Week 7 in the NFL is suddenly juicy.

Some teams decided not to wait until the November trade deadline to bolster their rosters, and so Davante Adams is a New York Jet and Amari Cooper is a Buffalo Bill. Both are expected to play on Sunday.

The Houston Texans and the Green Bay Packers meet in a showdown. No one would ever turn down a Super Bowl rematch, and that’s exactly what awaits us on Sunday afternoon when the San Francisco 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs.

And perhaps few will brag about being the best team in the league heading into Sunday’s Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings clash. Perhaps even fewer predicted that Baker Mayfield would have a chance to make his MVP bid Monday night against Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens.

Our NFL experts Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer discuss what intrigues them as Week 7 progresses.

A Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and 49ers takes place on Sunday. The 49ers are hurting but finding ways to win. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, even if they aren’t playing their best football yet. What interests you most about this game?

How: The Chiefs aren’t going to do much on Sunday, good or bad, that would significantly change my perception of them. The 49ers, on the other hand, are omnipresent. Although this can be explained by injuries, they have overcome worse and won bigger games in the past. I’d like to see if Brock Purdy can steal the show on this stage. Patrick Mahomes’ numbers were mediocre by his standards, so Purdy has a chance to show if the 49ers can get their first win of the season.

Sando: Can Purdy’s increased scramble make the difference for San Francisco in a close game? He had two insignificant duels in the 49ers’ overtime loss to Kansas City in last season’s Super Bowl. Purdy’s legs have added another dimension to his game this season. His 8.4 EPA on scrambles through six games is nearly equal to his 2023 season total. It’s not far behind Mahomes’ 10.8 total through five games this season.

Keefer: I agree with Jeff – there’s little the Chiefs can do at this point that would change my view of them. Statistically speaking, Mahomes is off to the worst start of his career, yet Kansas City is one of two teams in the league that are still undefeated. It has earned the right to be judged in January and February, not October. This game is about the 49ers, who haven’t been doing well since their opening win against the New York Jets. Was the rocky start simply a side effect of increasing injuries, or does this team not have the same firepower as in recent years? I’m betting on the latter. It wouldn’t surprise me if it took the 49ers nearly two months to get back on their feet after the offseason contract drama, the spate of early injuries and the lingering heartbreak of last year’s Super Bowl overtime loss.

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Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl rematch: What changed, biggest surprises, X-factors

Does the winner of Sunday’s Lions-Vikings game have a legitimate claim to being the best team in the league? Can the Lions still live up to the high expectations without Aidan Hutchinson?

How: Oh, absolutely. Both teams look great in the league’s best division and have won against quality opponents. Plus, both the quarterbacks and defense were good. These aren’t teams that get their wins based on one or two elite players – they’re both loaded across the board. As for the Lions, I would never discount Hutchinson’s importance, but this roster is good enough to win the Super Bowl and there’s a good chance they get a pass rusher before the trade deadline. The margin for error has decreased significantly, but they are still developing into a championship-caliber team.

Sando: That’s harder to support when the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs move to 6-0 with a win over the 49ers. Kansas City has proven it can win in more than one way. The Lions and Vikings generally won a certain way. I wouldn’t bet against Kansas City in an important neutral game, regardless of the opponent.

Keefer: Until the Chiefs lose an important game, no one can claim they are the best team in football. (Remember: Kansas City’s last loss was on Christmas Day.) However, Minnesota and Detroit are legitimate contenders in the NFC, and whoever wins this division in January will deserve it. For the Lions, Hutchinson is irreplaceable – he was in conversation with TJ Watt for Defensive Player of the Year – and plays one of the most important positions in the game. Consider: He led the league with a pressure rate of 20.5; The Lions’ next five rushers (at least 55 pass-rush snaps) combine at 10.2. Detroit still has an excellent roster, perhaps the league’s best from the top, but Hutchinson’s absence will catch up with the Lions sooner or later.

Ravens-Bucs on Monday night is one of the best games of the week. Where does Lamar Jackson rank on your MVP leaderboard? Should Baker Mayfield, who leads the league in TD passes, be in the conversation?

How: Jackson is my MVP at this point and he has a solid buffer in the field. And absolutely, Mayfield is a real candidate. It looks like the Bucs are looking to finish high in the NFC playoffs, and Mayfield is the main reason for that surge. We’ll just wait and see where these two QBs fare with Mahomes, Josh Allen, CJ Stroud, Purdy, Jordan Love, Jared Goff and Sam Darnold. And hey, maybe a non-QB has a chance.

Sando: Jackson and Jayden Daniels are at the top of the list for me based on the impact they made this season and the context of that impact. Both strive for success on offense in order to win, even though the defense isn’t exactly great. I have a harder time placing Mayfield in this category because of his impact on opposing defenses.

Keefer: If Jackson keeps this up, it will be really difficult for voters not to award him his second straight MVP title and his third since 2019. Despite some early hints from Allen, no quarterback does what he does week in and week out. Mayfield is gearing up for another outstanding season in Tampa, but I don’t think he’s at the level that Jackson, Allen and Mahomes are. And that is important in the eyes of voters.

Good morning, 👑 pic.twitter.com/02fQ45ZsNv

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 17, 2024

The New England Patriots are in London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. What do you think of Drake Mayes’ starting debut last week against the Texans?

How: I really liked Maye’s debut. Their offense looked like a completely different group with the rookie under center, which was unexpected after previous struggles across the board with the line and skill positions. Maye’s 40-yard touchdown to Kayshon Boutte was the Patriots’ best pass of the post-Tom Brady era, and I liked the ball placement on the TD to Pop Douglas. The three turnovers need to be cleaned up, but I won’t worry about it until it becomes a trend.

Sando: Maye showed his prowess with his arms and legs, but fought a hopeless battle against a strong Texas defense and was not consistently accurate. I’m interested to see how he performs against the Jaguars. Allen, Caleb Williams, Stroud, Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa combined for 14 touchdown passes with one interception against Jacksonville this season. Deshaun Watson was the only opposing quarterback to have a statistically poor game against the Jaguars. Let’s see where Maye falls on this list, keeping in mind that he has less support and less experience than any of the QBs that torched Jacksonville this season.

Keefer: It was telling that Maye scored more touchdowns in his first start than the Patriots had scored in the entire season to that point. He appears to be the spark this team desperately needs on offense for this season and the future. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Maye continue his strong start overseas: He’ll be facing a Jaguars defense that’s one of the league’s worst. So far, Jacksonville ranks 31st in defensive EPA/game, 31st in points allowed, 32nd against the pass and 29th in pressure percentage.

Davante Adams is now a Jet. It looks like Russell Wilson will be making his debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Does Adams fix all of the Jets’ problems? Would the Steelers make the right move and use Wilson instead of Justin Fields?

How: On paper, Adams doesn’t correct what we’ve seen from the Jets for six weeks. But the team could find something after the firing of Robert Saleh and the Adams trade. It’s still a long shot, but I saw enough of Aaron Rodgers last week to believe the potential to sneak into the playoffs is there. My main concern with the Steelers is that the defense hasn’t looked as dominant lately. If they can play great complementary football I would stick with Fields. If they’re looking for a stronger passing boost, I’d understand the move to Wilson, but I’d quickly move back to Fields if it’s clear he gives them the best chance to win.

Sando: Adams allows Rodgers to play the way he wants to without adjusting to receivers who are unfamiliar with his style of play. I would expect the two to connect on back-shoulder passes and other throws that require feel and coordination between quarterback and receiver. The Jets’ other problems will continue to be problems for them. The situation in Pittsburgh seems strange on the surface, but after watching Fields closely, it’s easy to see why Mike Tomlin might want to see if another quarterback can improve the passing game. The professional way Fields handled the situation suggests the team can go back to him at any time and likely get a similar game.

Keefer: From an entertainment perspective, this could be the most intriguing game of the week. I actually like Mike Tomlin’s logic here – he saw what he had to do with Justin Fields, who was better than him in Chicago but left the door open for Wilson to step in. That the Steelers are 4-2 adds another layer of intrigue: They will be fighting for a playoff spot over the next few months, and Tomlin’s decision will have significant implications. As long as the Steelers don’t go into a free fall, finding out whether Wilson is a better fit on offense – and more productive as a passer – is the right move. On the other hand, I can see the Jets throwing in five or 10 plays for Adams in his debut, hoping the chemistry between him and Rodgers will take off right away. It’s a game-changing move, but I still don’t think New York will make the playoffs after the regular season. This team is just too inconsistent.

(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)