Last Sunday, we watched the Pittsburgh Steelers deliver a defensive masterclass against Daniel Jones and the red-hot Indianapolis Colts and wondered aloud whether we were finally seeing all the pieces click into place.
One week later, there’s a whole new crop of questions about this Steelers group after their uninspiring performance against a Los Angeles Chargers squad that just schooled them on defence and outclassed them in just about every facet of the game.
After a slow start, the Chargers’ defence stepped up and forced a fumble for a safety to get L.A. on the board, and late in the second quarter jump-started the club with an interception that sparked a scoring drive resulting in the first touchdown of the game. In the fourth quarter of what was then a 22-3 game favouring L.A., the Chargers applied salt to the wound with another interception against Aaron Rodgers, exposing the Steelers’ stale offence under the prime-time lights with an eventual 25-10 win.
The Chargers have now strung together three straight wins, despite several significant injuries along their offensive line — no Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt has them fielding a patchwork line with every snap — and in their run game, with third-string running back Kimani Vidal stepping up with 25 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Justin Herbert threw for 220 yards, 107 of which went to star Ladd McConkey and two of which went to Keenan Allen — including a late-game history-maker that saw Allen take over as the Chargers’ all-time franchise leader in catches.
The Chargers are gaining ground on the Broncos, and getting a little separation over the Chiefs (bye) to put them in good position to make waves down the stretch.
Meanwhile, on the Steelers’ side, while the pass rush got home plenty, the silver linings were few and far between. You don’t have to be a skilled lip-reader to know what Aaron Rodgers thought of his squad’s offensive performance, which was defined by drops and an overall lack of anything resembling chemistry or explosiveness. It’s startlingly clear that the veteran QB doesn’t trust his group of receivers, and it’s painfully obvious that things could go downhill fast if that doesn’t change soon.
Things are about to get interesting in the AFC North
Don’t look now, Steelers fans, but here come the Ravens. After starting the season with a 1-5 record and a devastating list of injuries, it was easy to count Baltimore out. Three wins later — including the last two with a healthy Lamar Jackson at the helm — the Ravens are one win shy of .500 following Sunday’s win over the Vikings as they enter an interesting stretch. Winnable games against the Browns, Jets, and Bengals set them up for their first date against Pittsburgh in Week 14.
Taylor sprints to top of MVP ballot
After suffering their second loss of the season last week against the Steelers, Jonathan Taylor’s got the Indianapolis Colts back in the win column — and he’s written his name on the MVP ballot in the process. Taylor was sensational against the Falcons in Berlin on Sunday, running for 244 yards (the second-highest single-game total of his career) on 32 carries and cashing in three rushing touchdowns, including the overtime game-winner to claim a 31-25 win over the Falcons. This marked Taylor’s fourth game this season with three rushing TDs, his total on the season now at a league-leading 15. He’s also got a commanding lead in the rushing race, with 1,139 through 10 weeks of play.
Those are MVP-worthy numbers, but his value goes beyond the many yards he’s racked up — and Sunday’s win was a perfect example of that. Through the first two months of the season, Daniel Jones was also in early MVP conversations but November has brought some familiar struggles. After a poor performance against the Steelers in Week 9 in which Jones gave up three fumbles, was sacked five times, and intercepted three times, he struggled again on Sunday against the Falcons’ formidable pass rush: Seven sacks, a fumble, and an interception behind an offensive line showing a few cracks in the foundation, raised questions about whether this smooth-sailing season might be in for some rougher waters to come.
But Taylor’s consistent ability to grind out a first down when called upon and break a game wide open at the most opportune time — as he did Sunday in Berlin with an 83-yard scoring sprint in the fourth quarter — has so often been the difference for the Colts.
While Indianapolis heads into a Week 11 bye at the perfect time for some fine-tuning along the line, they do so with a commanding three-win lead atop the AFC South thanks not only to Taylor, but to their frenemies down in Houston. With C.J. Stroud out due to a concussion, the Davis Mills-led Texans rallied for a massive fourth-quarter comeback over Jacksonville — 26 unanswered points, with the game-winner coming courtesy of the Texans’ sensational defence — to drag down the Jaguars in what was a crucial matchup for both clubs to keep wild card hopes alive.
Patriots pass yet another test as they extend win streak to seven
Speaking of the MVP conversation, Drake Maye is writing himself a decent case, too, at the helm of an 8-2 Patriots team that’s showing no signs of slowing down. While Sunday’s 28-23 victory over the NFC South-topping Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasn’t his best personal showing, it was a perfect example of what makes New England so dangerous.
Sure, the Patriots haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of opponents through the first half of the season, but when tested by the best, they’ve been more than up to the task. And Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay, in addition to completing New England’s sweep of that division to pad their lead atop their own, brought yet more proof. With Rhamondre Stevenson out, the Patriots leaned on rookie TreVeyon Henderson to win the run battle.
Henderson ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while New England held Tampa’s run game to 133 yards and the Buccaneers’ combined offence to a respectable 5.6 yards per play, with their biggest moment coming late with a crucial fourth-down stop to seal the win.
Bills’ mistake-filled loss to Dolphins brings up familiar questions
The Patriots’ victory atop the AFC East only makes the Bills’ dismal loss in Miami sting more. Put simply, the team that showed up in Florida to take on the Dolphins didn’t look at all like the one that took down the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday.
Then again, the Dolphins didn’t look much like the team we’ve seen thus far, either.
Start to finish, Miami was the better team against Buffalo on Sunday, their 30-13 victory starting with a total shutout of Josh Allen through the first three quarters and ending with a De’Von Achane touchdown to rule out any hopes of a real fourth-quarter rally for Buffalo.
The Bills’ loss resurfaces questions about why general manager Brandon Beane didn’t scour the trade market for help at receiver, or try to bring in reinforcements in the trenches. Allen looked pedestrian — despite a stat line that still boasted 306 passing yards and a pair of scores — but most troubling was the loss within the loss, as tight end Dalton Kincaid went down with a hamstring injury that could spell trouble if he misses significant time.
Whether or not Allen will have his favourite weapon back in the weeks to come, there is very little room for error for the Bills going forward. Tough tests await against the Buccaneers in Week 11, followed by staunch defences in Houston and Pittsburgh.
Did AFC East hot seats just get a little cooler?
Meanwhile, for the victorious Dolphins and New York Jets — who topped the Browns mere days after trading away cornerstone defenders in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams — we now have some interesting storylines to follow in the second half of the season. While playoff hopes are all but officially dashed, existential questions remain, including the fate and future of both coaches. In New York, we’re getting our first taste of how Aaron Glenn wants to shape these Jets. Clearly, the team responded.
In Miami, a team that parted ways with its GM following a disastrous first half, we saw a group of players who appear ready to rally around their still-standing head coach. Is that hope on the horizon? While it’s possible Mike McDaniel’s fate may already be sealed in the eyes of Dolphins’ ownership, the players can have their say through their performance down the stretch. On Sunday, they did.
With Campbell calling the shots, Lions get their claws back
We all know what the Detroit Lions are capable of — they put up monster numbers last season as the best offence in the league, after all — but through the first half of the 2025 campaign, we’ve caught glimpses of that greatness but little consistency.
Following last week’s lacklustre loss to the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Dan Campbell made a change and took over offensive play-calling from coordinator John Morton. The results spoke for themselves, as the Lions scored on every possession until winding down the clock to end the game. Not a punt in sight (The Dan Campbell Way!). Jared Goff posted 320 yards and three touchdowns, Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 142 yards and two scores, and Jameson Williams had his best outing of the year to the tune of 119 yards and a TD. A grain of salt should be granted here, considering the banged-up state of the Commanders in this one, but Campbell’s move back to his play-calling roots will be something to watch through the second half of the season as Detroit is tested down the stretch — including next Sunday night against the Eagles.
Who is the best in the NFC West?
We can’t answer that question yet, but we’re getting closer to finding out thanks to back-to-back weeks of divisional matchups.
Sunday put the division’s race in the spotlight as the Seahawks doubled up the Cardinals 44-22 and the Rams took down the 49ers 42-26, exacting revenge on their Bay Area foe after the 49ers edged L.A. in Week 5. Matthew Stafford’s four-touchdown effort, plus Kyren Williams’ pair of rushing scores, left little doubt about the powerful state of L.A.’s offence, with four straight wins to their name following Sunday’s victory.
We can issue a similar statement about Seattle, which also extended its win streak to four — though a dominant defensive effort was the biggest story against the Cardinals. While Sam Darnold struggled, the defence put up a spectacular effort with two strip-sack fumbles resulting in nearly identical touchdowns.
Now, here comes the fun part, as the Rams’ offence will witness that dominant Seahawks defence first-hand when these newly 7-2 teams go head-to-head next Sunday with early dibs on the division on the line.
