playNFL NationOct 25, 2026, 08:02 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.Multiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsThe Sunday slate for Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season kicked off in Paris between the Saints and the Steelers. Pittsburgh dominated in the run game, with Jaylen Warren leading the way on 18 carries for 101 yards, and the Steelers held off New Orleans in the NFL’s first game in France.Later in the afternoon, the Buccaneers dominated the Panthers in QB Baker Mayfield’s return, the Vikings remained undefeated and the Bengals handled business in Baltimore.In the evening slate, the Broncos stole a win in Arizona, and the Lions outlasted the visiting Packers in a duel.Our NFL Nation reporters react to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Michael Florio also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup.Let’s get to it with the biggest lessons from Sunday.Jump to: LAR-LV | GB-DET | DEN-ARI NYG-HOU | TB-CAR | CLE-TEN MIA-NYJ | SF-ATL | CIN-BAL IND-MIN | PIT-NOCatch up on Thursday’s game: NE-CHIL.A.
Rams 35, Las Vegas 21Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapRamsWill leaning on Puka Nacua and tight ends be the Rams’ offensive identity without Davante Adams? Outside of Nacua, just one Rams wide receiver had a catch: Konata Mumpfield, for 15 yards. Instead, the Rams turned to their tight ends (Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee) and their running backs (Kyren Williams and Blake Corum). It led to their highest-scoring game of the season.
Most of the points came in the first half, when Los Angeles scored on four-straight possessions. The Rams will be without Adams, who injured a hamstring in Week 6, for another five to nine weeks.Key stat to know: After fumbling on the Rams’ second drive of the second half, Williams has nine lost fumbles since becoming the Rams starter in 2023. According to ESPN Research, that is the most of any running back over the span. — Sarah BarshopNext game: vs. Chargers (Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
ET)play0:25Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua connect on short TDRaidersIs the clock ticking on Kirk Cousins’ time as a starter? Not necessarily. The Raiders have lost four straight and are below .500 for the first time this season. Sure, Cousins didn’t have his best game overall.
He missed open targets a fair amount of time, and his lack of mobility was noticeable. But he has not been the sole problem during his team’s losing skid. He threw a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, increasing his season total to 16. Cousins has his limitations, which are exposed when frequently blitzed, as he was Sunday.
At the same time, he hasn’t done anything major that’s worth making a switch for No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza.Trend to watch: Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s seat might start feeling a bit warm. The Raiders have allowed 30-plus points for the fourth straight game. Since Week 3, Las Vegas is last in points (34) and total yards (405.4) allowed. Yes, the Raiders have gone against tough QBs.
But that’s not an excuse for their inability to generate consistent pressure or stop the run. — Ryan McFaddenNext game: at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: In the Rams’ first game without Adams, we saw more tight end usage from coach Sean McVay, but the key fantasy targets haven’t changed. Nacua (21.8 points), Williams (18.1 points) and QB Matthew Stafford (17.5 points) led the way, while Corum (17.1 points) continues to provide solid flex value. — BowenDetroit 20, Green Bay 17Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapLionsHas the Lions’ defense turned the corner? Detroit’s D entered the week as one of the worst units in the NFL, and Sunday’s prospects against a surging Packers offense looked daunting.
But the defense held strong. Detroit allowed just 17 points, forced a turnover — by recently returned DB Brian Branch — and held Green Bay to 5-of-15 on third down. Couple Sunday’s performance with an encouraging effort against the Cardinals before the Lions’ bye and there’s two weeks of evidence that D-coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s troops might finally be trending in the right direction.Trend to watch: Wideout Jameson Williams is becoming more of a focal point in the offense. His two touchdown catches Sunday made him the third player this season with multiple receiving TDs in back-to-back games, joining teammate Amon-Ra St.
Brown and Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba. — ESPN Staff Next game: vs. Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)play0:27Lions pick off Jordan Love’s deep passPackersWhere are the Packers in the NFC North pecking order? The short answer: They’re in trouble.
Yes, the NFC North looks like one of the best divisions — if not the best — in the NFL. All four teams have winning records, but after playing each team in the division once, the Packers are at the bottom. They’re just 1-2 against NFC North teams. What’s worse is they couldn’t win a game that the Lions tried to give away with fumbles and questionable decisions.
Green Bay’s only NFC North win came at home against a backup quarterback because Bears starter Caleb Williams was out with a hamstring injury.Trend to watch: Running back Josh Jacobs looked rusty in his first game of the season. Aside from a 25-yard touchdown catch and run, he left plays on the field, including a drop on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown with 3:25 left. — Rob DemovskyNext game: vs. Falcons (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: Jacobs made his return, playing 54% of the snaps with 11 carries for 36 yards.
He added five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown — nearly catching a second — on seven targets, finishing with 20.1 fantasy points. His workload will likely increase moving forward. He is a must-start option next week against the Panthers, who allow a league-high 127 rushing yards per game to RBs. — FlorioDenver 30, Arizona 16Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapBroncosIs the Denver offense getting better? The Broncos flashed, with three plays of at least 47 yards.
But as the fourth quarter began, about half of the Broncos’ output came on those plays (a 60-yard TD run by Bo Nix, 52-yard catch-and-run TD by RJ Harvey and 47-yard reception by Marvin Mims Jr.). Overall, beyond even the 114 yards worth of penalties, third down is still an immense struggle; they still had four possessions that were 16 or fewer yards; and Nix (15-of-29 passing) still looks unsettled. The Broncos avoided the proverbial trap game with Kansas City next, and the big plays were a welcome sight for them. They still need to be far better with the ball.Trend to watch: Since coach Sean Payton took back play-calling duties in Week 5, the offense has gotten worse on third down.
Denver was 4-of-26 (15.4%) on third down in the two games combined before Sunday. Add Sunday’s 3-of-11 showing to the pile, and the offense continued to be mired in its inability to maintain possessions or find any semblance of sequencing. — Jeff LegwoldNext game: vs. Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)play0:26Bo Nix shows off his wheels on a 62-yard rushing TDCardinalsHow do the Cardinals start scoring touchdowns?
Something drastic needs to happen, and quickly. Arizona has scored just one touchdown in its past two games. It’s also 1-for-10 in the red zone over that span, with the lone touchdown — and Arizona’s only touchdown of the game — coming Sunday from Trey McBride. The issues were exacerbated late in the fourth quarter when Arizona had seven plays to score and didn’t.
The Cardinals need to give QB Jacoby Brissett more time — he was hit 10 times on Sunday. They also need to figure out ways to get their stars, like McBride and Michael Wilson, more involved in the red zone.Key stat to know: The Cardinals were 5-for-17 fr
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