FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY: top four performers from week seven of the NFL season.

CINCINNATI — The following is my list of the top four performers from week seven of the 2021 NFL season.

4. Kyle Pitts – TE, Atlanta Falcons (7 rec., 163 yds) – Once again Pitts showed his knack for clutch catches with two for 23 and 28 yards respectively to set up the game-winning field goal for the Falcons Sunday at Miami. We knew Pitts was a great prospect coming out of Florida with a rare gift of size and speed for a tight end, but we just didn’t know how prolific he was going to be. His 163 receiving yards Sunday was the second-most for a rookie tight end since the merger in 1970. And now, Atlanta is back to .500, has won three of its last four games and is within striking distance of making a surprise run at an NFC wild card berth.

3. Alvin Kamara – RB, New Orleans Saints (20 rush, 51 yds; 10 rec., 128 yds, TD) – I think we forget of how great of a running back Kamara is with what Derrick Henry is doing in Nashville. Kamara is still the best dual-threat running back in the league, as evidenced by his performance Monday night. His ability to make plays in the open field can give this Saints offense a boost it needs to be more explosive, especially with still two games remaining against Tampa Bay and Atlanta each plus a game at Tennessee.

2. Matthew Stafford – QB, Los Angeles Rams (28/41, 334 yds, 3 TD); Cooper Kupp – WR, Los Angeles Rams (10 rec., 156 yds, 2 TD) – What this duo is doing out in L.A. is prolifically remarkable, and Sunday’s performance was just another example of that. Stafford and Kupp are enjoying the best seasons of their respective careers, and are a lethal duo to keep tabs on as the Rams battle Arizona for NFC West supremacy.

1. Joe Burrow – QB, Cincinnati Bengals (23/38, 416 yds, 3 TD, INT); Ja’Marr Chase – WR, Cincinnati Bengals (8 rec., 201 yds, TD) – I’ve already and written and talked about Burrow’s and Chase’s performance on Sunday, and they are my top performers of week seven because of the magnitude of the game they did it in. Burrow became the AFC North’s best quarterback Sunday and Chase solidified his status as the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year in a game where the Bengals beat down the team with the best record in the division and conference, the Baltimore Ravens. In doing so, the Bengals took over first place in the division and currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC. These two alone, on a Bengals offense oozing with potential, can lead the Bengals to an AFC North title with performances like these. My co-host on the Welcome to the Jungle podcast, Justin Cashman, has said just wait till the Bengals offense catches up with the Bengals defense and how good this team will be. Thanks in large part to Burrow and Chase, the offense did catch up, and compliment, the defense on Sunday.