NFL Week 7 winners and losers: Buccaneers make statement, 49ers drop first game

Upsets, big plays and last-second finishes.

The last Sunday of October delivered as NFL teams across the country battled in Week 7. There was a triumphant quarterback return, an undefeated team going down and a winless team finding glory in the action-packed afternoon.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday's games:

WINNER: Buccaneers make a statement

It turns out Baker Mayfield is a difference-maker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Returning from a thumb injury, Mayfield led his team to a dominant 43-13 win over the division-leading Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. While Mayfield's return was the story coming in, the Bucs' rushing attack and defense are what won them the game. Tampa Bay racked up 258 rushing yards and forced four turnovers as Mayfield didn't have to work too hard in his comeback game (7 for 11, 64 yards, 1 TD).

The Panthers still lead the NFC South despite the disappointing effort, but it's clearly going to be a fight through the end of the season. Bryce Young had 163 passing yards, two interceptions and a fumble lost before backup Kenny Pickett took over in mop-up duty.

LOSER: 49ers no longer undefeated

The San Francisco 49ers' perfect season is officially over after a 29-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

For the first time this season, injuries seemingly caught up with Kyle Shanahan's squad. Playing without Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, the offense was further depleted when Christian McCaffrey exited for several possessions with a thigh injury. The star running back returned, but not before backup Kaelon Black lost a fumble and gave Atlanta momentum.

This game wasn't just about the 49ers losing it, though -- the Falcons took it from them by forcing four turnovers. Michael Penix Jr. was 25 of 34 for 213 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The game was all-but-clinched on an interception by rookie Kendal Daniels with 2:42 to play, leading to a field goal to go up by two scores.

In other undefeated news, the Minnesota Vikings' perfect season remained intact after a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Brian Flores' defense was dominant again, with a game-clinching interception by Harrison Smith sending the Vikings to 6-0 and the Colts to 2-5.

WINNER: Dolphins no longer winless

On the other end of the league-wide standings, the only winless team in action Sunday picked up its first victory.

The Miami Dolphins defeated the New York Jets 28-25. It was the first game that Miami led all season, and they did it early and often in the Meadowlands. The Dolphins scored on their first two drives for the first time since 2024, and took a 21-7 lead into halftime. They clinched the victory with a fourth-down tush push conversion to run out the clock.

After some encouraging results earlier in the season, this is a devastating loss for Aaron Glenn's Jets. A late touchdown and 2-point conversion put them within a field goal, but the defense couldn't get a stop against one of the league's worst offenses. The Jets are 2-5, and the Dolphins are just behind at 1-5.

LOSER: Ravens collapse in second half

The Cincinnati Bengals' offense didn't show up in a scoreless first half, but it didn't end up mattering.

Joe Burrow and Co. caught fire after the break, pulling away from the Baltimore Ravens and winning 35-13. The road victory elevated Cincinnati to 4-2 and dropped Baltimore to 4-3 in the highly competitive AFC North. Burrow had 292 passing yards and four touchdowns.

The Ravens, playing without Lamar Jackson for the third straight game, desperately need their quarterback to return from his ankle sprain. Tyler Huntley had 298 passing yards, but Derrick Henry's efficiency has been hindered without Jackson alongside him (17 carries for 45 yards). Upcoming games against the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars won't make things any easier, even if Jackson can return.

WINNER: National Tight Ends Day

Every season, somehow, tight ends show up for their made-up holiday.

This year's National Tight Ends Day featured 13 touchdowns across the international game and early and late Sunday windows. The scorers included Darnell Washington, Mason Taylor (twice), Darren Waller, Nick Muse, Kyle Pitts, Mike Gesicki, T.J. Hockenson, Drew Sample, Trey McBride, Davis Allen (twice) and Tucker Kraft.

National Tight Ends Day is an annual celebration for players at the position. There aren’t any formal traditions, per se, but the NFL uses the holiday to highlight tight ends on the fourth weekend of October every season.

LOSER: AFC South challengers lose ground

With the Jaguars on their bye week, all three of the other teams in the AFC South lost in Week 7.

The Houston Texans lost in overtime to the New York Giants, with their offense unable to produce and their defense disappointing once again. Now 2-5, the Texans are facing even longer odds to get back into the postseason hunt.

The Tennessee Titans were poised to win their second straight after leading 14-0 early, but everything fell apart after that. The Cleveland Browns came back to win 27-24 on a buzzer-beating field goal by Andre Szmyt for the second straight week. Cleveland is now 5-2 while Tennessee dropped to 1-6.

Then there was the aforementioned Colts, who had a lifeless offensive performance in their 16-10 loss to the Vikings. Indy had just 64 net passing yards after Daniel Jones took four sacks for 44 yards in defeat.

WINNER: Lions keep pace in NFC North

The Lions couldn't afford to fall to 3-3 in what is a gauntlet NFC North early on. After a gutsy 4th-and-1 call in their own territory was bailed out by a missed Packers field goal, Detroit went down the field and scored the winner via Jake Bates.

Jared Goff threw for 303 yards, two touchdowns and no picks on 22 of 32 completions, with Amon-Ra St. Brown enjoying a monster game through the air.

Green Bay is now 4-3, which isn't the end of the world, but it keeps everything that much tighter. Micah Parsons isn't far away from returning and that should help on the margins in close affairs like this one.

LOSER: Raiders drop fourth straight

It wasn't that long ago when Kirk Cousins and Co. were firing on all cylinders en route to a 3-0 record. Four weeks later, Las Vegas is 3-4. The Raiders fell to the Los Angeles Rams 35-21, making it a bounce-back game for the Southern California club.

Cousins threw for 295 yards, two touchdowns and no picks (26 of 44 completions), but Ashton Jeanty was held to just 15 rushing yards on eight carries. A nonexistent running game gets absolutely punished in today's league.

The Rams, meanwhile, had 99 yards from Kyren Williams and 93 from Blake Corum. Matthew Stafford also tossed three touchdown passes on 195 passing yards, a much-needed showing to improve to 3-4.

WINNER: A Bo Nix scamper

Denver has had trouble fielding a consistent running game throughout the season. So, the Broncos' QB1 did it himself.

Tied 6-6 with the lowly Arizona Cardinals on the road, Bo Nix broke the game open with a 62-yard touchdown score. Most defenders were not in the vicinity until the end, with Nix having just 37 rushing yards on the season prior to today. Now it looks like head coach Sean Payton has a new skill to tap into.

The Broncos moved to 5-2, while Jacoby Brissett and Arizona dropped to 2-5.

Here are five things to know about Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.