10 Things We Learned from NFL Week 7

With every week in the NFL, there are new lessons to be learned. Week 7 was no exception, as several teams came out with something to prove. Some lived up to the hype, others didn't.

That's how it goes in the NFL, you either make it or break it, and some teams did one or the other this week.

Here are 10 things we learned from the NFL after a thrilling Week 7.

1. The Redskins Aren't Good

You kind of knew it all along.

They were phonies. That 3-1 record, it was a facade that hopefully you were able to see right through.

The bottom line is that no Rex Grossman (Chicago was the exception) or John Beck quarterbacked team has a shot at even being good, however dominant their defense may be.

If it wasn't bad enough that Beck was starting, arguably their best player in Tim Hightower was lost for the season with a torn knee ligament. To pile onto to the heap of bad luck and misfortune that is now the Washington Redskins, their biggest playmaker in Santana Moss suffered a hand injury and will miss at least five weeks according to head coach Mike Shanahan.

If the Redskins ever were good, they aren't anymore, and they made that pretty clear on Sunday afternoon.

2. Carson Palmer Is Very Rusty

What did you expect?

No one thought Palmer was going to come in the game, much less light it up, but he still found a way to underachieve. I don't care how long you've been on the couch, three interceptions in two quarters is just horrendous.

He did just learn the offense, so he gets some slack this week. But by the looks of the Raiders quarterback situation, he better pick it up quickly if they want to be playing come January.

3. DeMarco Murray Is the Real Deal

I didn't really know what to expect from him, but he set the tone early with his 90-plus yard dash.

Not only did he make fantasy owners across the nation happy, he also made Felix Jones stress over the amount of carries he'll get in the coming weeks. 

Jones should be shaking in his boots seeing as how Murray racked up over 250 yards on 25 carries, which makes for an over 10-yards per carry average. With stats like that, it will be hard for the Cowboys not to give him a much heavier workload. 

4. Matt Forte Deserves His Contract Extension

It's a no brainer at this point.

Forte is having a season for the ages right now, as he leads all NFL players in yards from scrimmage. He's a receiving threat out of the backfield and now a dangerous tailback who is much more consistent running the ball than he was a year ago.

Forte had another strong outing as he again topped 100 yards, scampering for a grand total of 145, where 32 of those came off a sweet touchdown run in which he broke tackles and had an excellent cutback. 

I don't know why the Bears won't throw Forte a bone. He definitely deserves one considering he's been carrying this offense all season long.

5. The Bucs Aren't There Yet

The Buccaneers are a good team. The Bears are a worse team. The Bucs should have beaten the Bears.

And there you have it. That's all there is too it. Tampa Bay is the better team, but they just didn't perform as you would have expected.

It's understandably tough to run the ball without workhorse LeGarrette Blount out with an injury, but the Bucs should have been able to get to Cutler early and often, and throw him into the ground.

The Bears offense has practically turned into a one man team, and Tampa should have done a better job containing the Matt Forte show.

6. The Colts Are the Worst Team in the NFL

Congratulations, Curtis Painter and the Colts, you have finally staked your claim as the worst team in the NFL over the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams.

After the Colts got absolutely throttled, and Curtis Painter failed to chalk up 75 passing yards, it's safe to say that the Colts are plain and simple the worst team in the NFL.

I feel bad for guys like Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders and Reggie Wayne. These guys have been in a winning atmosphere their entire careers and have a great sense of pride. An 0-7 start is doing nothing but hurting that sense of pride along with providing further evidence as to just how good Peyton Manning is. 

So it isn't all negative for Indianapolis: I saw one good play on Sunday night, and that was Delone Carter's 40-plus yard dash that featured a series of broken tackles and sweet moves. The rookie out of Syracuse doesn't look too shabby, and who knows, he just might make Joseph Addai lose some sleep at night.

7. Arian Foster Is Back

To all the doubters: You were wrong.

Arian Foster is one of the most dynamic backs in the NFL, and he put his talents on full display on Sunday. He racked up over 100 in both rushing and receiving yards and compiled a grand total of three touchdowns, making fantasy owners across the nation jump for joy. 

Critics wondered whether or not he could return from his injury and play at a high level, and since he's gotten back on the gridiron, he's turned those critics and skeptics into believers. 

That's not the first time he's done that either. Remember last season?

8. The Lions Can't Win Without the Run

With all the talk around Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, you'd think that all the Lions would have to do is give Megatron a good old end-zone lob and he'd pick it out of the sky.

Well, that isn't the worst strategy in the world, but the overall lack of balance displayed by Detroit in their game against Atlanta was staggering.

Jahvid Best isn't a good running back, but when he's missing, the Lions practically have no running attack.

The Falcons were able to relatively put the clamps down on Stafford and the "air-it-out" offense that Detroit has been running.

The Lions' should hope Best's injury-prone ways don't keep him out too long, because without any sort of run game at all, they won't be winning too many games.

9. The Falcons Are Back

It took them a while, but Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds are back to business after two consecutive strong outings.

Ryan, despite his two interceptions, looked back in form as he hit Roddy White on beautiful 18-yard lob pass that widened the Falcons' lead.

Michael Turner continues to be a force on the ground, as he racked up over 100 yards for the second straight game. His 52 yard run put the Falcons in position for the game clinching field goal early in the fourth quarter.

The sure-handed Tony Gonzalez moved up to No. 2 in all time receptions, passing both Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter with his five-snag, 62 yard performance. He continues to be Ryan's go-to man in clutch situations, as his stability and leadership is helping the Falcons regain their Dirty Bird swagger that made them a team to beat last season.

10. It's Tebow Time

You knew it was coming.

Tim Tebow played a pretty bad game for the first three-and-a-half quarters, but boy did he turn it on in the last two minutes, making clutch play after clutch play.

Rag on Tebow's fundamentals and prototypical quarterback issues all you want, but the bottom line is that he's a winner. He'll do what's necessary to win the game. Coming back from down 15 with two minutes to go is quite the impressive feat.

I generally don't believe in the "clutch gene," but if there is one, I'm positive that this guy has it.