Sunday Rundown: Instant takeaways from Week 7 slate

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Late-afternoon games

Chaos in Denver

What in the world did we just watch? The Broncos entered the fourth quarter against the Giants trailing 19-0. By the end of the frame, a walk-off field goal saw Denver escape with a 33-32 win. On one hand, I'm inclined to circle back to the same questions I had about the Broncos last week. This offense, for the most part, has not been good enough. Bo Nix completing 11 of 25 passes for 105 yards through three quarters demonstrates why the Broncos have seemingly been at risk of wasting another strong defense. That can't happen against a Giants defense that entered this week tied for 25th in EPA/play, according to TruMedia. On the other hand, the wild comeback finally provided a glimpse of what many have been expecting to see from this scoring attack. Can that strong finish, which saw Nix rack up four total touchdowns in the same quarter, be the start of something in that regard? It'll have to be if this team plans on competing.

Colts keep rolling

Daniel Jones said it best after Sunday's 38-24 win over the Chargers. Asked what people who may be surprised about the Colts' early-season performance should know about this team, the veteran quarterback laughed and told CBS, "Sounds like y'all didn't know much." He's right. Running through the Chargers on the road is the most convincing evidence yet that the hot start is no mirage. Indy's offense continued firing on all cylinders in handing a tough L.A. defense its worst EPA/play performance across two years under Jesse Minter. The Colts' defense also did its part, stealing a pair of extra possessions at the end of the first half with consecutive interceptions off Justin Herbert. It may still take a while before Indy gets its due respect as a legitimate contender. That's probably because we're all understandably a little hesitant to buy in on Jones sustaining his current level of play. But consider this: the Colts would be sitting at a perfect 7-0 if it weren't for a pair of costly second-half miscues from Adonai Mitchell in a loss to the Rams. This has been the most consistent team in football through seven weeks.

Another frustrating win

The Packers simply refuse to make things easy. Last week's win over the Bengals was far more difficult than it needed to be, and they were right back at it Sunday in Arizona. A game against the sputtering Cardinals, who were led by backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, should have been the perfect opportunity for Green Bay to put it all together. A win is a win, but this isn't the kind of matchup that should have us feeling so uneasy about a supposed Super Bowl contender. The secondary is an obvious problem spot that must be addressed before the trade deadline. A big move to that end would go a long way toward maximizing the presence of Micah Parsons, whose three sacks were key in holding off the Cardinals. The passing game is putting up strong numbers overall (6th in EPA/dropback, T-9th in success rate), but it's almost like they only operate at a consistently high level when they absolutely have to. Could the desire to put on a show next week against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers finally break them out of that habit?

Early kickoffs

Chiefs taking off

It's probably time to start wrapping up all those early-season conversations about parity. The uniquely level playing field among contenders was certainly a breath of fresh air after several years of the same old powerhouses. But the longer it lasted, the more it seemed like it was only going to open the door for a certain team that has dominated the league like few others. Right on schedule, here come the Chiefs. Kansas City took another major step in the right direction after last week's big win over the Lions, laying the beatdown of all beatdowns on the division-rival Raiders. Not the most daunting challenge, in fairness, but Gardner Minshew getting into the game up 31-0 in the third quarter demonstrates what's possible when this offense is operating at full strength. Rashee Rice made an immediate impact in his highly anticipated return, recording two touchdowns on seven catches, and the Chiefs finished the day with as many first downs (30) as the Raiders did offensive plays. This may only be the beginning of their ascent back to the top.

Hurts back?

The Eagles desperately needed a win this week in Minnesota. And if Philly was going to inspire any sort of confidence after a frustrating start, getting that result behind a big day from the offense was imperative. Check and check. As has been the case for much of his career, Jalen Hurts rose to the occasion when his team needed him most. A still-stagnant run game didn't do him any favors, but the Eagles quarterback was able to rediscover some of his old magic in the downfield passing game. He gashed a stingy Vikings defense for seven plays of 20-plus yards, including long touchdown strikes to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and a 45-yard play to Brown in crunch time to seal the win. Hurts completing 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards, three scores, and no interceptions represents the best start of his career by EPA/dropback, according to TruMedia. I'd like to see this on a semi-consistent basis before I abandon any and all concerns about the Eagles, but the ceiling is still there when Hurts is doing what he does best. Good things happen when you're pushing the ball downfield to receivers like that.

Tush push ban on the way

In less exciting news for the Eagles, Sunday's game provided further evidence that we should probably expect an official ban of the tush push next offseason. I've written that any such move would be soft, and I still believe it. But there's simply too much working against it now. First, we had the early-season controversies of uncalled false starts. Those high-profile blunders alone were probably enough for the NFL to get ample votes the next time the issue is brought to owners. This week, it was the Vikings trying to counter the play by laying a defender on the ground parallel to the line of scrimmage.

That only bolsters the argument that this is a non-football play, and there's probably a player-safety case to be made, too. In the end, it probably doesn't matter. The Eagles are going to be better than everyone else at sneak plays regardless of whether there's a push from behind. Just don't be surprised when the current mechanic is banned when it's inevitably brought to the table again in the spring.

McDaniel on thin ice

It felt like Mike McDaniel was on the hot seat before this season even kicked off. And with the Dolphins stumbling out of the gate, it quickly became difficult to imagine him finding a way to save his job. That situation could realistically come to a head as soon as this week. Nobody wants to make a midseason coaching change, and one could argue that there is no actual upside in doing so. If there was ever a game that would force ownership to pull the plug, though, it was Sunday's 31-6 loss in Cleveland. Getting so thoroughly embarrassed by the Browns (the Browns!) confirms that there's nothing left to see here. Nobody would blame the Dolphins if they cleaned house and made nearly the entire roster available at the deadline. This experiment is all but over, and a full-scale rebuild may be the only way forward.

And what about Tua?

A determination on Tua Tagovailoa's future will be among the first big decisions facing the eventual new staff in Miami. Realistically speaking, his play is probably making that decision an easy one. Tua has steadily been heading in the wrong direction ever since he signed that four-year, $212-million extension in 2024. His three-interception day against the Browns was the second-worst start of his career by EPA/dropback. A disastrous season opener against the Colts stands as his fourth-worst game by that same metric. Perhaps Tua fares better in a new system. Considering the Dolphins would take a $99-million dead-money hit to cut him, they may be inclined to find out. But it's not unfair to suggest that McDaniel's system, at least at its peak, elevated Tua's game in ways that others wouldn't. The Dolphins might be better off doing what needs to be done with that contract and turning this nightmare season into an early QB pick.

Glenn not inspiring

I really try not to panic about first-year head coaches. One season is rarely enough to get a feel for a new regime's chances for long-term success, and these are typically situations that were always going to be multi-year rebuilds. That's absolutely the case with the Jets, but we're somehow already at the point where it's fair to have some concerns about Aaron Glenn. The defense's struggles were the first red flag - that unit has more than enough talent for a respected defensive coach to work with. The regular breakdowns over the first six weeks of the season were inexcusable. And now we get the Justin Fields benching. Fields deserved to be benched, to be clear, but Glenn making the move one week after he snapped back at a reporter for even asking about the possibility is a particularly embarrassing look. The decision clearly didn't give him any more confidence in his offense: Glenn opted to punt the ball back to the Panthers down seven with less than two minutes to play. The Jets are 0-7, and each pathetic outing makes it more difficult to find many wins on this schedule. Could a spectacular first-year flop make Glenn the rare one-and-done coach?

Maye breaking Brady records

Another week, another outstanding performance from Drake Maye. While some would probably be loath to admit the Patriots have found themselves another special quarterback talent, there's no longer much reason for restraint. The second-year pro is tied with Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield for second in EPA/dropback. Take out a sloppy Week 1 game in the rain, and he'd easily clear Jared Goff for first. This week's near-perfect outing even had a Tom Brady-related historical element: as Maye completing 21 of 23 passes (91.3%) against the Titans set a new franchise record for single-game completion percentage (minimum 20 attempts). The Patriots did a nice job improving the situation around him this past offseason, but I would argue there's still plenty of work to be done there in the years ahead. Maye doing what he's doing in the early days of this new program, leading the way for a 5-2 team sitting atop the AFC East, is worthy of MVP consideration. More importantly, it's a sign that the Patriots may be starting another extended era of winning.

Rams mix it up

Sunday's game in London figured to be a fascinating test for the Rams. After a six-week stretch in which the entire offense ran through Puka Nacua, it was fair to wonder what that unit might look like with its superstar receiver relegated to the sidelines. The Rams didn't miss a beat while completely altering their offensive approach, giving us every reason to be excited about this team's potential. Sean McVay utilized "13 personnel" (three tight ends, one running back) on 38.7% of plays against the Rams. Not only is that the highest single-game rate of any team in the league so far this season, but it's also nearly double McVay's previous career high (20.3%), set back in 2019. Jacksonville's defense, which entered this week tied for fifth in EPA/play, had no answer for the new looks. That kind of scheme versatility will make the Rams even tougher to defend when Nacua gets back. Davante Adams also happens to be in the process of developing a really nice red-zone connection with Matthew Stafford, hauling in three of the quarterback's five touchdowns on the day. Add in a quietly strong defense, now tied for second in EPA/play after holding the Jaguars to seven points, and you've got the makings of a true Super Bowl contender. Look for the Rams to make a few trade-deadline moves to capitalize on this opportunity.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.