Did you have to root and or factory reset your phone to roll back to Nougat?

I am also experiencing the inability to send SMS and cannot connect to 5ghz wifi networks.

I can make and answer calls, I can receive SMS, and I can send and receive MMS.  Can't send SMS unless I use the Verizon Messages+ app and I am on a WiFI connection.  Will not work if I am off WiFi.

I'd like to roll back as well, but don't want to go through the process of backing up everything yet again and reinstalling it all yet again simply because something gets updated and Verizon seems to shrug their shoulders every time.

I also want to point out that I did not have any these issues until Monday night.  I am guessing, as you put it, the network caught up with my phone and that was all she wrote.  Able to send a text one minute, next I can't and I notice that I am no longer on my home 5ghz WiFI connection.