AFC turning into juggernaut form? What's next for the Browns after Watson's injury? Lost season for the 49ers? NFL Week 7 Takeaway

Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season had plenty for fans to sink their teeth into.

From last-second wins and teams losing unbeaten streaks to season-ending injuries and the last game in London this season, it was a jam-packed slate of games.

Here are the key takeaways from last week in the National Football League.

The NFL is rich with playoff-hopefuls. And in the AFC, some of the front runners are starting to show their championship potential.

It starts with the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. They are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL after defeating their most recent rival, the San Francisco 49ers, on Sunday.

Yes, Patrick Mahomes has more turnovers than touchdowns at the moment, but when the time is right, the 29-year-old has found the plays he needs to win. He is being helped by an outstanding defense.

Two games behind the Chiefs is a group of teams that are showing their playoff aspirations in different ways.

The Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers all sit at 5-2. All but the Texans had big wins in Week 7, with Houston losing on a last-second field goal against the Green Bay Packers.

Despite the loss, Houston has plenty of room for optimism with young star quarterback C.J. Stroud, a great defense and an abundance of offensive talent, even with Nico Collins on the sidelines.

The Ravens are arguably the hottest team in football, currently riding a five-game winning streak with quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry far behind at their respective positions in the league.

The Bills have flown somewhat under the radar, but with QB Josh Allen leading the way and newly acquired No. 1 WR Amari Cooper, Buffalo could be poised for a surge.

The Steelers have been one of the stories of the season so far, with QB Justin Fields benched for veteran Russell Wilson ahead of their Week 7 game against the New York Jets despite boasting a 4-2 record.

But it had the desired effect as they emphatically defeated Gang Green 37-15, with Wilson throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in his Pittsburgh debut.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is famous for his fearsome defense and, if they can get the offense humming, the Steelers could be a serious Super Bowl contender.

After all, seven weeks into the NFL season, the AFC is really heating up with multiple potential superpowers kicking into gear.

AFC turning into juggernaut form? What's next for the Browns after Watson's injury? Lost season for the 49ers? NFL Week 7 Takeaway | CNN

This season has been a forgettable one so far for the Cleveland Browns, who sit at 1-6 on the year. And things went from bad to worse on Sunday when starting quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury.

In the second quarter of the Browns' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Watson fell to the ground with no players around him after receiving the ball under center. Slow-motion replays showed his right calf rippling just before he crumpled to the turf.

Watson received medical attention before carting off to the locker-room. The Browns announced shortly after that the 29-year-old was out for the rest of the game.

On Monday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefancsi confirmed that Watson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, ending the quarterback's season.

Watson ruptured his Achilles in the game against the Bengals.

Watson has failed to make the desired impact in Cleveland since his controversial trade from the Houston Texans in 2022.

Watson — who has filed dozens of civil lawsuits on behalf of women who accuse quarterbacks of sexually harassing or assaulting them — has played well under the massive contract offered to him by the Browns. He signed a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract upon his arrival in Ohio and is due to make $46 million in 2025 and 2026.

After struggling with suspensions, inaccuracies and injuries in his first two seasons in Cleveland, things haven't gotten much better for Watson in 2024 with just five touchdowns in the first six games this year. The QB's performance has led to questions about whether Stefanski will bench the veteran passer.

Although he had his best game of the season the Sunday before the injury, completing 15-of-17 passes for 128 yards, his injury was met with mixed reactions.

His Browns teammates came out to show their support as he walked off the field, while a section of the team's fans could be heard cheering as Watson left the field.

The response was criticized by Browns players, particularly fellow quarterback Jameis Winston and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, who called Watson a “model citizen”.

“We don't boo people who get hurt on the field, especially when Kurt comes out,” Garrett said after the game. “We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans for booing someone and taking them down.

“Humans are not perfect; He doesn't need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. I can't judge him for what he does on or off the field because I can't throw stones from my glass house,” Garrett added.

“But we've got to do better, we've got to do better on the football field, and we've got to do better as fans to have some sympathy for a guy who's doing the best he can and he's done the best up to this point. We have to do better.”

Watson is out for the remainder of the 2024 season.

While losing a starting QB would be a shock to most franchises, Watson's absence could provide an opportunity for the Browns to correct course in 2024.

team The announcement was made on Wednesday Veteran Winston will start the team's Week 8 game against the Ravens, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and newly acquired Bailey Zappe will also be on the depth chart.

With a 1-6 team after seven weeks, Cleveland is in good position to challenge for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and try to select a new pass rusher if they choose to do so.

Since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, the team has been one of the most successful in the NFL.

They reached the Super Bowl twice and the NFC Championship Game two more times. The only thing missing? That elusive championship ring.

The 49ers lost to Kansas City in both the 2019 and 2023 editions of the NFL's title game, and on Sunday, Shanahan's hold on Andy Reid continued as the Chiefs beat San Francisco again.

The loss dropped the Niners to 3-4 in seven weeks. While there's still plenty of football to come, Shanahan has more pressing issues for his team.

The injury list continued to grow through the game – and seemingly affected the team's most important players. Last year's Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey has yet to play a game, and neither has All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga.

The team's top two receivers, Debo Samuel and Brandon Ayuk, both left the loss to the Chiefs due to illness and injury, respectively.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw three interceptions in the loss to the Chiefs.

Shanahan confirmed Monday that Ayuk tore his ACL and is out for the season, and also revealed that Samuels left Sunday's game with “some fluid in his lungs” that was “technically pneumonia.” Samuel spent the night at the hospital, Shanahan said.

Even seven weeks into the season, the 49ers are well behind their usual standards. The only saving grace is perhaps that they are just two games behind the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.

But with the fourth-toughest remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage and the injury pile mounting, Shanahan has his work cut out for him to get San Francisco back to the postseason, according to Tankathon.

Speaking to reporters the day after the loss to the Chiefs, Shanahan explained that the team is taking it week by week.

“It's always tough to come in after a loss and see it. I thought the boys handled it well though,” he said. “I wanted to show all the places that, as bad as it felt, how many times we had a chance to win.

“I'm not trying to take anything away from Kansas City, but how much we hurt ourselves in that game and how many things, despite the injuries, despite things like that, that we can point to. We did it sometimes, which got us close, but it wasn't good enough and we made a lot of mistakes.

“And with the turnovers, with some things in the redzone and there's a lot of things we can do a lot better that could lead to a win. If you don't fix those things, it doesn't matter who you play. You end up being a .500-type team.