We may have seen this movie before, with a Buffalo victory over Kansas City in the regular season, but it was still impressive to see the Bills notch a 28-21 win at Highmark Stadium in Week 9's headline game.
It was a victory filled with creativity and physicality. Buffalo took the fight to the Chiefs on the ground with 114 yards and three touchdowns, James Cook leading the way with 114 of those. But Josh Allen also had his moments at quarterback, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown, and of course finding the end zone on those two 'Josh Mosh' runs.
Buffalo were very good on defense as well, catching the eye with three sacks of Patrick Mahomes and an interception. But it wasn't just about those numbers. They swarmed to the football, they held the Chiefs to 79 rushing yards and they pressured Mahomes while knocking down several of his passes. It was a pretty complete performance from a defense that doesn't really get much recognition.
Now, of course, the bigger picture. Can the Bills do this to the Chiefs in the postseason? Josh Allen has won five straight regular season games against Mahomes. Mahomes has won the last four playoff meetings between the teams, ending Buffalo's seasons in four of the previous five campaigns.
So, there are more battles to come between these two teams, but the Bills laid down a bit of a marker in the AFC with this victory on Sunday.
Who's Hot…
Matthew Stafford… There are a few quarterbacks playing as well as Matthew Stafford right now and in the past two games he has driven the Los Angeles Rams to a 35-7 win over Jacksonville in London and a 34-10 victory against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. During the course of those two games, Stafford has looked in total control, forming connections with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua to throw nine touchdown passes and no interceptions. He leads the league with 21 touchdown strikes so far and while other quarterbacks get a lot more attention when it comes to the MVP race, who can argue that Matthew Stafford should not be on that shortlist and should not be considered one of the very best in the league?
Pittsburgh's Defense… You have to admire how NFL players and coaches respond to challenges. The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Sunday's game against the best offense in the NFL in the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts, with criticism raining down on the defensive players and coaches. The Steelers were on pace to produce the worst defense in franchise history, and that is painful given the proud heritage of that franchise on that side of the ball. But they responded brilliantly with six takeaways from a Colts team that had only turned the ball over four times heading into the game, and they sacked Daniel Jones five times in a 27-20 win. Even if it was for one week only, the Steelers found their familiar formula.
Rico Dowdle… Rico Dowdle has been so prolific for the Carolina Panthers over the past five weeks that we may end up seeing a surprise trading away of Chuba Hubbard before Tuesday's trade deadline. Dowdle is a huge reason why the Panthers have won four of their last five games. He rushed for 206 yards against Miami, 183 yards against Dallas and during Sunday's 16-13 win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field he produced 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. There are very few running backs across the NFL playing better than the unheralded Dowdle right now.
Who's Not…
Tua Tagovailoa… I was in Miami on Thursday night to see the Dolphins fall 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens dropping their record to 2-7 on the season and quarterback Tua Tungabailoa is a huge reason for their failings this season. He was not good enough on Thursday night, nowhere near, and he has not been good enough all through this season and especially over the last four games when he has thrown seven interceptions. Tua leads the league with 11 picks thrown and there are a lot of questions about his future. He does not look like a $53 million per year quarterback, not even close. Reports out of the United States on Sunday suggest that Tua is playing for his job and I think that's totally fair. I think it's right to question his long-term future as the leader of the Miami Dolphins' attack.
Cincinnati's Defense… The cracks are beginning to show in Cincinnati and it's no surprise because the Bengals are one of the most lopsided teams in the NFL and a locker room divide feels inevitable. Cincinnati trailed 41-27 to the Chicago Bears on Sunday but rallied to take a 42-41 lead late in the contest. They needed just one defensive stop and couldn't come up with it as Colston Loveland scored on a 58-yard catch with 17 seconds remaining, giving Chicago a 47-42 victory. Cincinnati's defense was woeful as they gave up 576 yards and six touchdowns to the Bears, undoing the good work of Joe Flacco who threw for 470 yards and four scores. Bengals offensive players were rightly frustrated after the game and it's shocking to me that the Cincinnati defenders refused to face the media. Own up to it lads!
The Fast Five…
- This NFL is hard to figure out. The Minnesota Vikings had some issues at quarterback, with J.J. McCarthy coming back from an ankle injury, and all he does is throw for two touchdowns and run for another score in an upset win in Detroit against the Lions. Go figure. The young quarterback was helped by a defense that held the Lions to 65 rushing yards and recorded five sacks.
- Christian McCaffrey continues to be a driving force for the San Francisco 49ers, as he put up big numbers through the air and on the ground (173 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns), and he is a major reason why this injury-ravaged team is off to a 6-3 start. Few offensive players are in more devastating form across the NFL.
- This has been coming for Cam Little. He kicked an NFL record 68-yard field goal during the Jacksonville Jaguars' 30-29 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Little landed a 70-yard field goal in the preseason, but it did not count in the record books given the status of that game. Whether it be Little or another kicker, a 70-yard field goal is coming to an NFL town near you and soon!
- The New England Patriots won't care how they got the job done because their 24-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday was their sixth in a row. But spare a thought for Atlanta wide receiver Drake London, who went over 100 receiving yards and scored three times. The third of those scores came with just over four minutes remaining and was followed by John Parker-Romo's crucial missed extra point.
- While it was crushing to watch Jayden Daniels suffer a severe elbow injury that likely ends a frustrating second season in the NFL, Sam Darnold was in clinical form during Seattle's 38-14 win in Washington. Darnold threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns and has the Seahawks looking like true contenders.
Fact of the Week
The Bengals defense has allowed three games of 500+ opposing yards in 2025. They are the only team this season with multiple games allowing 500+ offensive yards. Cincinnati have given up at least 27 points in eight straight games and are the second team in NFL history to suffer back-to-back losses while scoring at least 38 points. They are the first team to allow non-quarterbacks to throw TD passes against them since the 1992 Dallas Cowboys, giving up scoring strikes from Breece Hall (NY Jets) and DJ Moore (Bears).
Final Thought…
As I sit here on this first Monday of November, I have no clue who is going to be playing in the Super Bowl; let alone lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy in February. It is a question I get asked all the time and I genuinely think this race is so wide open that I have no clear idea. The best wins total in the AFC is seven (Denver, Indianapolis and New England) and there are an additional five teams within two victories, not even counting the 3-5 Baltimore Ravens. Over in the NFC, there are five teams with a conference-leading six wins and another four within one games. In summary, the race to Super Bowl 60 currently sees two games separating the leading 17 teams – that is more than half the league well-positioned to make a championship run as we enter the second half of the campaign.
