Recap: Week 7 on the Gridiron

Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings gave one away — and are perfect no more.

The New Orleans Saints are still undefeated, proving that no deficit is too large for their explosive offense to overcome.

Our Web site audience voted on who they thought would win Week 7 matchups on the gridiron. Audiences picked the eventual winner in all but 4 games: Cardinals vs. Giants, Texans vs. 49ers, Panthers vs. Bills, and Bears vs. Bengals.

Three times Sunday, the Vikings were ready to take the lead and possibly put away the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even for Favre, three chances weren't nearly enough to remain perfect against a defense that not only outplayed the Vikings but outscored them. (Our web audience vote: 41% predicted a Vikings victory, 59% picked the Steelers to win.)

LaMarr Woodley returned Favre's fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Keyaron Fox ran back an interception 82 yards for another score during the closing minutes, and the Steelers (5-2) turned three major defensive stands into a 27-17 victory Sunday to hand the Vikings (6-1) their first loss.

At Miami, Brees and the Saints (6-0) fell behind for the first time all season, then overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Dolphins 46-34. The NFL's highest-scoring team topped 40 points for the fourth time and outscored the Dolphins 22-0 in the fourth quarter. (Our web audience vote: 83% predicted a Saints victory, 17% picked the Dolphins to win.)

What will Week 8 have in store? Only 3 teams remain undefeated this year: the Colts, the Saints, and the Broncos. Can they hold on to their perfect records in Week 8? Will the St. Louis Rams (0-7) finally score their first 2009 victory against the 1-5 Detroit Lions? And how will Brett Favre perform under pressure as the Vikings face the Packers at Lambeau?

Here's a recap of Week 7 action on the gridiron:

Eagles 27, Redskins 17
Our web audience vote: 82% predicted an Eagles victory, 12% picked the Redskins to win

The Philadelphia Eagles were shut out in the second half of Monday's game at Washington, but the outcome was in the bag by halftime.

DeSean Jackson scored two long touchdowns and Will Witherspoon returned an interception for a TD as the Eagles whipped the Redskins 27-17. Jackson opened the scoring with a 67-yard run on a reverse early in the first quarter, moments before Witherspoon rumbled nine yards into the end zone to make it 14-0.

Donovan McNabb later connected with Jackson for a 57-yard touchdown that put the Eagles up 27-7 in the second period. It was the 200th scoring pass of McNabb's career.

Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7
Our web audience vote: 93% predicted a Patriots victory, 7% picked the Buccaneers to win

At Wembley, England, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the winless Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in the NFL's third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.

For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn't help. They fell to 0-7 and saw their losing streak extended to 11 games overall.

Cowboys 37, Falcons 21
Our web audience vote: 52% predicted a Cowboys victory, 48% picked the Falcons to win

At Arlington, Texas, Tony Romo and Miles Austin brought the Cowboys' offense to life and the defense gave up little more than long drives at the start of each half as Dallas (4-2) roared out of its bye with its most impressive win of the season and first against a team with a winning record.

The Falcons (4-2) came in looking to keep pace with the best start in franchise history. Matt Ryan started great, but couldn't keep it up. His streak of 142 passes without a sack ended with takedowns on consecutive plays in the first quarter. He was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Bengals 45, Bears 10
Our web audience vote: 40% predicted a Bengals victory, 60% picked the Bears to win

At Cincinnati, Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes — four in a dominant first half — and Cedric Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go.

The Bengals improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2005. Cincinnati scored on all five possessions in the first half and went up 31-0. It tied for the third-most points the Bears (3-3) have allowed in an opening half.

Texans 24, 49ers 21
Our web audience vote: 44% predicted a Texans victory, 56% picked the 49ers to win

At Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and the Texans (4-3) built a big lead and held on for the win.

The Texans led 21-0 at halftime then withstood a rally led by backup quarterback Alex Smith. Eugene Wilson's interception on fourth down halted a last-gasp drive by the 49ers (3-3).

San Francisco benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.

Jets 38, Raiders 0
Our web audience vote: 79% predicted a Jets victory, 21% picked the Raiders to win

At Oakland,