NFL Week 7 Results 2017: 5 Takeaways From Sunday's Schedule

The results of Week 7 proved, once again, that trying to predict what will happen in the 2017 NFL season is a failing proposition. The last two MVP winners were defeated soundly as their teams were held to a total of 10 points, and three home teams were defeated by at least 17 points.

What did we learn from all of Sunday’s games? Here are five takeaways from Week 7:

The NFC West is a two-team race

Sunday’s injury to Carson Palmer assured that only the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have a real chance to win the division. The Arizona Cardinals lost their starting quarterback against L.A., falling to 3-4 on the season. They aren’t winning the division with Drew Stanton under center for the next eight weeks, and the San Francisco 49ers wouldn’t win the NFC West if they went undefeated for the rest of the season.

After beating the Cardinals 33-0 in London, the Rams are the only NFL team that’s scoring more than 30 points per game. The Seahawks now rank first in points allowed after beating the New York Giants 24-7 on the road. With both teams having suffered just two losses, their head-to-head meeting on Dec. 17 could end up deciding which team finishes in first place.

The Atlanta Falcons are in trouble

Asking the Falcons to have the same success on offense that they did last year would’ve been unreasonable. That doesn’t mean anyone should’ve expected Atlanta to regress like this. Following their 23-7 loss to the New England Patriots on “Sunday Night Football,” it appears that it could be a struggle for the Falcons to get back to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

Matt Ryan wasn’t expected to repeat as the league MVP, but it’s surprising to see him rank just 16th in passer rating. The loss of former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has hurt the team in a major way, and Atlanta isn’t maximizing the talent they have on offense. The Falcons scored just 17 points in consecutive home games before losing to New England. The New Orleans Saints look like the best team in the NFC South.

All four AFC division winners might repeat

The NFC has been the much more unpredictable conference through seven weeks. Three of last year’s AFC division winners sit alone in first place, and the fourth winner is tied in the loss column for the top spot in the division.

Despite their loss on “Thursday Night Football,” the Kansas City Chiefs have a comfortable two-game lead in the AFC West, and they are easily the most well-rounded team in the division. It’s only a matter of time before the New England Patriots run away with the AFC East, now that their defensive issues appear to have been largely sorted out. After beating the Cincinnati Bengals by 15 points and improving to 3-0 in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to easily win the division. The emergence of Deshaun Watson makes the Houston Texans the best team in the AFC South, and they should be considered divisional favorites because of the Jacksonville Jaguars' and Tennessee Titans’ inconsistent offenses.

The ruling on Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension will determine if Dallas makes the playoffs

Elliott will be on the field for the Cowboys’ Week 8 game against the Washington Redskins, but nothing beyond that is guaranteed. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30 for the injunction on Elliott’s six-game suspension.

The running back totaled 219 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in Sunday’s 40-10 win over the 49ers. Concerns at the start of the season that maybe he didn’t have the same burst as last year were exaggerated. Elliott is back to dominating with 124.3 yards from scrimmage per game. He helped the Cowboys get back to .500, but Dallas will struggle to win games in November and December if they are relying on Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden out of the backfield.

The Chicago Bears will make the NFC North race interesting

Entering the 2017 season as the only team in the division that wasn’t given much of a chance to make the playoffs, Chicago is exceeding expectations. With the injury to Aaron Rodgers and Chicago's Week 7 win over Carolina, it's not out of the question that the Bears could be threatening to reach the postseason late in December.

Mitchell Trubisky hasn’t done much as Mike Glennon’s replacement, but it hasn’t mattered. Chicago has won two games in a row with a dominant defense and running game, and that could be enough for the team to avoid a losing record. Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen have helped put the Bears fifth in total rushing yards. The Bears’ defense has been almost as good, shutting down the likes of Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger, while keeping Matt Ryan in check. The unit has what it takes to upset the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings because of the questions those teams have on offense.