5 memorable plays in Week 7: Dan Campbell bails out after crazy fourth-down gamble, and red zone woes hurt Saints, Ravens and Packers

One of the themes that tied together some of the most important plays in Sunday’s action was where they took place on the field. The closer you are to the end zone, the more damaging mistakes tend to be.

We had a major failure in the Saints red zone at the start of the game in Paris. Several red zone errors followed in the 1 p.m. ET window. And even more at the end of the afternoon.

There were also a few notable mistakes out of the red zone, including one that helped avoid another upset in a topsy-turvy Week 7 in the NFL.

Here are some of Sunday’s standout plays:

1. Goodbye, points: Tyler Shough’s choice sinks the Saints in Paris

The Steelers led the Saints 13-10 at halftime in Paris. New Orleans had the ball first in the second half and threatened to take the lead in a low-scoring defensive battle.

After a slow start, it looked like the Saints were gaining momentum. Quarterback Tyler Shough converted several third downs on a drive that lasted more than seven minutes and allowed the Saints to cook with a second-and-7 play at the Steelers 10-yard line.

That’s when linebacker Payton Wilson cut off Chris Olave’s route and stepped in front of Shough’s pass for a critical interception.

Wilson even tacked on 18 yards on the INT return. The Steelers scored another field goal for a 16-10 lead. Just as importantly, the Steelers lost over seven extra minutes on that drive.

That was the whole third quarter: those two possessions.

The Saints ended up only having the ball six times during the game. Turning the ball over on one of those drives, with a high chance to score, proved costly.

2. Passing the basket hurt the Ravens during a second-half avalanche

The Ravens led 13-0 at halftime, and some argue they didn’t do enough in the first half to extend that lead. Baltimore dominated the first half, possessing the ball for over 22 minutes, but could not create a big enough advantage.

Before their first field goal, the Ravens were going for fourth-and-goal, but they false started, leading to the onside kick. On second down, 50 seconds before halftime, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter opted not to attempt it on fourth-and-3 from the Bengals’ 6-yard line.

With Lamar Jackson playing, that’s probably fortunate. With Tyler Huntley starting, Minter scored three points.

The biggest swing might have come in the second half, when Minter became much more aggressive. The Ravens held the Bengals poorly in the first half defensively, but Joe Burrow unleashed the dragon in the third quarter. After two straight long TDs, the Bengals were suddenly ahead, 14-13. The Ravens responded, with Huntley and Derrick Henry moving the ball to the Bengals’ 12-yard line. Minter was faced with a decision on fourth-and-2: take the lead or go for it. Minter took the chance and the gamble did not pay off.

Now, there are a few schools of thought here. Some might say the Bengals were going to score whether or not the Ravens made the field goal. Given the way they moved the ball in the second half, that’s fair.

But the Ravens had to come away with points and might also have gained a slight psychological advantage with this lead. Maybe they wouldn’t have played with the level of desperation they seemed to have after halftime.

3. Wonnum’s block saved Campbell’s bacon

For a 20-17 game, Packers-Lions had a lot going for it. Especially in the last five minutes.

The Lions got the ball back after the Packers tied it, 17-17, with just over seven minutes left. They acted like a team that was going to end the game right then and there. After a 9-yard gain on first down, the Lions had no consecutive gains.

That set up a fourth-and-1 from their own 24-yard line with just under five minutes left. And, boy, is it Dan Campbell’s music.

Detroit’s head coach went for it and Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for a 2-yard loss. The Packers were in great shape at the Lions 22-yard line, and if they had converted a first down, they would have put Campbell in a bind with timeouts and the clock running.

But all was moot when the Packers fumbled on third down and Trey Smack’s try was barely deflected by the Lions’ DJ Wonnum. It’s hard to say if this affected the trajectory of the ball, but somehow the kick missed.

The Lions got the ball back and ran out the clock nicely, with Gibbs smartly refusing to score when the Packers tried to goad him into doing so. It was a victory, but a happy one, considering the outcome of Campbell’s decision.

“We have to be better as a team out there,” Campbell said in his postgame locker room speech. But he praised Wonnum and his team for their tenacity in the face of adversity. More self-created adversity. Fortunately, Wonnum’s blocking made that decision null and void.

4. Consecutive turnovers dampened Titans’ thwarted hopes

The Titans jumped out to a 14-0 lead and put the Browns on alert early. The Browns reduced the deficit with a key sequence in the second quarter.

The Browns had regained momentum with a goal line stand and a touchdown on a Cam Ward interception. It appeared they gave it back to the Titans when Harold Fannin Jr. was stripped by the Titans’ Anthony Hill Jr. at the Cleveland 44-yard line.

But one play later, this is what happened:

Gn sports

1. Goodbye, points: Tyler Shough’s choice sinks the Saints in Paris

2. Passing the basket hurt the Ravens during a second-half avalanche

3. Wonnum’s block saved Campbell’s bacon

4. Consecutive turnovers dampened Titans’ thwarted hopes

5. The Taaffe pick ruined the Jets’ comeback chances

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