The Starting 11 — Fantastic finishes have been par for NFL’s course as league soars into Week 7

Take a peek between shoulder pads into the offensive huddle of the NEW YORK GIANTS, courtesy of running back SAQUON BARKLEY.

Down 20-10 on Sunday with less than 13 minutes on the fourth-quarter clock, the ball at their own 25, what were the Giants thinking at that moment?

“Go score,” said Barkley, who leads the NFL with 771 scrimmage yards. “That’s the only thing we had in our mindset. Go respond. That’s the first thing that we said. There’s no panic in this team at all, not only the offense but defense and special teams. Great complementary football.”

And after New York’s 75-yard touchdown drive cut the lead to 20-17, the great complementary football came from safety JULIAN LOVE, whose interception set up Barkley’s go-ahead touchdown run with 1:43 remaining, and rookie KAYVON THIBODEAUX, whose ensuing sack and forced fumble iced the win.

The Giants (5-1) have erased 10-point deficits in three of their five wins this season – Barkley has the game-winning points in each of those three comebacks – but their comeback mentality isn’t uncommon. In 2022, there have been:

• 19 games won or tied by a team that trailed by 10-or-more points, matching the most through Week 6 all-time.
• 32 games in which a team came back to win or tie after trailing in the fourth quarter, tied with 1989 (32) for the most such games through Week 6 in NFL history.
• 74 games within a one-score margin (eight points) in the fourth quarter, the most such games in league annals at this point in a season.

Rest assured, there’ll be plenty more fantastic finishes this season.

The Starting 11 entering Week 7…

1.     CHIEF COMPETITION: KANSAS CITY (4-2) has an intriguing date with SAN FRANCISCO (3-3) on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX). Since they met in Super Bowl LIV to end the 2019 season, the Chiefs lead the NFL in total yards per game (402.4) while the 49ers lead the NFL in fewest yards allowed (303.5).

• In consecutive weeks, the Chiefs have drawn the NFL’s No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense. Buffalo led the league in yards per game entering the Week 6 contest in Kansas City and San Francisco leads the league this season in fewest yards allowed (255.8) entering Week 7.

2.     NUMBER OF THE WEEK – 6: The combined wins of ATLANTA and CINCINNATI since Sept. 18. After each club opened 0-2, both teams have won three of their last four. The winner of Sunday’s game (1:00 PM ET, FOX) between the 3-3 clubs could be alone in first place in its division on Monday morning.

3.     THREE DEGREES OF SEPARATION: Put the coaching DNA of BILL BELICHICK under a microscope and there’s likely a lot of GEORGE HALAS, whose career-wins mark the Patriots’ head coach could surpass this week. That’s because the person who gave Belichick his first job as an NFL assistant in 1975, TED MARCHIBRODA, spent his formulative years as a coordinator (1971-74) under GEORGE ALLEN. And Allen, no doubt, learned countless lessons from Halas as a Bears assistant and coordinator from 1959-65. With a win when NEW ENGLAND (3-3) hosts CHICAGO (2-4) on Monday Night Football (8:15 PM ET, ESPN), Belichick would surpass Halas (324) for the second-most combined regular-season and postseason wins in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer DON SHULA (347) has won more.

4.     SPOTLIGHT – INDIVIDUAL MATCHUP: Two of the game’s most exciting young players, rookie wide receiver GARRETT WILSON and second-year cornerback PAT SURTAIN II, will be on opposite sides when the NEW YORK JETS (4-2) meet DENVER (2-4) on Sunday (4:05 PM ET, CBS). Wilson leads all AFC rookies with 290 receiving yards and, since entering the league in 2021, Surtain is tied for third in the AFC with 19 passes defensed. Surtain, who is 99 days older than Wilson, was selected No. 9 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft while Wilson went No. 10 overall in 2022. And both have fathers who excelled in athletics. Surtain is the son of PATRICK SURTAIN, a former All-Pro cornerback. Wilson is the son of Kenny Wilson, a Davidson College Hall of Fame basketball player who once helped the Wildcats beat Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils.

5.     SPOTLIGHT – TEAM MATCHUP: CLEVELAND (2-4) visits BALTIMORE (3-3) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). The Browns lead the NFL with 172.0 rushing yards per game. The Ravens lead the NFL with 5.95 yards per carry.

6.     STREAK SPEAK: Seattle rookie cornerback TARIQ WOOLEN has four interceptions, tied with Buffalo’s JORDAN POYER for the NFL lead. Woolen, the latest on an impressive list of defensive backs drafted by Seattle on Day 3, began his college career as a wide receiver at Texas-San Antonio. Considered among the fastest active NFL players, Woolen clocked a 4.26-second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine in March.

• Woolen has intercepted a pass in four consecutive games. When SEATTLE (3-3) travels to SoFi Stadium to play the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-2) on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX), Woolen could extend his streak of games with an interception to five, longest by an NFL rookie since JAIRUS BYRD had a five-game streak in 2009. … Woolen is also the only rookie since the 1970 merger to record both an interception and opponent fumble recovery in consecutive games.
  

7.     DID YOU KNOW?: When the NEW YORK GIANTS (5-1) visit the JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-4) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), DANIEL JONES and TREVOR LAWRENCE will square off for the first time since Nov. 17, 2018, when Clemson defeated Duke during the Tigers’ 15-0 College Football Playoff championship season. Jacksonville running back TRAVIS ETIENNE ran for two touchdowns in that game for Clemson. … After leading the 1996 Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game, former Jacksonville head coach TOM COUGHLIN then guided the Giants to two Super Bowl victories, in 2007 and 2011. Coughlin is one of two individuals ever to win multiple Super Bowls and lead franchises to both the AFC and NFC Championship Games as an NFL head coach. The other is Pro Football Hall of Famer BILL PARCELLS.

8.     UNDER-THE-RADAR STORYLINE: Last week, AUSTIN EKELER joined Pro Football Hall of Famer LENNY MOORE as one of two players ever to record 25 rushing touchdowns and 25 receiving touchdowns in their first six NFL seasons. Not only was Ekeler overlooked by every team in the 2017 NFL Draft, he also didn’t get a single Division I scholarship offer. Additionally, only one Division II school wanted him as a running back, Western State (Colo.). His younger brother, Wyett Ekeler, is a sophomore safety at the University of Wyoming, a program that has produced Bills quarterback JOSH ALLEN, Eagles safety MARCUS EPPS, Jaguars linebacker CHAD MUMA and Bengals linebacker LOGAN WILSON, among others. Ekeler and the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-2) host the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-3) on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX).

9.     TREND TIME: The TENNESSEE TITANS (3-2) come off their bye to host the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-2-1) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS). The Titans’ offense leads the league in red-zone efficiency (12 touchdowns in 13 possessions, 92.3 percent). In each of the past three seasons, the NFL’s most efficient red-zone offense during the regular season (Tennessee in 2019, Green Bay in 2020 and San Francisco in 2021) has advanced to the conference championship game.

10.  THIS WEEK IN NFL HISTORY: Oct. 22, 2017 (five years ago) – DAK PRESCOTT throws three touchdown passes, including a 72-yard strike to EZEKIEL ELLIOTT, to lead the Cowboys to a 40-10 win at San Francisco. Elliott rushes for 147 yards and two more touchdowns. …This week, Prescott could return from injury to start for DALLAS (4-2) at home against DETROIT (1-4) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS).

11.  AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Could a trick play impact the Sunday Night Football game between PITTSBURGH (2-4) and MIAMI (3-3) at Hard Rock Stadium (8:20 PM ET, NBC)? A fake punt made a big difference when the teams met 50 years ago in the 1972 AFC Championship Game. His club needing a spark, Dolphins punter LARRY SEIPLE ran for 37 yards to set up a game-tying touchdown by LARRY CSONKA – one of 17 Pro Football Hall of Famers from that single contest – awakening Miami en route to a 21-17 win over the Steelers. Making the Dolphins’ road to a perfect season even more difficult, Miami had to travel to Three Rivers Stadium because, at the time, the NFL determined conference championship hosts with a rotational system. Pittsburgh had advanced to the game after its Immaculate Reception the week before. The Dolphins will celebrate the 50th anniversary of that perfect season on Sunday.

WEEK 7 NFL SCHEDULE

(All times Eastern)