A Look Back at Week 7 in the NFL

Patriots Win in London, Austin Strikes Again, Saints Undefeated

Oct 26, 2009

It was a week of big performances, not-so-big performances, upsets, comebacks, and the NFL in London, England. Here's a look at the top storylines.

The third installment of NFL London wasn't quite the nail-biter that the previous two had been. But the atmosphere at Wembley Stadium was a sight to see (and hear). While the 2007 game between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins was decided by three points and last year's match between the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers finished with a five-point difference, the New England Patriots gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers no chance on Sunday, winning handily, 35-7, in front of a sellout crowd of 84,254 noisy fans. It didn't look good right from the start for Tampa Bay. The Patriots intercepted Bucs QB Josh Johnson on Tampa Bay's first two possessions of the game, with both picks going to Brandon Meriweather (including one that was returned 39 yards for a TD). And Tom Brady, while not great, was good enough to beat a Buccaneers squad that is 0-7 for the first time since 1985. Brady completed 23 of 32 pass attempts for 308 yards and three TDs, and was picked off twice. The Patriots are now 5-2 and tops in the AFC East.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week he envisions playing multiple regular-season games in London in the future and even spoke about the possibility of London having its own franchise. Only time will tell if American football can succeed in a market dominated by the football played with feet.

Dallas Receiver Austin Having Breakout Season

When Terrell Owens left the Dallas Cowboys organization, the weight of the world was being pinned on the shoulders of one Roy E. Williams. But after catching four TD passes and piling up 421 receiving yards in the last two games, Miles Austin is clearing looking like the one on whose shoulders that weight should be pinned. Austin followed up his two-TD, 250-yard performance in Week 5 (his first career start) with another barn burner on Sunday as he caught six passes for 171 yards and a pair of scores in the 37-21 victory against the Atlanta Falcons. Two career starts and two career games later Austin looks like a star in Dallas (well, co-star alongside Tony Romo, of course). Romo had a decent game, too, completing 21 of 29 pass attempts for 311 yards and three TDs as the Cowboys improved to 4-2. Williams caught just one pass for 16 yards. In five games this season Williams has caught only 12 passes for 230 yards and one lone TD. The Falcons dropped to 4-2.

New Orleans Mounts Big Comeback to Stay Undefeated

Down 24-3, with just five seconds left in the first half and sitting at the Miami Dolphins' 1 yard line, the Saints sent their FG unit into the game. But Drew Brees convinced his coach, Sean Payton, to let him go for six points. One yard later, Brees plunged into the end zone for the score. Perhaps he had a feeling this would be the start of a turnaround for a team that hadn't trailed in a game all season. If so, he was right. The league's highest-scoring team outscored the Dolphins 36-10 in the second half, including a 22-0 4th quarter, to beat Miami, 46-34, and move to 6-0. It's just the second time in franchise history that New Orleans has started a season 6-0, with the other being a 7-0 start to the 1991 season. The star of the team with the league's best offense was its defense on Sunday. Darren Sharper and Tracy Porter each returned INTs for TDs. Brees finished 22-38 for 298 yards, one TD and three INTs. He rushed for two short-yardage scores. Miami dropped to 2-4 with the loss.

Other Undefeated Teams After Week 7

* this is the most teams in NFL history to be undefeated at this point of the season

Week 7's Best Performances (by position)

QB - Carson Palmer (Cincinnati Bengals 45, Chicago Bears 10): 20/24, 233 yards, 5 TDs

RB - Shonn Greene (New York Jets 38, Oakland Raiders 0): 19 carries, 144 yards, 2 TDs

WR - Miles Austin (Dallas Cowboys 37, Atlanta Falcons 24): 6 catches, 171 yards, 2 TDs

Defense - Philadelphia Eagles: forced 3 fumbles, returned an INT for a TD, and collected six sacks as they defeated the Washington Redskins, 27-17, Monday night. Philadelphia's newest addition, LB Will Witherspoon, recorded one of the team's sacks, forced one of the fumbles and scored on the INT return in his first game as an Eagle.

Other Week 7 NFL Scores:

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