Saquon Barkley red-hot in revenge game; Brock Purdy still can’t beat Chiefs
Week 7 gave us the debut of big-time receivers Davante Adams and Amari Cooper with their new teams. We also saw Saquon Barkley run roughshod over his former team, and the San Francisco 49ers lay an egg in a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
And yes, Patrick Mahomes remains the best player in football — just don’t look at his stats.
Mahomes is tied for the league lead in interceptions with eight, and he has more picks than touchdown passes (6). But he still plays big in critical moments to lead his team to victory, and the Chiefs are now the only undefeated team in the league at 6-0.
That said, let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold for this week.
WHO’S HOT
Jared Goff, QB, Lions
This isn’t the 2020 Los Angeles Rams‘ QB. Goff is on a heater. He went 22-of-25 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Detroit’s win over the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings.
Over the past three games, Goff is 58-of-68 (85.3%) for 887 yards, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions for a 153.1 passer rating. Goff’s play is one of the main reasons why the Lions are the top team in the NFC at this point of the season. And yes, he is part of the MVP conversation.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles
In his first game against the Giants since leaving the team that drafted him, Barkley did not disappoint. He finished with 176 rushing yards, the second-most in NFL history by a player against his former team. In 2009 with the Bengals, Cedric Benson ran for 189 yards against the Bears, who had drafted him No. 2 overall in 2005.
Before the game on Sunday, New York fans burned Barkley’s old Giants jerseys in the stadium parking lot, and then he burned the team on the field.
Oh, and as a team, the Giants had 119 total yards.
Coby Bryant, DB, Seahawks
Making his first start at safety with Rayshawn Jenkins on the injured list, Bryant led Seattle with 11 combined tackles and hauled in his first NFL interception as the Seahawks earned a road win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Bryant helped the Seahawks rebound from a humbling loss to the 49ers last week, with Seattle’s defense playing much better against Kirk Cousins and Atlanta. At 4-3, Seattle takes the top spot in the NFC West.
Amari Cooper, WR, Bills
Adams’ reunion with Aaron Rodgers received more coverage nationally, but Cooper was the more productive player in his first game with his new team. Cooper totaled four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s 34-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Rookie Keon Coleman also benefited from the addition of a No. 1 receiver demanding coverage attention, finishing with four receptions for a season-high 125 yards.
Russell Wilson, QB, Steelers
The Steelers let Russ cook in his Pittsburgh debut after he missed the first six games of the season due to a calf injury. Wilson’s 264 passing yards were a franchise record for a quarterback in his first game for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh finished with six plays of 20-plus yards, and the Steelers scored their most points (37) and totaled the most yards (409) in a game this season. The offense was more explosive with Wilson under center, so it looks like Mike Tomlin made the right decision to switch from Justin Fields.
WHO’S COLD
Dennis Allen, head coach, Saints
Things have changed drastically since New Orleans started the season 2-0 and looked like one of most explosive offenses in the league. Quarterback Derek Carr is injured, and the backups have struggled to match his production.
The Saints have had injuries along the offensive line and at receiver as well, but a 23-point loss to the Denver Broncos on Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans was a tough watch. The Saints were not competitive, particularly on defense, which is Allen’s specialty.
With New Orleans losing five in a row and dealing with cap restraints, Allen’s seat is heating up.
Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers
Purdy had his worst game of the year against the best team in the league. The Iowa State product finished with a season-high in interceptions (3) and a season-low in passing yards (212) and quarterback rating (36.7).
Purdy was playing without receivers Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, who were out due to injuries. Then during the game, Brandon Aiyuk suffered a knee injury and could be out for the rest of the season. And of course, San Francisco’s best player on offense, Christian McCaffrey, still hasn’t played this season because of Achilles tendinitis.
Short-handed on playmakers, head coach Kyle Shanahan must limit Purdy’s responsibilities within the offense so that he can play cleaner football. Purdy is still a young quarterback, and games like the loss against Kansas City are part of his growing process.
Joe Schoen, GM, Giants
I know the Giants are rebuilding, but it’s still not a good look for the general manager to have moved on from a foundational player the team selected No. 3 overall, a fan favorite who did everything the right way and someone owner John Mara wanted to keep in the fold.
Instead of extending Barkley, the Giants chose to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a $160 million contract in the offseason last year. With the Giants at 2-5 and staring up at the rest of the NFC East, it’s fair to question if New York is headed in the right direction under Schoen.
Jerod Mayo, head coach, Patriots
It’s not great when a first-year head coach calls his team soft. But that’s what Mayo told reporters after his team’s latest loss, a 32-16 setback to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.
New England has lost six straight since a season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has shown flashes since taking over two games ago as the team’s starter. But a team not playing physically enough reflects poorly on the head coach.
A former All-Pro linebacker, Mayo must find a way to raise the intensity level of his team to at least be competitive the rest of the season.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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