Another Sunday has come and gone. As usual, there were surprises and twists and overall nuttiness.
Here’s our weekly game-by-game look at the day that was, from an early morning in Frankfurt to a late evening in Houston.
Panthers 20 Giants 17 (OT)
The NFL tested the limits of Germany’s loyalty to the sport by sending a pair of kaput teams to Frankfurt. Carolina won its second in a row thanks to a fumble by Giants running back Tyrone Tracy that led to a walk-off, game-winning field goal.
The Giants now embark on their bye with real questions regarding whether quarterback Daniel Jones should be benched. His $23 million injury guarantee for 2025 will compel the Giants eventually to replace him with Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito.
For the Panthers, running back Chuba Hubbard celebrated a contract extension with a career-high 153 rushing yards. He had 169 yards from scrimmage.
Patriots 19, Bears 3
A month ago, the Bears had a 4-2 record and reasons for postseason optimism. Now, they’ve lost three in a row and there are signs of disarray. Barring a turnaround, a coaching change seems inevitable.
The Patriots picked up their third win of the year, a week after blowing a chance to beat the Titans. A wild-card berth is unlikely, but they could still finish second in the division.
The Patriots outgained the Bears 328 to 142, and the Bears have been outscored in the past two weeks, 48-12.
Bills 30, Colts 20
The Colts benched Anthony Richardson with the goal of winning enough games under Joe Flacco to get to the playoffs. Two losses later, why not give Richardson much-needed reps?
The Bills will take an 8-2 record into next week’s showdown with the Chiefs. A win would put the Bills within one game of the No. 1 seed, since they’d hold the tiebreaker.
They keep winning without receiver Amari Cooper. They also didn’t have receiver Keon Coleman. But they do have quarterback Josh Allen, and that’s more than good enough.
Vikings 12, Jaguars 7
Minnesota dominated the Jaguars, and still barely won.
The Vikings gained 402 yards to 143 for the Jaguars. The visitors had the ball for 42 minutes and 19 seconds, in contrast to 17 minutes and 21 seconds for the home team.
Four field goals gave the Vikings a sluggish win. But they’re 7-2 not because of quarterback Sam Darnold, but in spite of him.
For the Jaguars, quarterback Mac Jones had an opportunity to earn a second chance elsewhere. He’ll need at least a second chance to do that.
Chiefs 16, Broncos 14
They just find a way, no matter what it takes. A 9-0 record for 2024. Fifteen straight wins.
The latest win should have been a loss. But the special teams willed their way to a blocked field goal, and that was that for the Broncos.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had no interceptions for the second straight week, after having at least one in each of the first seven games of the season. He spread 28 completions around nine different receivers.
The Broncos have fallen to .500 after a blowout loss at Baltimore and Sunday’s loss that should have been a win. They need to get it turned around soon, or a playoff drought that dates back to 2016 will continue.
Saints 20, Falcons 17
Interim coach Darren Rizzi got his first win in his first game after the Falcons mismanaged the clock, when they had a chance to send the game to overtime.
Receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns after catching only one pass for five yards in his New Orleans debut in Week 9.
Three missed field goals by Younghoe Koo doomed the Falcons, giving them their first NFC South loss of the season.
49ers 23, Buccaneers 20
Running back Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 debut, with 39 rushing yards and 68 receiving yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy quietly put together an excellent game, with 353 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers overcame three missed field goals by Jake Moody, who had missed more than a month with an ankle injury. He redeemed himself with the 44-yard walk-off game winner.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, can’t catch a break. They badly need to use the bye week as a reset for a postseason run. They’re not done at 4-6, but it’s getting closer and closer.
Steelers 28, Commanders 27
Pittsburgh powered to 7-2 in its first game since the bye, the first contest in a stretch run with plenty of challenges.
Quarterback Russell Wilson trusts his receivers, and it shows. He throws the ball their way, and he counts on them to go get it. More often than not, they don’t let him down.
It started with a 16-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens, during which he defied several laws of physics. Then, Mike Williams vindicated the deadline deal that brought him to Pittsburgh with a 32-yard catch for the game-winning score.
The Commanders had a 10-point lead in the second half, but they couldn’t hold on for what would have been a signature win. Still, they’ve played well against both the Ravens and Steelers. Washington will be a problem down the stretch.
Chargers 27, Titans 17
Good teams handle the opponents they should beat. That’s exactly what the Chargers did against the overmatched Titans.
Justin Herbert threw only 18 passes, completing 14 and racking up a passer rating of 123.1. He added 32 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Statistically, Will Levis ha a great game as a passer, with a rating of 127.4 and a pair of touchdown passes. But the Titans didn’t have enough possessions (seven, as a practical matter) and didn’t score nearly enough points.
Cardinals 31, Jets 6
Arizona quietly is becoming a juggernaut. Starting with an upset of the 49ers, they’ve won five of six and now have a four-game winning streak. They’ve outscored their last two opponents, 60-15.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was spectacular, completing 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. He added two rushing touchdowns, and he’s becoming a favorite to win comeback player of the year.
Aaron Rodgers had been a favorite to win the award, but not anymore. The Jets weren’t able to turn a win over the Texans into two in a row. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said the team wasn’t ready to play, which is the kind of thing that could get him fired — if owner Woody Johnson was willing to have an interim to the interim coach.
Eagles 34, Cowboys 6
After not losing a regular-season game at home in two years, the Cowboys have been outscored in four 2024 home games, 153-59.
And they have five more home games. And they’ve lost Dak Prescott for the rest of the season. And they might roll with Trey Lance as soon as next week.
The Eagles have won five in a row. Washington’s loss gives Philly first place in the division.
And, lo and behold, the Eagles host the Commanders on Thursday night.
Lions 26, Texans 23
The Lions pulled the ultimate rabbit out of their butts against the Texans, overcoming a 16-point deficit and five interceptions to get to 8-1.
Houston-area native Jake Bates became the hero, with a 58-yard field goal to tie the game at 23, and a 52-yarder to win.
The Texans fell to 6-4, with their second loss in a row in a pair of prime-time games. But for the ineptitude of the rest of the AFC South, they might be in trouble.
The Lions, meanwhile, are starting to feel like a team of destiny. Unfortunately, several teams do. In the end, there can be only one.
