Best And Worst NFL Week Seven

Coming out of week seven in the NFL, there's some separation starting to show. Dallas made a huge statement in week seven, granted it was against an anemic 49ers squad, still it was one hell of a statement game. New England, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Los Angles (Rams) are starting to really take a strangle hold on their divisional leads. The Jets almost looked like they could hold the fort against Miami, but one big mistake cost them the game. Tennessee and Cleveland played in one of the ugly games that always pops up on the schedule every year. A lot has gone down during week seven of the NFL season and some of it could have implications for the rest of the year. Here's some of the best and worst from week seven in the NFL

Best:
Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver Oakland Raiders
Things haven't been looking good for the Raiders as of late. They had a four game losing streak, and their best receiver in Amari Cooper had been quite, almost non existent. Heading into Thursday’s game, Cooper had dropped nine passes in six games. Then in a must-win game against Kansas City, Oakland woke up in a big way, walking away with a miracle 31-30 win. Amari Cooper exploded in the victory, finishing the day with 11 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns. He was the difference in the game. Making his performance all the more meaningful, it came in a game that saw Marshawn Lynch get ejected, which we will get into later. Cooper’s revival was the key to Oakland staying relevant in the AFC West instead of getting buried thanks to his monster performance on Thursday night.

Worst:
Adrian Peterson, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
It was just a week ago that the Adrian Peterson of old, where he looked like a running back who could dominate the league once again. Before that, we had seen a back who looked old and slow and couldn't keep up in this league. There was wonder which back would show up this week. Turns out it was the old and slow back. Arizona was shut out by the Los Angeles Rams 33-0 and Peterson was nowhere to be found. Peterson carried the ball 11 times but only generated 21 yards. He also hauled in one pass for 12 yards, though he was targeted four times. Peterson wasn't really looking like himself, but then again neither was the Arizona offense. To make matters worse for the Cards, Carson Palmer has a broken arm and is out at least eight weeks. Ouch.

Best:
Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back Dallas Cowboys
There had been speculation running around all year how the Cowboys might be effected if/when Ezekiel Elliott gets suspended. That hasn't happened as of yet and so far, Zek has been playing like a man possessed. Don't believe it? Just look at what Zek did in the Cowboys 40-10 win over the lowly 49ers. He carried the ball 26 times for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His numbers have actually gone up over the last three weeks, jumped from 85 against the Rams to 116 against the Packers and 147 on Sunday. Dallas has a weakness on defense and they have been kept off the field because the run game has been good. it worked for a long time last year, and we saw flashes of that against the 49ers again Sunday. If Zek does serve this year, Dallas might dig itself into a hole.

Worst:
Marshawn Lynch, Running Back Oakland Raiders
Running backs are a rare breed, that's pretty well known. Marshawn Lynch is no exception to that rule. He has a tendency to lose his cool at times, something which cost him against Kansas City, in a boneheaded moment this season. During the second quarter of Oakland’s one-point thriller of a win over Kansas City, Lynch was on the sideline when a scrum broke out following a late hit by Marcus Peters on Derek Carr. Lynch was the only player for either team to leave his sideline and get into the mix, and he compounded his mistake by grabbing the jersey and pushing one of the game officials. It got him suspended by the NFL for one game, something which he is going to appeal, which he's going to lose. Sorry Marshawn but the second you touch a ref you get what you deserve.

Best:
New England Patriots Defense
In the rematch from last years Superbowl, the Patriots were trying to show that their title win was no fluke. The defense did that in a big way with a 23-7 victory. The Patriots were rock solid on offense, but it was their defense that really set the two teams apart. Matt Ryan and Co. couldn’t generate a score until late in the fourth quarter when Julio Jones finally caught his first red-zone touchdown of the year. Atlanta didn't turn the ball over but their offense couldn't stay on the field, going 2 for 9 on 3rd down and 1 for 3 on fourth down.  New England has seemed to turn the corner and looks like the team of old that dominated everybody in their path.

Worst:
Cleveland Browns Quarterbacks
Before the season started, Cleveland looked like they were going to run with rookie DeShone Kizer this year. Kizer had been benched twice in the previous six games. Tennessee walked away with a 12-9 victory and Kizer was benched again, the third time in seven games. This happened after he threw two picks in the 2nd quarter against the Titans. Cleveland don’t have any better options behind the rookie. Think about it, Kevin Hogan was nauseatingly bad last weekend against Houston, and Cody Kessler threw an atrocious interception as Kizer’s replacement Sunday. Making matters worse here is the simple fact that Cleveland was never going to win much this year, no matter who was starting. They are already 0-7, they have no hope for somebody under center and they trashed the confidence of DeShone Kizer! A small part of me really does feel bad for the Browns because the coaching staff doesn't really seem to know what they want under center and need to get it figured out fast.

Best:
Kenny Stills, Wide Receiver Miami Dolphins 
It was a solid division matchup on Sunday between the Dolphins and Jets and Miami was looking to try and get back into the race in the AFC East. Miami needed the win and they got it, 31-28 over the Jets. Kenny Stills had a big factor in that game. It started early in the first quarter when he miraculously hauled in a pass that had been batted around while on his back. Miami scored a touchdown on the next play to tie things up at seven. To make it better, Stills caught two touchdown passes and finished the day with six total catches for 85 yards. It wasn't the monster game you would expect for a bigtime receiver, but it was more then enough to help power the Dolphins in the comeback win over the Jets. Stills had himself an afternoon and stuck it to the Jets for thinking they had a chance to win.

Worst:
New York Jets 4th Quarter
Things had been going right for the Jets on Sunday. Josh McCown played a game of his life, scoring three touchdowns through the air and one more on the ground, helping the Jets leap out to a 28-14 lead. They even got to the point of taking out Jay Cutler during the game as well, I hope he feels better. After that, the Jets couldn't do anything right. The pass rush fell apart, and backup quarterback Matt Moore picked the secondary apart. Moore would finish with 188 yards and two touchdown passes, and he led scoring drives on three of the Dolphins’ final four offensive possessions of the game. Oh and the offense managed to go AWOL and went invisible, which is the same sort of thing that happened against the Patriots last week. The way things looked for the Jets in the 4th quarter reminds you just how bad this team really is and here's hoping that it translates into a good draft pick next season.