Around The NFL breaks down what you need to know from all of Sunday's action in Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below:
BERLIN
EARLY GAMES
LATE WINDOW
SUNDAY NIGHT
Michael Baca's takeaways:
- Taylor carries Colts past Falcons. Mired by protection woes, turnover tendencies and numerous third-down failures on Sunday, the Colts turned to their star running back to get them out of the muck of a performance destined to result in their first losing streak of the season. Jonathan Taylor delivered, producing 113 rushing yards in the fourth quarter and adding another 35 yards in overtime -- including his 8-yard game-winning touchdown -- to get Indianapolis back in the win column. It was a fitting ending for Taylor, who finished with a career-high 244 rushing yards while finding the end zone three times. In order to get to OT, J.T. produced the play of the game in the fourth quarter on a thrilling 83-yard TD run, which now stands as the longest rush this season. The Colts RB first appeared to be bottled up at the line of scrimmage before breaking out of a group of bodies, then dashing to his left and up the sideline with frustrated Falcons defenders left in his wake. The play instantly ended a frustrating stretch for a Colts team that hadn't hit pay dirt since the opening quarter. In extra time, the Colts defense needed to stop the Falcons' first possession, and Zaire Franklin came up big with a 2-yard tackle for loss and big sack on third down to force a punt. Tyler Warren delivered a big 23-yard reception to get the Colts into field-goal range, but it was Taylor that sealed the deal on the ground -- which made him the Colts' all-time leader in rushing TDs. Taylor, who added 42 receiving yards to his day, might have also jolted his case for an MVP season in the process.
- Falcons waste great pass-rushing effort. Atlanta's pass rush wreaked havoc on the Colts, generating 16 pressures on 39 dropbacks to the tune of seven sacks while forcing two turnovers. It was an effort worthy of victory against the league's top offense, but a lowly offensive showing ultimately prevented the Falcons from walking out of Berlin with an upset win. Michael Penix Jr. had a rough day through the air, completing only 42.9% of his passes (12 of 28 for 177 yards) while getting sacked three times and losing a fumble on one of those occasions. Any whiff of pressure had the Falcons' second-year QB flushing out of the pocket, only to either throw it away or run for a menial gain. Even when he had time to throw, Penix struggled to consistently hit his targets in stride -- his biggest miss coming in the first half when he underthrew Kyle Pitts for a sure TD. The Falcons produced 140 yards rushing at a healthy pace (4.8 yards per carry), allowing opportunity for the passing game to take advantage. Penix saw success when targeting Drake London, who caught Penix's only TD pass and came up clutch on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, but it was tough to connect elsewhere. The Colts recognized that in third-down situations by taking away London, and the Falcons failed to convert in all eight of those situations. While the Falcons defense wasn't perfect -- Jonathan Taylor rushed for 228 yards after contact -- Penix picked a bad time to have a bad day.
- Issues on offense persist for Colts. Had it not been for Jonathan Taylor's spectacular night in Berlin, it's likely the Colts would have been taking the long flight home on a two-game skid. Daniel Jones was roughed up by the Falcons and Atlanta's consistent pressures forced unnecessary mistakes, most notably his interception at the end of the first half. It could've been worse, too, as two of Jones' three fumbles on the day were safely recovered by the Colts. Jones finished 19-of-26 passing for 255 yards with one TD and the pick, but despite better days seen through the air, the Colts QB gutted out the victory, evidenced by the bloody mouth he played with as he led a field-goal drive late in the fourth quarter to get the game into overtime. Jones' 53 rushing yards (seven attempts) often came in big moments for a team that also struggled in key situations (2 of 12 on third down; 2 of 4 on fourth down). Indianapolis certainly has some things to work on, chief among them the protection, ball security and penalty issues. A Week 11 bye is an opportune time to do that as the Colts go into the final stretch of the season as legit contenders.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Falcons-Colts (via NFL Pro): Jonathan Taylor rushed for 228 yards after contact in Berlin, the only game since at least 2017 with more than 200. Taylor forced 11 missed tackles and gained 165 extra yards, the most by any player this season.
NFL Research: Jonathan Taylor joined Jim Brown, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry as the only RBs with multiple career games with 200-plus rushing yards and 3-plus rushing TDs. Taylor's 286 scrimmage yards on Sunday are the most in a game by a player in Colts history, overtaking Marshall Faulk’s 267-yard game in Week 13, 1998.
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David Ely's takeaways:
- Shough dazzles in second start, gets first-career win. Have a day Tyler Shough. Making his second career start, the Saints second-round rookie had a Sunday to remember in Carolina. Shough, 17 of 25 for 282 yards with two touchdowns, became the first New Orleans rookie QB to win a game since 1981 when Dave Wilson beat the Rams. Shough’s 282 yards were the most in a game by a Saints rookie in franchise history and his 128.9 passer rating was the second-highest rating for a rookie QB in team history (Archie Manning, 1971). Shough throws a nice, catchable ball that seems to float its way into the receivers hands, and he showed off a promising chemistry with wideout Chris Olave, who burned Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn for a game-changing 62-yard TD in the second quarter. It wasn’t a perfect day – 17 points won’t be enough to win most games. But in a season that’s more about the future than the present in New Orleans, Shough showed some things while leading his team to an upset win.
- Panthers lay egg, fail to build off last week’s upset. The Panthers entered Sunday fresh off possibly the best win of the Dave Canales era, facing the 1-8 Saints at home. The day was set up for them stack a win against one of the league’s worst teams and cement their status as a potential playoff team. Consider the moment not met. Carolina played a surprisingly sleepy, listless game that had the hometown fans booing by the end of the day. Bryce Young committed two turnovers, Ryan Fitzgerald had a kick blocked and Rico Dowdle was held in check. That all contributed to a seven-point outing that will have people once again wondering if Young is the long-term answer at QB. At 5-5, the Panthers have plenty left to accomplish, but with a road trip to Atlanta and tough games against the Rams and 49ers looming ahead of their bye, this loss will sting for a while.
- Saints defense bottles up Dowdle. New Orleans entered Sunday with a clear plan on defense: contain Rico Dowdle. The Panthers running back, who just recently assumed the clearcut No. 1 role, was held to his worst outing since September with 18 carries for 53 yards with a long of 14. Not helping matters was a quad injury that bothered Dowdle throughout the afternoon, but the Saints sold out to stop the run and force Bryce Young to make plays through the air. That strategy paid off in droves. Dowdle’s 2.9 yards per carry was more than two fewer than his season average, and Young struggled to produce without an explosive run game. Young (17 of 25, 124 yards) never looked comfortable against a stout Saints D and was constantly on the move (13 pressures, led by five from Chase Young). The Panthers aren’t presently constructed to win games with Young as the focal point of the offense, and the Saints shut out the Panthers after giving up a TD on the first drive of the game. That defensive showcase kept the game close, allowing Shough to find his grove and pull off the win.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Saints-Panthers (via NFL Pro): Much of Tyler Shough’s production was directed outside the numbers, as he finished 11 of 16 for 202 yards and both of his touchdowns on such attempts. His yardage total outside the numbers was the second-most by a Saints quarterback in the last eight seasons and most by any rookie in 2025.
NFL Research: The Panthers had their sixth game of the season with seven or fewer points in the first half. Carolina is 2-15 when Bryce Young starts at QB and has less than 70 yards in the first half in his career.
Bobby Kownack's takeaways:
- Chicago wins in familiarly dramatic way. It was another nail-biter for the Bears, who have made a habit this season of coming through in the clutch. For most of the contest, Chicago appeared to be the lesser team despite sporting a much better record than New York. The offense under Caleb Williams delivered highlights but not enough substance through three frames, and the defense bent too much to let the Giants take a lead. Then, halfway through the fourth quarter, things suddenly clicked. Trailing by 10 with the ball at his own 9-yard line and 6:13 left to work with, Williams led a 91-yard TD drive to make it a game. The Bears defense shortly returned the ball to him, and he rewarded those efforts with a 53-yard drive to take the lead. He routinely needed to scramble for his life on both drives, and in those heroic moments created two of Chicago’s most crucial plays. During the possession that tightened the score, he streaked 29 yards before bracing for a hit to set the Bears up two yards from paydirt. On the go-ahead drive, he scored on a 17-yard sprint down the sideline while impossibly avoiding defenders who had angles. That capped his fourth game-winning drive this season, already tied for most in a season in Bears history. Detractors will point to Jaxson Dart's injury flipping the game, but the win column doesn’t have asterisks.
- Giants melt down after Dart’s exit. Jaxson Dart made everything happen for New York’s offense through three quarters -- both good and bad. He found great rapport with Darius Slayton (four catches for 89 yards), Theo Johnson (six for 71) and Wan'Dale Robinson (six for 61) and repeatedly made big plays using his legs. At the time of his departure between the third and fourth quarter due to a concussion, he was the team’s leading rusher with 66 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. However, Dart took risks the way he always does. With 25 seconds remaining before half and the ball on Chicago’s 14-yard line, he chucked three straight dangerous balls into the end zone and was incredibly lucky to come away with a field goal to take the lead, 10-7. Leading, 17-7, in the third frame, he scrambled just outside the red zone and fumbled, during which he appeared to get banged up -- though he was in for the first play of the next drive before entering concussion evaluation. New York initially rallied behind Russell Wilson with its leader in the locker room, producing a field-goal drive to push the lead to 20-10 with 10:19 remaining. From there, though, the Giants had no juice. Their final three drives netted seven yards on 12 plays as Chicago stormed back for a victory. Already starved for stars with Dart in the lineup, the Giants offense proved lifeless without him.
- Bears have set themselves up for a run. The easier part of Chicago’s season is over with, and Ben Johnson’s group has done exactly what was required to make a playoff push possible. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Bears, battle-hardened through close victory after close victory, sit at 6-3. Caleb Williams again played his best football when it mattered most, Rome Odunze (six catches for 86 yards and a TD) rectified a recent disappearing act and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is in the running for midseason pickup of the year. Through two games with the Bears, he has 13 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. He represents another spark plug for a defense that entered Week 10 as the league’s most opportunistic and added CJGJ’s takeaway to bring its season total to 20. Of course, the upcoming slate of games will ultimately tell the story of the 2025 Bears. With the exception of a Week 15 matchup against the Browns, Chicago’s final eight games come against NFC North opponents or teams with winning records. The Bears can’t count solely on last-gasp heroics to survive a far more difficult stretch upcoming.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Giants-Bears (via NFL Pro): Caleb Williams scrambled on six of his 13 dropbacks in the fourth quarter and recorded three explosive plays, including the go-ahead score with 1:54 remaining.
NFL Research: Jaxson Dart has scored seven rushing touchdowns, which matches Cam Newton as the most by a QB through their first seven career starts.
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Nick Shook's takeaways:
- Mills, Texans teammates step up in huge spot. When Davis Mills entered the NFL, he was afforded two seasons to try to prove he could be the Texans' starter, failed to do so and receded into the shadows as a backup to C.J. Stroud. Many might have forgotten he was still with the Texans prior to Stroud's concussion, which forced Mills into action in Week 9. He made sure those same folks would remember his name with his performance in the second half Sunday. Facing a 19-point deficit entering the fourth, Mills fearlessly let it fly, completing 11 of 20 passes for 104 yards and powering an offense that moved quickly on two scoring drives, which both ended in Mills touchdown passes (including a pinpoint-accurate toss to Dalton Schultz). Mills delivered on a crucial third-and-10 on Houston's final possession, rolling right before firing a perfect pass to Schultz to keep the must-have drive alive. Mills willingly leaned on his best pass catchers, giving Nico Collins chances to make plays before he took the game in his own hands and scrambled for a 14-yard touchdown run with 0:31 left to play. It was a shocking display from a quarterback who often looked overmatched in the past, and couldn't have come at a more crucial time, moving the Texans within one game of .500 -- and one game behind Jacksonville in the AFC wild card race.
- Jaguars collapse, waste golden opportunity. Through three quarters, it appeared as if Jacksonville would cruise to a win over the Texans and all but extinguish Houston's waning playoff hopes. The Jaguars jumped all over the Texans in the first quarter, forcing two quick turnovers and producing 10 points off the takeaways, then enjoyed a 73-yard punt return from Parker Washington (his second trip to the end zone in the first half). Late in the third, an 11-play, 58-yard scoring drive pushed their lead to 19, all but burying Houston before Jacksonville began to crumble. A conservative offensive approach on the next two possessions afforded the Texans ample time to mount a comeback and once the avalanche began, the Jaguars could not stop it. Their defense spent nearly 11 of the final 15 minutes on the field and the effects were visible in the final minutes of the game. By the time Trevor Lawrence returned to the field to mount one last drive, it was clear the onslaught was too much for Jacksonville to overcome, ending in a defensive touchdown for Houston and a defining image of first-year coach Liam Coen, who tossed his play sheet and headset to the ground as Sheldon Rankins returned Lawrence's fumble for a touchdown. These types of losses can be overcome but will undoubtedly test the resilience of the Jaguars, losers of three of their last four. We'll see how tough they are.
- Houston's defense keys comeback. Throughout what has been a trying 2025 season for the Texans, they've largely been able to lean on their defense as a source of pride, hope and production. That wasn't the case in the first three quarters Sunday. Houston's defense was put in two rough situations immediately due to offensive giveaways and eventually gave way to a Jaguars offense that appeared to put the Texans out to pasture with an emphatic scoring march late in the third quarter. DeMeco Ryans' unit bowed up in the fourth quarter, however, dialing up the aggression, sacking Lawrence three times and limiting the Jaguars to a mere 11 yards in the final period. In typical Houston fashion, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 2.5 sacks in the fourth quarter (as part of a huge day for Hunter, who finished with 3.5 sacks and eight QB pressures), while five different Texans recorded at least one pressure in the final period. Two three-and-outs bought their offense time, and when the time came to seal the victory, the Texans slammed the door on the Jaguars.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Jaguars-Texans (via NFL Pro): Danielle Hunter generated a season-high eight QB pressures and 3.5 sacks on 28 pass rushes against the Jaguars in Week 10, posting a 28.6% pressure rate that marked his first game over 25% this season. Hunter got home against Trevor Lawrence throughout the game despite facing nine chip blocks, tied for his second-most in a game this season.
NFL Research: The Texans' 19-point comeback is their second-largest comeback in franchise history, trailing only their 21-point comeback against the Chargers in 2013.
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Bobby Kownack's takeaways:
- Dolphins have plenty of fight in them. Every headline leading up to Miami’s meeting with the Bills was negative. Since they last played on Thursday Night Football in Week 9, the Dolphins parted ways with general manager Chris Grier and traded pass rush Jaelan Phillips, and Tua Tagovailoa's future with the team came into question. You wouldn’t know it from how they raced to a 16-0 lead over Buffalo. Although Tagovailoa still made a few head-scratching decisions, namely two interceptions of the arm-punt variety, he was efficient and also hit a few deep balls to finish with 173 yards on 15-of-21 passing. Jaylen Waddle proved why the Fins needed to hold on to him at the deadline, as he led the team with 84 receiving yards and ran a beautiful route to dust Maxwell Hairston for a 38-yard TD catch. De'Von Achane, whose name also garnered interest from RB-needy teams, put two exclamation marks on the game with breakaway runs of 59 yards and 35 yards in the fourth quarter after giving would-be tacklers fits throughout the contest. Miami’s stars came out to play for Mike McDaniel on Sunday, and they got the win.
- Sluggish start, massive mistakes doom Bills. It seemed Buffalo had left its inconsistencies behind after its Week 7 bye, turning a two-game losing streak heading into the off week into a two-game winning streak by trouncing the Panthers and thoroughly outplaying the Chiefs. Divisional games always have the potential to get weird, though, and this one certainly was. The Bills’ normally explosive offense was completely bottled up in the early going. Four of the Bills’ six first-half possessions ended after three plays, and their longest drive during that timeframe was sabotaged by a James Cook fumble at Miami’s 34-yard line. Buffalo’s first third-down conversion -- which didn’t come until the third quarter -- required Josh Allen to go on an odyssey, avoiding rushers in the backfield on third-and-16 for a lifetime before finding Curtis Samuel to move the sticks. That seemed to wake Buffalo from its stupor, but with such a deficit, the 14-play, 77-yard drive had to end in points. Instead, Allen threw an interception to Ifeatu Melifonwu in the red zone. Another Allen turnover, this time a fumble on a gutsy 15-yard run, was sandwiched between the Bills’ only TD drives. Nothing worked until late, and even then the progress was upended by uncharacteristic errors.
- Miami’s defense has its best day. Outside of holding the Falcons to 10 points in Week 8, the Dolphins haven’t stopped anyone all year. They took that personally against the Bills, holding the league’s No. 3 scoring offense to 13 points by creating takeaways, containing James Cook and harassing Josh Allen enough to keep him uncomfortable. Even with Jaelen Phillips on another team and Chop Robinson inactive due to a concussion, Miami got home against Buffalo’s offense line. Edge Bradley Chubb turned his game-high eight pressures into a sack; defensive tackle Zach Sieler and Willie Gay Jr. each had one, as well. Jordyn Brooks, leading the league with 93 tackles coming into Sunday, added another 12 and a forced fumble. The Bills had no answer for the Dolphins D in the first half, and when they finally got going, Miami had answers of its own via game-changing takeaways.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Bills-Dolphins (via NFL Pro): De’Von Achane forced 11 missed tackles, his most in a game in his career, and gained 100 yards after forcing a missed tackle. Of his 225 yards from scrimmage, 195 came after contact (165 rushing, 30 receiving).
NFL Research: Buffalo’s 17-point loss is the team’s largest to Miami since Week 11, 2011.
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Eric Edholm's takeaways:
- Ravens overcame sluggish offensive start to put Vikings away. Don’t look now, but the Ravens have won three straight and are a game away from hitting the .500 mark. It wasn’t easy early Sunday, with the Vikings taking a 10-3 first-half lead, but the Ravens settled in offensively and started cashing in on their red-zone chances. They went three-and-out on offense on three of their first four drives, and even after starting to move the ball, they settled for field goals on their first three red-zone trips. But three straight turnovers forced by Baltimore’s defense gave the Ravens excellent field position and allowed them to take control. Lamar Jackson had a quiet game early on but started having success with his legs after halftime, leading Baltimore on an 11-play touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. The TD pass to Mark Andrews and two-pointer to Rashod Bateman was enough to finish off Minnesota.
- Vikings offense fell apart after a promising start. The J.J. McCarthy experience has been a wild one. Following the rousing win at Detroit last week, McCarthy led the Vikings on a TD drive on their opening possession against the Ravens, with a terrific throw, catch and run on Jalen Nailor's 62-yarder a key play. That ended up being the offensive highlight of the game for the Vikings, who finished 3 for 14 on third downs and 2 for 5 on fourth-down conversions. McCarthy threw two interceptions, each targeting Justin Jefferson. The first was just a poor pass from McCarthy; on the second, Jefferson appeared to get tangled up with a Ravens defensive back. Jefferson only caught four passes on 12 targets. Credit McCarthy for battling, as he led a gutsy TD to make it a one-score game late, and he had the ball at game’s end trailing by one score. But the Vikings fell short, as they killed themselves throughout the game with an inexcusable seven false starts (at home!), with a lost fumble by kick returner Myles Price also very costly.
- Ravens’ defense has made huge strides during season turnaround. Sure, Lamar Jackson’s return has been huge, but you can’t look past the performance of the Ravens’ improved defense. That’s now four straight games where Baltimore has held its opponent under 20 points, holding off a furious Vikings rally late to win again. The Ravens forced three turnovers Sunday, bringing their four-game total to eight. In the Ravens’ first five games of the season they forced only two. Although it doesn't count toward the turnover total, the Ravens also stopped the Vikings three times on downs – all in the game’s final 20-plus minutes – including on a fourth-and-3 at the Baltimore 13-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, protecting a two-score lead. New acquisition Dre'Mont Jones got into the action with some good pass rush pressure, and rookie Malaki Starks had his second pick in as many games. The Ravens defense might not be back to the peak form of a few seasons ago, but it appears vastly improved over what we saw the first chunk of the season.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Ravens-Vikings (via NFL Pro): J.J. McCarthy averaged 11.8 air yards per attempt against the Ravens in Week 10.
NFL Research: New Ravens DE Dre'Mont Jones has one or more sacks in each of his past five games, the longest active streak in NFL. Jones was tied with the Giants’ Brian Burns entering Sunday, but Burns was held without a sack at Chicago.
Nick Shook's takeaways:
- Jets win with total team effort. New York's offense unsurprisingly struggled against Cleveland, especially in the first half, recording just 62 total yards by the time the Jets reached the intermission. The scoreboard didn't reflect that reality, though, because the Jets' special teams unit put together a memorable afternoon. Kene Nwangwu returned a kick 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7, and after New York's defense forced a three-and-out, Isaiah Williams matched his teammate with a 74-yard punt return for a score that led to a 14-7 lead. Amid a driving rain, the Jets found life in the second half by turning to Breece Hall, who ripped off a 42-yard catch-and-run touchdown, gained key chunks on the ground in the fourth quarter and led the Jets' effort to seal the win. Defensively, New York was excellent, harassing Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel all afternoon on the way to a final pressure rate of 55.8% and six sacks, with edge rusher Will McDonald IV powering the unit with four sacks. In the end, the Jets didn't need their offense to do much because they won in the other two phases and received ample production when it mattered most, putting together their most complete performance of 2025.
- Browns turn in ugly showing. Cleveland laid an egg that looks even worse when considering the Browns had an extra week to prepare for their meeting with the similarly poor Jets. Kevin Stefanski handed play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and watched them turn in a slightly better showing than usual, rolling out a game plan dedicated to feeding Jerry Jeudy targets and leaning heavily on rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. The approach produced relatively positive results in small spurts. Cleveland outgained New York, 156-62, in the first half and dominated time of possession by a margin of roughly seven minutes. The unit found success early, too, starting with a sharp 95-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a Gabriel touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku. In the second half, however, the Browns fell apart, punting on their first two possessions before turning it over on downs in Jets territory while trailing by seven points (via a mystifying fourth-and-1 call for a pass), and when the Browns needed one stop to give their offense one more chance, two penalties -- a defensive hold on a play that wasn't threatening to gain a first down, and an inexcusable encroachment on fourth-and-4 -- gave the Jets two first downs and extinguished Cleveland's hopes. Throughout the 2025 season, the Browns have often been their own worst enemy. On Sunday, they made McDonald look like an All-Pro edge, failed to convert key downs throughout most of the game, disappeared for stretches offensively, delivered an abysmal showing in kick/punt coverage and melted down defensively in the most important spots. The fact they lost to a team that had just traded away two of its best players only adds to the ugliness of the defeat and leads to wonder whether changes might be coming this week.
- New York scores a major morale victory. The Jets' decision to send Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams packing in exchange for draft capital -- two trades that signaled New York was sacrificing the rest of 2025 for the future -- hung like a dark cloud over the club entering the weekend. If ever there was a time for a 1-7 team to lay down, it was Week 10. Instead of doing so, the Jets banded together and gave maximum effort, producing a win that first-year coach Aaron Glenn needed now more than ever. Their desire and their coach's connection to the team was evident in his reaction to a violent run in the third quarter in which Hall ran through a couple of Browns defenders for a hard-earned first down -- and elicited a teeth-gritting, arm-flexing response from the former Pro Bowl corner. Desire was never a question for these Jets on a day in which most everyone would have understood if they didn't have it in them. Instead, New York rallied together for a win that should serve as a large green check mark on Glenn's resume.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Browns-Jets (via NFL Pro): Will McDonald IV recorded nine pressures on 38 pass rushes in Week 10 against the Browns. Five of those came in under 2.5 seconds, the most quick pressures in a game in his career.
NFL Research: The Jets beat the Browns in Week 10 despite only having 42 net passing yards in the game. That is the fewest pass yards by the Jets in a win since Week 5, 1973, when QB Bill Demory led the Jets to a 9-7 win over the Patriots.
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Eric Edholm's takeaways:
- Patriots defense made key fourth-down stop late to secure massive win. The Patriots have now won seven straight games, thanks to a fourth-down sack of Baker Mayfield in the red zone in the final two minutes to secure the victory over the Buccaneers. The Bucs made it interesting late, scoring a last-minute touchdown, but the onside kick was recovered by New England. Mayfield threw for three TDs, and Emeka Egbuka was giving Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez all he could handle, but the Bucs’ offense stalled too often after the opening TD drive and had trouble generating big plays most of the game. That had been a sore spot on this New England defense most of the season, and they were a few plays away from losing at home last week against the Falcons, so this overall performance was a massive development in one of their biggest tests of the season so far.
- Bucs’ defense faltered in key spots. Tampa Bay’s defensive improvement has hinged on stopping the run and sacking opposing quarterbacks. But neither of those elements shined in Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Patriots. Drake Maye had been sacked 16 times in his previous three games, but the Bucs only managed to take him down once all game on 32 dropbacks, even while generating a positive pressure rate. The Bucs also allowed TD runs of 55 and 69 yards, each coming with New England protecting a one-score lead. The second one happened in the final 90 seconds, all but driving a stake through their hearts. The coverage also broke down on Kyle Williams' 72-yard TD catch and run, allowing the Patriots to rack up 435 yards and average a whopping 7.4 yards per play.
- Henderson gave Patriots the boost they needed. The Patriots were already without running back Rhamondre Stevenson Sunday, and they lost Terrell Jennings to injury early in the second quarter, meaning that they had to count on rookie TreVeyon Henderson to step up. Henderson did more than that, ripping off two long TD runs to break the Bucs on Sunday, finishing with 147 yards on 14 carries. His 55-yard TD run through the B gap helped increase New England’s lead to 21-10 early in the third quarter after the Patriots trailed in the final moments of the first half. Mike Vrabel’s gambit to drain the clock and have Drake Maye go down short of the end zone on first-and-goal worked out, with Maye hitting Stefon Diggs on fourth-and-goal to end the second quarter. Henderson then came through again with his 69-yard TD run in the final minutes of the victory following New England’s fourth-down stop on defense. Henderson briefly was shaken up after a Maye scramble before returning, and for the Patriots, they’re awfully thankful he did. Maye made some big plays in this one, but they don’t win it without Henderson’s two bombs.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Patriots-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): Baker Mayfield completed 10 of his 13 intermediate pass attempts in Week 10, totaling 165 yards and three touchdowns on passes between 10 and 19 air yards.
NFL Research: The Buccaneers are 1-5 versus the Patriots since 2001. Tampa Bay’s only win against New England in span was with Tom Brady as their starter (Week 4, 2021).
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Nick Shook's takeaways:
- Seattle's defense is special. This isn't new information but was undoubtedly reaffirmed by the Seahawks' showing Sunday. Linebacker Tyrice Knight forced two fumbles via two strip-sacks that were almost identical in appearance, jarring the ball loose for Demarcus Lawrence to recover and return for two touchdowns in the first half, propelling a scoring flurry that saw Seattle take a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter. In the first half alone, the Seahawks forced three turnovers (two fumbles, one on downs) and three punts, suffocating Arizona's offense. When the Cardinals managed to force a couple of Sam Darnold turnovers during the middle eight portion of the game and give their offense excellent field position, Seattle's defense stood tall again, limiting Arizona to seven points in the two trips (to go along with another goal line stand earlier in the first half). It's been evident for weeks and only continues to grow more evident as we march toward winter: Mike Macdonald's defense is a monster that should be feared by every opponent standing in its path.
- Cardinals settle in far too late. Arizona found itself in the throes of a Seattle ambush early in this one, surrendering a deep strike touchdown from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba before the two fumbles resulted in a 28-0 deficit. The Cardinals had to feel as if they'd been blindsided by a collection of haymakers and were only able to regain steady vision in the final few minutes of the first half, because that's certainly how it looked. Arizona deserves credit, though, for battling through the fourth quarter in an effort that never drew the Cardinals any closer than a 22-point deficit. However, it afforded Jacoby Brissett opportunities to attempt to iron out his connections with his pass catchers, finally finding Marvin Harrison Jr. on an expertly executed back-shoulder fade for a touchdown early in the fourth. It was a visibly frustrating day for Harrison (12 targets, three catches for 33 yards and the touchdown), and a physically taxing day for Trey McBride (13 targets, nine catches, 127 yards, one touchdown), but the Cardinals completed some positive work amid the blowout loss (though their red zone offense could be better). They'll need to carry it over into Week 11 when the 49ers come to Arizona.
- Seattle finally ran the ball well! It required a combined 35 carries between their top three backs to get it done, but the Seahawks should be proud of what they accomplished with Zach Charbonnet (14 carries, 83 yards, one touchdown), Kenneth Walker III (14 carries, 67 yards), and the lesser-known George Holani, who ran hard on his seven attempts for 31 yards and a score. Seattle posted 181 rushing yards on 35 attempts (5.17 per carry) against a defense that was ranked 12th against the run entering Week 10. This is an encouraging sign, because their greatest weakness has been the lack of consistency with the ground game. It's not a guarantee they've figured it out, but it's a start.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Cardinals-Seahawks (via NFL Pro): In a game where Seattle led by double digits for nearly 55 game minutes, the Seahawks offense called a run play on 78% of their plays, the third-highest rate in a game in the NGS era (since 2016).
NFL Research: DeMarcus Lawrence became the first player in NFL history with multiple defensive fumble return touchdowns of 20-plus yards in a single game, and the fourth player in NFL history with multiple defensive fumble return touchdowns in a single game, joining Jeremy Chinn (2020), Fred Evans (1948) and Al Nesser (1920).
- REWATCH: Rams-49ers on NFL+ Premium
Eric Edholm's takeaways:
- Rams dominated early, flexed late in statement victory over Niners. The Rams’ last loss was to the 49ers, and it appeared as if they badly wanted to avenge that one. The Rams did just that, winning their fourth straight, starting strong, taking the Niners’ best punch and finishing them off for a big road win. It started with a 21-0 flourish, putting San Francisco on its heels a few minutes into the second quarter. The Rams’ defense started to bend, with the Niners making it a one-score game, and even Matthew Stafford cooled off after a hot start. But Stafford found his groove late, even with Davante Adams on the sideline, throwing four touchdowns and no picks, adding another few feathers in his MVP-candidacy cap. It was just a clean operational game for the Rams, who had zero penalties, zero turnovers and zero missed kicks. Sean McVay should be a happy man.
- Hard to blame Mac in this one. The big drama in San Francisco right now appears to be the quarterback situation, with Brock Purdy missing another game and Mac Jones getting another chance to prove his worth as the starter. Jones was dealing for most of the game Sunday, giving the Niners a chance by scoring two straight TDs after falling behind 21-0. Jones completed 33 of 39 passes for 319 yards and three TDs, fighting until the bitter end, but the climb was too high. The 49ers’ defense allowed six Rams touchdown drives and barely laid a hand on Matthew Stafford all game. Jones threw a late pick trying to make a play with his team down 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, but he otherwise was as good as you could hope for, not taking a sack and making some clutch throws under tough circumstances. Kyle Shanahan’s weekly drama isn’t going away, and the 49ers have frustratingly ping-ponged between wins and losses since Week 3, but it’s hard to put this loss on Jones after a game performance.
- Rams’ 13-personnel package brought more good fortune. Matthew Stafford is a legit MVP candidate, and he has been thriving with the Rams’ new go-to personnel grouping. The Rams have increasingly operated out of 13 personnel (one running back, one receiver, three tight ends) and posed problems for opposing defenses. According to Next Gen Stats, the Rams scored four of their six TDs in this grouping, which they used on 30 offensive plays (44.8%). Last week, the Rams used 13 personnel on 35 plays – the most by any offense in a game over the last decade, per Next Gen – and also had four TDs. Stafford really leaned on his tight ends late against the Niners, especially with Davante Adams hurt, finding Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee and Terrance Ferguson on some key completions. The Rams also ran the ball effectively with the bigger formation and really kept the 49ers on their heels with it all game. Another gem from Next Gen: Sean McVay used 13 personnel for a grand total of 84 plays in his first 137 games as Rams head coach. He’s now surpassed that usage over the past four games.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-49ers (via NFL Pro): Even leaving the game late with injury, Rams WR Davante Adams caught six of eight targets for 77 yards and a touchdown in Week 10 against the 49ers. He was productive on in-breaking routes, catching three passes on four targets for a season-high 51 receiving yards on such routes – his second game this season with at least 50 receiving yards on in-breaking routes, both coming against the 49ers (50 yards in Week 5).
NFL Research: Matthew Stafford has thrown for four or more TD passes and no interceptions in each of his past three games. Only Hall Of Famers Peyton Manning (five) and Dan Marino (four) have a longer streak with four or more passing TDs and no interceptions since the 1970 merger.
- REWATCH: Lions-Commander on NFL+ Premium
Bobby Kownack's takeaways:
- Campbell appears to take over play-calling to tremendous results. It’s not often the league’s No. 2 scoring offense needs to shake things up, but it looks like Detroit did exactly that against the Commanders. Following two losses in three games, Dan Campell was the one carrying the play sheet and talking into the headset between snaps on Sunday. NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo pointed out the apparent switch took place amid indications of a disconnect between offensive coordinator John Morton, players and coaches. There was no such disconnect in Detroit’s romp. The Lions controlled the game from start to finish, scoring on each of their seven possessions before Jared Goff took an early seat. Jahmyr Gibbs, who in last week’s defeat to the Vikings had only 28 yards on 12 touches, was unleashed. On his first 12 touches versus Washington, he amassed 105 yards and two scores, and he finished with 172 scrimmage yards and three TDs. There’s often an odd man out due to the offense’s overloaded quality, but Campbell got all the major players involved. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta had five receptions apiece for a combined 111 yards and a touchdown, while Jameson Williams got better as the game went on to lead the way with six catches, 119 yards and a touchdown. In short? No notes.
- Commanders might not be in spot that makes sense for Daniels’ return. The news following Jayden Daniels' elbow was about as positive as it could be. He won’t need surgery, isn’t expected to go on injured reserve and will be re-evaluated following the team’s Week 12 bye. The only problem is the situation the Commanders might be staring at when it comes time to weigh Daniels’ return. They are now 3-7, above only the Saints and Giants in the conference. Backup Marcus Mariota hung tough against Detroit, but it wasn’t enough to even create the mirage of a close contest. No one has emerged in the running back room and the wide receiver position is so depleted that recent addition Treylon Burks led the team with 58 receiving yards. Washington’s defense allowed Detroit to score at will, helpless to stop Jared Goff’s passing operation or the dynamic duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The Lions had 289 total yards by halftime and coasted to 546 by game’s end, over 100 yards more than Washington had given up (435) in a game this season. How willing should the Commanders be to put Daniels, who has now missed time this year due to hamstring, knee and elbow injuries, back in harm’s way? Winning out from Week 13 onward wouldn’t guarantee playoffs, considering the strength of the NFC.
- Lions make up for losses old and new. Detroit said all week the defeat it cared about righting was the most recent one, a surprise 27-24 loss to Minnesota. While that might be true given the Lions’ Super Bowl aspirations and need to focus on the present, it must feel good to avenge dropping last season’s NFC Championship Game to the Commanders. Detroit, battered from an injury-plagued season but confident a first Super Bowl appearance was in reach, instead saw its 2024 dreams end there at Washington’s hands. This time around, it’s the Commanders bitten by the injury bug, and the Lions just laid it on to push them one loss closer to a disappointing finish to the 2025 campaign. In doing so, Detroit kept pace with the surprising Bears and put pressure on the Packers. If Green Bay falls to the Eagles on Monday night, the Lions take over first place in the NFC North thanks to an utterly dominant performance.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Lions-Commanders (via NFL Pro): Jahmyr Gibbs hit a top speed of 21.11 miles per hour on his 43-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, his third score of the game.
NFL Research: Jahmyr Gibbs became the fifth player in NFL history to score more than 40 touchdowns before turning 24 years old, joining a club comprised of Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Randy Moss, Emmitt Smith and Jim Brown.











