October 22–26
Week 7 delivered major upsets, dramatic finishes and important divisional victories.
The Atlanta Falcons handed the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals stormed back against the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Giants won an overtime thriller in Houston. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins finally broke into the win column.
Thursday Night Football
Chicago Bears 30
New England Patriots 24
Thursday, October 22
Chicago defended home turf with a six-point victory.
New England quarterback Drake Maye threw for 321 yards, but the Bears found enough offensive production to secure the win and improve to 5–2.
Sunday morning in Paris
Pittsburgh Steelers 16
New Orleans Saints 10
Stade de France, Paris
Pittsburgh won the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass, and Chris Boswell added three field goals.
The Steelers’ defence held New Orleans to 10 points to secure a valuable international victory.
Sunday game results and recaps
Atlanta Falcons 29
San Francisco 49ers 20
Atlanta forced four turnovers to hand San Francisco its first loss of the season.
Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes, while the Falcons’ defence delivered the decisive plays late in the game.
Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, and a late George Kittle fumble ended the 49ers’ comeback hopes.
Cincinnati Bengals 35
Baltimore Ravens 13
Cincinnati erased a 13–0 halftime deficit with a dominant second-half performance.
Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes after the break, and the Bengals scored 35 unanswered points.
Baltimore struggled to respond without Lamar Jackson, suffering another costly divisional defeat.
New York Giants 27,
Houston Texans 21 (OT)
The Giants won a dramatic overtime battle when Devin Singletary broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run.
Cam Skattebo rushed for 124 yards and helped set up the winning score, while J.J. McCarthy threw for 252 yards in his first start of the season.
New York’s defence stopped Houston’s opening overtime possession.
Miami Dolphins 28, New York Jets 25
Miami earned its first victory of the season behind Malik Willis, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for another.
Ollie Gordon added 103 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Jets mounted a late rally but could not complete the comeback, as Miami converted a crucial fourth down to preserve the win.
Minnesota Vikings 16
Indianapolis Colts 10
Minnesota’s defence carried the day, pressuring Daniel Jones throughout the contest. Safety Harrison Smith intercepted Jones late to end Indianapolis’ final drive.
The Vikings improved to 6–0, maintaining their unbeaten record despite a relatively quiet offensive performance.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 43
Carolina Panthers 13
Tampa Bay overwhelmed Carolina with a powerful rushing attack and four takeaways.
Bucky Irving rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while Sean Tucker added a 46-yard scoring run.
Baker Mayfield returned from a thumb injury as the Buccaneers produced one of the week’s most lopsided victories.
Cleveland Browns 27
Tennessee Titans 24
Cleveland escaped with a last-second victory after Deshaun Watson engineered another late scoring drive.
Watson threw for 308 yards and ran for a touchdown, while rookie Quinshon Judkins scored twice on the ground.
Andre Szmyt connected on a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
Denver Broncos 30
Arizona Cardinals 16
Detroit Lions 20
Green Bay 17
Los Angeles Rams 35
Las Vegas Raiders 21
Week 7 awards
Team of the week: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Biggest upset: New York Giants over Houston Texans
Most impressive divisional win: Cincinnati Bengals over Baltimore Ravens
Defensive statement: Atlanta Falcons against San Francisco
Most dramatic finish: Giants’ overtime victory
Most disappointing performance: Baltimore Ravens
Defensive performance of the week — Atlanta Falcons
Comeback of the week — Cincinnati Bengals
Most encouraging victory — Miami Dolphins
Miami finally secured its first win, giving the team a foundation to build on after a difficult start.
Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks Sunday Night Football
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles Monday, October 26
Final verdict: Week 7 changed the outlook in both conferences.
Atlanta proved it could beat an elite opponent, Cincinnati strengthened its divisional position, and the Giants delivered a much-needed breakthrough. As the season moves toward its midpoint, teams will need consistency and better late-game execution to remain in the playoff race.
What’s next
Week 8 begins Friday, October 30, and runs through Monday, November 2.
The Kansas City Chiefs–Seattle Seahawks Sunday night game and Dallas Cowboys–Philadelphia Eagles Monday night game are still pending.
Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington had Week 7 byes.
