Winners, losers, and other telling moments from Week 7 in the NFL

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Winners, losers, and other telling moments from Week 7 in the NFL
Cincinnati Bengals. Rob Carr/Getty Images
  • Week 7 of the NFL season is almost in the books.
  • Tom Brady and Joe Burrow were the big winners of Week 6.
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Week 7 of the NFL season was filled with action.

Tom Brady made history and played to the crowd during a dominant win over the Bears, and Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals continued their ascension to the top of the AFC.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions lost again and now stand as the only remaining winless team in the league.

Take a look below at all the winners and losers from Week 7 of the NFL season.

WINNER: Tom Brady

Winners, losers, and other telling moments from Week 7 in the NFL
Tom Brady. AP Photo/Alex Menendez

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cruised to a 38-3 victory over the Chicago Bears, with Brady throwing four touchdowns. One of those four touchdowns was the 600th TD pass of his career, making Brady the first quarterback in NFL history to reach the milestone.

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Unfortunately, receiver Mike Evans, who caught the historic touchdown, didn't get the memo. Evans briefly gave the ball to a fan sitting in the stands before a Buccaneers staffer went over to negotiate and get the ball back for posterity.

Brady also took a moment before the game went final to reach out to a young fan who had been holding up a sign that read, "Tom Brady helped me beat brain cancer." Brady shook the young fan's hand and gave him a hat, leaving him near tears.

Throw four touchdowns, set a bit of NFL history, give not one but two fans life-long memories, and cruise to victory over a conference opponent - it's all just a regular Sunday for Tom Brady.

LOSER: Sam Darnold

After the Panthers got off to a 3-0 start to the season, it looked as though Sam Darnold had turned a corner. Free from the dreadful clutches of Adam Gase and the New York Jets, Darnold was developing into the passer and player that he was always capable of becoming.

Since then, the Panthers have lost four straight games, including Sunday's dismal 25-3 showing against the New York Giants. Darnold completed just 16 of his 25 passes for 111 yards and an interception on the day and was ultimately benched in the fourth quarter for PJ Walker.

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Darnold still has a hold on the starting job in Carolina for now. However, it's less clear whether or not the team will be as eager to keep Darnold under center moving forward, especially if he continues to struggle through the second half of the season.

WINNER: Cincinnati Bengals

We are almost halfway through the season, and the Cincinnati Bengals are the top team in the AFC. Think about that for a second. If the season ended today (it doesn't, but still), the Bengals would have a first-round bye in the postseason, and the road to the Super Bowl would run through Cincinnati.

The Bengals' brilliant start comes thanks to the play of second-year quarterback Joe Burrow and the standout debut of rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Chase has 754 receiving yards, the most ever through seven career games.

With road wins over the Ravens and Steelers already in their pocket, the Bengals have control of the AFC North right now. If they can keep playing at the level they've started the season at and avoid the injury bug, they could be a force come January.

LOSER: Kansas City Chiefs

Winners, losers, and other telling moments from Week 7 in the NFL
Patrick Mahomes. AP Photo/Mark Zaleski

After a blowout loss to the Titans, the Chiefs are 3-4 and sit third in the AFC West. Mahomes and the Chiefs play in primetime next week against the New York Giants in what should be a get-right game for the former AFC favorites.

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If Kansas City can't knock out the Giants, they're in for a struggle. Their next three games on the schedule: Packers, Raiders, Cowboys. The Chiefs still have time to turn things around, but they're running out of wiggle room.

WINNER: Derek Carr

The Raiders are 2-0 since the departure of head coach Jon Gruden. Credit to interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who has led the team through the tumult to come out 5-2.

But Bisaccia himself gives credit to Carr. "Off the field, Derek is the voice of the Raiders right now. The players always want to listen to him," Bisaccia said after the Raiders win over the Eagles. "He's a tremendous leader both on and off the field."

In turn, Carr praised Bisaccia after the win, saying he and his teammates were doing everything they could to keep Bisaccia as the team's head coach moving forward.

Carr played brilliantly against the Eagles, completing 31 of 34 passes to finish at 91.1% completion. It's the second-highest single-game completion percentage from a player with at least 30 attempts in NFL history, trailing only Drew Brees.

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LOSER: Dan Campbell

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions pulled out all the stops against the Los Angeles Rams. Fake punts, surprise onside kicks, no bit of trickeration was off-limits.

It was great fun to watch, and at points, surprisingly successful!

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Campbell and the Lions lost 28-19 to fall to 0-7 on the season.

WINNER: Zach Ertz

Zach Ertz was playing second-fiddle to Dallas Goedert in Philadelphia. However, in his first game with the Arizona Cardinals, he showed he's ready to be a potent addition to an already dangerous offense.

The Cardinals are the last undefeated team in the NFL and have a Thursday night showdown against the Green Bay Packers that could very well be a preview of the NFC Championship.

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LOSER: Houston Texans

Houston jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the Cardinals, then gave up 31 unanswered points over the final 40 minutes of play.

Even with the early deficit, the Cardinals spent much of the day playing with their food.

Better luck next time.

WINNER: Kyle Pitts

As every NFL broadcast was eager to remind you, Sunday was designated National Tight Ends Day. Rookie Kyle Pitts and the Atlanta Falcons were ready to celebrate.

Pitts finished with seven receptions for 163 yards, leading the Falcons to a 30-28 win over the Miami Dolphins.

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