NFL Week 7 Recap

Week Seven in the NFL will be history once the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears square off in an NFC North battle at Soldier Field Monday night.  However, Sunday’s slate of games didn’t lack any drama.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) fell to the Oakland Raiders (2-4) 26-23 in overtime on the road.  The Raiders overcame a 14 point deficit and three turnovers to set up kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s 40 yard field goal to complete the comeback.  The Jaguars were without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew and quarterback Blaine Gabbert for most of the game as both left with injuries.   After Gabbert left the game with an injured left shoulder with a 14-3 lead, the offense struggled under backup Chad Henne and only tallied 66 yards and two first downs.

Jacksonville Head Coach Mike Mularkey says the Jaguars didn’t take advantage of their opportunities and they need to learn how to finish games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) lost a shootout to the New Orleans Saints (2-4) 35-28 in Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was 27 for 37 with 377 yards and came away with four touchdown passes.  Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman was 24 for 42 for 420 yards and three touchdown passes of his own.  On the game’s final play, Freeman found wide receiver Mike Williams in the corner of the end zone but Williams had been pushed out of the back of the end zone before coming back into the field of play and the touchdown was nullified.

Freeman says plays don’t always come your way and his team just has to be ready for their next game.

Other highlights from around the league…

The Tennessee Titans (3-4) defeated the Buffalo Bills (3-4) 35-34 on Sunday behind running back Chris Johnson’s 195 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

The Indianapolis Colts (3-3) beat the Cleveland Browns (1-6) thanks to the legs of rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.  Luck rushed for two touchdowns and became the first Colts QB to rush for two touchdowns in the same game since 1988.

The Green Bay Packers (4-3) went on the road and came away with a 30-20 win over the St. Louis Rams (3-4). Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns.

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin III in MetLife Stadium 27-23. Giants QB Eli Manning rallied for his eighth game winning drive since 2011, which is the best in the NFL in that span.

The Vikings (5-2), Cowboys (3-3), Texans (6-1), Patriots (4-3), and Pittsburgh (3-3) all came away with wins on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-2) defeated the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) 13-6 on Thursday.

Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Diego all were on a BYE.