The seventh Sunday of the NFL season came and went in the blink of an eye. We weren’t treated to as many thrilling endings and upsets as usual, but as always, there was still a lot to be learned from the weekend.

Here are my top 10 takeaways from Week 7 of the NFL season.

The playoff race is on in Cincinnati

When the Cincinnati Bengals traded for Joe Flacco, I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I was excited to see them be proactive, but I also thought it was a bad fit. Flacco is … past his prime mobility-wise, and the Bengals’ offensive line is not great, but they’ve been getting the ball out quickly and it’s been a non-factor, so I’m willing to eat my words.

On Thursday night, Flacco led the Bengals to a massive win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns and helped the Bengals score 33 points against a very good Steelers defense.

The playoff race is on in Cincy. The Bengals are 3-4 and have a fairly favorable schedule ahead of them. If Flacco keeps playing like this, the Bengals have a real shot at the playoffs.

A healthy Rams team wins the NFC

I’ve gone back-and-forth on who I think will ultimately win the NFC this season, and I honestly think a healthy Los Angeles Rams team gets it done. When they’re healthy, they can be as dominant as anyone in the NFC, and they proved that today.

Even with one of the best receivers in the NFL out, the Rams offense didn’t miss a beat. They scored 21 in the first half, and probably could’ve been more if they didn’t run out the clock with 1:50 and two timeouts. They got off to a slow start to the second half, but ended up with a couple more touchdowns, ending with 35 points.

Defensively, I thought they looked really good too. Their pass rush was all over Trevor Lawrence, they stuffed the run and did a pretty good job in coverage. If this defense continues to play how they did on Sunday, their offense is good enough to outscore anyone they play.

When this team is healthy, they’re very, very dangerous. Plus, I think Matthew Stafford is the NFC quarterback I trust the most in the playoffs. 

After their bye they play the New Orleans Saints before hitting a three-game stretch against the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which will really tell us how good this team is.

Rashee Rice is as advertised

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t lying when they said they were going to give Rashee Rice a lot of work in his first game back. He was targeted a team-high 10 times, catching seven passes for 42 yards and two scores.

I know the big plays weren’t there as much as they were in his limited time last year, but it was his first game back. They manufactured some touches for him to get him involved, but I wouldn’t be surprised if those deep shots come back sooner rather than later.

The Chiefs want Rice involved heavily from here on out, so his stock should only continue to rise.

Cleveland’s going to run Judkins til the wheels fall off

Despite winning 31-6 this weekend, Dillon Gabriel didn’t have a big game. He completed 13 of his 18 passes for 116 yards, but most of their work was done by Quinshon Judkins.

Judkins was used early and often, carrying the ball 25 times for 84 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He had 18 carries at halftime, and if the Cleveland Browns weren’t up big, he probably would’ve had 30+ rushes by the time it was said and done.

It’s clear that they Browns don’t think Gabriel is good enough to win games on his own, so they’re going to run Judkins until the wheels fall off, which hopefully isn’t anytime soon.

The Eagles offense finally found its rhythm

I’ve been very critical of the Philadelphia Eagles – more specifically their offense – but I think it was warranted. After last year, people expected big things from the Birds, but they just hadn’t lived up to the hype this season. Well, they may officially be back.

Jalen Hurts had a massive day, throwing for 326 yards and three scores, but almost mort importantly was AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith having big games. Smith and Brown combined to catch 13 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. They were the Eagles’ entire passing game this week as the took down the Minnesota Vikings.

The only thing that wasn’t working was their run game. Saquon Barkley struggled again, rushing for 44 yards on 18 carries (2.4 YPC). I don’t know what happened to their run game, but it’s still not quite clicking.

Either way, this could be a turning point for the Eagles’ offense. Hurts and his wideouts looked good, so if they just figure out the run game, they’ll be just fine.

Patriots doing what playoff teams do

The New England Patriots had a little bit of a scare early after falling behind 10-3, but after that, they completely stifled the Tennessee Titans and did what playoff teams do: beat down on bad teams.

Drake Maye looked really good, completing 21 of his 23 attempts (91.3 percent, a new single-game franchise record) for 222 yards and two scores. Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins all had 49+ yards, and then on the ground, Rhamondre Stevenson averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

Defensively, after giving up 10 early points, the Patriots held the Titans to just three points through the final three quarters. Mike Vrabel came into this game with a vengeance, and his team completely dominated the Titans.

The Pats look like a playoff team. It’s incredible what they’ve done in one offseason, going from a four-win team to a playoff team.

Three coaches on the hot seat?

We saw one coach fired already this year, and while we might not see another this week, there are three guys whose seats are very, very, very hot.

Mike McDaniel has been on the hot seat all year, but their loss this week was unacceptable. Losing to the Browns in one thing, but losing to the Browns by 25 is another. The offense looked stagnant and the team just doesn’t seem like they want to play for him anymore.

Aaron Glenn is in year one in New York, but we know the Jets aren’t a very patient franchise, so his days could be numbered after an 0-7 start. I can see them waiting for their bye in two weeks time, but if they lose to the Cincinnati Bengals next week, Glenn could be gone. Personally, I hope not, because I like Glenn, but the Jets are desperate, and Glenn could be a casualty of that.

Pete Carroll is another name to watch. He’s also in year one, but he’s an experienced coach and he’s just not getting the job done. The Las Vegas Raiders are playing like one of the worst teams in the league, and if it weren’t for a 20-13 victory over New England in Week 1, I think him being on the hot seat would be talked about much more.

A comeback for the ages

What a game, man. If you missed this, I feel sorry for you.

The Denver Broncos entered the fourth quarter trailing the New York Giants, 19-0. They looked dead in the water offensively, and their great defense was even a bit off. However, nobody knew what the fourth quarter had in store.

The Broncos scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to comeback and win this game. Not only was it the most fourth quarter points in franchise history, but it was the most fourth quarter points by a team that was shutout in the first three in NFL history.

Bo Nix had over 200 yards of offense and four touchdowns in the final 15 minutes alone to lead the comeback, but we also have to talk about the Giants big blunder.

After falling behind 30-26, the Giants marched down the field (aided by a questionable flag and a dropped INT) and scored the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute remaining. All they had to do was kick the PAT to make it a three-point game…But they missed it, and it ended up costing them big time. To make matters worse, he’d already missed another PAT earlier in the game.

I don’t know how they did it, but the Broncos found a way to win this game. That’s what great teams do. The Broncos are a great team, and the Giants are very obviously not.

Colts are the only team that can challenge the Chiefs in the AFC right now

The Indianapolis Colts are the only team in the AFC that can challenge the Chiefs. That may sound a bit stupid considering the fact that the Chiefs lost to two AFC not named the Colts, but are you really going to tell me that you think the Jaguars or Chargers could beat them right now?

I didn’t think so.

Shane Steichen is my pick for Coach of the Year. He’s done an amazing job with this Colts offense this season. Jonathan Taylor is running like a madman, and it’s opening up the pass game for Daniel Jones and his receivers. On top of that, they have a pretty solid defense that can keep them in every game.

I don’t think Buffalo, Denver, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles or Jacksonville can challenge the Chiefs right now. Maybe New England, but I still want to see more from them before I label them as AFC contenders.

The Colts are the real deal, and I think they’re the only real contenders in the AFC outside of the Chiefs.

The pretenders are identifying themselves

This week, a lot of “contenders” got exposed. The Chargers, Jaguars and Falcons all came into the week in the thick of the playoff hunt, with some even believing they could make deep playoff runs, but they showed their real colors on Sunday.

The Jags got the day started with a trip to London, where they’re usually pretty good. However, the Rams absolutely exposed them, dropping 35 points on their heads and holding their offense to seven points. The Jags are a fine team, but they are not real contenders in the AFC.

The Chargers hosted the Colts in the afternoon window, and they just didn’t look good. Their defense got ran through, and offensively, despite a ton of yards, they couldn’t consistently put points on the board. They’re more of a contender than the Jags, especially once their healthy, but they can’t contend with the top AFC teams.

The Atlanta Falcons played on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers, and they just looked all out of wack. Their offense looked like a shell of themselves, and while they were good defensively, they couldn’t come up with a big stop late in the game when they needed it most. The 49ers were decimated with injuries, but they still couldn’t come away with a win.

The Jags are the biggest frauds of these three teams, but the Chargers and Falcons aren’t going to make much of an impression in January. It was fun for their fans while it lasted, but don’t expect to see any of these teams after the Wild Card round.