If solely the Buffalo Payments might simply play the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the common season.
With a 28-21 victory on Sunday, Josh Allen and the Payments have now gained 5 straight regular-season video games in opposition to the Chiefs.
A fantastic stat, aside from the truth that they’re 0-4 in opposition to Patrick Mahomes and Kansas Metropolis come playoff time.
However there was rather a lot to love on Sunday from the Payments, and it might present the proper blueprint to lastly slay their post-season dragon ought to the 2 groups meet once more in January.
Allen had arguably his finest sport of the season, finishing 23-of-26 passes for a staff document and profession excessive 88.5 per cent completion share. He additionally ran for 2 TDs to interrupt Cam Newton’s NFL document for many dashing touchdowns by a quarterback.
With no true No. 1 WR, Allen unfold the ball round to perfection. The reigning MVP accomplished a cross to 10 completely different receivers, and particularly relied on his tight ends as Dalton Kincaid led the staff with 101 yards and a landing. The Payments additionally sprinkled in a heavy dose of James Cook dinner, who rushed for 114 yards.
On the defensive facet, the Payments stepped up and held Mahomes to below 50 per cent completions for the primary time in his profession and hit him 15 occasions.
Joey Bosa made key performs in large moments, and rookie nook Maxwell Hairston demonstrated his elite pace all sport lengthy whereas additionally choosing up his first profession interception.
It was a whole staff win, and moved the Payments to 6-2 whereas the Chiefs dropped to 5-4.
The victory was additionally large for potential AFC playoff seeding implications, although the Payments even have a 7-2 New England Patriots drawback of their division.
“They’re the head of what you need your franchise to be. They’ve been that for the final eight years,” Allen stated of the Chiefs after the sport. “Any time you get an opportunity to play one of the best and you may come away with a victory, you’re going to be feeling fairly good.”
No purpose to not really feel good after that form of a win, however it should all be one other distant reminiscence if the Payments cannot lastly get previous the Chiefs when it issues most.
Listed below are another key takeaways from an exciting slate in Week 9:
Bears snatch victory from the jaws of an agonizing defeat
Whereas Payments-Chiefs delivered because the marquee matchup of the week, probably the most entertaining sport on Sunday occurred in Cincinnati.
The Chicago Bears appeared nicely on their strategy to their fifth win of the season, up 41-27 with simply over two minutes remaining in opposition to the Bengals.
However that is when it began to unravel.
After a fast scoring drive led by Joe Flacco, the Bengals recovered the following onside kick. On the ripe age of 40, Flacco then led one other fast scoring drive with lower than a minute left because the Benagls snatched a 42-41 lead.
It appeared prefer it was about to be a really darkish Sunday for Bears followers till Caleb Williams and rookie tight finish Colston Loveland got here to the rescue.
Williams threw a strike to Loveland, who rumbled for a 58-yard TD with 17 seconds left to cap a sport that had a little bit little bit of every part with a 47-42 win for Chicago.
Now 5-3, the Bears and first-year head coach Ben Johnson are proper within the race for the NFC North division title.
Ought to the Bears really feel dangerous for successful ugly on Sunday? Not in accordance with Johnson.
“Do not apologize for a win on this league,” the pinnacle coach stated in an impassioned locker-room speech after the sport.
Panthers and Vikings stun NFC North frontrunners
Whereas the Bears pulled out a miraculous win, issues did not go fairly as nicely for the 2 groups on the entrance of the NFC North coming into Week 9.
The Inexperienced Bay Packers proceed to be a troublesome staff to determine, as they appeared fairly sloppy in a 16-13 loss at house to the Carolina Panthers. It is an particularly complicated outcome given the Packers performed presumably their most full sport of the season final Sunday night time in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Inexperienced Bay now might have misplaced star TE Tucker Kraft for the season, who’s feared to have torn his ACL, in accordance with studies.
Let’s additionally give some credit score to the Panthers, who’re 5-4 and undoubtedly within the playoff image. Particularly with the way in which Rico Dowdle is working the soccer.
In the meantime, the Detroit Lions suffered a crushing 27-24 house defeat by the hands of the last-place staff of their division — the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings’ defence, led by coordinator Brian Flores, smothered the high-flying Detroit offence with a mixed 30 pressures on Jared Goff, per Subsequent Gen Stats.
Whereas Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy appeared greater than succesful in simply his third NFL begin, he wasn’t requested to do rather a lot. However in his first sport since Week 2, McCarthy threw two TDs and rushed for an additional.
With Sunday’s outcomes, the NFC North abruptly appears like a four-horse race. Simply 1.5 video games now separate the first-place Packers (5-2-1) and the last-place Vikings (4-4), whereas the Lions and Bears sit within the center at 5-3.
Stafford, Darnold enter MVP dialog
It is time to discuss what two quarterbacks within the NFC West are doing this season.
At 37 years outdated, and with a possible Corridor of Fame profession already behind him, Matthew Stafford has proven no indicators of slowing down.
The Los Angeles Rams QB threw for an additional 4 touchdowns in Sunday’s 34-10 win over the New Orleans Saints. He now leads the league with 21 passing touchdowns in simply eight video games, and has 16 touchdowns and nil interceptions over his previous 5 contests.
However Stafford is not the one NFC West quarterback taking part in on the prime of his sport, as what Sam Darnold is doing with the Seattle Seahawks additionally deserves recognition.
Darnold placed on fairly the present in opposition to the Washington Commanders on Sunday night time, as he completed 21-of-24 for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 38-14 win.
He did not document his first incompletion till the second half after tying Warren Moon for the franchise document by finishing his first 17 passes of the sport.
Mahomes, Allen and Patriots QB Drake Maye are making compelling MVP instances of their very own, however with the Rams and Seahawks each 6-2, do not be shocked to see Stafford and Darnold pop up within the award conversations a bit extra this week.
Now that was the Pittsburgh Steelers defence we have been ready for.
For a unit that has largely fallen beneath expectations this season, the Pittsburgh defence stepped up in a giant method on Sunday.
Up in opposition to the highest offence within the league, the Steelers pressured the Indianapolis Colts a whopping six turnovers en path to a 27-20 win.
In addition they sacked Daniel Jones 5 occasions and held Jonathan Taylor, the league’s dashing chief, to only 45 yards on the bottom.
It was a much-needed efficiency, and the victory additionally offers the Steelers a little bit little bit of respiration room within the AFC North that they might want down the stretch.
At 5-3, the Steelers are two video games up on the 3-5 Baltimore Ravens — a staff the Steelers nonetheless must play twice and look poised for a second-half run after the return of Lamar Jackson.
Nothing little about Little’s leg
We would be remiss to not give Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little a shoutout.
Little set the NFL document for longest area purpose with a 68-yard bomb on the finish of the primary half in opposition to the Las Vegas Raiders.
After drilling a 70-yard bomb within the pre-season, which didn’t rely within the official document books, it felt solely becoming that Little secured his spot in NFL historical past on Sunday.
