NFL Week 7 winners and losers: Sam Bradford is not the scapegoat you’re looking for

The NFL isn’t really sure what it wants to be this year. It’s not as thought the product on the field is bad; in fact it’s so good that it’s watering itself down. The AFC West is one of the best divisions in football, with teams like the Broncos and Chiefs boasting two of the most exciting teams in the league. But they both have quarterback issues that waters down their defensive dominance and holds them back. That’s the reason the Oakland Raiders are in first place.

That’s a microcosm of is happening all across the league. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are in second place behind a Vikings team that is without Adrian Peterson and being led by Sam Bradford. That 5-1 Vikings team lost to Carson Wentz and the Eagles, a team that no one gave a shot to but sits just a game behind the Cowboys for the lead in the NFC East.

Before we start looking ahead to Week 8, let’s live outside of the box score a little, since that’s where the real battles are won and lost anyways.

Loser: Brock Osweiler

There’s a lot that is still being left unsaid about the way Brock Osweiler exited Denver this past offseason. But the quarterback could have taken control of the narrative and really stuck it to the Broncos on Monday night, something he miserably and historically failed in doing.

Osweiler was terrible against the Broncos, and he doesn’t get excused for his performance just because Denver’s defense is so vaunted. After his terrible performance, Osweiler has essentially wasted his one chance to step above the drama. Had he beaten the Broncos, even with his terrible stats this year, he at least would have had that going for him. Instead, the Texans are doomed to lose either in the regular season or in a devastating postseason blowout without the safety net of thinking there’s any kind of redemption ahead.

Winner: The NFC East

This is the best division in football. You may disagree with the quality, but the numbers don’t lie — it’s the most competitive and legitimate division in the league. No other division has every single team above .500, not even the AFC West which is being talked about as the best division.

Right now the NFC East has a real chance to produce three playoff teams this year, and it’s impossible to tell who those teams could be. The Cowboys have a 5-1 but hold only a one-game lead over the Eagles and have a half-game on the Giants and Redskins. We’re to a point where  divisional games are so crucially important in the East for very competitive reasons, and that’s not something we thought we’d be saying in a division that has Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, Eli Manning and Kirk Cousins as quarterbacks.

Loser: Sam Bradford

Well, we all knew this would happen. Sam Bradford is a serviceable game manager but when things go off the rails they go way  off the rails. People are trying to say that Bradford’s poor play is what exposed the Vikings as Super Bowl frauds, but that’s not even close to being right.

The Vikings can very much still win with Bradford. It’s his putrid and God awful offensive line that is doing him in. It’s not as though anyone thinks Bradford is an MVP candidate, but he can’t manage the game if he has no protection. That offensive line is a problem and it might be the thing that ruins the Vikings season, even if it’s easier to blame Bradford.

Week 8 NFL Head Coach Hot Seat

The coaching hot seat is starting to get more than a little warm for these underachievers:

1. Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars

At what point do you get rid of Gus Bradley? He’s not the guy who is going to take the Jaguars to the Super Bowl, and that’s abundantly clear. It’s not often that a job in Jacksonville is attractive but the Jaguars could lure in a pretty good coach if they’d just get rid of Bradley.

2. John Fox, Chicago Bears

The Bears are in the running for the No. 1 pick. John Fox isn’t a bad coach but he’s not a guy who can be in charge of a rebuilding project. That’s where Chicago is at, and they might be better off handing the keys to someone like Josh McDaniels in the offseason to tear things down and build it back up.

3. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints

This was rumored to happen for a few years now, but Sean Payton’s time in New Orleans is done. He’s been living on borrowed time and it’s far to say it expired a while ago. The Saints have tens of millions of dollars in dead cap space which might bet he thing that keeps Payton around a little longer, which is a coaching hell he might deserve.

Trades That Need To Happen (But Won’t)

1. Joe Thomas to Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota needs offensive line help. They parted with a first-round pick to acquire Sam Bradford because they thought they were Super Bowl contenders. That logic need to be applied to trading for Joe Thomas if they want this plan to stay on track.

2. Alshon Jeffery to Philadelphia Eagles

There are rumors that the Eagles are looking to acquire a wide receiver, and Torrey Smith is being kicked around. But Alshon Jeffery could make this team a serious threat, and there’s little argument to keeping him in Chicago where he’s just wasting away.

3. Philip Rivers or Tony Romo to Miami Dolphins

After beating the Bills on Sunday, the Dolphins showed that they’re a threat to be a Wild Card team in the AFC. But they need at least 10-wins to get there and Ryan Tannehill is not the guy to lead that charge. He’ll probably be cut at the end of the season anyways, so why not trade for a veteran who can continue the success into next season as well?

Things That Will Definitely Happen in Week 8

Let’s close out with a look ahead at some things that will definitely happen next week in the NFL. First, let’s look at Week 7 predictions, which turned out to be pretty alright:

• The Packers will get back on track and beat the Bears, but the questions about McCarthy’s job will remain. McCarthy quelled the anger, but the questions remain.
• The Vikings will come close to losing, but will remain undefeated for at least one more week. They lost and it was not close. 
• Arizona will beat Seattle, thus forcing all pundits who wrote them off pull a Ross and pivot their hot takes.
• Buffalo will get one more win before their season characteristically blows up in their face. The implosion began on Sunday. 

Alright, as for things that will happen in Week 8:

• The Cowboys will beat the Eagles, but the game will be close enough that we begin to take both seriously as Super Bowl contenders.
• Both the Patriots and Broncos will get revenge over the Bills and Chargers for upsetting them earlier this season.
• Green Bay will beat Atlanta, prompting a loading of the hot take cannon about how the Falcons always stat strong then inexplicably fall apart.

We’ll have to see how right or wrong these are when Week 7 of NFL action kicks off on Thursday.

Stay safe out there, America.