Cleveland, Buffalo and Chicago have piled up wins early this season, even when they have not are available in dominating trend.

These three groups are all 5-2 after seven video games regardless of being outscored by the opposition. The Browns have been outscored by 21 factors because of blowout losses to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, whereas the Payments have been outscored by 4 factors and the Bears by two.

Earlier than this trio, the final crew to start the season by successful at the least 5 of the primary seven video games regardless of being outscored was the 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had been outscored by 27 factors. The Bucs completed that season 10-6, however missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker.

It is the primary time because the merger that three groups have executed this in the identical season. Jacksonville and Atlanta did it in 2004, the Rams and Falcons in 1995, and Chicago and Detroit in 1991.

Of the 15 groups which have executed it because the merger, six made the playoffs, together with the eventual Tremendous Bowl champion Raiders in 1976. The opposite 9 fell wanting the postseason.

COVERING GROUND: Seattle’s D.J. Metcalf may need had the play of the yr when he tracked down Arizona’s Budda Baker on a 90-yard interception return and made the sort out wanting the top zone regardless of Baker having a head begin of a number of yards. Metcalf raced 108.eight yards on the play, in response to NextGen stats, and reached a prime pace of 22.64 mph. That was the second-fastest pace for a participant on a sort out this season, behind Seattle teammate Shaquill Griffin’s 22.75 mph chasing down Dallas’ Michael Gallup in Week 3.

Metcalf didn’t cowl the longest distance in Week 7. San Francisco’s Emmanuel Moseley ran 129.6 yards on a play wherein he intercepted New England’s Cam Newton and returned it 51 yards.

TRADING PLACES: Tom Brady threw 4 TD passes final week for Tampa Bay to maneuver previous New Orleans’ Drew Brees for probably the most in NFL historical past with 559. Brees handed Peyton Manning final season for probably the most TD passes solely to lose the file, at the least quickly, to Brady this season. The 2 might commerce it forwards and backwards the remainder of the season.

ROOKIE QBS: Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa is ready to change into the third rookie quarterback to start out this season when the Dolphins face the Rams. The opposite two have had fairly a powerful begin to their careers that Tagovailoa will attempt to comply with because the fifth total draft choose.

No. 1 choose Joe Burrow started the season because the starter in Cincinnati and have become the primary rookie in NFL historical past to throw for at the least 400 yards and three TDs and run for a rating in final week’s loss to Cleveland. Burrow has 5 300-yard passing video games already this season, one shy of Andrew Luck’s rookie file.

Justin Herbert, the No. 6 choose, has been taking part in at an especially excessive degree after taking on as starter for the Chargers in Week 2. Herbert’s 1,542 yards passing are the second most for a QB in his first 5 begins to Cam Newton’s 1,610. Herbert has 12 TD passes, together with 10 in his previous three begins.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER COMEBACK: For the seventh straight week, a crew rallied from at the least 13 factors all the way down to win a recreation, with Arizona doing it in opposition to the Seattle. That is simply the third season because the merger that featured a 13-point comeback in every of the primary seven weeks, after it additionally taking place in 2003 and 2015.

There have been 22 double-digit comebacks this season, the second most by means of seven weeks to the 23 in 1987, which featured three weeks with alternative gamers.

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