A Look Back at the NFL's Week 7

Bears Edge Vikings, Pats Clobber Broncos, Titans Remain Undefeated

Oct 21, 2008

We've almost reached the halfway point of the 2008 NFL season and the competition is getting more fierce

After the seventh week of NFL action and Tennessee's 34-10 defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Titans are now the only undefeated team in the league. Their sixth win is definitely a "win," but it should be noted that the Chiefs used three different quarterbacks (Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle) in the game due to injuries to the first two and were without their all-star running back, Larry Johnson, who was suspended. Oh, and they're also the Chiefs, a last-place team with a 1-5 record. Titans quarterback Kerry Collins (11/18, 123 yards, 0 TDs) took a back seat to the running back tandem of Chris Johnson (163 yards rushing, 1 TD) and LenDale White, who exploded for 3 rushing TDs on 149 yards. Tennessee will play at home against the division rival Indianapolis Colts (3-3) next Monday.

While the Titans kept a zero on the right side of their record, Detroit and Cincinnati kept theirs on the left as they dropped to 0-6 and 0-7, respectively. The Lions lost 28-21 to Houston (2-4), unable to complete a comeback after outscoring the Texans 11-0 in the fourth quarter. The Bengals were defeated convincingly by the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1), 34-10, as they couldn't find an answer for running back Mewelde Moore, who ran in two TDs and caught another from Ben Roethlisberger.

Bears Win Closely Contested NFC North Battle Against Vikings

Chicago's Kyle Orton played another efficient game under center as he finished 21/32 for 283 yards and two TDs. Meanwhile, Gus Frerotte threw four interceptions for the Vikings, who committed a total of five turnovers and gave up two touchdowns on special teams. The Bears' secondary was actually missing starting corner backs Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher. The win moved Chicago (4-3) into a first-place tie with the Green Bay Packers in the division while Minnesota fell to 3-4, better than only the Lions in the division. Minnesota wide receiver Bernard Berrian was playing his first game against his former team since leaving the Bears via free agency over the summer. He led all Vikings receivers with 81 yards receiving and caught a touchdown pass.

Cutler Has Rough Outing While Cassel Steps Up

NFL executives schedule Monday night games based on how exciting and contested they'll be. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, for all intents and purposes, should be an exciting match to watch. Well, it wasn't (unless you're a Matt Cassel fan). Tom Brady's back-up proved to be better than Jay Cutler on this night (WAY better, actually) as he completed 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Randy Moss. Cutler, meanwhile, went 17/26 for 168 yards, one TD and three INTs as the Patriots coasted to a 41-7 landslide victory. The win moves New England (4-2) into second place in the AFC East behind the Buffalo Bills (5-1), who defeated the San Diego Chargers (3-4) 23-14 on Sunday.

One week after an upset at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, the heavily-favoured Cowboys were crushed by the St. Louis Rams (2-4) 34-14. Tony Romo was out with a broken finger and his back-up, Brad Johnson, had a bad day, throwing three INTs. Terrell Owens continued his fall from the stat sheet as he caught just two passes for 31 yards. Over the last three games, Owens has managed only one touchdown on 134 yards receiving. He's also caught just eight passes over that span. The loss, the Cowboys' third in their last four games, dropped them to 4-3 in the NFC East, just ahead of the last-place 3-3 Philadelphia Eagles. Rams running back Steven Jackson was the star of the game, rushing for 160 yards and three TDs.

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