NFL Best & Worst: From Cam Skattebo’s Giant Spark To The Chiefs’ Offensive Sputter

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more difficult watch than Sunday’s Packers-Lions game, due to the officiating. The Chiefs could say the same thing about their offense on Sunday night. On the flip side, how about those Cowboys? Their offense got back on track — with a wrinkle. In New York, Cam Skattebo reasserted himself as the Giants’ RB1. Here’s my breakdown of the best and worst from Week 7, focusing on storylines, defenses and offenses across the league: A week after not getting a carry, a result of his fumbling issues through five games, Skattebo rebounded in a major way in the Giants’ 27-21 overtime victory over the Houston Texans. The second-year tailback carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 124 rushing yards (his first-ever 100-yard game) and a touchdown. He scored on a 16-yard run in the fourth quarter and his 42-yard scamper in extra time set up Devin Singletary’s 30-yard, game-winning touchdown. Skattebo’s performance highlighted a stellar day on the ground overall for the Giants, who had a season-high 188 rushing yards. All three of New York’s running backs (Skattebo, Singletary, Tyrone Tracy Jr.) had rushing touchdowns. In the wake of Skattebo’s costly OT fumble against the Washington Commanders in Week 5 and Najee Harris’ release on Oct. 20, there was plenty of uncertainty regarding the Giants’ running backs. But the group responded in a big way for coach John Harbaugh. Skattebo, Tracy and Singletary all putting their arms around each other to celebrate post-game was fitting. Thanks in large part to the run game, the Giants are in a great place as they enter their bye week. And they may have something cooking with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback. At 4-2-1, they have a 1.5-game lead atop the NFC East. I’m not one to gripe against officiating, but it was so bad in the Packers-Lions game that it must be addressed. The Packers were penalized eight times for 81 yards, with seven of them coming in the second half. The calls included two questionable roughing the passer penalties, a strange intentional grounding call against quarterback Jordan Love (despite the fact that a receiver, tight end Tucker Kraft, was in the area) and a wild unnecessary roughness foul against defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. On that play, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown appeared to go down after a short catch but got up and kept running. Wyatt then tackled St. Brown but was hit with a flag, despite the fact that no whistle was heard. In the postgame pool report, referee Alex Moore did not definitively say whether a whistle was blown either. I wouldn’t say the Packers’ loss was on the refs. Green Bay blew its share of opportunities throughout the game. Kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter and his 35-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter was partially blocked. There were drops. The run game continued to be a disaster even with lead back Josh Jacobs back in the lineup, producing just 60 net yards. But in a league in which many games are decided by a few plays, the officiating must be held accountable — just like the performance by players and coaches. Mike Macdonald’s “Dark Side” defense completely overwhelmed the Chiefs on Sunday night, ruining Kenneth Walker III’s return to Seattle. The Seahawks held Kansas City to its fewest points (3), total yards (213), first downs (11) and red zone drives (0) in any game started by Patrick Mahomes, according to FOX Sports Research. Walker, who’s been the early favorite for Offensive Player of the Year, was held to a season-low 36 rushing yards — a shade over half of his previous season-worst (70). We didn’t learn much from the Seahawks defensively. We already knew that they were elite on that side of the ball. What was encouraging was their run game, which produced 153 yards — the second-most Seattle has had on the ground this season. And tailback Zach Charbonnet, who had a team-high 12 rushing touchdowns last season, is nearing his return after tearing his ACL in last season’s playoffs. Activated off the physically unable to perform list on Oct. 22, the former second-round pick was a full participant in practice this past week. Seattle has had at least 113 rushing yards in three of their past four games. Charbonnet is on his way back. The ground attack is finally starting to emerge, and that takes a ton of pressure off quarterback Sam Darnold and the pass game. Now 4-3, the defending-champion Seahawks are reasserting themselves as a top NFC contender. Jesse Minter’s defense collapsed in the second half of Baltimore’s loss to the Bengals, allowing 35 points in the last two quarters. Cincinnati scored five straight touchdowns to start the second half, as Joe Burrow played lights out over the final 30 minutes — 16-of-18 for 249 yards and four touchdowns with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. His four second-half passing TDs tied his career high in a half, per FOX Sports Research. Late-game woes have been a recurring issue for the Ravens this season. Over the past four weeks, they’ve been outscored by 47 points in the second half and overtime. It’s why I’m not buying that they’re a serious AFC contender, even when star quarterback Lamar Jackson returns from his ankle injury. The two-time MVP’s presence should alleviate the scoring challenges that Baltimore has had the past couple of weeks (23 points combined since Week 6) and keep the offense on the field longer, limiting possessions for the opponent. But the Ravens appear to have a mindset problem. I don’t think the boost that will come with Jackson’s return eliminates that. After back-to-back weeks of sluggish offensive play, the Cowboys erupted for a season-high 38 points in their convincing victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. It marked the most points scored by an NFL offense in Week 7 (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put up a league-best 43 points in their win over the Carolina Panthers, but nine of those points came from a fumble-return touchdown and a defensive two-point conversion). The Cowboys’ prolific passing attack regained its rhythm — quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 212 yards and connected with star wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (five catches, 74 yards, two TDs) and George Pickens (four catches, 57 yards, TD) for three touchdowns — but the big story was how the offense imposed its will in the trenches. Dallas had a season-high 204 rushing yards, including a career-high 155 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries (6.2 yards per carry) by lead back Javonte Williams. This is what Prescott was referring to in the offseason when he hyped the moniker, ‘The Greatest Offense There Is.’ This is the version of the Cowboys that frightens opponents. They have no weakness offensively when the run game is going. It becomes a true pick-your-poison unit. Combine that with an improving defense, and the Cowboys can beat anyone. But Monday was just one game. They need to do it consistently. And the defense needs to show it can be trusted for the long haul. Above, I broke down how Sunday’s game was the worst offensive showing that the Chiefs have had in the Mahomes era. Kansas City doesn’t need to overreact to one road game against one of the league’s best defenses, but the performance did show how the Chiefs are a bit too reliant on Walker, who’s the engine of their offense. They need more help at receiver to open up the box for the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Kansas City’s issues Sunday night were exacerbated by the absence of wideout Rashee Rice, who was out with hamstring and knee injuries. And with Rice sidelined, top receiver Xavier Worthy had just three catches for 11 yards. The Chiefs should be aggressive for a wide receiver at the deadline. The Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. is the kind of athletic speedster that Kansas City could utilize to stretch the field, making up for the loss of Tyquan Thornton earlier in the season.