Week 7 Six-Pack: Six Parting Thoughts From Sunday's Slate

Desperation is a real thing in the NFL; five of the six teams I claimed most desperate for a win this week pulled one off, several against superior opponents.

Because of that the pool of potential playoff teams grew significantly. There are currently 20 teams within a game of a playoff spot, with a TON of football to go.

This week felt like a turning point in the season. Here are some of my takeaways.

No. 1: Kyler Murray Just Needs to Be Sam Darnold To Win a Super Bowl

How ridiculous of a sentence is that? Could you imagine this being said four years ago?

But if you think about it, 1) it's true and 2) it has nothing to do with Kyler himself.

The Vikings defense is absolutely incredible. They've held opponents to 10 or fewer points three times so far this season, and have allowed more than 16 just once. They're 2nd in total defense, 2nd in passing defense, 1st in points allowed, tied for 1st in sacks and 1st in turnover differential.

They're winning games despite their offense, which feels like an unsustainable trend especially as their schedule ramps up.

Kyler Murray has not had the bump I was expecting of him coming into this season with Kevin O'Connell as his coach - a bump we saw Sam Darnold make to resurrect his career a few years ago in the same spot.

But if he can become Sam Darnold - an average to slightly above average thrower of the football, who's surrounded by great weapons on the outside - there's no ceiling for this team.

Look at Darnold's Super Bowl run. In last year's postseason, Sammy D averaged 224 YPG in the air on 61% passing and 5 TDs. That's good, but nothing to write home about. The stat that won the Seahawks the Super Bowl was zero turnovers.

He was letting the game come to him, making plays when he needed to, and letting his defense do their thing while not putting them in bad spots.

That's all Kyler Murray needs to do. His defense is that elite, that suffocating, that if he plays slightly above average football, or maybe even average, doesn't turn the ball over, and uses his legs to extend plays/drives, this is a team that no one will want to see come January.

To be clear, we have not seen this version of Kyler Murray yet. If that version never comes, the Vikings will start losing games to better opponents.

All I'm saying is he doesn't need to be Tom Brady to go to the mountaintop Brady frequented more than any QB ever has or will.

No. 2: NFC South Champion Will Finish Under .500

This was a peak NFC South weekend.

Right when you think you've pinpointed the best team in the division, they collapse in epic proportion (Panthers). Just when you think a team is dead, they resurrect like the Undertaker and beat the best team in the league (Falcons). The team that should on paper be the best team in the division but threw up on themselves for four straight weeks to start the season gave you a glimpse into what could've been (Bucs), and the worst team in the division played like it, negating any hope the fanbase may have had for a good season (Saints).

How does it get more NFC South than that?

The Panthers won last year's division with an 8-9 record and -61 point differential due to I believe the third or fourth tiebreaker in the NFL tiebreaking system.

If I were to bet, I'd bet we're in for a similar situation this year.

There's no team in the league with a greater performance disparity than the Panthers. They can beat anyone on any Sunday (or Thursday, eyes emoji) just as easily as they can lose to anyone, good or bad, by 30.

So far this season, they've allowed 59 points in a game, won a game by 31 and lost a game by 30. And they've only played six games!

The Falcons and Bucs are similar in the fact they'll have two or three games a year that really wow you and allow you to dream. Like the Panthers, their good is really good. But neither franchise has any level of proven consistency, and we've seen it from both this season.

I don't need to mention the Saints; they don't deserve it.

If the Panthers beat the Bucs this week there would've been reason to believe things are different. Same if the Falcons lost to SF. But those two outcomes were so insanely predictable that I'm convinced this division is exactly the same.

Another below .500 team will be hosting a playoff game.

No. 3: The Jets Are, And Always Will Be, The Jets

This game made me happy. I didn't watch since I'm not a psychopath, but every time I checked the score I smiled, each time slightly wider than the last.

It was so perfect Jets. They played the Patriots somewhat tight last week, and a win against the winless Dolphins AT HOME would've had them at 3-4 with a winable game again this week to get to .500. They were starting to get healthier with AD Mitchell back, the defense has overachieved to this point, and there was semblence of hope in a habitually hopeless franchise.

But in the snap of finger all hope is lost...again.

They were bullied by the Dolphins. The aforementioned overachieving defense was bulldozed by Miami - who hadn't held a lead in any point in any game this season - in the first half. 235 total yards on 4 drives, 21 minutes of possession and 21 points. An absolute beatdown.

The Jets fought back, but jetted so hard with a 1st and goal on the one yard line in a sequence that went:

• run for loss of one yard

• run for loss of another yard

• sack for -12 yards

A TD would've tied the game, and from there the game was over. Not actually, but we all knew.

Jets fans are left gasping for air, and Metlife will soon be covered in brown paper bags. At least their fans are self-aware enough to know this was going to happen.

No. 4: The Texans Are Dead - And Their Defense Is Dead To Me

I refuse to believe the Houston defense is bad. And with every passing week, I look like an idiot (and my fantasy team keeps losing because of it).

I really don't understand. It's the same defense as last year. The same leaders, the same coach, the same DC, same everything. But all of sudden they can't stop a nose bleed.

The league leaders in total defense last year, viewed by many as the best in the league, are in the bottom half of nearly every defensive category this season.

18th in total defense, 27th in passing defense, 19th in points allowed, and 24th in turnovers. Last year's Texans ranked 1st, 6th, 2nd, and 3rd in those same categories.

What must absolutely kill Texans fans (since it's killing me and I'm not one) is that CJ Stroud and the offense have been awesome this year.

The offense has almost as many 30 point performances as they did all last year (three vs. four), yet Houston is 1-2 in those games. Even in the win the defense allowed 31.

CJ has just one turnover since week 1, and that's with having a lot put on his shoulders without much semblence of a run game.

Unlike last year when the Texans were in an early season hole, I don't think they come back from this. Cause they can't stop anyone. CJ isn't Josh Allen - you can't expect him to drop 30+ on a weekly basis. He shouldn't need to, but as of now they can't win games even when he does.

The bye week is going to leave an unbelievably sour taste in their mouth. Maybe they get it fixed, but I don't know if I can keep standing on business for this defense.

No. 5: The Seahawks Are Still Among Super Bowl Favorites

I'm not saying the Super Bowl favorites, but they're definitely up there.

No specific unit had a better outing this week than the Seahawks defense on Sunday Night, and it's not even close.

The Chiefs didn't take snap in the red zone. Not the Chris Oladokun-led Chiefs of late last season. The Patrick Mahomes-led, undefeated kings of the NFL Chiefs.

Not a single play in the red zone! That seems impossible.

I pump up the Seahawks second to only the Patriots in this blog because of how right I was last year about them. I haven't let you forget, and I won't let you forget it.

But this defense is just as good if not better than last year. They're top five in every statistical category outside of rush defense (in which they're 6th). They've completely shut down the Patriots, made Bo Nix the butt of the NFL week 6 joke, and just dominated Pat Mahomes in a way no team ever has.

Sam Darnold was better this week (only one boneheaded interception), but I could've won that game as QB. Literally. Did I mention the Chiefs didn't take a single snap inside the 20 yard line??

Sam Darnold has had bad stretches of football before - the first bad stretch lasted nearly seven years - and has always come out the other side. I tend to believe that will take place again this year.

And if that's the case, this defense will lead the way. JSN will continue to be unstoppable, and the Seahawks can score 20 points a game and ride the coattails of the defense to another Super Bowl.

No. 6: So Are The Rams

I personally place the Seahawks above them in my power rankings, but the Rams can't be forgotten.

I'm not surprised they won this week, as they were the number one most desperate team for a win coming into Sunday, but how they won was awfully impressive.

The Raiders have been fiesty, losing close games to the Chiefs and Bills in recent weeks. But the Rams killed em; this game was over by halftime.

And how they killed is what impressed me. Through six weeks the Rams were a middle of the pack running team. Stafford was slinging the ball per usual, but the Kyren/Corum duo wasn't producing anything spectacular.

They leaned heavily on the passing game, with Stafford throwing more than 50 times in three straight games. The Rams, unsurprisingly, were 1-2 in those games.

This week they played balanced football, and while playing a Raiders defense prone to gaping holes in the run game helped, that was the first time really all season we saw the Rams be the Rams.

That version of the Rams will be extemely difficult to beat come January.

They have a favorable schedule the next few weeks, and with Davante Adams out for a month or so maybe that'll be a nice reminder to Sean McVay that they have a highly skilled RB tandum, and you can't win games on a consistent basis if you're so one-dimensional on offense.

I'm not saying the Rams are back (like I am the Seahawks), but Sunday was the kind of game we needed to see from the Rams. Now we need to see it again.