Winners and Losers from the NFL: Week Seven

Winner: Titans RB Chris Johnson
Whether it's been tough early-season competition or coming into training camp out of shape, CJ2K has started poorly each of the past two seasons. Johnson was able to bounce back in a big way against the Buffalo Bills this past Sunday, racking up 195 yards on just 18 carries in Tennessee's 35-34 win. Tennessee's success has hinged on Johnson's success on the ground for the past four seasons, and he appears to be back on track after three 90+ yard rushing games in the last four games. While most defenses won't be as porous as Buffalo, it appears that Johnson has returned to relevance.

Loser: Browns WR Josh Gordon
It's hard to call Gordon a real "loser", as he had a team-high 59 receiving yards and a touchdown in the game. However the rookie receiver out of Baylor had a chance to come up big in the fourth quarter, as Brandon Weeden stood tall in the face of a blitz and delivered a perfect deep throw to Gordon. Just as the ball was about to hit Gordon's hands, sunlight from LucasOil Field's retractable roof hit Gordon's face, resulting in a drop that would've given the Browns a late lead.
Cleveland selected Gordon in this past summer's Supplemental Draft, forfeiting a 2013 second-round choice to select him. Gordon has paid dividends for the team, quickly becoming quarterback Brandon Weeden's favorite deep threat, including a 23.8 yards per reception and a team-highs in receiving yardage (333) and touchdown catches (4). While the drop is surely disappointing, Gordon has the physical tools (6'3, 225 pounds) and speed (4.52 40-yard dash) to be a solid wide receiver for the next decade.

Winner: Houston Texans
Despite playing on short rest following a disappointing home loss to the Green Bay Packers, head coach Gary Kubiak was able to rally his troops in a matchup of the only two +.500 teams in the AFC entering week seven, throttling Baltimore 43-13. Houston finished with nearly a 17 minute time of possession advantage, double the amount of first downs (27-12) and total yards (420-176), as well record four sacks and two interceptions.
The Ravens clearly weren't at 100% (both Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb missed the game, defensive lineman Haloti Ngata left the game early, Ed Reed was playing through injury while linebacker Terrell Suggs played in his first game since tearing his Achilles' this offseason), but that shouldn't diminish what was an absolutely dominant performance. The win definitely removed some of the sting from the Green Bay defeat, and the Texans will face a reeling Bills team following their bye this week.

Loser: Baltimore Ravens
Not only has the team found out that their likely to be without both linebacker Ray Lewis and top cornerback Lardarius Webb for the rest of the season, but the team was absolutely dominated by Houston this past Sunday. One of the premiere defenses in the past decade, age and injuries have started to catch up to this team. The team is in dire need of an infusion of young talent on the defense, as leaders like Ray Lewis (37) and Ed Reed (34) are closer to the end of their Hall-of-Fame careers than the beginning.
Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has to find balance in his play-calling, as Joe Flacco is good, but may never be the Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback the team hoped. It also doesn't help that the team has relied too heavily on the pass, when they have one of the best all-purpose backs in the league to shoulder the load.

Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers
The team was able to get a big win on the road over a division rival in the Bengals this past week, dominating Cincinnati on both sides of the ball en route to a 24-17 win. Perhaps even more impressive than the 167 rushing yards that Jonathan Dwyer and the rest of the Steelers were able to amass was the secondary holding Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green to one catch for eight yards. While that one catch was for a touchdown, Green hadn't recorded fewer than five receptions and 58 yards in any game this season.
The defense in general played stellar football, allowing just 185 yards and just 11 first downs. Though the defense is getting older, the team still has a bevy of solid players on that side of the football, and coordinator Dick LeBeau is possesses one of the best football minds in NFL history. Count out the Steelers at your own peril.

Loser: Jacksonville Jaguars
The team blew a 14-point third quarter lead against Oakland, eventually falling in overtime after Cecil Shorts lost a fumble, leading to the game-winning Sebastian Janikowski field goal. The team also lost running back Maurice Jones-Drew to a foot injury, and while it may not be the Lisfanc injury that was initially feared, the Jaguars can ill afford to be without his production.
Rashad Jennings, Jones-Drew's replacement, is a strong between-the-tackles runner, but lacks the pass-catching and elusiveness that Jones-Drew possesses. For an offense that ranks at or near the bottom of the league in several categories, this could cause Jacksonville to again pick near the top of next April's draft.