Friday Five, Week 7

Week 7 of the NFL Season doesn’t have any international games but it does feature some of the best NFL Teams of 2022 on a bye in the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams. Despite that, there are some interesting matchups on the schedule Sunday. Below are the five that caught my eye.

Sunday Early Games:

Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
About: There are a lot of teams at or around .500 after six weeks. That means a lot of teams are on the cusp this season. The Cincinnati Bengals were looking for a strong encore to their Super Bowl appearance last season. Instead, early issues with the line have made it a struggle. Back at 3-3, they are once again tied for the best record in the AFC North and looking to stay there. The Falcons, meanwhile, figured to be one of the teams that would struggle this season, re-building the franchise after shipping Matt Ryan to the Colts. Instead, Marcus Mariota has been solid as a starter and the Falcons are a surprisingly frisky 3-3. Both teams want a win to keep the momentum going and both have fun offenses. This figures to be a good battle.

Detroit Lions (1-4) at Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
About: The Lions headed into Week 5 with the league’s best offense. They came aways with a 29-0 loss and then had a week off to lick their wounds. The Cowboys, meanwhile, has some healing of their own to do after a 26-17 loss to the Eagles on Sunday night. But the Cowboys welcome Dak Prescott back as he looks to regain his mojo and keep the Cowboys in a surprisingly tight race atop the NFC East. It’s two strong offenses getting healthy with something to prove. This could be a lot of fun.

Indianapolis Colts (3-2-1) at Tennessee Titans (3-2)
About: It’s a battle for the top of the AFC South. Last season, the Titans swept the Colts in the first half of the season which turned out to be key in winning the division. This will be the teams’ second battle in four weeks. The Titans won the first matchup and since then the Colts have won two games, including getting the passing game going in a victory over the Jaguars in Week 6. The Titans had a week off to prepare and now will be looking for the sweep on Sunday which will vault them into first in the AFC South and give them the tiebreaker. There’s plenty of intrigue riding on this game.

Sunday Late Games:

Seattle Seahawks (3-3) at Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
About: This is a crucial battle for both teams. The Seahawks, at 3-3, are in a three-way logjam atop the NFC West. The Chargers, meanwhile, fresh off a Monday night win over the Broncos are tied for first in the AFC West. The Chargers will be looking for another win to move to 5-2 and keep that momentum going. The team is also hoping to welcome back Keenan Allen for the first time since opening day. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have been one of the league’s most surprising teams, thanks in large part to Geno Smith. He’ll look to get it going again as the Seahawks seek to move above .500 and remain atop the NFC West.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) at San Francisco 49ers (3-3)
About: Everything I said about the game above applies here. The Chiefs are tied with the Chargers atop the AFC West, coming off a tough loss to the Bills. The 49ers are tied with the Seahawks and Rams atop the NFC West, coming off a surprising loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Both will want to get back on track and both do it in different ways. The Chiefs rely on an efficient and productive offense led by Patrick Mahomes while the 49ers have leaned on one of the best defenses in the NFL. This figures to be a fascinating clash with a lot on the line for both teams.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.