NFL Week 7 Monday Whip-Around: Sunday Bloody Sunday

Since the Vikings do not play until Monday night instead of Sunday this week, this week's whip-around will come on Monday, to make up for that no post on Sunday thing! Expect a post recapping the action on Monday night either after the game or Tuesday morning, with hopefully some good news to report!

Sunday was one of the most tragic weeks on NFL action in a long time, with major injuries appearing at seemingly every turn. The Rams lost Sam Bradford for the season. Nick Foles suffered a head injury and rookie Matt Barkley had to step in for the Eagles. The Bears will be without Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs for an extended period of time. The Texans lost Brian Cushing for the year, and Arian Foster had to exit the game. Tampa Bay may be without Doug Martin for the rest of 2013. The Bengals lost cornerback Leon Hall. Packers' tight end Jermichael Finley looked like he suffered a very serious injury and even was taken to intensive care, but thankfully he was able to be released today. The last major injury on the day was a sobering one, as on a day of significant triumph for the Indianapolis Colts they lost star receiver Reggie Wayne, a future Ring of Honor member. Needless to say these injuries are far reaching and all will have a big impact of the landscape of the NFL. To what extent, only time will tell. As usual, here's the high points of each game played Sunday, recapping one of the roughest days in recent memory:

Seahawks 34, Cardinals 22

1. The Seahawks' offensive line is still struggling with injuries, but Russell Wilson made some magical plays outside the pocket to make up for it. 
2. Even though the score wasn't that close, Seattle isn't in this game without Wilson. Marshawn Lynch isn't the most important piece of this offense anymore.
3. Carson Palmer threw two more interceptions, giving him 13 on the season. He's not going to be allowed to keep this up much longer.

Falcons 31, Buccaneers 23

1. Matt Ryan looked sharp even with his top two receivers out of the game. Even Tony Gonzalez caught only two of Ryan's 20 completions.
2. Vincent Jackson and Mike Glennon have developed plenty of chemistry quickly, with Jackson having his second consecutive 100 yard, two touchdown game.
3. Tampa Bay's defense comes up short again against a weakened opponent. This unit was supposed to be strong with the addition of Darrelle Revis, but they've been extremely disappointing thus far.

Panthers 30, Rams 15

1. Cam Newton kept his momentum from last week going, only throwing two incompletions all game in an easy Carolina victory.
2. Brian Quick only had two receptions but was the Rams' best receiver, going from 97 yards on his two touches.
3. Sam Bradford went down in the 4th quarter and it's been confirmed that he's torn his ACL and is out for the season. The Rams are not scrambling for options at quarterback, and now the Rams may be forced to question whether they really can commit to Bradford long term.

Bengals 27, Lions 24

1. Two great highlight machines squared off here, as AJ Green and Calvin Johnson both made incredible catches and finished with 155 yards each.
2. The Lions had no turnovers, converted 68% of third downs, had more yards, and less penalties but still lost. Why? They went 1/3 in the red zone.
3. The Bengals get a huge win on the road against an NFC contender, and are firmly in the driver's seat of the AFC North.

Chargers 24, Jaguars 6

1. The Jaguars could do nothing against Philip Rivers as he only missed on four throws and averaged over 10 yards per attempt.
2. The Chargers are currently in the playoff picture as the #6 seed, which would be an amazing turnaround for Mike McCoy's team.
3. How about Mike Brown, an undrafted rookie receiver, going for 120 yards? The Jaguars actually have solid players at wideout, but the lack of talent on the offensive line and at quarterback has held these players back from more praise.

Bills 23, Dolphins 21

1. The Dolphins had one job during the bye week: fix Ryan Tannehill's protection. They didn't get it done, as the Bills had two game changing sacks.
2. Tannehill didn't help himself by throwing two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The Bills have excelled in creating takeaways through the air, which is a big reason why this team has been competitive week in and week out.
3. Peyton Manning wasn't the only one who returned to a former team this weekend. Bills' kicker Dan Carpenter returned to Miami, who cut him this offseason, to drill a game winning field goal.

Jets 30, Patriots 27 (OT)

1. Gronk is back!! In his first game back the tight end was targeted 17 times, just in case you didn't already know how much Tom Brady missed him. Gronk did show some rust though, dropping a few balls and only hauling in eight of those 17 targets.
2. The Jets took to the ground often, starting by giving Chris Ivory the ball 34 times (for 104 yards). The Jets ran 11 straight times in overtime, as they still don't trust Geno Smith to avoid a bad rookie mistake (he did have a pick six on an otherwise solid day).
3. A controversial 15 yard penalty on a field goal attempt in overtime gave the Jets a much easier attempt which kicker Nick Folk was able to hit. It's been confirmed that the referees called the play correctly, and it's even leaked that the Jets told the referees to watch for exactly what the Patriots did. Rex Ryan is on to you Belichick.

Cowboys 17, Eagles 3

1. Well, the Eagles' quarterback controversy ended quickly, as Nick Foles regressed and missed several open receivers, before getting himself injured when he should have thrown the ball away. Michael Vick will be back before long.
2. DeMarcus Ware will be missed, but linebacker Sean Lee has taken over as the best defender on this Cowboy defense. Lee is one of the best cover linebackers in the NFL and he gave up nothing in the middle in the field against the Eagles.
3. After making some rookie mistakes earlier in the year, Terrance Williams now seems to be the #2 receiver for the Cowboys, even if Miles Austin is healthy.

Redskins 45, Bears 41

1. RGIII is starting to run more and more, and the Bears were just giving him yards on the ground Sunday.
2. Jordan Reed was open all over the field Sunday, and the rookie tight end has played so well the team is shopping presumptive starter Fred Davis.
3. Devin Hester got his 19th return touchdown in this game, tying Deion Sanders for the most all time.
4. Jay Cutler will be down for "at least" four weeks with a groin injury. Marc Trestman's quarterback friendly system is going to be put to the test now that he is stuck with Josh McCown for a few weeks.

49ers 31, Titans 17

1. Jake Locker didn't exactly play poorly, but he didn't look completely ready and he could have waited until after the team's bye to get himself fully healthy. He looked rushed Sunday, even though the guts he showed coming back out was admirable.
2. Colin Kaepernick used his legs in this win, and he's starting to look more and more like the Kaepernick of the playoffs last year.
3. The 49ers ran almost twice as much as they passed in this game, and that's the winning formula they've returned to after some disappointing early season losses.

Packers 31, Browns 13

1. Jarrett Boykin stepped up huge in the absence of Randall Cobb and James Jones, catching eight passes for 103 yards. Looks like Rodgers is going to be able to trust this kid after all.
2. Tight end Jermichael Finley suffered a big injury on a clean hit Sunday, leaving the Packers another man down in their limited store of weapons.
3. Just bench Weeden already Rob Chudzinski, no one is going to second guess you for even a second.

Chiefs 17, Texans 16

1. Case Keenum gave Gary Kubiak something to think about Sunday, averaging over 10 yards per attempted with no interceptions on the road against the league's best defense.
2. Keenum's performance was even more impressive considering Arian Foster left the game very early with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Brian Cushing also went down for the season, and his loss last year signaled a steep decline for this defense. 2013 just won't stop beating on the Texans.
3. The Chiefs are now at 7-0 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. That's parity, ladies and gentleman.

Steelers 19, Ravens 16

1. The defending Super Bowl champions still can't run the ball, and with the Steelers bouncing back they're in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.
2. Leveon Bell did exactly what the Steelers drafted him to do: provide a solid ground attack as a feature back and take the pressure off Ben Roethlisberger. 
3. Even with a big win, this Steeler defense still is a big concern. They had no turnovers for the fifth time this year and only had one sack.

Colts 39, Broncos 33

1. Turns out the Broncos are pretty flawed despite their flashy records. Still, Peyton still almost brought this team back anyway until Ronnie Hillman decided to fumble the game away.
2. Peyton's return was well thought out and very special. Kudos to the Colts' organization for an amazing moment.
3. What an incredible job done by the Colt's defense on the night. They were able to get pressure without blitzing and their secondary was able to handle the Broncos' receivers man to man. Who would've guessed the Colts would have the secret to slowing down the Broncos?
4. The Colts have now defeated the Broncos, 49ers and Seahawks. Andrew Luck has already made this team a Super Bowl favorite again.