The First Read: Six biggest statements from Week 7, Week 8's most intriguing game and MVP rankings

In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season, including:

• Top three risers/sliders from Week 7
• Three games worthy of NFL Pro deep dives
• Most intriguing game of Week 8
• Top five MVP candidates

But to kick things off, the six biggest statements from an action-packed Week 7 …

If there’s one thing you had to expect going into Week 7 of this season, it’s that plenty of questions would get answered. We were going to see how Davante Adams impacted the Jets, what Amari Cooper could do for the Bills and whether Russell Wilson could take control of the fluid quarterback situation in Pittsburgh. There was a huge showdown in the NFC North (between Detroit and Minnesota) and another chance to see if Kyle Shanahan finally could lead the 49ers to a win over the Chiefs. Even the city of New York — with the Yankees and Mets still alive in the MLB postseason entering Sunday — had to wonder how much revenge Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley would exact on his former team, the Giants.

This was destined to be a weekend built around statements. A lot of teams and players said a lot about where they’re heading by what they put on film over the last few days. Some of those statements only reinforced what we already suspected. Others should’ve opened some eyes around the league and put more than a few folks on notice.

This edition of The First Read will focus on that topic today. You want to know who made the biggest statements in Week 7? These are the ones that stood out the most:

1) The Lions have the league’s best offense. Detroit’s 31-29 win over Minnesota was easily the best game of the weekend. It also told us the Lions are good enough to win a Super Bowl even with the loss of star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (who has a chance to return if Detroit does represent the NFC in that game). The reason for that? An offense that becomes more electric with each passing week. The Lions scored a combined 89 points in their two previous games, but Sunday’s effort was next level. Facing a Minnesota defense that had been frustrating teams all year, Detroit still found a way to generate more than 30 points (only one other opponent, Green Bay, had surpassed the 20-point mark against the Vikings). Jared Goff continued his hot play, completing 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 116 yards, while Amon-Ra St. Brown produced eight receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. Yes, the Lions started slowly, but they eventually scored touchdowns on four straight drives. If you’ve followed the defense that Brian Flores has been coordinating in Minnesota, then you’ll know how crazy that sounds. The Lions now have a share of first place in the NFC North and, more importantly, a leg up in the tiebreaker scenarios if it comes down to that for playoff seeding. We knew that offense was loaded, as it also includes running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta and an exceptional offensive line. Now we have a better understanding of how dominant it can be.

2) The Chiefs are at their best when adversity hits. It’s crazy to think Kansas City is the league’s last remaining undefeated, given all the issues surrounding this team. The Chiefs already were playing without their top two wide receivers (Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown) but then lost JuJu Smith-Schuster to a hamstring strain early in their win over San Francisco on Sunday. That seemed like a major issue until Kansas City kept doing what it usually does, which is find a way to win regardless of the challenges facing it. That resilience has become the trademark of the Chiefs, and it’s a huge factor in them sitting at 6-0 today. The Chiefs are running the ball with Kareem Hunt (who was unsigned when the season began). They’re milking all they can out of aging tight end Travis Kelce (who still hasn’t scored a touchdown this season). Hell, they were so depleted in the passing game on Sunday that they were running plays for benchwarmers like Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore. Give Kansas City credit, though. Andy Reid’s bunch got it done. The Chiefs’ defense stifled a 49ers offense that was saddled with its own injury problems, and Patrick Mahomes made enough plays to lead his team to victory. It’s hard to know if the Chiefs can sustain that formula, but it really doesn’t matter today. They haven’t lost yet. That says a lot.

3) Amari Cooper will have a bigger impact on the AFC East race than Davante Adams. Cooper didn’t have a huge day in his Buffalo debut, finishing with four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown. What he did do was let everyone see how quickly he can fit into an offense that needed a receiver of his caliber. The Bills had a lot of weapons around quarterback Josh Allen before they made the deal to acquire Cooper from Cleveland last week. That trade made the lives of those other players a lot easier because of the attention Cooper will demand on a weekly basis. The difference between his arrival in Buffalo and the trade that sent Adams from the Raiders to the Jets is simple: The Bills only need Cooper to fill a void. The Jets are praying Adams can help save their season and create more hope that Aaron Rodgers can carry this team to a Super Bowl. There’s a lot more pressure that comes with that, and you can already see it’s going to take a little time for the magic between Adams (who caught three passes for 30 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh) and Rodgers to reappear in New York. The Jets looked better offensively on Sunday night — specifically the way running back Breece Hall came alive — but they still took an L.

4) Saquon Barkley will haunt the Giants for a long time. Nobody should’ve been surprised by what happened in this latest meeting between the Giants and Eagles. This was always going to be about Barkley’s revenge, and he left with exactly that in a 28-3 win. He finished with big numbers (176 yards rushing and one touchdown), big plays (runs of 38, 41 and 55 yards) and the satisfaction of knowing his former bosses didn’t know what the hell they were doing in letting him walk into free agency back in March. It’s difficult to say whether Barkley would’ve saved the Giants from their current frustrations. What is true is that he’s a major weapon for the Eagles, one that might just help this team move beyond all the drama that has festered around it for the last year. As much as critics bemoan this team’s lack of consistency, there’s little doubt that Barkley, combined with healthy wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, makes this offense incredibly dangerous. You can already see how much better Jalen Hurts is playing with all those weapons available. That will likely continue, especially if Barkley keeps looking as good as he did on Sunday.

5) Russell Wilson is the best option in Pittsburgh. All you have to know about Wilson is the Steelers scored 37 points in Sunday’s win over the Jets, which happened to be his debut as the team’s starter. It took Justin Fields, the man Wilson competed with throughout the offseason for the quarterback job, five games before he reached close to that mark with this offense (a 32-13 win over Las Vegas in Week 6). That doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation, but it does tell you enough. Wilson returned from a calf injury in time to let us all know that he’s the more effective option for his team. Yes, we get it — he doesn’t move as well as he used to, and he takes a lot of sacks. That doesn’t mean Wilson can’t process faster than Fields, which is a vital skill for a team that has struggled to generate points this season. There was a better flow to the Steelers’ offense Sunday, a more discernible energy in how the entire unit operated. That doesn’t mean Fields didn’t do some good things, because Pittsburgh was 4-2 with him under center. He helped the Steelers jump out to a solid start. This team now is capable of doing even more with Wilson moving into the lineup.

6) There aren’t many answers to stopping the Ravens. Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely gave a memorable quote when his team lost the season-opener to the Chiefs. He said, “This is probably the worst game we’re going to play all year. So, if this is the best they got, good luck in the postseason.” It remains to be seen if the Ravens actually can beat the Chiefs when it matters — they are 1-5 against them in the Lamar Jackson era (including playoffs) –- but Likely was spot-on with the first part of that comment. Baltimore has been making a lot of statements since Week 1, as it is now riding a five-game winning streak after a 0-2 start. The Ravens’ latest message came in a 41-31 beatdown of Tampa Bay on Monday night, a victory that again served as a showcase for all that is right with this team. Jackson is making a strong case to win his third Most Valuable Player award, and second consecutive. After throwing five touchdown passes against the Buccaneers, he now has 15 touchdowns and two interceptions while leading an offense loaded with weapons. Derrick Henry has to be the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year, since he’s averaging nearly 150 rushing yards a game in this win streak (including 169 on Monday night). True, the defense has underwhelmed under first-year coordinator Zach Orr –- that unit was 24th in points allowed and last in passing yards surrendered coming into Week 7 –- but that unit should improve. There’s too much talent on that side of the ball for it disappoint all season. There also are too many reasons to think the Ravens don’t have a chip on their shoulder after last year’s meltdown against Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. They’re playing like a team that understands that title opportunities don’t come around often. That mindset will serve them well down the road.

THREE UP

THREE DOWN

WORTHY OF NFL PRO DEEP DIVES

1. Lions over Vikings. Minnesota suffers its first defeat of the season thanks to a game-winning field goal by Detroit.
2. Packers over Texans. The Packers win on their own last-second field goal after Jordan Love leads them into range on their final possession.
3. Colts over Dolphins. Indianapolis wins its fourth game in the past five weeks after a couple of fourth-quarter field goals decide this contest.

MOST INTRIGUING GAME OF WEEK 8

MVP WATCH

A simple ranking of the top five candidates, which will be updated weekly, depending on performance. Here is how it stands heading into Week 8 (with DraftKings odds as of 9 a.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 21):

EXTRA POINT

My slowly evolving Super Bowl pick, which also will be updated each week, depending on performances: Ravens over Lions.

Previous picks:

• Week 6: Ravens over Vikings
• Week 5: Ravens over Vikings
• Week 4: Bills over Vikings
• Week 3: Bills over Packers
• Week 2: Lions over Bengals
• Week 1: Lions over Texans

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