Week 7 of the NFL season kicked off with great intrigue on Thursday. Sean Payton made his return to New Orleans, the city where he coached for 15 seasons and guided the Saints to their lone Super Bowl victory in February 2010.
Payton’s new team, the Denver Broncos, blew out the injury-riddled Saints 33-10 for its fourth victory in five games to improve to 4-3. New Orleans fell to 2-5 with its fifth straight loss.
The action rolls on with another Sunday morning kickoff in London, 11 more games throughout the day and then a Monday night doubleheader. Here are five of the five biggest storylines across the NFL. (Find the Week 7 schedule here.)
1. Doug Pederson’s last stand?
The Jacksonville Jaguars conclude their two-week stint in London with a game against the New England Patriots and need a victory in the worst way. Last week’s embarrassing 35-16 loss to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears dropped the Jaguars to 1-5, which means Pederson’s team has now lost 10 of its last 12 games. A loss to the 1-5 Patriots on the international stage could seemingly further threaten his job security.
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Thus far, Pederson has failed to turn quarterback Trevor Lawrence into the star the Jaguars (and many rival talent evaluators) believed he would become when they drafted him first overall in 2021. Instead, Lawrence has averaged a pedestrian 222.3 yards per game (19th) while throwing eight touchdown passes (tied for 12th) and three interceptions with a passer rating of 89.2 (18th). He’s directing an offense that has converted only 30.4 percent of its third downs (28th). Meanwhile, the offseason firing of defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell and hiring of Ryan Nielsen has not paid off — the Jaguars rank 31st in yards (390) and points (29.7) allowed. If Drake Maye delivers an impressive outing in only his second career start, significant changes could await the Jaguars when they return to Jacksonville. (Patriots vs. Jaguars in London, 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.)
In search of additional firepower, the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets traded for Pro Bowl wide receivers following Monday night’s game. The Bills acquired five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. The Jets got six-time Pro Bowl selection Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders. Both are expected to make their debuts with their new teams Sunday. The 4-2 Bills, who needed a potential game-changing weapon for Josh Allen, face the 1-4 Tennessee Titans. The 2-4 Jets, who continue to swing big in hopes that Aaron Rodgers can lead them to a Super Bowl, take on the 4-2 Steelers.
That the Bills remain one of the top teams in the AFC despite leading wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ trade to the Houston Texans in the offseason is a testament to Allen’s leadership and playmaking ability and offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s creativity. Buffalo ranks sixth in the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and sixth in red zone efficiency (68.2 percent). But the Bills do struggle on third downs, converting only 34.3 percent for first downs (23rd). In back-to-back losses to projected playoff teams Baltimore and Houston, Buffalo managed only 10 and 20 points, respectively. The Bills’ brass hopes Cooper can fill the playmaking void, though chemistry and timing between a quarterback and wide receiver isn’t usually instantaneous.
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Meanwhile, the Jets continue to go for broke a week after firing Robert Saleh and despite losing their third straight game. The switch from Nathaniel Hackett to Todd Downing as offensive play caller seemed to provide an initial spark against Buffalo, but ultimately, the unit came up short as Rodgers threw a late interception to seal the loss. After the game, Rodgers blamed wide receiver Mike Williams for running the wrong route. The following afternoon, the Jets went and got the quarterback a receiver with whom he has great comfort after eight seasons together in Green Bay. Will Adams’ presence help Rodgers improve? The quarterback has posted his lowest completion percentage (61.8) in eight seasons and the worst passer rating (84.4) in his 16 seasons as a starter. The Jets’ offense also has yet to score 25 points in a game this season. (Titans at Bills, 1 p.m. ET Sunday; Jets at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Russell Wilson is expected to make his first start for the Steelers on Sunday. (Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
3. Steelers’ quarterback change
All signs point to Justin Fields’ run as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback coming to an end after six games. He split first-team reps with Russell Wilson this week but said Thursday: “I don’t think I played good enough if I’m being real with you. If I’m being real with myself, if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of (question) who should be playing, who should not.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said he would keep his decision for Sunday’s game against the Jets in-house, but shortly after, wide receiver George Pickens told reporters he has been getting in extra work after practice with Wilson because the quarterback will be getting his first start.
Fields opened the season as the Steelers’ starter after a training camp calf strain sidelined Wilson. The 35-year-old Wilson, whom Tomlin has said is in the pole position to start ever since the Steelers signed him this offseason, practiced without limitations last week. But the Steelers stuck with Fields, who has gone 4-2 while posting a career-best completion percentage (66.3) and passer rating (93.9). He’s also kept mistakes to a minimum, throwing just one interception.
Fields, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the Bears, has added another dimension to the Steelers’ offense by rushing for five touchdowns. He remains limited as a passer, however, with only five passing touchdowns and 184.3 passing yards per game. The Steelers, meanwhile, have managed only 20.7 points (20th) and 298.3 yards per game (26th).
Can Wilson, who in the last three seasons fell out of favor with Seattle and then Denver, provide the spark necessary to give the Steelers a chance against the AFC’s elite teams? Tomlin has acknowledged that Wilson at this point in his career lacks Fields’ mobility. However, the Steelers hope the nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl champ can compensate for that with superior passing skills. The only question is whether two weeks of practicing and splitting reps is enough to adequately knock off the rust for Wilson to boost the Steelers and not disrupt their chemistry and rhythm. (Jets at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won a second straight Lombardi Trophy in February. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
4. Chiefs–49ers Super Bowl rematch
Eight months after the Kansas City Chiefs made a 10-point comeback to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime and win Super Bowl 58, the rivals meet again.
The 49ers host Sunday’s contest at Levi’s Stadium hoping to exact revenge and end a four-game losing streak to Kansas City. February’s Super Bowl showdown was not, of course, the first between these teams. Four years earlier, Kansas City rallied to top San Francisco 31-20 in Super Bowl 54.
Sunday is the first regular-season meeting between these teams since Oct. 23, 2022, when the Chiefs rolled to a 44-23 win. Kansas City also beat San Francisco 38-27 on Sept. 23, 2018. The 49ers’ last win over the Chiefs came in October 2014 (22-17).
Neither of these gold-standard franchises is in the same high-octane form as their last meeting. Injuries have hit both teams hard during the early going of the season. San Francisco remains without leading running back and offensive playmaker Christian McCaffrey, among others. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have lost top running back Isiah Pacheco and their best wide receiver Rashee Rice to injury.
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Yet both teams soldier on. The 49ers are coming off a division victory over the Seahawks that improved their record to 3-3. The Chiefs are 5-0 and have a chance to become only the seventh team in NFL history to open a season 6-0 after winning the previous Super Bowl.
But, as always, this game should be quite the chess match between Chiefs coach Andy Reid (who boasts an NFL-best .840 winning percentage when coming off a bye), Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Spagnuolo has had Shanahan’s number in their meetings. Despite being one of the most creative offensive minds in the game, Shanahan has struggled to account for the high number of blitzes Spagnuolo has sent. In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs blitzed on a season-high 52 percent of their defensive plays and had nine unblocked pressures. And it’s not just the pass rush about which Shanahan must worry. This Chiefs defense is even better after improving from 17th against the run last year to fifth this season. (Chiefs at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
5. Lions–Vikings NFC North showdown
One of the biggest games of the week takes place in the NFC North. The defending division champion Lions (4-1) travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings, who at 5-0 are the last undefeated team in the NFC and one of the biggest surprises of the season.
Quarterbacks Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are the poster boys for career resets and resurrections. Written off by the Los Angeles Rams and traded to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, Goff (the No. 1 pick in 2016) has seen his career blossom, and he has helped spearhead the Lions’ rise from laughingstock to one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl this season. Darnold (drafted third overall in 2018) has revived his career after a disastrous start with the Jets. He looks like far more than the bridge quarterback/insurance policy the Vikings envisioned when they signed him in the spring before drafting J.J. McCarthy, who is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
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Key matchups in the Lions-Vikings showdown between two powerhouse teams
Goff’s Lions lead the NFL in scoring (30.2 points per game) and Darnold’s Vikings rank fifth (27.8). Both quarterbacks also direct two of the most balanced attacks in the league.
Goff and his teammates must brace for Minnesota’s aggressive defensive attack. The Vikings bring a steady flow of pressure and are among the stingiest units on third downs and in points allowed. Detroit’s defense, meanwhile, must compensate for the loss of NFL sacks leader Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a broken fibula and tibia in last week’s win over Dallas.
Sunday is the teams’ first meeting this season, with the second coming in Week 18. But a win here could give the victor a valuable edge in a competitive NFC North. (Lions at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
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(Top photo of Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes: Chris Unger / Getty Images)
