What We Saw Roundup – Week 7

We watched every NFL Week 7 game so you don't have to — Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 2 Days Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Patriots @ Bears
Steelers @ Saints
Bengals @ Ravens
49ers @ Falcons
Browns @ Titans
Colts @ Vikings
Dolphins @ Jets
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Giants @ Texans
Broncos @ Cardinals
Packers @ Lions
Rams @ Raiders
Chiefs @ Seahawks

Patriots @ Bears

Final Score: Bears 30, Patriots 24

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)

 

Three Up

  • D’Andre Swift – levelled up to workhorse status when his team needed him the most and saw a season-high 26 touches to produce a stellar fantasy performance
  • Colston Loveland – another TE1 leading performance from the sophmore fantasy star who is starting to come alive after a slow start to the season.
  • Rhamondre Stevenson – the veteran back has always been stung in fantasy for his fumbling issues but he protected the ball well tonight and his splash play at the end of the first half resulted in a fantasy haul.

Three Down

  • A.J. Brown – a lacklustre showing from the former Titans and Eagles wideout who still looked limited by his ankle injury.
  • DeMario Douglas – the talented wideout continues to be a boom or bust option as a fantasy flex. Today was a big bust.
  • TreyVeon Henderson – the explosive back just has not established himself as a trusted option for Mike Vrabel, and his opportunities in this contest were limited on the ground while also been heavily outmatched in the passing game by Stevenson.

 

New England Patriots

 

Quarterback

 

Drake Maye: 24/31, 321 Yards, 2 TD, INT, 2 Sacks | 4 Carries, 26 Yards, TD

After a first quarter in which Maye saw heavy pressure from his blindside on consecutive drives, he simplified things by using his checkdowns over the middle to move the offense down the field in a workmanlike drive that ended with a reversed call for a touchdown as Maye fought through contact at the goal line to reach out for the score midway through the second quarter. It was the same strategy on the following drive, with Maye taking all the easy yards underneath. So much so that only one wide receiver had a catch until late in the second half. A terrible, predetermined throw in the red zone resulted in an interception as Maye tried to move the safety but failed to trick the linebacker, who jumped into a poor pass intended for Rairdon. Sensationally, the Patriots caught a break with just 9 seconds left in the half as the Bears went to sleep on the final play to allow Maye to dump off to Stevenson, who took advantage of blown coverage to run all the way in from 48 yards for a quite unbelievable score to make it a one-score game.

Maye was let down by his play caller on a number of occasions in this game, including on the opening drive of the contest – a bizarre inside run on 3rd & 6 at midfield was then followed by a risky fourth down play that saw Maye scramble and fail to convert, handing the Bears an early advantage.

 

Running Back

 

Rhamondre Stevenson: 6 Carries, 22 Yards | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 93 Yards, TD

There is no doubt that this stat line is heavily padded by that bizarre 48-yard dump-off touchdown pass at the end of the first half that left everyone in the stadium and watching at home stunned. Fantasy managers will take it, though. Stevenson only saw six carries, but it was enough to lead the backfield. Kiner saw a chunk of early down work in the first half, but that changed with the Patriots down two scores early in the second half. It is also worth noting that his first carry went for 13 yards, so he was bottled up for just 9 yards on the next five attempts. Despite a messy situation, he has carved out the trust of Vrabel despite averaging just 3.7 yards per carry across the first seven games of the campaign.

 

Corey Kiner: 4 Carries, 13 Yards

TreyVeon Henderson: 3 Carries, 9 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Hunter Henry: 7 Targets, 7 Receptions, 71 Yards

In a conservative approach from Josh Daniels, Maye peppered his tight ends through the first three quarters, with Pop Douglas the only wideout to register a catch for much of the first half. Henry was a beneficiary of this as he worked his usual role in short-to-medium running routes. Henry saw a season-high across the board in the stat line but never got a sniff in the red zone despite back-to-back games with scores going into this game. It was rookie Raridon who got the look in this game.

 

Eli Raridon: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 56 Yards, TD

Another encouraging night for the rookie, who hit pay dirt once again to stake his claim as a viable fantasy option at the tight end position. He was also the target on the end zone pass that Maye underthrew and was intercepted by D’Marco Jackson. At least he made up for it later in the contest with a dime to the young pass-catcher in the third quarter. Raridon showed his ability off the jump and speed after the catch.

 

A.J. Brown: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 48 Yards

A 16-yard grab in the fourth quarter, as Vrabel verbally interjected into the offensive game plan to demand more throws downfield, was Brown’s biggest play of the night. He was also the victim of a great defensive break-up on a deep ball in the first half that Bears rookie Malik Muhammed II just about got his fingertips to as Brown attempted to secure the grab. Without a clear mandate to air the ball out, Brown looks to be a mismatch in the offense right now.

 

DeMario Douglas: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 23 Yards

Efton Chism III: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 16 Yards

Kyle Williams: 1 Target

 

Chicago Bears

 

Quarterback

 

Caleb Williams: 22/33, 308 Yards 2 TD, 3 Sacks | 5 Carries, 18 Yards

After two drives where Williams failed to build a rhythm with the offense, mainly due to the run game misfiring, the young superstar excelled in a brilliant rest of the half where he trusted his protection and delivered darts from the pocket. The use of his legs was also key, with two escapes from seemingly inevitable sacks resulting in him moving the sticks. Williams twice connected with Burden for big gains before finding his speedy receiver on a simple screen for a score late in the first half. In the second half, the game changed, and Williams favoured outside passes, namely to Loveland. He connected with the big tight end four times for 37 yards, including a 12-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.

 

Williams was not without his missed opportunities in this game, including on the opening offensive drive when he missed a wide-open Kalif Raymond by firing a laser too soon in his direction. It was the type of throw Williams has been guilty of rushing under pressure, a bit like Jared Goff.

 

Running Back

 

D’Andre Swift: 22 Carries, 78 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 12 Yards

Another dominating performance from Swift, who balled out without the presence of Kyle Monangai for the second time this season. A perfectly executed jump cut on his first carry in the red zone opened up an outside lane for Swift to score the first touchdown of the game and he never looked back. After a huge Week 1, the dynamic back saw some time in the doghouse after two fumbles in three games. However, he now has four touchdowns in the last three contests and looks to establish himself as the alpha in the room once again.

 

It should be noted that Swift took a direct hit to the knee early in this game and looked to hobble off in some discomfort before returning without any noticeable medical treatment or impingement. Unlike the previous contest that Monangai missed, Swift was heavily preferred in this game, with Johnson only seeing two carries to spell him. Swift was relied upon in the second half to dominate the offense, and his 26 overall touches were a season high. Onwards and upwards.

 

Roschon Johnson: 2 Carries, 13 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Luther Burden III: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 140 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 7 Yards

The Patriots defense could not get anywhere near the speedy wideout in the first half as he burned defensive backs on two huge plays on touchdown drives in each quarter. First, he put on the afterburners for a massive x yard gain down the left sideline that was stopped just short of paydirt. Swift rolled the ball in on the very next drive. The second was a perfectly run crossing route over the middle where he found space between three defenders and turned upfield to go into Pats territory. A few plays later, Burden took a screen pass down the right sideline to the house on a 3rd & 17 to give the Bears a 20-7 lead. He followed some excellent blocking. Remarkably, that was his fourth catch on four targets for 140 yards and this score. He only touched the ball once in the second half…hmmmm. Yes, the Bears went more conservative on the ground, but maybe this was also a case of Ben Johnson not showing all his cards too soon. Do not fool yourself into thinking this performance is a coming of age as a WR1; it was simply a mismatch that was well executed in the play calling.

 

Colston Loveland: 12 Targets, 7 Receptions, 69 Yards, TD

A hugely productive night for the sophomore tight end that could have been much better had he secured a perfectly thrown deep ball over the middle from Williams late in the first half that the tight end bobbled as he tried to turn upfield too quickly. He was also lucky it wasn’t picked off by one of the three defensive players around him. However, his production saw an uptick after the half as Williams looked to chip away at the Patriots through short-yardage throws, which also let the clock run more often. Loveland polished off a beautifully scripted 9-play, 72-yard drive to open the second half with a nice catch-and-run that showed his determination to be a weapon in the red zone.

 

Rome Odunze: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 69 Yards

Playing second fiddle to Burden, the former first-round selection had his chances to pack the scoreboard on multiple drives. His best opportunity was on a sideline throw in the second quarter that Odunze failed to haul in despite getting two hands on the ball in bounds. However, he was also flagged on the play for OPI, so it would have been scrubbed anyway. He did haul in a laser from Williams when his team was backed up at their own goal line on third down late in the fourth quarter, and you could see how much it meant to him.

 

Cole Kmet: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards

The big tight end was visibly in pain late in the fourth quarter when two Patriots defensive backs hit him low in the knee. He was carried from the field and has since been put on IR. A shame for the veteran, who, despite the presence of Loveland, is an integral part of the offense.

 

Kalif Raymond: 2 Targets

Series Navigation
Introduction
Patriots @ Bears
Steelers @ Saints
Bengals @ Ravens
49ers @ Falcons
Browns @ Titans
Colts @ Vikings
Dolphins @ Jets
Buccaneers @ Panthers
Giants @ Texans
Broncos @ Cardinals
Packers @ Lions
Rams @ Raiders
Chiefs @ Seahawks

Brett Ford

Writer, Editor and Podcast host for QBList.com, Ravens fan, Cool Dad