2026 NFL Week 7 Biggest Takeaways for Every Team

Six weeks of play is more than enough to know how good a team is or isn't. Some may be swimming up stream, while others are handling business as expected.

Those squads who have failed to meet expectations can feel pressure as it increases with each passing week.

"Am I frustrated and p***ed off? You're damn right I am," Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters after his team's 2-4 start. "But I'm gonna roll my sleeves up and I'm gonna go to work. And I'm gonna solve it."

Proclamations mean nothing unless improvement is seen on the field.

Bleacher Report NFL analysts Brent Sobleski , Kris Knox , and Moe Moton will follow all of the action to break down which teams talked the talk and which ones actually walked the walk.

Bears 30, Patriots 24 Can Luther Burden III Continue as Chicago Bears No. 1 Target? The Chicago Bears traded DJ Moore this season after three straight seasons as the team's top wide receiver. The organization did so, because Rome Odunze was waiting in the wings after the Bears drafted the Washington product during the first round of the 2024 class. Odunze hasn't emerged as Chicago's WR1, though. Luther Burden is the more dynamic option, as seen Thursday against the New England Patriots. Burden was the Bears' leader with 31 receptions entering the team's latest contest. The second-year target exploded with four receptions for 130 yards and a score. In some ways, Burden has effectively replaced Moore, because they two receivers have similar skill sets. Like Moore, Burden is at his best after the catch, as evidenced by taking a simple smoke route and turning it into a 24-yard touchdown. His presence in the lineup could become more critical in the coming weeks. TE Cole Kmet Leaves Contest With Apparent Knee Injury Burden may be featured even more depending on the diagnosis of Cole Kmet's right knee. The veteran tight end's knee buckled during a fourth-quarter hit along the sidelines and needed to be carted off the field. Kmet provides the Bears with personnel flexibility. If he misses any time, Colston Loveland and Burden will be take on more responsibilities in the passing game. Meanwhile, third-round rookie Sam Roush can become a heavy in-line operator whenever head coach/offensive play-caller Ben Johnson opts to utilize 12 personnel.

Will the New England Patriots See AJ Brown Return to Form? The Patriots traded a first-round pick to acquire AJ Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles. The organization may already regret the deal. To be fair, Brown missed four came with an ankle injury. The 29-year-old target may need even more time getting back to game-speed. The Patriots' hope so, because Brown was a non-factor Thursday after not being on the same page with quarterback Drake Maye during Sunday's contest against the New York Jets.

In the end, the veteran target caught three passes for 48 yards. But he was added to create an impact for an offense that lacked a true WR1 last season. The Patriots will try and feed Brown the ball. He'll need to do something with those opportunities in the coming weeks or risk having the situation sour on him, much like it once did in Philadelphia. Patriots Can Alleviate Offensive Concerns with Greater Emphasis on Run Game Brown has yet to produce like a top target. New England is injured along the offensive line, with a pair of backup guards starting Thursday. A commitment to the run game can significantly help both matters. Granted, the Bears held a two-score lead during the second half on two different occasions. But the Patriots continued to chip away throughout the evening. In the end, New England's running backs carried the ball 13 times and averaged 3.4 yards per carry. This unit can't become so one-dimensional. The ability to run the ball will make life easier on the offensive line and create space for wide receivers.

Things got real this past week when the Indianapolis Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard after only six weeks. Granted, the move had been building for some time, but desperation is already setting in for some franchises.

Conversely, eight teams enter this weekend's play with four or more victories, including three remaining undefeated squads.

Sunday's play will be punctuated by the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs traveling to Seattle and facing the reigning Super Bowl champions. But the Super Bowl LX MVP now wears a red and yellow-trimmed uniform, while leading the league in rushing yardage.

Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints (9:30 am)

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons (1 pm)

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans (1 pm)

Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings (1 pm)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (1 pm)

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (1 pm)

New York Giants at Houston Texans (1 pm)

Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 pm)

Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (4:25 pm)

Los Angeles Rams at Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 pm)

Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks (8:20 pm)

Monday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

The reins of the Philadelphia Eagles offense have been handed to Tanner McKee after Jalen Hurts was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to ongoing care for blood clots. McKee officially takes over as Philadelphia's QB1 during Monday's primetime outing against the Dallas Cowboys.

"I think he's really sharp mentally; he's accurate, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly," offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said of the Stanford graduate. "I think he does all the things that you ask of a quarterback in terms of his pre-snap operation, and being able to use his cadence [and] being able to handle things at the line of scrimmage if you need adjustments. I think he's strong in a lot of those areas, and I think it opens up some things for us offensively." The Cowboys should see McKee's presence in Philadelphia's lineup as an opportunity. Dallas is looking to turn around its season, and the Cowboys' much-maligned defense should get after the inexperienced signal-caller.