- Jahmyr Gibbs had a career night, eclipsing 200 yards from scrimmage with a career-long 78-yard touchdown run.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his star turn for the Seahawks, but former Ohio State teammate C.J. Stroud floundered for the Texans.
- Baker Mayfield’s MVP campaign took a hit with the Buccaneers’ performance in Detroit.
If you can’t get enough ‘Monday Night Football’ action, then Week 7 was for you – ESPN serving up yet another doubleheader, this one with two games in standalone windows as opposed to a pair with staggered starts.
If you can get enough ‘Monday Night Football’ action, then Week 7 was for you – this being the final time this season, and maybe ever, that the league plays two on the first day of the work week assuming ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network and other league media properties is eventually finalized.
Either way, the Detroit Lions rebounded from their Week 6 loss at Kansas City to hand the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their second defeat of the season, largely cruising to a 24-9 victory at Ford Field. The Seattle Seahawks didn’t exactly provide an even performance on the West Coast, but it was good enough to vanquish the Houston Texans 27-19 in the second game.
Two games, two sets of winners and losers … one final time:
WINNERS
‘Monday Night Football’
Sure, NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ effectively became the league’s weekly showcase years ago. But “MNF” still retains its own cachet, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the primary call for what’s supposed to be the capstone of the league’s weekly cadence. Tinkering with the format over the years – whether it’s kickoff times, pure doubleheaders or overlapping games − has never seemed to hold much appeal, particularly to viewers conditioned to ingest one game after a laborious day with another on the way soon enough when the alarm clock blares on Tuesday morning. Even in the entertainment juggernaut that is the NFL, less is sometimes more.
NFC playoff picture
Tampa Bay was the projected No. 1 seed at the start of the night. Now? Chaos. The Green Bay Packers, with their 4-1-1 mark, now move to the head of the class while the Bucs drop back to fourth overall in the conference.
Jahmyr Gibbs
Detroit’s two-time Pro Bowl back had a career night, eclipsing 200 yards from scrimmage (218 overall) for the first time in his career, thanks in large part to a career-long 78-yard TD run that staked the Lions to a 14-0 second-quarter lead that never seemed under much threat.
Tez Johnson’s MVP campaign
The Buccaneers receiver didn’t provide another viral moment like he did in Week 6, when he interpreted MVP chants aimed at QB Baker Mayfield instead being rained on himself after a TD catch. But the seventh-rounder out of Oregon had another productive night − and when Mike Evans was hurt and Chris Godwin was out − matching fellow rookie Emeka Egbuka with four catches and 58 yards.
Former Ohio State wideout
Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba added eight more catches, 123 yards and a TD to what’s shaping up as his first All-Pro effort. His 819 receiving yards lead the league and have him close to a 2,000-yard pace. JSN even had a guardian angel, field judge Nate Jones shielding him on Houston’s bench after a melee nearly broke out after CB Derek Stingley ripped Smith-Njigba’s helmet off after picking off a pass. His eventful night also included an illegal dunk over the crossbar following his TD … though former Seattle TE Jimmy Graham surely approves.
LOSERS
Former Ohio State quarterback
Texans QB C.J. Stroud, not two years removed from being the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year – and three from being Smith-Njigba’s Buckeyes teammate – can’t seem to catch a break these days. From a lack of protection, a DOA run game and injuries to his favorite targets, WR Nico Collins and TE Dalton Schultz, Stroud had to endure another rough night while hoisting 49 mostly inconsequential passes for one of the league’s least-imposing offenses.
Baker Mayfield’s MVP campaign
His season-long magic act just didn’t materialize on this night, when Tampa Bay’s continuously depleted offense finally seemed to catch up with the Bucs, who managed just one touchdown to go along with their lowest point and yardage total (251) of 2025. But that’s good news for fellow QBs Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes and other aspirants to the end-of-year hardware.
David Montgomery
Gibbs’ big night seemed to come at his wingman’s expense, Montgomery getting five fewer touches in much less critical spots while producing just 39 total yards.
Seattle sports
Did the Seahawks ever really think a 10 p.m. ET kickoff on a Monday would coincide with the Mariners playing in Game 7 of the ALCS before coming up just short of their long-awaited World Series debut? The ‘Hawks’ sloppy win won’t overshadow the M’s’ unfortunate collapse … but at least the rest of the country was reminded that the Pacific Northwest remains an underrated sports hotbed.
Brian Branch
The Lions’ Pro Bowl, do-it-all defensive back sat out Monday, suspended for throwing hands after the loss to the Chiefs. While the timing was unideal for a battered Detroit secondary, Branch’s buddies rose to the occasion and picked him up.
Mike Evans
Playing for the first time in a month after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3, the Bucs’ six-time Pro Bowl receiver didn’t make it to halftime, suffering a concussion and broken collarbone after hitting the turf as he tried to track down a deep pass from Mayfield. And while Evans’ health is the primary concern, on a secondary level, his record streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons – it began in 2014, his rookie year – will almost certainly end given the fractured clavicle. ‘He’s going to be gone until toward the last of the season,’ said Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Arizona Cardinals
Losers of five in a row, they continue to lose touch with the rest of the NFC West − Seattle’s win ensuring the rest of the division picked up another game on the Cards in Week 7.
Slick uniforms
On a two-fer prime-time night, all we got is the Lions in their black alternates with Honolulu Blue helmets? No classic Seahawks unis? No Bucco Bruce? None of the crazy stuff in the Texans’ closet? Boo …