NFL standings, Week 7: Chiefs in firm control of AFC West
By Drew Brooks
Week 7 has come to a close and the Chiefs continue to lead the AFC West. Let’s look at the full NFL standings.
Seven weeks into the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have firm control over the AFC West. They faced off against the Denver Broncos in Denver and walked away with a resounding win.
This week featured many games that came down to the wire, with some shocking upsets. One of these upsets was the Arizona Cardinals beating the Seattle Seahawks, which eliminated the Seahawks from the undefeated club.
The other two undefeated teams, the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers, faced off against each other and the Steelers prevailed. They are now the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL.
Last year, when the Chiefs played the Broncos at Arrowhead they played in the snow and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes commented that he’s a snow game guy. This week, it was a cold and snowy game in Denver and the Chiefs showed that they’re a snow game team.
They dominated the Broncos from start to finish, despite Mahomes only throwing for 200 yards and 1 touchdown. Mahomes only threw the ball 23 times and completed 15 of his passes. The team’s defense and special teams stepped up to give the Chiefs a blowout win.
Both defense and special teams scored touchdowns in the second quarter. Safety Daniel Sorenson got a 50-yard pick six and wide receiver Byron Pringle got a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. In running back Le’Veon Bell‘s debut as a member of the Chiefs, he rushed 6 times for 39 yards. Rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire cooled off from his stellar performance last week with 8 carries for 46 yards and 1 touchdown.
But, like with Mahomes, the Chiefs did not need to rely on the rushing game and got an overall team win. They blew out the Broncos 43-16.
The Broncos had an overall lackluster game. Quarterback Drew Lock completed 24 of 40 passes for 254 yards, but threw 2 interceptions and no touchdowns. They were smothered by the Chiefs defense, took an early deficit, and never recovered.
Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers took on the Jacksonville Jaguars and were led to a win by an impressive performance from rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert completed 27 of his 43 attempts for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed 9 times for 66 yards and 1 touchdown.
Herbert has looked legit since taking over the starting position, and looks like he will be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC West if he can get an improved supporting cast around him. The Chargers beat the Jaguars 39-29.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost in a lopsided game. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr didn’t have a bad game, completing 24/36 passes for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, but the team’s lack of a run game and Tampa Bay’s high powered offensive performance left them with a 45-20 loss.
Here are the full NFL standings:
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills 5-2-0
- Miami Dolphins 3-3-0
- New England Patriots 2-4-0
- New York Jets 0-7-0
AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs 6-1-0
- Las Vegas Raiders 3-3-0
- Los Angeles Chargers 2-4-0
- Denver Broncos 2-4-0
AFC North
- Pittsburgh Steelers 6-0-0
- Baltimore Ravens 5-1-0
- Cleveland Browns 5-2-0
- Cincinnati Bengals 1-5-1
AFC South
- Tennessee Titans 5-1-0
- Indianapolis Colts 4-2-0
- Houston Texas 1-6-0
- Jacksonville Jaguars 1-6-0
NFC East
- Philadelphia Eagles 2-4-1
- Washington Football Team 2-5-0
- Dallas Cowboys 2-5-0
- New York Giants 1-6-0
NFC West
- Seattle Seahawks 5-1-0
- Arizona Cardinals 5-2-0
- Los Angeles rams 5-2-0
- San Francisco 49ers 4-3-0
NFC North
- Green Bay Packers 5-1-0
- Chicago Bears 5-2-0
- Detroit Lions 3-3-0
- Minnesota Vikings 1-5-0
NFC South
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-2-0
- New Orleans Saints 4-2-0
- Carolina Panthers 3-4-0
- Atlanta Falcons 1-6-0