NFL NationOct 19, 2025, 05:30 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:19Jaycee Horn picks off Tyrod Taylor for a 2nd timeJaycee Horn gets in front of a Jets receiver and comes down with the interception for the Panthers.
play0:35DeVonta Smith catches longest pass of his career for 79-yard TDDeVonta Smith gets open downfield and Jalen Hurts finds him for a 79-yard touchdown.
play0:19Quinshon Judkins runs in his 2nd TD of the gameQuinshon Judkins almost loses a direct snap, but he spins his way through the defense for his second touchdown of the game.
play0:30Drake Maye drops in an absolute dime to Kayshon Boutte for a Pats TDDrake Maye airs one out to Kayshon Boutte for a 39-yard Patriots touchdown vs. the Titans.
play0:30Travis Hunter hauls in 34-yard pass for 1st NFL TDTrevor Lawrence airs one out to Travis Hunter for Hunter’s first career NFL touchdown.
Jaycee Horn picks off Tyrod Taylor for a 2nd timeJaycee Horn gets in front of a Jets receiver and comes down with the interception for the Panthers.
DeVonta Smith catches longest pass of his career for 79-yard TDDeVonta Smith gets open downfield and Jalen Hurts finds him for a 79-yard touchdown.
Quinshon Judkins runs in his 2nd TD of the gameQuinshon Judkins almost loses a direct snap, but he spins his way through the defense for his second touchdown of the game.
Quinshon Judkins almost loses a direct snap, but he spins his way through the defense for his second touchdown of the game.
Drake Maye drops in an absolute dime to Kayshon Boutte for a Pats TDDrake Maye airs one out to Kayshon Boutte for a 39-yard Patriots touchdown vs. the Titans.
Travis Hunter hauls in 34-yard pass for 1st NFL TDTrevor Lawrence airs one out to Travis Hunter for Hunter’s first career NFL touchdown.
Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off Thursday with a battle between two 40-something quarterbacks in the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers and the Bengals’ Joe Flacco. The latter won the night after leading a game-winning drive that was capped by a 36-yard field goal from Evan McPherson with seven seconds left in regulation.
Sunday’s action began in London for the second straight week, with the Rams defeating the Jaguars. Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford set an international series record with five touchdowns. Back in the United States, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye led his team to its fourth straight win, defeating the Titans. And the Chiefs shut out the Raiders in wide receiver Rashee Rice’s season debut after a six-game suspension.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Trend to watch: The first attempt at rotating running backs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle for every series in Hubbard’s return was a mild success. But Dowdle, who had 473 scrimmage yards the past two weeks, still appeared to be the more dominant back. He had 79 rushing yards on 17 carries to Hubbard’s 31 yards on 14 carries. Stay tuned. — David Newton
Jaycee Horn gets in front of a Jets receiver and comes down with the interception for the Panthers.
Stat to know: Hurts’ 215 pass yards on throws of at least 20 yards downfield are his career high. A good chunk came on his 79-yard touchdown throw to Smith midway through the third quarter. It marked the longest reception of Smith’s career, surpassing a 63-yard catch which also came against Minnesota (2023, Week 2). He has five receptions of 50-plus yards in his career, and three have come against Minnesota. — Tim McManus
DeVonta Smith catches longest pass of his career for 79-yard TD
DeVonta Smith gets open downfield and Jalen Hurts finds him for a 79-yard touchdown.
Most surprising performance: The Vikings were determined not to get beat by the Eagles’ rushing game, which netted only 55 yards on 21 carries. But their pass defense, which entered the game holding opponents to the NFL’s second-lowest QBR (46.8), couldn’t keep up. Brown and Smith combined for 310 receiving yards and three touchdowns for the Eagles, and Hurts finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. — Kevin Seifert
Trend to watch: Kicker Blake Grupe’s inconsistency. Grupe came into the game leading the NFL with 19 field goal attempts and ranked second in field goals made (14). But he has been inconsistent all season. A failed attempt against the Bears put his misses at six, and he has now missed at least one field goal in five games. With the Saints’ overall offensive struggles, they can’t afford to have kicking issues as well. — Katherine Terrell
Is this win fool’s gold or something to build on? In ending a three-game losing streak and stopping a trend of 11 straight games without exceeding 17 points, the Browns were able to beat one of the few teams that may be struggling more than they are. But Cleveland was able to run effectively against one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL and limit mistakes with zero turnovers, which is its formula for success. Next Sunday’s game should provide more clarity.
Stat to know: Running back Quinshon Judkins is the first Browns player with two rushing touchdowns in the first half of a game since Nick Chubb in Week 5 of 2022 against the Chargers. Judkins is the first Browns rookie with three scrimmage touchdowns in a game since Travis Prentice rushed for the same number on Oct. 8, 2000 at the Cardinals.
Best quote from the locker room: “One win is one thing, but we’ve got to turn this into a habit,” defensive end Myles Garrett said on the Browns, who haven’t won consecutive games since Week 17 of the 2023 season. — Daniel Oyefusi
Best quote from the locker room: “There’s a lot of guys that will have an important work week,” McDaniel said. “I mean, if you are negatively affecting the football team routinely, I don’t have a choice but to assess a different player and I have to coach a lot better as well. So we’re going to find out who and what we’re made of.” — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Drake Maye drops in an absolute dime to Kayshon Boutte for a Pats TD
Drake Maye airs one out to Kayshon Boutte for a 39-yard Patriots touchdown vs. the Titans.
Most surprising performance: Rookie receiver Chimere Dike had already established himself as a big-time player in the return game, as shown by his league-leading 732 return yards entering this week. But on offense, Dike had only nine receptions for 26 yards in six games. Dike eclipsed that number in the first half with four receptions for 70 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown.
Best quote from the locker room: “It might not be our time right now,” inside linebacker Cedric Gray said after another Titans loss, “but we just gotta find ways to keep building and stacking. Our time will come. It feels a lot better when you stay through the s— and work through the s— together and you finally come out on top at the end.” — Turron Davenport
Key stat to know: With three touchdowns on Sunday, Adams has nine receiving touchdowns in five career games against Jacksonville. According to ESPN Research, the 1.8 receiving touchdowns per game is the most by any player against a single opponent with a minimum of five games played. — Sarah Barshop
Trevor Lawrence airs one out to Travis Hunter for Hunter’s first career NFL touchdown.
Now add an injury. He left the game late in the fourth quarter and the medical staff was looking at his right hand/wrist. He did not reenter the game.
Trend to watch: Cam Little has now missed three of his past four kicks: a 50-yard field goal attempt against the Rams and a PAT and 50-yard field goal attempt in Week 6 against Seattle. He did make a fourth-quarter PAT, though. Little has already missed three field goals this season. He missed two as a rookie in 2024. The Jaguars may consider bringing in some kickers for a tryout over the bye week to at least put some pressure on Little. — Mike DiRocco
What to make of the QB performance: In the battle of seasoned veterans, Bengals QB Joe Flacco was the victor. Both he and Aaron Rodgers made big plays. But most notably, Flacco didn’t throw any interceptions while Rodgers had two. Flacco posted a 75.2 Total QBR, his fifth-highest mark since 2019, per ESPN Research. — Ben Baby
What’s the impact of Bryce Young’s ankle injury? Young’s command of the offense has been key to three straight wins, something Carolina hasn’t done since the start of the 2021 season. His mobility in Dave Canales’ scheme has been a big part of the team’s recent success, with a lot of play-action and rollouts. With games against the Bills and Packers next, mobility could be key because of the pressure they bring. Andy Dalton’s veteran experience could trump that, but the offense will change some, as we saw in the final quarter Sunday.
Is it time for the Jets to give up on quarterback Justin Fields? The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal, including a $30 million guarantee — and they needed only 6½ games to realize he’s not the answer. An ineffective Fields (6-for-12, 46 yards) was benched at halftime in favor of longtime backup Tyrod Taylor, leaving the Jets in a dark place with no starting-caliber quarterback and no young heir apparent on the roster. Coach Aaron Glenn had been steadfast in support of Fields, but he ran out of patience after six straight quarters without a touchdown. Taylor provided some energy but threw two interceptions. Could Glenn go back to Fields next week? Even if he does, the outcome seems inevitable. With a high draft pick, the Jets will be in the 2026 quarterback market, starting over yet again.
Stat to know: The Jets have gone back-to-back games without a touchdown for the first time since Weeks 9-10 of the 2023 season. That year, they were scrambling in the aftermath of Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles injury in Week 1. This time, they just appear lost on offense. Last week against Denver provided easy excuses for the Jets, but the Panthers entered the game with the 21st-ranked scoring defense. Even without wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee), New York should have been able to find the end zone. — Rich Cimini