Week 7 gave us another reminder that the NFL can flip on its head in a matter of days. A quarterback who looked like a dead end suddenly has a pulse.
A defense-first team keeps surviving ugly box scores. An offense that started slowly is now tearing through opponents.
And in Cleveland, a new voice has Browns fans feeling something they usually don’t on Sundays.
Here are seven takeaways from the week that was.
- J.J. McCarthy has changed the conversation in New York
A few weeks ago, J.J. McCarthy was traded to the New York Giants for a bag of chips.
Fine, a fifth-round pick. But that’s not exactly a haul.
Since landing there, though, McCarthy has played at a level that nobody could have reasonably expected this quickly. In his first two games with the Giants, he has gone 54 dropbacks and produced 10.1 yards per attempt, a 95.2 passer rating and +0.12 EPA per dropback.
That kind of production is enough to make you wonder whether this thing is real. Can he keep it going?
Can he carry the Giants into a division title in a weak NFC East? Did the Minnesota Vikings move on too early?
When Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, the Giants’ season looked finished. Now there’s life again.
There’s hope again. And a big reason why is McCarthy.
I’d like to see what that bag of chips is doing right about now.
- Minnesota keeps winning the same way, and it’s still hard to believe
As a Bears fan, the whole thing must feel familiar in the most infuriating way possible: “He can't keep getting away with this!”
In this case, “he” is the Vikings.
Minnesota won again despite scoring only 16 points, averaging 4.9 yards per play and posting a -0.10 EPA per play. That’s not a pretty offensive line on the stat sheet. It’s not even close.
The defense picked up the slack and then some. The Vikings held the Indianapolis Colts to 10 points, 218 total yards and a -0.14 EPA per play.
That’s been the story all season. The offense ranks in the bottom 10 in just about every major category you’d want to cite, while the defense sits first or second in most of the same measures. It’s a strange formula in today’s NFL, and it leaves one obvious question hanging over everything: is it sustainable?
The next few weeks will tell us plenty. Minnesota’s schedule turns brutal with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers all coming up in a row.
By the end of November, we’ll know exactly what this team is.
- The Bengals’ offense looks like the real thing now
Cincinnati opened 2-0, but the offense wasn’t carrying the load. Through the first two weeks, the Bengals ranked 22nd in EPA per play and 29th in success rate. The defense did the heavy lifting in those wins.
That has changed fast.
From Weeks 3 through 7, Cincinnati ranks first in EPA per play and second in success rate, according to data from Sumer Sports. That’s a huge swing, and it’s showing up in the results.
Sunday’s 35-point showing against the Baltimore Ravens was the latest proof. The Bengals averaged 7 yards per play and finished at +0.25 EPA per play.
There may not be a clean explanation for what flipped the switch, but the bottom line is obvious: this offense is rolling, and that makes Cincinnati dangerous.
- Todd Monken has Cleveland feeling something new
The Cleveland Browns are 5-2. That alone is enough to make you do a double take.
Todd Monken deserves a lot of credit for that start.
He’s brought a different energy to Cleveland - confidence, swagger, something for fans to latch onto. Browns supporters are waking up on game day actually excited to watch football. They might even think they’re going to win.
That’s not a feeling Cleveland fans have been known for.
And no, this hasn’t happened because the Browns suddenly turned into an offensive juggernaut. They rank 27th in EPA per play. But that hasn’t kept the mood from changing.
The fans don’t care. Most of them probably don’t even know what EPA is. They just know they’re proud, and they’re enjoying it.
One Browns fan even called in tears after Sunday’s win. These are tears of joy now, not the usual kind. Monken has brought that out of them.
After Week 7, Cleveland sits atop the AFC North.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy Is Making This A Tough Vikings Decision
Kyle Van Noy has turned a short-term Vikings signing into one of the more interesting roster conversations of the season. Brought in on a one-year deal, the veteran has given Minnesota useful snaps as both a pass rusher and run defender, and his strong play has shown up in the grading as well, with Pro Football Focus giving him high marks for what he has brought to the defense.
Even in a limited role, he has made his presence felt enough to complicate the team's plans for 2027. At about 32 percent of the defensive snaps, Van Noy has done enough to make a case that he should not be treated like a stopgap, and Minnesota now has a decision to make about whether it wants that kind of production around beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Undefeated Start Is Hiding A Bigger Offensive Concern
Minnesotas unbeaten start has been built more on the parts of the roster that travel well in January than on any sense that the offense is fully in rhythm. The special teams and defense have carried plenty of the load, and Harrison Smiths 40th career interception was another reminder of how much veteran playmaking still matters to this group. With a tough stretch ahead, the Vikings can enjoy being the NFLs last unbeaten team, but the margin for error looks thinner than the record suggests.
The concern is that the offense still has not matched the standard the rest of the team has set, and the scrutiny is beginning to settle on Kevin OConnells handling of that side of the ball as well as some recent roster decisions. Blake Cashman has been a bright spot in the middle, while Will Fries has yet to settle in after joining the team, leaving Minnesota with a little too much imbalance for a club trying to keep winning at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Showed The Vikings What They're Missing
The Vikings spent plenty of the afternoon seeing just how disruptive Jonathan Taylor can be when an offense is built around a true workhorse runner. Taylor was a steady problem for Minnesota, helping Indianapolis stay on schedule and convert third downs in a game that exposed a defense that had usually been better in those situations.
For Minnesota, the reminder is obvious: a back like Taylor changes the feel of a game and gives an offense a different kind of edge. It is easy to see why his fit would be appealing here, even if the reality around any pursuit is more complicated, with no indication the Colts are eager to move him. [Read more 🡒]