What’s hot and what’s Knott in football – Week 7

By Rhys Knott

Week 7 was big for fans who like to see new faces in new places. Fans at Wembley got to see any number of exciting rookies, and Drake Maye, too.

Davante Adams made his debut in a Jets uniform. Amari Cooper took his bow as a Bill, and Nick Chubb played his first game for the Browns this season. But that wasn’t even half the story in Cleveland.

Myles Garrett called out Browns’ fans for cheering Deshaun Watson’s ruptured Achilles tendon. Dustin Hopkins then refused to talk to reporters after missing the two kicks he attempted. They’re a terrible football team, but a great soap opera.

What’s Hot in Football – Week 7

Embed from Getty Images

If Week 6 was about monstrous punts Week 7 was revenge week for the returners. Dee Williams, Mecole Hardman, and Parker Washington all pulled off notable returns.  

Williams returned a Bradley Pinion punt 18 yards for the Seahawks. If that doesn’t sound like much, it’s 1.3 yards more than the league average. Williams’ return also set up a six-play drive that ended with a D.K. Metcalf touchdown. A score that would give Seattle a 10-point lead at halftime. 

Hardman’s return against the 49ers also resulted in a pivotal momentum change. The former Georgia Bulldog followed up his alma mater’s win over the Longhorns with a 55-yard punt return in Levis Stadium. With a 4th and 2 on their own 38-yard line Kyle “belt and braces” Shanahan opted to punt. Mitch Wishnowsky’s lacklustre 47-yard effort led to the Chiefs’ second touchdown drive of the game. 

But they both pale into insignificance compared to Parker Washington’s return in London. Second-year receiver Washington had 21 yards from scrimmage in 2024 and was looking like the AFC’s answer to Mason Tipton (not very big, not very fast, silly name, the whole nine yards). But Washington gobbled up 96 yards in the blink of an eye against the team we must never speak of (the Patriots). 

So, did Adams’s arrival in New York and Cooper moving 195 miles up I-90 have instant impacts? Well, the thing about wide receivers moving mid-season is that they don’t necessarily have to put up numbers themselves to have a positive effect.

Adams caught three of his nine targets for 30 yards which is suboptimal. But Adams’ presence allowed Allen Lazard to bully some of the Steelers’ younger defensive backs. It also prevented Teryl Austin from selling out to stop the run.  

The Jets are still awful at running the ball though, but Breece Hall racked up 103 receiving yards instead. Not the panacea some believed it would be then. Adams’ arrival didn’t stop Antonio Gibson from fumbling two punts or slow the Jets injury crisis. But, hey they’re better than the Patriots, but some Pop Warner teams are better than the Patriots. 

As for Cooper, he caught four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown. But more importantly, Cooper’s presence allowed Keon Coleman to go ham! The rookie hauled in just four catches, but he racked up 125 yards! And he had a touchdown catch chalked off. 
Coleman’s Bills teammate

Josh Allen definitely fell into the hot category this week too. Allen’s 323 passing yards led the league and his 33 passing attempts are a season high for the 28-year-old. Although it’s very important to caveat all of the Bills’ love with the phrase “it was against the Titans”. 

The killer B’s took over Thursday Night Football. Bo, Bub, and Bonitto combined for 164 passing yards, 37 receiving yards, three QB hits, and a sack.

Most importantly for Bo Nix, he didn’t turn the ball over once. That’s one reason the Saints only scored three points in the first 57 minutes and 16 seconds of the game! He also racked up 75 rushing yards in addition to his 164 through the air. The 24-year-old also clocked three of the six fastest ball carries in the Superdome too.

Spencer Rattler recorded the seventh-fastest speed and while it’s fun to see the quarterbacks stretching their legs it’s also a damning indictment of the other skill players! 

239 total yards isn’t a huge number for a quarterback to amass in a single game, but when your opponents only have 271 total yards between them it’s enough to win a game.  

Likewise, the 37-yard Saints rookie Bub Means accumulated doesn’t exactly knock your socks off. But it’s 14% of the team total and, considering he only caught three passes it indicates they need to use him more.

Only tight end Foster Moreau had a higher average per reception than Means and the Saints only threw in his direction twice. Come on guys, this stuff isn’t as complicated as you’re making it look. 

Thursday’s final B, Nik Bonitto now has five sacks in his last five games! No Broncos defender has had a five-game sack streak since Von Miller back in 2018! The former Oklahoma Sooner also has four tackles for loss in the same span of games and a total of 9.5 sacks in his last 9 games dating back to last season. 

Away from Thursday night, on Sunday another B stepped up and won the Steelers a game that was looking too close for comfort. Beanie Bishop (B squared) made six total tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two interceptions. Not bad for an undrafted free agent! 

Bishop isn’t the last “B” though. From an undrafted free agent to one of the most eagerly anticipated players to ever enter the NFL draft. Saquon Barkley racked up 5,038 yards from scrimmage during his three years at Penn State, scoring 51 touchdowns in the process.  

It’s fair to say Barkley’s NFL road hasn’t been as smooth as his Big Ten path was, but (if he stays healthy, big “if” that) he’s on pace for a career-high in rushing yards in his first season with the Eagles. If Barkley plays all 17 games he’ll end the regular season with 1,864.3 yards on the ground and 15 rushing touchdowns. Maybe Nick Sirianni should shout that at the home fans next time? 

Not only did Barkley rush for a season-high against his former team, the Giants in Week 7, but his 176 yards on the ground was his most since 2019.

And he clocked the fastest carry of the week according to NextGen stats. His 21.93 mph is the second-fastest carry of the season after Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr. (seriously people, how did you let him fall to the 23rd pick?)! 

Finally for the good it’s Malik of the Week time. Slightly surprisingly it’s Malik Mustapha again! The rookie was outstanding in a team that lost at home despite being favoured by the bookmakers. The 49ers don’t miss Hufanga with the rookie improving every week.

What’s Knott in Football – Week 7

By far the most Knott thing in football in, not just Week 7, but in 2024 has to be serious injuries. After Aidan Hutchinson’s horror leg break last week Brandon Aiyuk, Deshaun Watson, Paulson Adebo, Aidan O’Connell, and Jayden Daniels all suffered injuries this week that will rule them out for at least a few weeks.

The current iteration of the Saints’ offensive line is very much Knott Five of their offensive linemen were either out or dealing with injuries heading into the game. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Kyle Hergel, an undrafted free agent pick was pressed into action in the second half when Nick Saldivieri suffered a shoulder injury. That sort of thing actually makes you sympathise with Dennis Allen’s plight. 

Brock Purdy’s three interceptions put him in contention for a spot in the Knott section this week, but he gets a free pass since the 49ers offense all seem to be carrying injuries, or not playing at all. The most surprising entry in this week’s Knott category has to be Kirk Cousins. 

Bad Kirk came out to play in Hot-Lanta in Week 7. Less than 24 hours after Cousins’ cousin (say that five times fast) helped the Yankees secure a World Series berth Kirk was sacked three times and threw two picks before being replaced by Michael Penix Jr.!  

The least surprising member of the Week 7 Knott club is Gardner Minshew, that guy’s agent is a miracle worker. $15 million guaranteed for two years is one of the greatest magic tricks Vegas has ever seen. Minshew stepped in when Aidan O’Connell suffered his injury and proceeded to throw 34 passes, three to Rams defenders.

The footballing pixie has now thrown one touchdown and five interceptions in his last 51 attempts! 

RHYS KNOTT

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes

5/5