Sunday night was supposed to be the stage which proved the New England Patriots belonged and that they were worthy of the 11-2 record they carried into their game against the Buffalo Bills.
Led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, they came roaring out of the gates and into a 21-0 lead. That got pegged back to 24-7 at halftime and when Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was interviewed, you could sense the unease. He knew it wasn't over. As impressed as he would have been with his own quarterback and with his young running back, TreVeyon Henderson, Vrabel knew who was on the other sideline.
And while this was supposed to be Maye's coming out party, it ended up being further affirmation that Josh Allen might just be the best player in the NFL. Certainly, he is right up there on a very, very short list.
At halftime, he and the Bills found themselves. After two quarters of play, Allen had thrown for just 35 yards and rushed for just 12 yards. But you can't always pinpoint one play after the break to say this is where he changed the game. He just put on that Superman cape and took over time and time again.
The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player ended with three touchdown passes. James Cook had a couple of touchdown runs and this was just an incredible comeback win for the Buffalo Bills, 35-31. They are now just one game behind the Patriots with three to play.
New England and their young quarterback did indeed prove that they deserve to be on the big stage and they will be worthy of a spot in the AFC playoffs. They had a chance to win this game late but couldn't get over the line.
As for Josh Allen? He reminded us all that he is truly special, a difference maker, a generational player and somebody who now we have seen Kansas City drop out of the AFC playoff race, may be dreaming of that Super Bowl in Santa Clara in February.
In a wide-open race, why not the Bills? They certainly have a chance all the while Allen is producing the kind of magic we witnessed in the second half on Sunday evening.
Who’s Hot…
Bo Nix… The Denver Broncos were the first team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot with a 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers. This was a chance for the Broncos to prove themselves worthy of being on the postseason stage and to be considered one of the best teams in the NFL and I think they did exactly that in winning their 11th game in a row. The defense did what I expected and that was to make plays against Jordan Love, intercepting him twice and sacking him three times. But I think the star of the show was Bo Nix, who threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers. That's been the question at times for the Broncos. Everyone knew they had arguably the best defense in the NFL, certainly one of the best units on that side of the ball. Could Bo Nix do enough in big games? He certainly delivered against the Packers and the Broncos are heading to the playoffs and, at the moment, they remain the number one seed in the AFC.
Trevor Lawrence… The Jacksonville Jaguars rolled to their 10th win of the season and quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a major reason for their 48-20 win over the New York Jets. Lawrence threw for 330 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He became the first player in NFL history with five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and at least 50 rushing yards in the same game. With Jacksonville winning five in a row, Lawrence has been key and he's cleaned up his act. Over the last three weeks he's had a passer rating over 100, he's thrown no interceptions, and nine touchdowns. He and this team have found their form at exactly the right time of the year. The playoffs beckon for the Jags and first-year head coach Liam Coen.
Matthew Stafford… The Los Angeles Rams are the first team into the NFC playoffs after their 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions. And like so many of their 11 wins this season, this was powered by MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford, who threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns. Detroit led this game 24-14 in the second quarter, but Stafford found the gas pedal after the break, connecting time and time again with Puka Nacua, who reeled in nine catches for 181 yards. This is a prolific offense led by the best quarterback in the NFL this season, and the Rams look on pace to be a real serious contender all the way through to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara. The big tests keep coming though as they visit Seattle (also 11-3) on Thursday.
Who’s Not…
The Kansas City Chiefs… It was a miserable night for the Kansas City Chiefs as they lost 16-13 to the Los Angeles Chargers, meaning they now cannot make the AFC playoffs. It will be the first time the Chiefs are not in the postseason tournament with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and the first time since 2014. And so many of their familiar problems came home to roost in this game. They rushed for just 49 yards. Patrick Mahomes was sacked five times before being knocked out with torn knee ligaments that are now going to leave him with an offseason of rehab and recovery and a race to be ready for the 2026 season kickoff. I think the Chiefs have failed their star man in recent years. They have not put enough around Mahomes. And those hens came home to roost. Last year they were 11-0 in one score games. This year they dropped to 1-7. They just haven't been able to produce the big moments and it means the Chiefs are not going to be in the playoffs. And that just sounds weird when you say it out loud.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers… Tampa Bay's late loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football means that the Buccaneers have now been defeated in five of their last six games. And it shouldn't have been the case in this 29-28 loss to a Falcons team that had already been eliminated from the playoffs and an Atlanta team that committed 19 penalties in the game. But Baker Mayfield threw a late interception and Kirk Cousins led Atlanta to victory. After the game, Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Buccaneers, was furious with his team and bleeped his way through the post-match press conference. Baker Mayfield talked about how this club is not doing the little things during the week to be successful on the field. And there were no excuses. Mike Evans was back at wide receiver and went over 100 yards. Chris Godwin is back and healthy. Bucky Irving is in the backfield. They have their players back, but they are in free fall, even though they remain in first place in the NFC South because Carolina couldn't find a way past the New Orleans Saints.
The Fast Five…
- The Saints were victorious over the Carolina Panthers thanks to a 47-yard field goal with two seconds remaining from Irish kicker Charlie Smyth. This is the stuff of fairy tales. This is what dreams are made of. Charlie wrote to the NFL not that long ago asking how he could ever play in the league and here he is – via the International Player Pathway Program - kicking game winners on Sundays. Fantastic. Take a bow, young man.
- At the other end of the age spectrum, 44-year-old quarterback Phillip Rivers – returning after five years in retirement - couldn't quite get the job done in an 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But the Indianapolis Colts quarterback had moved his team into position with a late field goal which could have been the game winner but his defense couldn't hold up at the very end. Rivers should be proud and it was so moving to watch him speaking after the game about how he didn't want to be scared about this comeback and he wanted to be an inspiration to his high school players and to his sons. It was an incredible effort and hopefully there are more to come in the closing weeks of the season.
- The Chicago Bears recorded their 10th victory of the season at a frigid Soldier Field in Illinois on Sunday defeating the Cleveland Browns 31-3, moving to the number two seed in the NFC in the process. The Bears simply took care of business. They rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns and Caleb Williams threw a couple of scoring strikes to DJ Moore. This team bounced back from last week's loss to Green Bay very impressively.
- The Philadelphia Eagles had lost three straight going into Sunday night and the Las Vegas Raiders were just what the doctor ordered. The Eagles romped to a 31-0 victory with Jalen Hurts throwing three touchdown passes. The Raiders are now 2-12 and look completely lost. They are one of the worst teams to have graced the NFL in many a year. Legendary head coach Pete Carroll could be one and done.
- The dream is officially over for the Cincinnati Bengals following their 24-0 loss at home to the Baltimore Ravens. The air had completely gone out of this team following the previous week's loss to Buffalo and now all eyes will be on quarterback Joe Burrow in the offseason. He said this past week that he wonders about football and how it has to be fun for him. Is he hinting at an Andrew Luck-style retirement? Is he angling for a move away from the Bengals? Or is he setting the stage to force this team to upgrade on the defensive side of the ball and become a true contender again? It's going to be one of the storylines of the offseason.
Fact of the Week
In recording a 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens recorded their first shutout victory since they beat the Tennessee Titans 21-0 in Week 6 of the 2018 season. The Ravens (now 7-7) intercepted Burrow twice and sacked him three times.
Final Thought…
We’ve had some hard-hitting games with big implications played out in frosty and snowy conditions in recent weeks and this past few rounds of games certainly feel different compared to the early stages of the regular season. Once we got to Thanksgiving and now moving beyond that American holiday, everything feels more intense. Everything seems to matter that much more. The level of play has risen, the room for error has narrowed, and we are finding out now that this is one of the most wide-open races to the Super Bowl, with as many as 10 or 11 teams having a chance to lift the Lombardi in California in February. The early part of the season is important, of course. You cannot set the stage for a championship run without those early- and mid-season wins, but there's no doubt things are hitting very differently now we are in December. And the intensity levels are only going to rise between now and the end of the season.