Welcome to Monday Morning JB! NFL columnist Jarrett Bell has covered the league for decades. Here are the moments, players and results that caught his eye in Week 7.
ATLANTA – Winning in the NFL is hardly just a matter of having a hot quarterback, rolling with momentum or taking advantage matchups. Sometimes, it’s winning the war of attrition, too.
No team has illustrated that lately quite like the San Francisco 49ers.
They came into Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday with a decimated wide receivers corps and still missing their top pass rusher. There was even a question of whether they would max out with the 48 players for the active game-day roster. Then Christian McCaffrey, their dynamic, multi-tasking running back went down for the better part
of the first half with a thigh injury, and the challenge got even worse.
Take nothing away from the Atlanta Falcons, who forced four turnovers and rallied from an 11-point, first half deficit and handed the 49ers their first loss of the season, 29-20. But boy did they catch the 49ers (6-1) at the right time.
No, you won’t hear any excuses from the 49ers. Led by fiery coach Kyle Shanahan, they are masters when it comes to the art of adjusting.
“It’s the NFL,” tight end George Kittle explained. “Injuries happen. It’s just how much depth you have, how many vets do you have that can continue to keep the elevation, the standard of play up. That’s all that really matters.
“Every team is dealing with crazy injuries. The Ravens haven’t had Lamar (Jackson) for weeks, and…they came to Atlanta and won in overtime. So, there’s no excuses. It’s the NFL. Every week, it just keeps chugging along. It doesn’t care who’s out there, who’s not out there. You’re just expected to go out there and win.”
Despite the absence of names that you’ve heard of – Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa, among others – the 49ers came into Week 7 as one of the NFL’s three undefeated teams. They sprinted to a 14-3 lead early, then the game went off the rails for them as the McCaffrey saga unfolded.
On minute, a trainer was working on McCaffrey’s leg on the sideline – while Shanahan crouched over to show him video from a tablet – and soon after he was in the blue medical tent. Another minute he tested his leg by running on the sideline, a few minutes later he went to the locker room.
Sure, he’s one player and the 49ers have been without their workhorse before. Yet when his setback is layered on top of the other missing pieces, not having McCaffrey – replaced by Kaelon Black and Jordan James – ripples through the running and passing attacks.
He was on pace to come close to the production he had last season, when he carried 311 times for 1,202 yards and caught 102 passes. And his uniqueness is wrapped in one historical factoid: McCaffrey is one of three players in NFL history (after Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk) to rush for 1,000 yards and post 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
“Obviously, what Christian can do out of the backfield as a receiver – receiving running back – that’s the component we want out there,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “I’m not saying those other guys can’t; it’s just Christian’s a Hall of Famer with that. So, yeah, it changes up our game plan.”
Add that to the attempts to establish timing and rhythm with a makeshift corps of receivers. The creativity Shanahan can employ on offense is further crimped without, say, Samuel around to run out of the backfield. They are lacking the deep threats that Demarcus Robinson and the promising Ricky Pearsall provide. And, well, Evans can do just about anything but is sidelined by Achilles and rib injuries. Meanwhile, the pass rush is lighter without Bosa.
It is reminiscent of last year, when the heart of the defense, middle linebacker Fred Warner, suffered a season-ending fractured and dislocated ankle in October, Purdy missed several weeks with turf toe injury and Bosa tore a season-ending ACL in September. All that, and Shanahan – who has guided the 49ers to two Super Bowls – turned in arguably his finest coaching season yet as San Francisco advanced to the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.
So, with that history, the 49ers have a standard fortified by resilience. But it’s not easy.
Then again, everybody’s got something. Kittle mentioned the Ravens without Jackson. The Rams haven’t had Myles Garrett since the season opener. And now Davante Adams is sidelined for weeks. The Eagles lost Jalen Hurts. The Giants lost Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns. The Broncos are missing Patrick Surtain II. The Chiefs were without Rashee Rice on Sunday night, the Seahawks without Zach Charbonnet. And on and on. Yep, that’s the NFL way.
In the 49ers’ case, the bye next weekend is so welcomed for healing.
“We obviously have to get healthy to have all our weapons out there to help us compete to win these games,” Warner said. “It’s always next-man-up mentality. No matter who’s out there, we have to be able to compete and execute our job at the highest level. So we’ll be better.”
It’s no wonder that the message shared by opposing NFL players when they mingle on the field after games often includes two words: Stay healthy.
Other impressions from Week 7:
What I learned
John Harbaugh certainly pushed the right buttons in making the switch to quarterback J.J. McCarthy and sending messages with the so-called “punishment” of Cam Skattebo in Week 6 and release of Najee Harris.
The Giants went to Houston as the NFL’s biggest underdog in Week 7, giving 10 points. They left with the NFL’s biggest upset of Week 7, stinging the Texans 27-21 in overtime as McCarthy (20-of-28 passing, 252 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs) struck for five completions of 20+ yards and Skattebo (17 rushes, 124 yards) put up the first 100-yard game of his young career.
McCarthy was effective throwing outside the numbers (8-of-13, 169 yards, according to NextGen Stats), which helped exploit a Houston defense that has now allowed an NFL-high 29 completions of 20+ yards. Meanwhile, with the Giants supporting the young QB by rushing for 188 yards on 34 carries, Skattebo tied his season high by forcing six missed tackles to fuel four explosive carries.
Studs of the Week
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year posted his sixth 100-yard game of the season (9 catches, 150 yards, plus an incredible, 28-yard, over-the-shoulder TD grab) to torch the Chiefs. Man coverage? Bad idea. According to NextGen Stats (NGS), JSN caught five passes for 85 yards and the TD when matched in single coverage against L’Jarius Sneed and Mansoor Delane – topping the 80 yards he totaled against man coverage during the first six weeks of the season.
- Jaylen Warren. Sure, Aaron Rodgers stacked up more milestones. He threw his 540th career TD pass, passing Peyton Manning for third on the NFL’s all-time list. And A-Legend became the first NFL player to register the first TD pass in two different countries (Ireland, now France). Yet the Steelers QB is complemented by a dynamic, multi-dimensional running back who should not be overlooked. Warren produced 137 yards from scrimmage to help put away the Saints in Paris. It marked his fourth game this season with at least 125 yards from scrimmage, with 71 of his 101 rushing yards coming after contact. And with 46 yards after the catch, Warren padded his league-leading YAC total to 360 on the season.
- Joe Burrow. For the second consecutive game, the Bengals quarterback fired four touchdowns without an interception to propel a huge second-half rally at Baltimore. Just one other quarterback in the past five seasons (Matthew Stafford, three in a row in 2025) has had such a streak. Burrow was 6-for-12 passing for 43 yards during a scoreless first-half, then went 16 of 18 for 249 yards in the second half.
- Kendal Daniels. A week after he was strapped to a stretcher and carted off the field in a scary scene at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital with a neck injury, the fourth-round rookie linebacker was the first Falcons player out of the tunnel for pregame introductions. Fitting. Then Daniels, tapped to start for an injured Divine Deablo, commenced to lead the Falcons with 11 tackles and produce two huge plays in the fourth quarter – an interception that he tipped to himself and returned 29 yards to set up a field goal and a diving fumble recovery – to help conquer the previously unbeaten 49ers.
Quick slants
- While Packers running back Josh Jacobs made his season debut after being reinstated from the Commissioner’s exempt list, Lions safety Brian Branch made his debut, too, back from the torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season in December. He made a difference in the victory against Green Bay as Detroit’s much-maligned defense allowed season-lows for points (17), yards (324) and passing yards (264), with its best third-down conversion rate (33.3%, 5 of 15). And Branch, patrolling the deep middle, snagged the lone interception of Jordan Love.
- The hook-and-lateral is trending again in the copycat NFL. The Falcons used a Drake London-to-Bijan Robinson gadget as a third-and-long play (and nearly converted) against the 49ers. The Bears used it at Atlanta in Week 6 and against the Patriots on Thursday night. Baltimore used it at Atlanta, too, in Week 5. And I saw Houston burn Dallas with it for a huge third-down conversion in Week 4. Coincidence? Maybe not.
- Seattle’s smashing of KC was even worse by the numbers. The 20-3 rout marked just the second full game in Patrick Mahomes’ career that the Chiefs failed to score a touchdown. And staying out of the base defense was the ticket. Seattle played nickel or dime defenses on all 50 snaps, just the third case this season when a team didn’t play a base or heavy defense for an entire game (following Cleveland’s patterns in Week 2 and Week 3).
- Trust the Panthers run defense at your own risk. In getting pummeled 43-13 by the Bucs, Carolina gave up 258 rushing yards. That’s the second-highest total in the NFL this season – after Chicago shredded the Panthers for 291 yards in Week 1. And playing at home is no advantage. Carolina, which gave up 59 points to the Bears, has allowed 40+ points in multiple home games of a season for the first time in franchise history. In their first 31 seasons, Carolina allowed 40 points in just three home games.
- Take note of second-year Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II, getting a heavy-duty workload since De’Von Achane suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3. Gordon posted a career-high 103 yards on 25 carries against the Jets to mark his third consecutive game with 80 yards and a rushing TD – the longest active streak in the league. He also forced a career-high 10 missed tackles.
- Deshaun Watson, propelling Kardiac Kids 2.0 with the Browns, is just the third quarterback since the 1970 merger to have a game-winning drive in each of his team’s first five wins of a season. He joins Troy Aikman (1990) and Matthew Stafford (2016) with the distinction.
What I’m hearing
- Although the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) publicly called for a “full investigation” into the Jalen Hurts blood clotting fiasco – per terms of the collective bargaining agreement it doesn’t need the NFL’s approval for that – the union ended last week still in a fact-gathering mode that would determine the extent or need for further investigation. As questions lingered, union officials were miffed that the NFL quickly declared that there were no issues related to Hurts’ evaluation, treatment and clearance to play in London in Week 5 – days before being placed on IR with blood clots on both lungs. Some medical investigations take weeks. This one, not so… unless it is opened up for a deeper probe.
- Lamar Jackson has impressed people in the building with a commitment to rehab from his high ankle sprain that may exceed rehab efforts for other injuries in previous years. The Ravens quarterback has missed three starts since being injured in Week 4, yet the Ravens haven’t dared to declare a definitive timeline for his return. It seems possible Jackson could be back for the clash at Buffalo on Sunday, given that he was a limited participant in practices last week.
- As the winless Chargers went into their bye week, there was buzz suggesting that Justin Herbert’s disconnect with new coordinator Mike McDaniel was so pronounced that the quarterback was unsure of the direction of the offensive system. At this point of the season? The results underscore the issues as Herbert (5 TDs, 8 INTs) has completed 59.4% of his passes with a 68.8 passer rating, pacing for the worst numbers of his seven-year NFL career.
Did you notice?
As the saga continued last week around Josh Simmons, the Chiefs’ second-year left tackle who was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a back injury, the team made Rick Burholder, their vice president of sports medicine and performance, available for a briefing with reporters. Burkholder discussed the timeline and other details of Simmons’ injury, which has sidelined him since August after it was revealed that he suffered from a bulging disk in his lower back. Simmons sought other opinions and opted for rehab over surgery.
That Burkholder spoke to the media was a striking contrast to how the Eagles handled questions about the issues of Jalen Hurts’ blood clots – electing to have coach Nick Sirianni face questions rather than one of the team’s athletic trainers or doctors. And it’s ironic because Burkholder once addressed media when circumstances warranted when he served in a similar role for the Eagles during Andy Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia.
What surfaced later – that Simmons was asked by Reid and Patrick Mahomes to leave a team meeting, as reported by NFL Network insiders, citing sources, after it was disrupted when the coach told him to seek treatment from the athletic trainers as he contended he needed to sit with his feet up because of pain – wasn’t addressed by Burkholder. But at least the team’s medical expert shed some light on matters involving the injury.
Simmons has played in just eight of a possible 23 games since the Chiefs selected him with the last pick of the first round in 2025, including a stint last year when he missed four games to deal with personal family issues that were not revealed publicly. The Chiefs are undoubtedly frustrated with the injuries that have limited the player who came from Ohio State with the promise to solidify the blind side protection for Mahomes.
After Kansas City drafted Simmons, Reid and GM Brett Veatch were so impressed with how he attacked rehab before his rookie training camp as his final year in college was derailed by a torn patellar tendon. Now it’s a much different challenge.
Cornell Green, RIP
There are 24 members of the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. And if it were up to John Wooten, the former Cowboys scout and longtime NFL executive, Cornell Green would be in that exclusive club, too. Green, who died Wednesday at 86, was a five-time Pro Bowl pick and four-time All-Pro selection over 13 seasons after breaking into the NFL with the Cowboys in 1962 as an undrafted free agent. He starred in basketball at Utah State and never played a down of college football. “When a guy does that, you’ve got to give him credit,” Wooten says. “In addition, he was an outstanding person.” The retired Wooten has pleaded his case for Green directly to the Cowboys, but team owner Jerry Jones apparently is not moved. Contends Wooten, “He’s the biggest omission.”
What intrigues me about Monday Night Football
Usually, a matchup pitting a pair of 2-4 teams can be a signal to change the channel. But this is Dallas at Philly, and the team that wins will claim, gulp, second place in the NFC East – with just one fewer win than the division-leading Giants (4-2-1). Philadelphia has lost four games in a row, the offense has been a mess and Jalen Hurts is out for the year. Desperation, that’s the word. Then again, there’s hope. The Eagles still have the makings of a stiff defense and Saquon Barkley is coming back from a hamstring injury. And Dallas has one of the NFL’s worst defenses (again) while former Eagles assistant Christian Parker struggles in his first year as coordinator. No, this isn’t the best made-for-TV drama the NFL can serve, but it isn’t the worst, either.
What I’m looking forward to in Week 8
Vikings at Lions. Minnesota packs the NFL’s best defense for the trip to Ford Field, where one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses awaits in an NFC North clash. The Vikings live and die by the blitz, and they are living rather well as the NFC’s only undefeated team (6-0), and, dating to last season, the league’s longest active winning streak at 11 games. D-coordinator Brian Flores blitzed Colts quarterback Daniel Jones on 85.2% of his dropbacks on Sunday, the highest rate ever in the NextGen Stas era (dating to 2016). Yet the Lions present their toughest matchup yet, given Jared Goff’s ability to lean on a deep array of weapons to beat the blitz with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta. Detroit, third in the NFL with 184 points, is averaging 30.6 points per game. Minnesota is allowing an NFL-low 12.3 points per game. Something’s gotta give.
Closing Bell
John Franklin-Myers has played in his share of big games and with 36 sacks, produced a fair number of big plays during an eight-year NFL career. Yet coming through in the clutch had an entirely different context last week as the Tennessee Titans defensive tackle helped avert a potential tragedy.
It was Franklin-Myers, who joined the Titans as an offseason free agent and reunited with coach Robert Saleh, who stepped in to diffuse an escalating situation at the team’s headquarters when fellow D-lineman Jordan Elliott headed to his car to retrieve a gun after being thrown out of practice following a dust-up with JC Latham.
Reportedly, Elliott calmed down while talking to Franklin-Myers.
Which makes Franklin-Myers some kind of hero. When tensions rise in an uncertain situations, the instincts of some, if not many, might be to take cover or aggressively confront an aggravated person on the verge of snapping. Yet JFM, as he’s called, apparently demonstrated some extreme leadership that reflected another type of instinct as Elliott, who was released by the team, was said to be in the midst of a mental health crisis.
When I heard that Franklin-Myers, 30, took such action, it made sense on another level. He made quite the impression on me during a media session two days before the AFC Championship Game – I must have spent 10 minutes shooting the breeze with him at his stall in the Broncos locker room, near the entrance and digital countdown clock, which ignited our chat – as such an interesting and engaging kind of fellow.
Yet his gift for connecting through conversation is undoubtedly good for higher purposes.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From Christian McCaffrey's thigh to gutsy Giants moves, what stood out in NFL Week 7 | Monday Morning JB
