NFL Week 7 schedule: 5 teams that need to win
5. Detroit Lions
The Lions could very well be 5-0, but here we are. A few bad breaks, a meltdown in Arizona, and Detroit is 2-2-1 and somehow in last place of the competitive NFC North. This week, the Minnesota Vikings come to Motown for the first of two meetings between the longtime rivals. Minnesota is playing better, riding a two-game winning streak with wins over the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. If the Lions want to get back into the race for the North, this is a must-win.
4. Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles has lost three straight, and now it travels across the country to take on the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta is a complete disaster at the moment, sitting at 1-5 and with a head coach who has the best odds to be the next man fired, per Vegas. If the Rams lose this game, it’s time for full-scale panic, especially after trading their next two first-round picks to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a deal for Jalen Ramsey. In the brutally tough NFC West, the Rams can’t afford to drop this one and fall any further behind the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
It’s weird putting a 4-2 division leader on this list, but here we are. The Chiefs have lost two straight and while dropping the Thursday night affair in Denver to the Broncos wouldn’t crush playoff hopes by any measure, it would almost certainly mean Kansas City has major problems. It would also mean the idea of a No. 1 seed is officially dead, as the New England Patriots would need a serious collapse against inferior foes. The Chiefs have lost two straight and are banged up, but this is the kind of game champions find a way to win.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have the benefit of playing in a horrid division, but they haven’t done themselves any favors. Carson Wentz has been inconsistent, the cornerbacks are the worst in the league, and the injuries are mounting. With a. Sunday night date in Dallas with the Cowboys, Philadelphia has a chance to grab the lead in the NFC East, hand Dallas its fourth straight loss and start to take control. A loss and the Eagles are in rough shape.
1. Dallas Cowboys
Odd to have two teams playing each other in the top two spots. Most of what I wrote about the Eagles applies here. The winner has a hammerlock on the NFC East race and the other will be in trail position for a while. Losing this game would put the Cowboys a 3-4 after winning their first three. Hardly ideal.
