| Let’s try to make sense of this:
Tom Brady and the Bucs get stomped by Carolina, a team in full tank mode.
Aaron Rodgers loses a duel against Taylor Heinicke and the Commanders, who like the Packers and Bucs, are now 3-4.
The Giants are 6-1 and Daniel Jones is gonna get paid. Wait, Daniel Jones is gonna get paid?
Going into Week 8, the Jets have the same number of wins (5) as the Bills.
A year ago, the Giants and Jets went a combined 8-26. The city of New York (and state of New Jersey) is now 11-3 with more than half the season to go.
Out in the NFC West, home to the reigning Super Bowl champs and the all-in Niners who just traded for Christian McCaffrey, the team that dealt Russell Wilson is in first place.
Seattle may be the biggest surprise of a season full of them. Geno Smith is playing at a Pro Bowl level, and it’s not as the Seahawks have played a cake schedule. Seattle pounded the Chargers Sunday and are now 2-0 against the AFC West, the Group of Death heading into this season.
The NFL isn’t exactly upside down — the Broncos' offense still sucks without Russell Wilson — but there’s a whole lotta shaking going on in the middle. Seven weeks in, 14 teams are at or within a game of .500. In the NFC, where more of the head scratching is going on, the Giants, Seahawks, Vikings and Falcons are all leading or tied in the win column atop their divisions.
It's wild, it’s wide open and it’s awesome for those of us watching.
On the expected side, Joe Burrow is beginning to roll. Since throwing four picks in the season opener, he’s got a 13-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. The Bengals three losses this season have come by a combined eight points. So take that 4-3 record with a grain of salt.
With Tua Tagovailoa back, the Dolphins started the reboot of a team that opened its season by beating the Patriots, Ravens and Bills.
The AFC is toughening up. The Bills still looked good in a bye week, the Chiefs dropped 44 on the vaunted Niners defense and the aforementioned Bengals and Dolphins are rounding into form.
It’s not so clear on the NFC side. The Eagles are 6-0, but if there’s a knock it’s that they’ve beaten just two teams with winning records, one of those without their starting QB. Their toughest game left on the schedule — outside of Dallas on the road — may be at home against Green Bay, and that’s based on the Packers’ reputation alone.
Undefeated yes, but tested against the best, no.
But aside from Philly, who is there? We don’t know what the Giants are. The Cowboys have the defense and an easy schedule too, but they aren’t elite. Not yet. Neither are the Vikings. And Brady and Rodgers are going to have to work some serious magic to turn their offenses into something that doesn’t resemble a RAV4.
These are the thoughts coming out of Week 7. If things hold, next week will be the exact opposite.
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