By Around the NFL staff
NFL.com
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What a long, luxurious day of football. Case Keenum kicked off the seventh Sunday of the season with a four-pack of picks. The Genocoaster broke down mid-game. A.J. Green dismantled Cleveland’s secondary to save Cincy’s season. And Tom Brady and Co. look as good as ever. Here’s what we’ve learned so far in Week 7.

Cincinnati Bengals 31, Cleveland Browns 17

1. The Browns had things rolling for once before it promptly fell apart. After Isaiah Crowell capped a drive with a one-yard touchdown run, Andy Dalton and the Bengals‘ offense responded to Cleveland’s score and 10-7 lead by connecting with Brandon LaFell for a 44-yard touchdown. Cincinnati’s defense one-upped the offense on the drive prior by forcing Cody Kessler out of the game with a concussion, calling into action fellow rookie and recent practice squad promotion Kevin Hogan. The Bengals‘ offense then fired the final shot, a Hail Mary that A.J. Green corralled with one hand in the end zone as time expired to give the Bengals a 21-10 lead at half. As soon as Cleveland was in it, the Browns were just as quickly out of it.

2. Jeremy Hill ripped off a 74-yard touchdown that saw him top out at 20.17 mph, per Next Gen Stats. It was a good run for him on a great afternoon — 271 yards rushing as a team and 551 total yards of offense great — but isn’t necessarily a sign of more things to come for Cincinnati. It was truly more indicative of a Browns defense that struggles to stop most anyone on the ground, including a 235-pound back who rumbled with ease past all 11 defenders for a score. Continue reading →

By Around the NFL staff
NFL.com
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Week 7 of the NFL season is upon us, and that means it’s time for another round of bold predictions. As always, this week’s edition of fearless prognostications includes a macho helping of audaciousness and abandon as we head into Sunday and Monday’s contests. Warning: these predictions are not for the faint of heart.

Falcons and Chargers combine for 65-plus points in shootout

It’s taken me six weeks to believe that the Falcons might be for real. The statistics are difficult to ignore. Atlanta leads the league in total offense (441.5 yards per game, 33.2 points per game), thanks to its potent mix of a passing game, led by receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, and running attack with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. They’ll look to rack up points against San Diego’s defense, which falls in the lower half of teams in the league at 18th overall (363.2 yards per game allowed). But on the other side of the field reside Philip Rivers and a Chargers offense that ranks 14th in the league at 368 yards per game, a deceiving stat considering San Diego is third in scoring (28.8 points per game). San Diego’s offense will face an Atlanta defense that ranks 24th in the league. This matchup screams points explosion.

Rivers and Matt Ryan engage in an air show, putting up big numbers in an offensive display to remember, combining for 65-plus points in a shootout. Will San Diego, which is the best in the league in longest time owning a lead, be able to hang on for a victory? Or will this contest be a back-and-forth affair that comes down to the final possession? We’ll leave it to Sunday to see who comes out on top. One thing is for sure: We’ll see plenty of trips to the end zone, and hopefully just as many league-approved celebrations.

— Nick Shook

To read the full bold predictions from the Around the NFL writers, click here.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Brian Hoyer‘s time as Chicago’s starting quarterback certainly impressed the Bears‘ coaching staff, but his status as the team’s permanent starter was still undetermined even before he suffered a broken left arm against the Packers on Thursday.

Prior to Thursday’s game against the Packers, Bears CEO Ted Phillips told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport that it was too early to rule out Jay Cutler‘s return as the starting quarterback. Of course, with Hoyer expected to miss a lengthy period of time with a broken arm, it now makes sense that Cutler will reassume starting quarterback duties once he fully heals from a nagging thumb injury.

The information initially came as a surprise because coach John Fox had said if Hoyer continued his run of impressive performances (at least statistically), he’d likely remain the starter, even if Cutler was healthy. Hoyer has strung together four straight games of 300-plus yards passing and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 6-0. Sounds good enough to be the starter, right? Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a broken left arm during the second quarter of Thursday night’s 26-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Hoyer could be seen holding his left arm after he was hit by Julius Peppers. He left for the locker room shortly after exiting the field for the sideline. Matt Barkley took over at quarterback for the Bears a short time later. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The London-bound Giants left kicker Josh Brown behind in the U.S., opening a need for a kicker on short-term notice.

They’ve turned to veteran Robbie Gould to fill the void. Gould and the Giants have agreed to terms on a contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the situation. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Cleveland Browns, already decimated by injuries, could be without their best remaining playmaker.

Terrelle Pryor is dealing with a hamstring injury and will be monitored through the week, coach Hue Jackson told reporters Monday.

There’s additional cause for concern about Pryor’s injury, because he has a history of hamstring issues. A nagging hamstring injury limited Pryor in training camp in 2015, the end of which saw him cut by the team to sign injured back Robert Turbin. Pryor rejoined the Browns later in the season, but could not make any notable contribution thanks to the uphill climb he was enduring as a result of his injury. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Cody Kessler has taken a beating behind a Browns offensive line that can be considered patchwork at best.

But he refuses to come out of the game due to the pain. And there’s a good reason for it.

“My brother’s fighting through what he’s fighting through (a heart ailment),” Kessler said, via Cleveland.com. “So unless they force me to stay out like they did last week, I’m not coming out.

“It was tough and it was a little painful, but … my brother is at home watching and I’m out here with these guys who have been playing in the NFL for a long time and have taken much worse hits than I did today. It’s more so not for myself but the guys around you.”

In the four games he’s started, Kessler has been sacked 10 times. Six of those sacks came Sunday, when it seemed as though the quarterback was constantly swarmed by Titans defenders on almost every dropback. He finished, remarkably, with a 105.3 passer rating depsite the frequent pressure.

His comments were reminiscent of Josh McCown‘s reasoning for why he also wants to stay in the game at any and all cost — because he has family members who don’t have it as good as he does, and wants to give everything he has for his teammates.

The Browns are going nowhere this season. It’s evident in their record, their seemingly endless injury report, and their lack of talent on the roster. But Kessler’s words are just the latest example that brighter days might be ahead for the Browns, because despite starting 0-6, the respect for and desire to play for their teammates seem to be deeply ingrained inside their locker room. It shows when the team battles on the field, coming up short in close losses in four of their six games.

That isn’t common inside a building filled with struggles, let alone one that has rarely produced a winner in nearly two decades. That reflects on head coach Hue Jackson, who just might be the man to turn around the floundering Browns, starting with his third-round selection in these trying times.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Brandin Cooks is fast — really fast.

This isn’t new information. But his 87-yard touchdown catch on Sunday showed the Saints don’t mind taking advantage of his speed, which has now become historic. Cooks became the first player in league history to score touchdowns of 85 yards or more in his team’s first five games on Sunday.

“I turn it into a track meet,” Cooks said, via The Times-Picayune. “It feels like you get the baton handed off to you and you just run. On the track, you’re not looking around, you’re just going. So, that’s what I feel like is my vision.” Continue reading →