Predicting overreactions for NFL Week 7: Trey Hendrickson done with Bengals? Commanders miss playoffs?

The NFL season is officially a third of the way completed, and we certainly have some interesting storylines through this point of the year. None of the four AFC division leaders -- New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers -- won their division last season. The Colts are 5-1 and have the top seed in the conference!

The NFC has a surprise No. 1 seed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the best record in the conference at 5-1. The NFC West is wild with three teams -- San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams -- sitting at 3-2, while the NFC South currently has three teams at .500 or better.

There are some big games this week, starting with the Buccaneers at the Detroit Lions on Monday night. The Colts get the Chargers in a true test in Los Angeles, while the Rams travel east to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are plenty of games that may warrant overreactions this week. 

Prisco's Week 7 NFL picks: Steelers beat Bengals in old-timer QB battle, Lions slip past Bucs in NFC showdown

Pete Prisco

Of course, overreactions are a hot topic in the NFL these days. Can we will them into existence? Perhaps, based on the results of the upcoming slate and how we predict that game this week is going to go.

These overreaction predictions are a result of what we think will happen this week, rather than the actual result. 

Buckle up.

Mike McDaniel won't be Dolphins head coach past this week

The Dolphins played hard against the Chargers, a game they should have won. That would have pushed back some talk of McDaniel being on the hot seat, even if Tua Tagovailoa made his comments about players-only meetings. 

If the Dolphins lose this week, the end of the road by be here for McDaniel. The Dolphins face the Browns this week, a matchup where their poor defense has a chance to shine against rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Of course, this could go the other way too. 

Gabriel could shine and Quinshon Judkins could have a huge day on the ground against the Dolphins poor run defense (ranked 21st against the run). If the Browns move the ball and the Dolphins find a way to lose, this could be it for McDaniel. 

Drake Maye will get MVP votes

What Maye has done in year two with the Patriots has been nothing short of impressive. Not only are the Patriots currently in first place in the AFC East, but Maybe has been a driving force toward the franchise's resurgence.

Maye ranks in the top five in the NFL in completion percentage (73%), passing yards (1,522) and yards per attempt (8.5) this season. He's just the third quarterback with a completion percentage of 70% and 250+ passing yards per game through six games of his first or second season -- joining Kurt Warner (1999) and Joe Burrow (2021). Maye also leads the NFL in completion rate (63.2%) on throws of 15+ air yards this season.

Guess who Maye and the Patriots offense get to face this week? The Titans defense, who allow a passer rating of 82.1 (24th in NFL) and a 79.9 passer rating on throws of 10+ air yards (21st in NFL). The stage is set for Maye to have a huge day, and enter the MVP conversation. The Patriots also potentially going to 5-2 will help. 

Commanders will miss the playoffs

This is certainly a possibility if Washington loses to Dallas on Sunday. All of a sudden this NFC East rivalry is a massive game for both teams, with Dallas at 2-3-1 and Washington at 3-3. The Commanders are coming off a loss to the Bears after failing to seal the game late while the Cowboys couldn't stop the Panthers and missed an opportunity to reenter the NFC East race.

Check out the NFC playoff standings. The Falcons, Vikings and Bears are 3-2 while the Panthers are 3-3. The Bears have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Commanders, who are 12th in the conference standings through six weeks. This is a game Washington has to win, especially with Kansas City (road), Seattle (home), and Detroit (home) coming up. 

If Washington can't get to 4-3, it's fair to wonder if the Commanders will be a playoff team. 

Saquon Barkley is back to his 2024 form

There's a golden opportunity for Barkley to recapture his dominance from the 2024 season this week. Barkley has immensely struggled in 2025, a product of the banged up offensive line that has affected his rushing yards per game (54.2) and his yards per carry (3.4).

Barkley is a shadow of the player that rushed for 2,006 yards last season, but that can change against a Vikings run defense Sunday. The Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but they allow 132.2 rushing yards per game (24th in NFL) and 4.5 yards per carry (22nd in NFL). 

If the Eagles can improve the communication up front and get the ground game going, Barkley could be in line for a huge day. Don't be surprised if Barkley has a long touchdown run on Sunday. 

This will be Trey Hendrickson's last game with the Bengals

The Bengals are close to waving the white flag on the 2025 season, throwing a Hail Mary to salvage the year by trading for Joe Flacco to be their starting quarterback. Flacco had mixed results in Sunday's loss to the Packers, throwing for two touchdowns but was just 14 of 24 for 90 yards  through three quarters. That's not exactly moving the offense. 

Flacco's second test with the Bengals comes against the Steelers on Thursday, a team he is very familiar with. What if Flacco has a poor game again and the Bengals defense can't slow down the suddenly-hot Aaron Rodgers on a short week? 

The Bengals will be 2-5 with Joe Burrow essentially done for the year. They'll be on a mini-bye, plenty of time for the front office to make a decision on the immediate future of the organization. Perhaps Cincinnati actually moves on form Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin and takes offers for Hendrickson, who will be a free agent after the year.

Plenty of contending teams desperately need pass rushers, and Hendrickson is the biggest prize on the market. The Bengals may just move on after Week 7.