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Peyton Manning

NFL Week 7 winners and losers

Nate Davis
USA TODAY Sports
Lions WR Corey Fuller snares the game-winning TD in the final seconds Sunday.

Week 7 winners

Peyton Manning:

He wasted so little time throwing career TD passes 507, 508 and 509 (plus 510 as a bonus) to break Brett Favre's all-time record and easily dispatch the 49ers that backup Brock Osweiler got a whole quarter of semi-meaningful playing time.

Fantastic finishes: It was an Alcoa kind of day with four teams (Bills, Chiefs, Lions, Redskins) notching their winning score with less than 1:48 remaining. Of that group, only Kansas City was not trailing after the two-minute warning.

Rams special teams: First, some nifty subterfuge by the punt return team led to a 90-yard touchdown from Stedman Bailey thanks to convincing acting by primary returner Tavon Austin. But the real dagger in the upset of Seattle came courtesy of St. Louis P Johnny Hekker, whose 18-yard pass on fourth-and-3 from his own 18 with 2:55 to go gave the Rams possession they would never relinquish. Quite a brassy call from coach Jeff Fisher, whose team only led by two points and surely would have handed Seattle a field goal had Hekker's throw failed.

DeMarco Murray's MVP case: The Cowboys star became the first player to start a season with seven consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts. Murray's 128 yards against the Giants helped Dallas become the first team to reach six wins in 2014.

Colts defense: Viewed as the team's weakness entering the season, especially after losing OLB Robert Mathis, Indianapolis blanked the Bengals for its first shutout since 2008. The Colts only allowed 135 yards and turned the Bengals away on 12 of 13 third downs (though the absence of Cincy WRs A.J. Green and Marvin Jones was certainly a factor).

Sammy Watkins: His career is only seven games old, but he set personal highs with nine catches for 122 yards and two TDs, including the game winner with 1 second left against the Vikings. Safe to say the Bills' new star is picking up rookie of the year momentum.

Harvin-less offense: The Seahawks only had 48 hours to adjust their gameplan after trading WR Percy Harvin to the Jets but responded with a season-high 463 yards. It wasn't enough to beat the Rams on a day the Seattle special teams failed, but it could portend more positive results moving forward.

Golden Tate: The Lions' biggest offseason acquisition (how much would the Seahawks like a mulligan here?) has been spectacular while picking up the slack for injured Calvin Johnson. Over the past four games, Tate has 32 catches for 448 yards and two scores. He was huge Sunday with 73 of his 154 yards coming on a TD that helped spark Detroit's comeback.

Denard Robinson: The former Michigan quarterback, deemed an "offensive weapon" by the Jaguars as a rookie last year, entered Sunday's game with 160 rushing yards in 22 NFL games. He added 127 and a TD against the Browns to offset poor play by rookie QB Blake Bortles as Jacksonville snatched its first win since last season.

Rams pass rush: St. Louis tallied three sacks of Seattle QB Russell Wilson, tripling its sack total for the season entering the game.

Kirk Cousins: Technically anyway. As the Redskins' starter Sunday, he was credited with his first win since 2012, snapping a personal seven-start losing streak.

Has Kirk Cousins started his last game for the Redskins?

Week 7 losers

Kirk Cousins: Two more turnovers earned him a seat on the bench midway through the victory against the Titans and may have cost him any lingering hopes that he might be pursued by another team for big money and a starting job elsewhere during the offseason.

Soldier Field: It hasn't staged a Chicago home win since last season. The Bears' losing streak in front of the home faithful (sort of anyway since many left early after Sunday's latest uninspired performance against Miami) — now stands at four. The good news? The Bears don't play here again until Nov. 16.

Philip Rivers' MVP case: He was merely human Sunday — his five-week run of posting a 120-plus passer rating ended — not enough to stave off the Chargers' first defeat since Week 1.

Panthers defense: Carolina, the second-stingiest team in terms of scoring defense in 2013, has now allowed at least 37 points in four games this season after Aaron Rodgers and the Packers scorched them for 38 Sunday. The Panthers have surrendered 195 points in seven games after permitting 241 in all of 2013.

Drew Brees: The Saints nearly pulled off a rare road win on a day when TE Jimmy Graham (0 catches, 2 targets) was obviously limited by his bum shoulder. But Brees' interception with 3:10 to go led to the Lions' game-winning TD six plays later. New Orleans has lost seven consecutive regular-season games away from the Superdome and all four so far in 2014.

Falcons offense: Ever since the O-line was decimated by injuries Sept. 28, predictable results have followed. In the last three weeks, QB Matt Ryan has been sacked 10 times and hit 24 while the run game is averaging just 67 yards. Now 0-4 on the road, the Falcons are fast spiraling toward irrelevance.

Brian Hoyer: Just when his jersey sales were surging and talk of a long-term contract extension building, he had his worst day in two years as the Browns' starter (16-for-41, 0 TD, INT, fumble) in a blowout loss to the previously winless Jags. The door isn't yet cracked for rookie Johnny Manziel, but it's not locked, either.

Washington fans: The Redskins' average ticket price is more than $300. Sunday, that bought them a Charlie Whitehurst-Colt McCoy showdown. At least the finish was exciting.

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Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis

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