Overreaction Monday: Chiefs Not A Super Bowl Contender? Steelers Are Legit?

With each passing week, are the so-called overreactions starting to become reality? That might be the case after Sunday’s slate of games. Week 7 brought us some more exciting finishes around the NFL, but we also got some pretty strong statements. The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks showed that they shouldn’t be doubted in their decisive win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns continue to tack on wins, while the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens had losses that could show some cause for concern. What should we make of the biggest statements from Week 7, though? Let’s overreact (or not) to Sunday’s slate. In their first real test of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs looked like they were not ready for prime time. The league’s leading rusher and reigning Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, was held to a season-low 36 yards in his return to Seattle in the Chiefs’ blowout 20-3 loss to the Seahawks. And, maybe more notably, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was held to a career-low three points. The Chiefs finished with just 257 yards and failed to reach the red zone in eight offensive possessions. They totaled just 11 first downs and finished 3 of 11 on third down. Like the New England Patriots last year, who used one of the easiest schedules in the league to propel themselves to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have one of the easiest schedules this season due to their 6-11 record last year. And just like the Patriots last year, they were hit with a reality check when they faced the Seahawks. Conclusion: Not An Overreaction It’s simple: If Kansas City wants to make a deep playoff run, the Chiefs must prove they can beat the top teams in the NFL, like the Seahawks. Unless you think highly of the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs haven’t gotten that win yet. The Chiefs were playing without key pieces on offense, including both starting offensive tackles Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore, plus wide receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton. Still, players like tight end Travis Kelce failed to pick up the slack and provide an option in the passing game for Mahomes, who struggled with 165 passing yards and an interception. Mahomes has now thrown an interception in two straight games and three in his last four. He also doesn’t have any touchdowns in the last two weeks after the Chiefs’ bye. Defensively, the Chiefs had no answer for reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who finished with nine receptions for 165 yards and a score. That allowed Sam Darnold to arguably have his best game of the season after some struggles in recent weeks. Jordan Love completed 60% of his passes for 274 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to put the Green Bay Packers on his back and carry them to a victory against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Even with running back Josh Jacobs being active for the first time this season after missing the first six games due to an offseason arrest, the Packers still could not effectively run the football, totaling 60 yards on the ground. And Love’s pass-catching group also let him down, with three drops, per Pro Football Focus. Defensively, the Packers couldn’t slow down Jared Goff, who’s playing at an MVP level this season. The Cal product threw for 303 yards and two scores. Green Bay’s defense also allowed Jahmyr Gibbs to run for 115 yards on 29 carries. Conclusion: Not An Overreaction Love was the fourth-leading passer in the NF entering Sunday and is playing at an elite level, but he still needs help. The Packers have one of the worst kicking situations in the league, with rookie Trey Smack missing two field goals in this one, including a 34-yard attempt that could have won the game that was blocked by the Lions. Smack’s 68.8% field goal percentage is among the worst in the NFL. However, even with the struggles on offense with running the football and drops, along with the kicking game, help for Love is on the way in the form of edge rusher Micah Parsons, who should be returning soon from knee surgery that prematurely brought an end to his 2025 season. The return of Parsons gives Green Bay a true alpha to lead the defense. And led by defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, the Packers have shown they can play stifling defense by shutting down one of the best offenses in the league in the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. But for Love and the Packers to win the NFC North, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur must figure out how to elevate them to his franchise quarterback’s level. J.J. McCarthy led the New York Giants to an overtime victory on the road in what was supposed to be one of the best defenses in the NFL at the start of the season: the Houston Texans. McCarthy didn’t put up “wow” numbers, but he was efficient. He finished 20 of 28 for 252 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Five of those completions went for at least 20 yards and he led seven New York drives into Houston territory. With the victory, the Giants lead the NFC North at 4-2-1. The Giants matched their win total from the 2025 season when they finished 4-13. Last season they did not get their fourth win until Week 18, a 34-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy’s performance followed a 243-yard, one-touchdown passing effort in a loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 6 — and that was in only in one quarter of action. McCarthy subbed in for Jameis Winston in mop-up duty last week, playing well enough that head coach John Harbaugh named him the starting quarterback this week. With last year’s first-round selection Jaxson Dart suffering a season-ending knee injury that required surgery, McCarthy is another former first-round pick with good movement skills that gives the Giants an opportunity to compete for a postseason berth this season. McCarthy should be part of the conversation for starting quarterback beyond this season if he can continue to stay healthy. Conclusion: Overreaction McCarthy has not shown in the NFL at this point that he can stay on the field for any length of time, so we should pump the brakes on him being the long-term starter in New York … for now. Besides, New York’s success on offense was really about Cam Skattebo and the running game. Skattebo finished with 127 rushing yards, including a 42-yard burst that helped seal the game in overtime. Fellow running back Devin Singletary put the game away with a 30-yard run for the winning score in the extra period. The Giants finished with 188 rushing yards as a team. The Giants also held Houston’s offense to just 237 total yards. However, McCarthy’s off to a good start, and it will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy, keep the solid play going and not throw the ball to the other team. Don’t look now, but 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers has the Steelers tied atop the AFC North — again. The defending division champs held on for a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFL’s first game in Paris. Rodgers achieved yet another big accomplishment in his storied career, eclipsing Payton Manning (539) on the all-time touchdown passes list with 540. Rodgers is now third on the list, trailing only Tom Brady (649) and Drew Brees (571). Accolades aside, Rodgers looks more comfortable finding Pittsburgh’s playmakers in the offense. He finished 19 of 30 (63%) for 212 yards, with a touchdown pass and no interceptions. Rodgers completed passes to seven different pass catchers. Also, Rodgers joins Brady (68) as the only quarterbacks in the NFL with at least 20 wins at age 40 or older, according to FOX Sports Research. The Steelers have now won three games in a row, and four of their last five. Rodgers’ reunion with Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy has been rocky at times, but has also exceeded expectations for a team few NFL observers expected to compete for a postseason berth. Conclusion: Not An Overreaction While Rodgers has been good, it’s been running back Jaylen Warren and the return of a dominant Pittsburgh defense that have paved the way to consistent winning for the Steelers. Warren had another strong performance for Pittsburgh, finishing with 101 yards rushing on 18 carries. With Rico Dowdle healthy, he has combined with Warren to form a potent 1-2 punch out of the backfield as a safety valve for Rodgers in the passing game. The two combined for 10 catches and 81 yards on Sunday. But Warren has been the catalyst and deserves mention among the best backs in the league. Warren’s 718 scrimmage yards entering this weekend’s games were fifth in the NFL. Along with a dynamic playmaker in Warren, Pittsburgh’s defense is back to playing good football. The Steelers held New Orleans to 11 rushing yards on 14 designed runs (0.8 yards per carry), the fewest yards per designed run by any team in a game this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Over Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak, the Steelers held opposing offenses to 17 points a game, with eight sacks and three takeaways. Baker Mayfield led a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense that was responsible for 34 points in a 30-point win over the Carolina Panthers in a 30-point victory in his first game back from a broken thumb. The Buccaneers have defeated the Panthers in 13 of their past 16 games. The Buccaneers scored 33 first-half points against the Panthers. It’s the third-most Tampa Bay has scored in the first half since 1991, according to FOX Sports Research. Mayfield only threw for 64 yards and a touchdown. But with the Bucs totaling 258 yards on the ground, all Mayfield had to do was turn around and hand the ball off. Defensively, Tampa Bay forced two turnovers and sacked Bryce Young five times. Conclusion: Not An Overreaction The Bucs have won two of their last three games and, at 2-5, sit just 1.5 games back of the division-leading Panthers at 3-3. And Tampa Bay still has five NFC South division games left, including two each against the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. A healthy Mayfield gives the Bucs one of the most talented quarterbacks in the division. Head coach Todd Bowles has the defense playing better over the last month. The Bucs also should get right tackle Luke Goedeke (calf), do-everything receiver Emeka Egbuka (concussion/foot) and defensive back Antoine Winfield (ribs) back at some point this season. Tampa Bay only plays three teams with a winning record over the last 10 games, so an easier record and a healthy Mayfield should help the Bucs make things interesting in the NFC South. As I preached a few weeks ago in this column, things should be OK in Tampa as long as the Buccaneers continue to right the ship.