Breakout RB display, another serious injury to a star and third-year receiver continues rise: NFL Week 7 MNF review
Jaxson Smith-Njigba celebrates his touchdown against the Texans.
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — For the final time this NFL season, there was a double-header on Monday Night Football.
Week 7’s two Monday games saw the Detroit Lions comfortably handle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seahawks outlast the Houston Texans to provide a small salve to Seattle sports fans.
There were plenty of storylines to come from the two games, including a breakout performance for a star running back and another serious injury suffered by a big-time wide receiver.
Here’s everything you need to know about the two MNF games.
Gibbs explodes as Lions dispatch Bucs
Entering the 2025 NFL season, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs could claim he was the best at his position; he was tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the league last campaign.
But through the first six weeks of the season, it had been fairly ho-hum by his lofty standards.
Well, that all changed on Monday night when the 23-year-old exploded for 218 total yards – 136 on the ground on 17 attempts and 82 through the air on three catches – as well as two rushing touchdowns in Detroit’s 24-9 win over Tampa Bay.
His 218 yards from scrimmage were the most in a single game for a Lions player since Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson had 329 yards in 2013.
“It was huge. You felt like this was coming,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Gibbs’ performance afterwards. “You felt like this has been building and as he gets in better shape and starts getting his feet under him and starts getting a feel of it – starts breaking some tackles.
“Every week, you feel like it’s gotten closer and closer. Tonight was the night where he just busted one of these out of there and there’ll be no looking back. I think he’s just going to continue to do this.”
From the opening quarter, Gibbs looked up for the challenge. He caught a 30-yard pass on the team’s opening possession and then broke a 78-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, showing the speed and elusiveness he’s become known for since being drafted out of Alabama in 2023.
Gibbs’ performance came at the perfect time for the Lions, with quarterback Jared Goff having an uncharacteristically sloppy game, throwing one interception and losing a fumble.
“Those long ones are fun to watch,” Goff said of Gibbs’ 78-yard TD run. “I feel like I got the best seat in the house just to like see him hit the hole and then just like take off. I don’t know how many safeties in the league could catch him. So, as soon as he gets there, it’s over and he’s gone. … It’s pretty cool. He’s dang fast and it’s fun to watch.”
It was Gibbs’ best outing of the season by far, having not surpassed 100 rushing yards or 110 scrimmage yards in the 2025 season.
For Tampa Bay, it was a disappointing overall display after an excellent start to the season.
Aside from the defeat which sees them slip to 5-2, the main negative on the night was another serious injury suffered by the team’s star wide receiver Mike Evans.
Evans, who was returning from three-game absence due to a hamstring injury, was carted off the field in the second quarter after his head hit the turf while trying to catch a pass.
The 32-year-old was quickly ruled out with a concussion and a shoulder injury, but after the game, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles announced that Evans had suffered a broken clavicle and would miss most of the remainder of the NFL season.
It likely ends Evans’ run of 11-straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards and leaves Tampa Bay’s receiving core down to the bare bones. The team was already without veteran Chris Godwin due to a fibula injury and breakout rookie Emeka Egbuka has been dealing with a hamstring issue.
“It’s never good to see one of your star players go down like that, especially with him just coming back and everybody excited to see him,” Bowles said. “So, it’s a blow and we’ve been holding down since he’s been gone and we just got to regroup and come back.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba shines as Seahawks beat Texans
Monday’s other game was a tighter affair, with the Seahawks overcoming the Texans 27-19 at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks had raced into a 14-0 first-quarter lead before a string of errors let Houston back into the game.
Seattle receiver Cooper Kupp threw an interception, then the team had a field goal attempt blocked. Houston had two field goals in the meantime to make it 14-6 at the half.
Three plays after the break, Texans QB CJ Stroud threw an interception to set up a quick Seahawks field goal before a sack, forced fumble and fumble return touchdown – all from Houston pass rusher Will Anderson – cut Seattle’s lead to five.
Despite the Texans looking like they had the momentum, 10 straight points from the Seahawks put the home team back on top.
And although Woody Marks’ touchdown run with just over two minutes to play made it a one-score game, an unnecessary roughness penalty by Houston’s Tim Settle meant the Seahawks could run out the rest of the clock and hold on to an important win and improve to 5-2 in a three-way tie for first in the NFC West.
In what was a defensive grind at times, the star of the show on offense was Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who continued his excellent third season in the NFL.
The former Ohio State star finished the game with eight catches for 123 yards and a touchdown; he celebrated his score with an athletic basketball-esque dunk of the football over the goal posts for which he received a penalty.
He now leads the league with 819 receiving yards and now has five games this season with over 100 receiving yards.
Smith-Njigba has become the favorite target of Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold in his first year with the team and looks to be among the league’s best at his position.
The Seahawks signal-caller was asked about how Smith-Njigba compares to Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, who Darnold connected with so effectively last season.
“They’re both really, really good players. Great players, if you will,” he told reporters. “I think they are really different. At the end of the day, they both know how to get open. I think that’s the only thing that matters.
“They run routes in different ways, but they understand coverage. They understand the DB they’re going against. Again, that’s habits. That’s both of their film study habits they have every single week, understanding the guys that they’re going against, understanding the coverages we’re going to see.
“I think at the end of the day it’s them just understanding who we’re going against and the preparation that Justin and JSN have during the week.”
The-CNN-Wire
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