NFL Week 7: Notes and observations
Sunday is almost here again, and with it another 13 games for the NFL pundits to pour over. There are some terrific matchups, including a Super Bowl LI rematch between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium.
However, perhaps the most important game of the weekend will be taking place in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati is coming off its bye week after winning its previous two games over the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. At 2-3, the Bengals are trying to climb back into both the AFC North and playoff races, with a huge opportunity laying ahead.
Should the Bengals find a way to go into Heinz Field and beat Pittsburgh, the North would be a true battle. Cincinnati would be at 3-3 and only a half-game behind the Steelers with a rematch in December on a Monday night in the Queen City. A loss in Pittsburgh would dump the Bengals into a wild card chase, while the Steelers would be the top seed in the AFC playoff picture.
Pittsburgh has a fairly tough schedule down the stretch, making every home game a virtual must-win. Next week, the Steelers have to go on the road to play the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, who also will be coming off their bye week. If Pittsburgh wants to get home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, it needs to handle business in moments like this weekend.
As for the aforementioned Super Sunday rematch, the Patriots and Falcons should both be playing desperate football. New England doesn’t have to have quite the level of anxiety present in Atlanta, if only because the AFC East will be won easily. The Patriots have the luxury of finding themselves a bit, although another loss would plunge New England to 4-3 and behind the Kansas City Chiefs, who currently hold the edge for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Falcons have a bunch of reasons to be pressing on Sunday night. Atlanta has to figure out a way to finish games, something that once again cropped up last weekend with the Miami Dolphins overcoming a 17-0 deficit in the second half. The week before, the Buffalo Bills beat the Falcons, with both contests happening at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
A loss for Atlanta would drop it to 3-3 on the year and, at best, a tie for third place in the NFC South. At worst, the Falcons could be in last place should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Bills, and the New Orleans Saints handle business against the Green Bay Packers.
It’s only Week 7, but two games could have a ton of impact moving toward colder weather.
