A massive Monday night clash, Mike Vrabel returns to Tennessee and ‘the Icy Hot Bowl’: What to watch from Week 7 in the NFL

By Coy Wire, CNN

(CNN) — It’s a weekend chock full of interesting NFL storylines on both sides of the Atlantic, capped off by an NFC showdown between two of the league’s top offenses.

Here are five things to look forward to in the NFL’s Week 7.

Monday night spectacle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions are two of the favorites to take the NFC crown this season, in large part because of their electric offenses and two of the least talked about star quarterbacks in the league.

The Bucs’ Baker Mayfield and the Lions’ Jared Goff have been the top two QBs in both passing yards and touchdown passes in each of the last two seasons. Goff already has a league-leading 14 TD passes this season, Mayfield has 12.

But, for whatever reason, you don’t see those two being featured in breakouts or roundtable discussions nearly as often as other signal-callers. Baker’s Bucs have a 5-1 record this season, tied with the Colts for the best record in the league.

And Mayfield is must-see TV. He could very well end up winning league MVP if he continues ripping and running the way he’d been.

It’s an awesome Monday night matchup: Two former #1 overall picks – who were traded away from former teams but are now dominating with their new ones – are about to pop off in primetime and get the shine they deserve.

Falcons become NFC dark horses

Yeah, you heard me. I’m a bit biased on this. So what? Don’t @ me.

I’m justified, too. The Atlanta Falcons just pulled off one of their biggest wins in years, taking down the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Led by Bijan Robinson, ATL leads the league in rushing, at 151.2 yards per game. They’re second in the league in total yards per game at 378.8.

And that defense under new DC Jeff Ulbrich’s system is starting to click. They lead the NFL in yards allowed, at just 253.4 yards per game. They’ve held opponents to fewer than 300 yards every game this regular season

Opposing QBs are averaging only a 57.7% completion rate, tied for best rate in the NFL. The Falcons head to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco 49ers next on Sunday Night Football.

The Geriatric Bowl

The AFC North showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals will be historic – it’s just the second time in NFL history the opposing starting QBs are 40 or older.

Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers, 41, and Cincinnati’s Joe Flacco, 40, will go toe-to-toe in what Rodgers’ teammate Cam Heyward called the Icy Hot Bowl. The only other time two 40-year-old starting QBs tussled was when the New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees took down Tom Brady’s Bucs twice in the 2020 regular season, but Brady had the last laugh beating Brees in the playoffs en route to winning the Super Bowl.

The Steelers-Bengals game presents an incredible nod to human potential, and a great chance to see two old dudes – both of whom just happen to be Super Bowl-winning QBs like Brady and Brees – duke it out.

Mike Vrabel puts Titans in a stranglehold

The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel in 2024. He’d guided Tennessee to back-to-back AFC South championships in 2020 and 2021. His Titans were the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2021, the same year he was named NFL Coach of the Year.

Tennessee then had two-straight losing seasons and apparently ownership thought Vrabel was the problem.

Welp.

Since then, Brian Callahan had amassed a 4-19 record as Tennessee’s head coach. They fired him on Monday, interestingly the very week that Vrabel returns to face his former team.

Vrabel, in his first season as the head coach in New England, already has four wins, with his Patriots sitting atop the AFC East at 4-2.

Fun fact: I used to play against Vrabel. One year, while playing for the Buffalo Bills, I had to block him when he was on the Patriots’ punt team. He got frustrated when he couldn’t get off the line, so he reached up under my facemask, grabbed my neck and started strangling me in the middle of the play. Dude is a savage competitor.

If you want to see a good old-fashioned passionate butt-kicking, be sure to watch Vrabel get some revenge in Tennessee as he, Drake Maye and the Pats continue to roll.

Rams, Jags and a spot of tea

Finally, NFL fans in England are getting treated to an enticing matchup.

For just the second time since 2007 in the NFL London series, both teams have a winning record going into the game. The Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-2 – and both have the potential to be playoff teams.

Jacksonville looks like an entirely different animal under first-year head coach Liam Cohen. They already have as many wins as they had all of last season.

The Rams, meanwhile, have been practicing on a baseball field all week. They transformed the Baltimore Orioles’ Camden Yards into a football field, as LA decided to stay in the Baltimore area after playing the Ravens. Smart move as they’ll now have about five or six hours knocked off of their flight to the British capital.

Full Week 7 NFL schedule

Away @ home

Thursday

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m ET

Sunday

Los Angeles Rams @ Jacksonville Jaguars (game in London, UK), 9:30 a.m. ET

Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET

New England Patriots @ Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET

Carolina Panthers @ New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET

Las Vegas Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. ET

Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. ET

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET

Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET

Monday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions, 7 p.m. ET

Houston Texans @ Seattle Seahawks, 10 p.m. ET

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