Josh Allen attempted to assert that Sunday’s life with the Kansas Town Chiefs was once simply “a Week 11 game.” The Expenses quarterback sat ahead of the cameras within the days eminent as much as Buffalo’s showdown with the two-time protecting champs and stated it was once “no bigger or no less (important) than the last 10 games we’ve had.”
On paper, most likely. Actually, disagree method.
The Chiefs have despatched the Expenses house within the playoffs thrice within the final 4 years. Kansas Town residue the largest roadblock for Buffalo within the franchise’s pursuit of its first Tremendous Bowl name.
This yr’s matchup carried with it massive postseason implications: the Chiefs entered a really perfect 9-0, year the Expenses have been 8-2. The winner may really well finally end up incomes the AFC’s Disagree. 1 seed and coveted playoff bye. Allen’s play games Sunday in Orchard Soil, particularly at the signature snap of Buffalo’s season to life, said to how badly the Expenses need it.
On a fourth-and-2 with 2:26 left and the Expenses eminent by way of two, Allen charged during the tooth of the Kansas Town protection for an MVP-caliber, 26-yard landing run. Six snaps then, the Expenses intercepted Patrick Mahomes to seal the 30-21 victory, dealing the Chiefs their first lack of the season and giving the Bills a crucial spice up of their pursuit of the AFC’s manage seed.
“Knowing how things usually go, we’ll probably see this team again at some point,” Allen stated later on.
GO DEEPER
NFL Age 11 takeaways: Expenses put together case as AFC’s supreme workforce, Bo Nix rookie of the yr?
At the subject of doable Disagree. 1 seeds, Detroit continues to appear to be essentially the most entire workforce within the league. The Lions have been so dominant Sunday that they could’ve expedited Doug Pederson’s journey in Jacksonville. A 52-6 loss — the worst within the Jaguars’ 29-year franchise historical past — may finally end up being the general straw for the veteran trainer. Then the embarrassment, Pederson, whose seat has warmed significantly in contemporary weeks as his workforce dropped 4 instantly, was once requested about his task safety.
“I can’t control that,” he informed journalists.
A couple of yr in the past, the Jaguars have been 8-3 and in rivalry for the AFC’s manage seed. They’re 3-13 since. The Lions, in the meantime, are 9-1 for the primary past in 90 years.
In Tennessee, the Vikings (8-2) stayed a match at the back of Detroit within the NFC North with a 23-13 victory over the Titans. It’s Minnesota’s 0.33 instantly win then consecutive losses in past due October.
If the NFC North residue the private category in soccer — 3 groups are 7-3 or higher — nearest the NFC West residue essentially the most jumbled. Seattle’s 20-17 win over San Francisco on Sunday approach the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams at the moment are 5-5, with the Cardinals (6-4) only a match forward.
In Miami, the Dolphins gained for the second one while in a row, beating the Raiders 34-19. Then creation 2-6, Mike McDaniel’s workforce has rallied to store its once-slim playoff hopes alive. Miami will face the Patriots upcoming while for a anticipation to assert a 3rd instantly.
The ones Patriots shall be coming off a 28-22 loss to the Rams in spite of a career-best 282 passing yards from rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The problem Sunday wasn’t Maye, in spite of his game-sealing interception within the fourth quarter, however in lieu L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford, who lit up the Unused England protection for 4 touchdowns. Puka Nacua completed with a game-high 123 receiving yards and a landing, year Cooper Kupp added 106 and two rankings of his personal.
In Unused Orleans, the Saints rode the total Taysom Hill Revel in to rout the Browns, 35-14, their moment instantly win with meantime trainer Darren Rizzi. Hill did all of it — a career-high 138 dashing yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 50 extra within the wind on 8 catches. He additionally returned a kickoff 42 yards and finished a go for 18.
Right here’s what we realized around the NFL in Age 11:
McDermott performs to win
Getting into Sunday, the Chiefs hadn’t misplaced since Christmas Date — a span of 15 video games. They hadn’t giving up greater than 28 issues since Tremendous Bowl LVII — a span of 30 video games. That they had by hook or by crook rallied to win 9 instantly when trailing by way of seven or extra — the longest such streak in NFL historical past.
The ones streaks are completed, and the Chiefs have suffered their first lack of 2024.
“We’ll get back to work and try to use this as a spark so we can be a better football team in the end,” Mahomes stated.
“Great game to learn from for some of our young guys,” Kansas Town trainer Andy Reid added. “When two good teams play each other, the margin between winning and losing is small.”
The Expenses have now gained 4 instantly over the Chiefs within the familiar season, however the contention’s narrative gained’t trade till they win the sort of in January. Buffalo is only a half-game again of Kansas Town (9-1) within the stream playoff race, and the Expenses (9-2) personal the primary tiebreaker by the use of the head-to-head victory.
Credit score Expenses trainer Sean McDermott for the gutsy name on the finish when opting for to walk for it on that fourth-and-2 from the Chiefs’ 26-yard-line with 2:26 left. A ground objective would’ve given the Expenses a 5-point manage, however McDermott knew a ground objective most likely wouldn’t be enough quantity. Now not towards that trainer and that quarterback. “There have been too many games when Andy and Patrick have come back,” McDermott stated then.
So he put the ball within the arms of his supreme participant. Allen answered with an emphatic landing run, a play games just a few alternative quarterbacks within the league can put together — if any.
“Would have stood by (the decision) if it didn’t work out,” McDermott added.
That’s the fitting mindset to overcome the Chiefs when it actually counts.
This felt like an AFC North throwback. Protection dominated. Issues got here at a top class. It went right down to the cord.
It took six ground objectives from kicker Chris Boswell, two first-quarter ignored kicks from Justin Tucker, an extraordinary fumble from Derrick Henry and a ban on a two-point conversion with 1:09 left. In spite of everything, the Steelers maintained their park atop the category — and stayed within the operating for the AFC’s manage seed.
It wasn’t good-looking, however Mike Tomlin’s workforce isn’t apologizing. The Steelers’ 18-16 victory over the Ravens is their 5th instantly win and fourth since quarterback Russell Wilson stepped into the creation position. Pittsburgh (8-2) these days owns the third-best file within the AFC, at the back of best Kansas Town and Buffalo.
Greater than anything else, this was once a observation by way of the Steelers’ protection: the Ravens entered the sport eminent the league in various offensive divisions, together with scoring, general yards, dashing yards and red-zone potency. Lamar Jackson was once incomes vital MVP chatter, and deservedly so.
However Pittsburgh’s second-rated scoring protection pressured 3 yieldings and held the Ravens, who’ve averaged just about 35 issues a match over the final pace, to simply two touchdowns. At the game-deciding 2-point conversion attempt, linebacker Nick Herbig and cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. burdened Jackson — generally deadly on two-point tries — right into a desperation throw that went nowhere.
The Steelers are rolling. With two video games bobbing up towards the Browns and a life with the Bengals sandwiched in between, they’ll most likely stay in entrance of the AFC North as we inch into December.
Chargers book off Bengals comeback
Out of doors of the splashy rent of Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers did very negligible relating to headline-grabbing strikes within the offseason. They have been peace in detached company, signing B-list veterans like Gus Edwards, Denzel Perryman and Hayden Hurst. They stated adios to their manage two receivers by way of liberating Mike Williams and buying and selling Keenan Allen to Chicago. They saved veteran go rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack however satisfied each to pull pay cuts and drafted an offensive take on — Notre Dame’s Joe Alt — 5th.
On paper, that is most commonly the similar workforce that completed 5-12 in 2023 and were given Brandon Staley fired 14 video games into the season. However the perceptible take a look at doesn’t fit up. Harbaugh’s model seems like a contender as a result of disagree alternative trainer within the game rebuilds quicker.
The Chargers at the moment are 7-3 then a wild win over the Bengals Sunday night time. Up 27-6 early within the 0.33, L.A. withstood 21 instantly from the Bengals, nearest rallied with an 84-yard force in 27 seconds to complete off the 34-27 victory. With 26 seconds left, J.Ok. Dobbins break out during the Cincinnati protection for a 29-yard game-winning run. Justin Herbert, who completed 17 of 36 for 297 yards and two touchdowns, hooked up on two deep throws to get the Chargers in scoring dimension ahead of Dobbins ended it.
The sport felt find it irresistible was once over ahead of Joe Burrow began heating up. And it doesn’t matter what Cincinnati’s file is, Burrow at his supreme remains to be just right enough quantity to carve up any secondary within the league. He did that lots of the moment half of Sunday, fending off a few accumulation sacks and discovering Tee Higgins deep for one landing and Ja’Marr Chase for 2 extra. However two past due misses from kicker Evan McPherson — one from 48 yards, one from 51 — proved pricey. For a tiny it appeared like the Bengals (4-7) have been going to drag off some of the greatest comebacks in franchise historical past. Rather, it’s their 6th one-score lack of the season.
The Chargers have their fourth win in a row, and unexpectedly, they’re simply two video games again of the Chiefs within the AFC West.
Richardson, Williams soar again
Following a tumultuous pace, two younger quarterbacks badly wanted bounce-back video games Sunday. Each were given them. However just one departed with a win.
The Colts’ Anthony Richardson, benched the age two weeks for veteran Joe Flacco, returned to the creation position Sunday towards the Jets and delivered some of the supreme video games of his younger profession in a 28-27 win over the Jets. Richardson flashed the kind of ability that led the Colts to draft him fourth in 2023 along with his 272 passing yards — on a 66.7 crowning glory share — and two bruising landing runs, the second one of which equipped the sport’s deciding issues. He’s a bodily specimen the league has infrequently not hidden at quarterback.
“It’s pretty cool, especially to do it against the Jets and Aaron Rodgers,” Richardson stated then the primary game-winning landing of his younger profession. “I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. So, it’s a blessing just to be able go against a legend.”
The win snaps a three-game skid for the Colts (5-6), who stay alive within the AFC wild-card race. As for the Jets, it’s the original dissipate in what’s develop into a misplaced season. Unused York is now 3-8, 1-5 since firing trainer Robert Saleh.
Anthony Richardson led the Colts at the first game-winning force of his profession on Sunday. (Al Bello / Getty Pictures)
In Chicago, Caleb Williams performed his supreme match in a pace, and the Bears’ offense discovered fresh time then the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. All of which made the outcome — a 20-19 loss to the Packers — much more gutting.
3 weeks then their Mist Mary loss in Washington, the Bears suffered extra last-second heartache. Possibly this workforce is cursed. Williams drove Chicago 42 yards on seven performs to arrange a 46-yard ground objective effort from Cairo Santos that may’ve gained it as past expired. However Inexperienced Bay defensive finish Karl Brooks penetrated Chicago’s fold simply enough quantity to get a finger at the kick, and his prohibit sealed the Packers’ win.
It’s Inexperienced Bay’s eleventh instantly victory over its longtime rival and assists in keeping Packers trainer Matt LaFleur a really perfect 11-0 within the layout.
Even in defeat — Chicago’s fourth in a row — there have been positives for the Bears. Williams ran for a season-high 70 yards and threw for 231, his best since Age 5. It was once a powerful debut from fresh offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who were given Williams going with some fast throws and helped revive a run match that piled up 179 yards. The Bears have been additionally a lot more environment friendly on 0.33 ill: then changing 6 of 40 the final 3 video games, they have been 9 of 16 Sunday. And the Bears’ streak of 25 instantly drives with out scoring a landing is in any case over.
Nix cuts into Daniels’ Offensive Rookie of the Generation manage
For a stretch, it gave the impression of the Offensive Rookie of the Generation race was once Jayden Daniels’ to lose, and it nonetheless could be. However any other quarterback has, on the very least, climbed into the dialog. And it’s no longer Williams, final spring’s Disagree. 1 select.
Bo Nix has been skillful of past due and shined within the Broncos’ 38-6 rout of the Falcons on Sunday, Denver’s greatest win at house in a decade.
The Oregon product ignored simply 5 throws all hour, completing 28 of 33 for 307 yards, 4 touchdowns and disagree interceptions. Nix’s 84.8 crowning glory share is the third-highest for a rookie QB (minimal 30 makes an attempt) in NFL historical past, and he joined Peyton Manning as the one rookie QB with no less than 200 passing yards and a couple of touchdowns in 4 instantly house video games.
Nix simply could be the quarterback the Broncos had been on the lookout for since Manning left. A rebuild that was once meant to pull at some point is coming in combination briefly. Nix has had a quantity to do with that.
Stats by no means inform the total tale — each freshmen had been instrumental in turning their groups round this season — however Nix’s numbers stack up smartly towards Daniels’. Nix has thrown for two,275 passing yards with a 66 crowning glory share, piled up 18 touchdowns and thrown 4 interceptions within the Broncos’ 6-5 get started. Daniels has 2,338 passing yards with a 69 crowning glory share, 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions for the 7-4 Commanders.
Most significantly for Denver, then a couple of losses to Tremendous Bowl contenders in Baltimore and Kansas Town, the Broncos rebounded in a fat method. If the playoffs began nowadays, they might personal the 7th and ultimate playoff spot within the AFC.
(Picture: Justin Ok. Aller / Getty Pictures)
