Ten weeks into the NFL season, the leading MVP candidate isn\u2019t a quarterback, the hottest QB in football is 37 and the New England Patriots might have the coach of the year.<\/p>\n
Start with Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who bolstered his MVP credentials with another masterpiece on Sunday<\/a> in the NFL\u2019s first game in Berlin. Taylor ran all over the Atlanta Falcons in a 31-25 victory, piling up 244 rushing yards and three scores, including the walk-off winner in overtime. It\u2019s already the fifth three-touchdown game for Taylor this season, making him the first player in history to do so in 10 games \u2014 only three others have done it over the course of an entire season. The 8-2 Colts remain atop the AFC.<\/p>\n As for coach of the year, the conversation needs to start with New England\u2019s Mike Vrabel (and Indianapolis\u2019 Shane Steichen, for that matter). Vrabel\u2019s Patriots earned another statement win, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-23. That\u2019s seven in a row for New England<\/a>, which is now 8-2 and has already doubled the franchise\u2019s win total from each of the past two seasons. Visiting Patriots fans were serenading QB Drake Maye with \u201cM-V-P\u201d chants on Sunday.<\/p>\n From a 23-year-old contender for the award in Maye to a 37-year-old one: The Los Angeles Rams\u2019 Matthew Stafford continued one of the best seasons of his decorated career, throwing for four touchdowns in a 42-26 rout of the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford is now the first quarterback in history to throw for four or more touchdowns and no interceptions in three straight games. His season touchdown tally is now at 25 (to go with just two interceptions), and he became just the ninth QB ever to reach the 400-touchdown milestone with his second score on Sunday.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills might be in trouble. A week after a convincing win over their biggest rival, Sean McDermott\u2019s squad was embarrassed in Miami<\/a>, losing 30-13 to the Dolphins. Can the Bills really be legitimate Super Bowl contenders with uninspired losses to the lowly Dolphins (3-7) and Falcons (3-6) already on their resume? The Bills again had trouble stopping the run, but it wasn\u2019t just the defense. Josh Allen and the offense \u2014 two turnovers, three sacks, no points in the entire first half \u2014 couldn\u2019t do much of anything, either<\/a>.<\/p>\n The squad the Bills are looking up at in the AFC playoff picture, the Los Angeles Chargers, worked over the Pittsburgh Steelers 25-10 Sunday night. It\u2019s more impressive work from Jim Harbaugh, another Coach of the Year candidate, who\u2019s now 7-3 despite losing two star tackles for the season. As for Pittsburgh, the Steelers followed up their biggest win of the year \u2014 an upset of the Colts last week \u2014 with a dud against another AFC contender. Mike Tomlin\u2019s squad remains atop the AFC North, but the Ravens are coming fast.<\/p>\n Baltimore has won three straight after beating the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, 27-19. Four of the Ravens\u2019 next five game are against teams below .500, and the only winning team they\u2019ll see during that stretch will be the Steelers, who have suddenly lost three of four after starting 4-1.<\/p>\n The Detroit Lions have a new offensive play caller \u2014 head coach Dan Campbell, who took over the duties from offensive coordinator John Morton. (It was Ben Johnson from 2022-2024). Campbell shone Sunday in the role, his first stint calling plays since his initial season in Detroit back in 2021. The points came easily and the Lions beat the Washington Commanders 44-22 to improve to 6-3.<\/p>\n In Houston, the Texans staged a stunning rally, scoring the game\u2019s final 26 points<\/a> to upset the Jacksonville Jaguars, 36-29. And they did so without quarterback C.J. Stroud, who missed the game with a concussion. The Texans chose to extend backup Davis Mills last offseason despite trade interest from other teams, and they\u2019re glad they did. He threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in his first win in almost two years.<\/p>\n In Charlotte, the New Orleans Saints cooled off the Carolina Panthers, 17-7, to put a dent in the Panthers\u2019 playoff hopes. Carolina had won four of six coming in and four straight with Bryce Young under center, but New Orleans\u2019 defense limited Young to 124 passing yards and an interception. Saints rookie Tyler Shough threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL win.<\/p>\n Five days after shipping their two best defensive players out of town \u2014 Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis, Quinnen Williams to Dallas \u2014 the New York Jets earned their second win of the season<\/a> by beating the Cleveland Browns 27-20. And they did so despite Justin Fields throwing for just 54 yards. The Jets can thank Will McDonald (four sacks) and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo, whose unit racked up touchdowns on both punt and kick returns.<\/p>\n