Plays of the Week

Skysports.com have picked out the best and worst from another week of hard-hitting action in the NFL.

Skysports.com picks out the best of the week seven action

Week seven of the NFL season served up another dose of hard-hitting action, including the league's third London fixture in as many years. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots thrilled a packed Wembley with a 35-7 hammering of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have now slipped to 0-7 under head coach Raheem Morris. The Minnesota Vikings lost their perfect record with defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers to leave the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts as the only remaining unbeaten teams. The Saints needed an amazing comeback in Miami to move to 6-0, while the Colts hammered the winless St Louis Rams 42-6 on the road. Here at skysports.com we've picked out the best and worst moments from around the league for our Plays of the Week. Read on to find out who makes the grade and, as always, feel free to send in your own suggestions using the feedback form below.

Player of the Week - Cedric Benson

Chicago's decision to wash their hands of Cedric Benson - who they took fourth overall in the 2005 draft - came back to bite them in a big way on Sunday. Benson, fuelled by his messy exit from the Bears after just two disappointing seasons, ran all over his former employers to help the Cincinnati Bengals to a comprehensive 45-10 victory. The 26-year-old proved unstoppable, piling up 187 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries and consistently setting up prime field position for Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer to throw five touchdowns - the longest of them from 13 yards. It was a virtuoso display from a player who appeared to be heading for the scrap heap due to his poor performances and off-field troubles while with the Bears. But his rebirth in Cincinnati has been remarkable and he now leads the NFL with 720 rushing yards this season.

Game of the week - Saints revival

With only two games being decided by less than a 10-point margin it was a thin week for exciting finishes by usual NFL standards. The New Orleans Saints maintained their unbeaten record with a thrilling comeback victory at the Miami Dolphins. The Saints found themselves in a deep hole at 24-3 down mid-way through the second quarter but, via a combination of their usual high-octane offence and two interception returns for defensive touchdowns, they managed to turn things around. The Dolphins' advantage was cut to 34-31 entering the final quarter and, when Reggie Bush dived full length into the end zone to finish off a double reverse play, the visitors led for the first time. And two further scores, Drew Brees rushing for his second touchdown and Tracy Porter taking a pick 54 yards to the house, iced the result and kept the Saints perfect. The Vikings, meanwhile, went down to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in a game that featured a wild 21-point fourth quarter, none of the scores coming on offence. The Steelers defence contributed two touchdowns, via LaMarr Woodley's 77-yard fumble return and Keyaron Fox's 82-yard interception return, either side of Minnesota's Percy Harvin going all the way from 88 yards out on a kick-off. Other games worth a mention came at Reliant Stadium in Houston and in the Sunday night fixture at Giants Stadium in New York. The Texans, watched by George HW Bush and his son and fellow former US president George W Bush, held off a fourth-quarter, Alex Smith-inspired rally to beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-21, while the Arizona Cardinals claimed an impressive 24-17 success at the New York Giants.

Play of the Week - LaMarr on song

LaMarr Woodley's fumble return was a remarkable example of the ability of the Steelers defence to react instantly to a turnover. After Brett Kiesel stripped Vikings quarterback Brett Favre of possession, Woodley - a 265lb linebacker - pounced on the loose ball and set off for the end zone, some 77 yards away. His cause was aided by his team-mates, who formed an escort of blockers around him to clear the route of obstacles. Woodley's score - and Fox's interception return later in the quarter - was a triumph for the aggressive approach of Pittsburgh's veteran defensive co-ordinator Dick LeBeau. There were plenty of other spectacular plays around the league - Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis pulled off a diving interception in his own end zone when JaMarcus Russell had the bright idea of challenging him with a deep throw, while Dolphins cornerback Nathan Jones bagged an equally athletic pick to deny Saints receiver Marques Colston a touchdown. And Tony Romo produced some impressive footwork at Cowboys Stadium to leave four Falcons pass rushers sprawled on the floor before firing a five-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton at the back of the end zone.

Stat of the Week - long-range Ricky

Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams produced a three-touchdown display in a losing cause against his former team the New Orleans Saints. The pick of his efforts came late in the first quarter when he cashed in on some superb blocking to a break a 68-yard touchdown run. For the 32-year-old, who was the fifth overall selection by the Saints in the 1999 draft, that represented the longest rush of his NFL career.

Week to forget - JaMarcus Russell

Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell turned in another nightmare performance in a professional career that has been filled by them. Taken first overall in the 2007 draft, Russell has yet to look anything like the franchise quarterback Oakland believed they were getting. His decision-making under pressure was again exposed in the Raiders' 38-0 loss at home to the New York Jets. Russell was picked off twice - including a witless attempt to go deep against the Jets' star cornerback Revis - and fumbled once before being benched for Bruce Gradkowski prior to half-time.