Another week of NFL action. Another spike in intensity.
Time is running out for some teams, and others feel mounting pressure as they either try to protect the advantages they hold over opponents or as they try to reel in the teams slotted higher in the standings.
This week’s slate features nine divisional showdowns, two potential playoff previews and one possible Super Bowl preview.
The New England Patriots and New York Jets kicked off the action on Thursday night, with Drake Maye leading the Pats to their eighth straight win and adding to his MVP case. The Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins lead off Sunday’s schedule with the NFL’s first regular-season game in Madrid. Things climax with a Sunday night showdown between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles, and then kind of fizzles with Monday night’s Dallas Cowboys–Las Vegas Raiders tilt.
Here’s a look at five of the most compelling storylines of the weekend.
Bills and Bucs rebound hopes
For much of the season, the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ranked among the top teams in their conferences and the league as a whole. But both faltered last week. The Bills got embarrassed by the lowly Dolphins, and the Buccaneers got shown up by the rising Patriots. Now these 6-3 teams aim to get back on track Sunday as they meet up north at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen and the Bills will try to put behind the sloppy play that plagued them against Miami. Three turnovers, ineffectiveness on third downs and a stagnant rushing attack held Buffalo’s offense in check, and the defense had no answer for a punishing Dolphins rushing attack. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers again found themselves shorthanded because of rampant injuries. Baker Mayfield played well, passing for three touchdowns. But he’ll need his defense to get more key stops this week than the unit did against New England.
This is a potential shootout between two of the top quarterbacks from the 2018 draft class. Mayfield went No. 1 to the Cleveland Browns, and Buffalo took Allen at No. 7. Mayfield and Allen are 1-1 head-to-head, with Allen averaging 238.1 passing yards and Mayfield 235.0 in their meetings. Mayfield passed for four touchdowns in those two games, and Allen recorded two passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. (Buccaneers at Bills, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)
And so they meet again. In Week 1, the Chicago Bears took a 17-6 lead into the fourth quarter only to see J.J. McCarthy celebrate his Minnesota Vikings debut by leading his team on a 21-0 scoring run to take a 27-17 lead with 2:53 left. Caleb Williams and the Bears responded with a touchdown drive shortly after but could come no closer. Minnesota won 27-24.
McCarthy has since battled injury and missed five games before returning two weeks ago with an upset of the Lions and a rocky showing last week in a 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Williams and the Bears have embarked on a steady climb, winning six of their last seven outings.
It’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the rematch between these NFC North rivals. Will familiarity and the growth displayed enable the Bears to exact revenge? Or, will Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores have answers to slowing a Chicago offense that ranks third in yards per game (379.8) and seventh in scoring (26.6 points per game)? A win will help the Bears keep pace with Detroit, which enters Week 11 with an identical 6-3 record. A Vikings triumph will help 4-5 Minnesota take another step towards getting back into the divisional race. (Bears at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox)
J.J. McCarthy rallied the Vikings past Caleb Wiliams’ Bears in Week 1. Who will win the rematch? (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Battle for NFC West supremacy
Two of the hottest teams in the league face off with first place in the NFC West on the line. Both 7-2 and riding four-game winning streaks, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams meet at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
This game should represent quite the chess match between the Rams’ offensive wizard head coach Sean McVay and Seattle’s defensive mastermind coach Mike Macdonald. This is also a showdown between two of the most potent offenses in the league and two of the stingiest defenses. MVP candidates Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold figure to exchange blows throughout the contest. And on defense, it’s a display of the Rams’ fierce young front and the Seahawks’ talent-rich secondary.
These teams will play again later this season, but a win on Sunday will go a long way towards helping the victor improve its chances of winning the NFC West. With a win, the Rams would have about a 77 percent chance of winning the division, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator, while the Seahawks would be looking at about a 58 percent chance of taking the division. (Seahawks at Rams, 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox)
The Chiefs vs. the would-be usurpers
The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West for more than a decade now, winning the division 10 straight times and 11 times in the last 12 years. That streak is in jeopardy this season, however, thanks to the Chiefs’ slow start and the apparent ascension of the Denver Broncos.
Denver would love nothing more than to end that Kansas City run, and after an 8-2 start that has seen the Broncos hold at least a share of the division since their Week 5 win against Philadelphia, they can take a big step toward making that goal a reality.
History isn’t exactly on the Broncos’ side. Aside from last year’s late-season meeting, when the Chiefs rested many starters with their playoff seeding set and Denver rolled to a 38-0 win, Kansas City has won 17 of the last 18 games against Denver. Sean Payton and his team will try to buck that trend Sunday when they welcome Andy Reid and company.
Offensively, the Broncos and second-year quarterback Bo Nix have endured their ups and downs. However, Denver boasts one of the top defenses in the NFL, with a league-high 46 sacks (14 more than second-place Pittsburgh) while holding teams to just 270.7 yards and 17.3 points per game. Opposing offenses have converted 28.1 percent of their third downs for first downs.
The Broncos will need another robust performance from their defense as they brace for a Chiefs offense that has made significant strides after a short-handed start to the season. Now, Patrick Mahomes and the offense are showing signs of regaining the prolific form they have previously been known for.
Although they’ll meet once more this season, this game carries a lot of weight. With a win, the Broncos can pad their lead in the division. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have an opportunity to shrink the gap and build momentum down the stretch of the season. (Chiefs at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)
NFC playoff preview
Another heavyweight bout. Two of the NFC’s elite teams face off in Philadelphia as the Lions pay the Eagles a visit.
For much of last season, it appeared that the Eagles and Lions would face each other in the NFC Championship Game. But instead, the Commanders handed the Lions a stunning playoff exit and instead faced the Eagles, who eventually won the Super Bowl.
Nine months later, the Eagles — despite all of the handwringing over A.J. Brown’s cryptic social media posts and fluctuating usage — remain in the driver’s seat of the conference and look to extend their win streak to four games by beating their second NFC North opponent in as many weeks.
Fueled by last season’s early exit, Detroit’s players and coaches have embarked on a mission to resolve unfinished business, and this game will serve as a good measuring stick. But much of the Lions’ success could hinge on their ability to protect Jared Goff against an Eagles’ defensive front that received midseason reinforcements and recorded three sacks and eight additional quarterback hits in last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers. Pass protection has been an issue for the Lions. Last week against Minnesota, Detroit surrendered five sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
Defensively, the Lions are anchored by talented pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and have also proved stout against the run. But they do struggle with consistency in pass coverage. Perhaps this is the game in which Brown receives a workload that he deems satisfactory. (Lions at Eagles, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC)
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