Every week’s biggest winners and losers will be showcased here, with teams that walked away feeling good and others who left panicked. Week 7 of football featured a lot of highlights—and lowlights. Undefeated teams became defeated, coaches spitting in the face of adversity, teams taking losses on and off the field, and more! What teams got the dub, and others looked like scrubs? Let’s get it!
Scrubs: Saints
The Broncos dismantled the Saints, and it’s NOT looking great for the Big Easy. From scoring 91 points in the first two weeks to losing five games in a row, fans are starting to panic. The injury report includes names like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Marshon Lattimore. On top of that, Alvin Kamara hasn’t gotten over 40 rushing yards since week four, Derek Carr is also hurt, and that promising quarterback you drafted earlier this year, Spencer Rattler, doesn’t look too great either. And in a division surrounded by rising stars in Atlanta and Tampa Bay, New Orleans does not look too promising. Look on the bright side, Who Dat Nation, at least the Panthers are worse.
Dubs: Bengals
Despite the cardiac cats being 3-4, there is still promise in Cincy. From an 0-3 start to 3-4 and the offense and defense getting it together, is there prolonged hope for the Bengals? Joe Burrow is cooking with his one-two punch in Jamarr Chase and Tee Higgins, Chase Brown is getting more involved in the offense, and the defense has picked off a quarterback thrice and sacked a quarterback six times in the past two games. Can Cincy get to .500 in a crucial matchup against the imposing team in the Eagles next week?
Scrubs: Jets
The Jets flew into this game at full speed and were ready for their big trade from last week to bring more electricity to the offense. Last week, they made a big trade and rekindled the old romance of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. A game against the Steelers started well, with a 15-6 score thus far. But the Jets ran out of fuel and were outscored 31 points, losing 37-15 and falling to 2-5. Next week, the Jets will try to return to the win column versus the struggling Patriots. Can the Jets sweep their division rivals for the first time since 2000?
Dubs: Steelers
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin took a MASSIVE risk and started veteran QB Russell Wilson despite young Justin Fields’s hot start to a 4-2 record. The fans, front office, and the locker room intensely scrutinized this move, as it made no sense to cool down a young QB on such a hot streak. However, Tomlin stuck to his guns, and fans went into this game with their hands over their eyes. It would take two quarters for the fans to realize why Tomlin is the coach, and they are not. Russell Wilson would start slow but build off every yard and get a dominating win against the Jets. A 15-6 deficit and 31 unanswered points later, the Steelers move on to a 5-2 start and look to handle business next Monday night against another New York team, the Giants.
Scrubs: 49ers
San Fran isn’t just losing on the field but also off the field. The reigning NFC champions are currently sporting a 3-4 start, and they just lost to the team that beat them in the Super Bowl! On top of all that, there are many injured players! From George Kittle and Deebo Samuel questionable to play next week to Brandon Aiyuk tearing his ACL and MCL to Christian McCaffrey still sporting an ankle injury, it’s been a rough season for the 49ers thus far. There is still time to turn the ship around, but with few playmakers left, who will step up?
Dubs: Lions
The biggest dub of the week goes to Detroit for looking like the best team in the NFC after a 31-29 win against the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings. Jared Goff has a .89 completion percentage over the past three weeks, Jahmyr Gibbs is in the top ten in rushing yards and touchdowns, and the weapons are elite with St. Brown and LaPorta. Despite losing Aiden Hutchinson in a brutal injury, the Lions are still contenders for more than just an NFC championship appearance. A 5-1 start puts the Lions in a good place going into the midseason stretch. Can they keep the momentum rolling against the Titans in Week 8?
Who will represent the dubs and scrubs next week?
