.8. He also ran for a TD.
Jackson went 21 of 27. He’s completed at least 70% of his passes in every game but one this season, but the Ravens had still been pretty inconsistent offensively until Sunday. Monken was hired in the offseason, and when Baltimore reached a deal with Jackson on a new contract, there was plenty of excitement about their partnership. Now it’s easy to see why.
Lamar Jackson was nearly flawless in Baltimore’s statement victory. Between John’s Ravens and Jim’s Wolverines, the Harbaugh brothers outscored Michigan teams 87-6 over the weekend.
LV 12 CHI 30
Tyson Bagent led three touchdown drives in his first start with Justin Fields sidelined, D’Onta Foreman ran for two scores and caught a TD pass, and the Chicago Bears beat the Las Vegas Raiders 30-12 on Sunday.
The Bears (2-5) won for the second time in three games after dropping 14 in a row. They came out on top in a showdown of backup quarterbacks after both teams’ starters were injured the previous week. Fields dislocated his right thumb in a loss to Minnesota, while Las Vegas’ Jimmy Garoppolo exited a win over New England with a back problem.
Brian Hoyer threw for 129 yards and two interceptions, and the Raiders (3-4) got blown out after winning back to back games.
Bagent completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a TD, helping Chicago stop a 10-game home losing streak.
Foreman ran for 89 yards on 16 attempts and his first two touchdowns since signing with Chicago in March. He scored from the 2 in the first quarter and the 3 early in the second as the Bears grabbed a 14-0 lead, then caught a 5-yard TD in the third to make it 21-3.
DJ Moore caught eight passes for 54 yards.
Hoyer completed 17 of 32 passes and posted a 37.1 passer rating after McDaniels opted to go with a 15-year veteran rather than a rookie. O’Connell was 10 of 13 for 75 yards with a touchdown and interception
Davante Adams, usually a thorn in the Bears’ side, caught seven passes for 57 yards. The three-time All-Pro came in with 81 catches for 1,024 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games against Chicago.
Josh Jacobs ran for just 35 yards on 11 attempts.
ATL 16 TB 13
Overcoming three fumbles the young quarterback lost deep in Bucs territory, as well as numerous costly penalties on defense, the Falcons rallied Sunday for a 16-13 victory that stopped an eight-game road losing streak and lifted them atop the division.
Ridder scored on a 2-yard run for an early 7-0 lead and shrugged off his mistakes to use a 39-yard completion to Kyle Pitts to set up Younghoe Koo’s third field goal of the game, a 51-yarder as time expired to hand the Bucs (3-3) their third loss in four games.
Baker Mayfield threw an interception that stopped one promising drive in the fourth quarter, and the Bucs were penalized nine times for 66 yards, In addition, the team’s struggling rushing attack produced just 73 yards on 20 attempts
Mayfield finished 27 of 42 passing for 275 yards and one touchdown. The Bucs scored on Mike Evans’ 40-yard TD reception in the first quarter and field goals of 24 and 36 yards by Chase McLaughlin, the latter making it 13-13 with 45 seconds left.
Younghoe Koo nailed a 51-yard kick as time expired, his third game-winner in the final minute this season. Atlanta, now 4-3, sits alone atop the NFC South.
PIT 24 LAR 17
— Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Pittsburgh Steelers awoke from a quiet offensive day just in time for a 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Kenny Pickett passed for 230 yards and ran for another score for the Steelers (4-2), who had just 110 yards in the first three quarters at SoFi Stadium. Pittsburgh’s only early touchdown came after T.J. Watt intercepted Matthew Stafford’s first pass of the second half and returned it inside the Los Angeles 10, setting up Pickett’s TD sneak.
Stafford passed for 231 yards and hit Tutu Atwell for a 31-yard touchdown right before halftime for Los Angeles, which dropped to 1/3 at home.
AZ 10 SEA 10
Kenneth Walker III rushed for a season-high 105 yards, rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo both caught first-half touchdown passes, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10 on Sunday.
Geno Smith threw for 219 yards and connected with his rookie pass catchers on the day DK Metcalf missed the first game of his career. Smith-Njigba caught his first NFL touchdown on a 28-yard reception in the first quarter and Bobo made a terrific 18-yard TD catch in the second quarter.
Arizona QB Joshua Dobbs was 19 of 33 for 146 yards and was sacked four times. On the week that Kyler Murray was activated from the physically unable to perform list and rejoined Arizona’s practices, Dobbs was unable to get anything working in the downfield passing game. Dobbs’ longest completion was 21 yards on Arizona’s final possession.
DEN 19 GB 17
Backup safety P.J. Locke saved the Broncos from another second-half meltdown, intercepting Jordan Love’s deep pass in the closing minutes to preserve a 19-17 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Backup safety P.J. Locke saved the Broncos from another second-half meltdown, intercepting Jordan Love’s deep pass in the closing minutes to preserve a 19-17 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
LAC 17 KC 31
Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 179 yards and a score, and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 31-17 on Sunday to take command of the AFC West.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco also caught TD passes, and the Chiefs (6-1) won their sixth straight to take a three-game lead in a division they have won seven straight years.
The Chargers’ Justin Herbert, who spent the day under constant pressure from the league’s No. 2 scoring defense, had 259 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. Joshua Palmer caught five passes for 133 yards and Joshua Kelley ran seven times for 75 yards and a score.
The score left Mahomes with 321 yards passing, the fourth time in his career that he had been over 300 yards before halftime. And it left Kelce with nine catches for 143 yards and a score.
Patrick Mahomes (424 yards, 4 TDs, INT) and Travis Kelce (12 catches, 179 yards, TD) had monster games for Kansas City, who took a commanding lead in the AFC West with Taylor Swift in attendance yet again.
Eagles 31, Dolphins 17
Philly won Sunday night’s battle of 5-1 teams behind 279 yards and 3 total TDs from Jalen Hurts, whose 32nd career rushing TD tied him with Randall Cunningham for the most by a QB in franchise history.
Philly won Sunday night’s battle of 5-1 teams behind 279 yards and 3 total TDs from Jalen Hurts, whose 32nd career rushing TD tied him with Randall Cunningham for the most by a QB in franchise history.
Bills 25 Patriots 29
Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Bills, making Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories
Belichick trails only Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318). Including playoffs, Belichick has 331 victories, trailing Shula (347) and ahead of Halas (324).
Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots (2-5) snapped a three-game skid. It was the second fourth-quarter comeback victory of Jones’ three-year career.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a score and Chad Ryland added three field goals to help the Patriots beat back a second-half rally by Buffalo (4-3), which briefly took the lead in the fourth quarter.
Josh Allen was 27 of 41 for 265 yards with two TDs and ran for a score. He also threw an interception that set up New England’s first touchdown. The Bills struggled on third down and scored touchdowns on only two of their four red-zone opportunities.
Poll Question
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Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.