8 Grueling Truth’s we learned from week 7 of the 2021 NFL season

1) Joe Burrow is special

The Bengals didn’t just beat the Ravens. They dominated them! All comparison’s to Burrow, and Justin Herbert should end for now. Last week after losing 31-6 in Baltimore, Herbert commented how the Ravens showed him things he had never seen before. That was not the case for Burrow, as he seemingly toyed with the Ravens defense. Ja’marr Chase had over 200 receiving yards and so far in his rookie season has been unguardable. The Bengals defense was physical and completely shut down Lamar Jackson for the last half of the game. The names to remember with the Bengals defense are Linebacker Logan Wilson, who is quickly becoming one of the best Linebackers in football, and defensive end Ty Hendrickson. He may be the best free-agent signing this past off-season.

2) The Colts are on a roll behind the play of Carson Wentz

Carson Wentz put together his best performance so far this season in a monsoon in San Francisco with three total touchdowns, throwing for two on 17-of-26 passing for 150 yards and rushing for one as part of 23 yards on the ground that included a 17-yard scamper on a third-and-16 play. In addition, the Colts defense has played much better the last two weeks, and if that unit can gain consistency, the Colts are a definite playoff contender.

3) Patrick Mahomes is becoming Derek Carr

Derek Carr has always been underrated because of the Raiders poor defense, and right now, Patrick Mahomes is not being shut down because he suddenly doesn’t know how to play Quarterback. His defense is so bad he is always playing from behind, and he gets fewer opportunities because it seems like the Chiefs defense is always on the field. The Chiefs now stand at 2-5, and the future of this once-promising season is looking very bleak in Kansas City.

4) Derek Carr is an MVP candidate

Carr has been red-hot as of late, and that continued against the Eagles on Sunday as Carr finished 31 of 34 for 323 yards, and remains paced to break Peyton Manning’s NFL record for passing yards in a season (5,477). The Raiders defense is playing well, and Carr’s weapons are starting to break out. In addition, since the firing of Jon Gruden, this has looked like a more relaxed Raiders team. As a result, the Raiders are a real threat to win the AFC West this season.

5) Justin Fields looks in way over his head

All of the knocks against Fields in college are rearing their ugly heads. Fields looked utterly lost on Sunday, and because of it, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy will be fired by the end of this season. The Bears have been looking for a franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman, and it seems like they still haven’t found him yet.  Fields turned the ball over on Sunday 4 times, and you can’t win in any league doing that.

6) The Buccaneers are coming

The awaited arrival of the dominant Bucs defense has ended as on Sunday; the Bucs forced five turnovers in a 38-3 beating of the bears. Tom Brady and the offense were excellent again, and when that happens, the Bucs are simply the best team in football. If the defense continues to play at a high level, Brady has an excellent shot at his eighth Lombardi trophy.

7) The Tennessee Titans are back

The Titans have now had two impressive showings in a row against two of the AFC favorites to go to the Super Bowl. Ryan Tannehill went off this time as Derrick Henry had a relatively quiet day for himself. However, the big story on this day was the Titans defense and, specifically, their pass rush. The Titans sacked Patrick Mahomes 4 times on Sunday and just dominated the game in general. If the Titans defense plays like this every week, they will win the AFC South. Tennessee will travel to Indy to battle the Colts next weekend, and a win in Indy sets the Titans up very nicely for the rest of this season.

8) The Falcons are becoming fun to watch

Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has arrived, and the Falcons are once again exciting to watch. I didn’t say they were good; I said they are fun to watch. Pitts, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Calvin Ridley are giving veteran quarterback Matt Ryan new life. Are the Falcons a playoff contender? No, but they will upset some teams that nobody expects them to beat.