Sunday spoke how ludicrous an afternoon in the NFL can be. Leads crumbled. Upsets reigned. Contenders faltered.<\/p>\n
The Carolina Panthers \u2014 two-touchdown underdogs at Lambeau Field \u2014 stunned the one-loss Green Bay Packers<\/a> on a last-second field goal, 16-13. The Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 reeling defense \u2014 a unit that had given up 68 points during a two-game losing streak \u2014 bullied the hottest offense in football<\/a> and beat the Indianapolis Colts 27-20. The Minnesota Vikings, starting J.J. McCarthy for the first time in seven weeks, went into Detroit and handed the Lions their second loss in three games<\/a>, 27-24.<\/p>\n Then there was the finish of the day, and maybe the finish of the year, featuring two defenses that couldn\u2019t find a way to get off the field. That the Chicago Bears escaped Cincinnati with a 47-42 triumph over the Bengals doesn\u2019t begin to do justice to the theater that unfolded late<\/a> at Paycor Stadium.<\/p>\n The Bears led 41-27 with less than three minutes left before Joe Flacco \u2014 the Bengals\u2019 quarterback for less than a month \u2014 led an impossible comeback. He pushed Cincinnati in front with 54 seconds to go after throwing his second touchdown in a span of 49 seconds (a successful onside kick helped). Then Caleb Williams answered with his best throw of the year, and maybe his young career: a 58-yard strike to rookie tight end Colston Loveland that saved the Bears the embarrassment of another unthinkable collapse<\/a>, something that\u2019s become far too familiar for this franchise in recent years.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t apologize for a win in this league, guys!\u201d first-year coach Ben Johnson told his players afterward. \u201cDon\u2019t apologize! We did what we had to do!\u201d<\/p>\n As far as best games of 2025, the Bears\u2019 thriller \u2014 their fifth win in six games, by the way\u2014 sits right up there with the Buffalo Bills\u2019 wild comeback over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 and the Denver Broncos\u2019 33-point fourth-quarter eruption against the New York Giants in Week 7. Hug a Bengals fan if you can: Cincinnati is now the first team since the 1960s to score 38 points or more in back-to-back games and lose both. The defense missed 15 tackles on the day, and the frustration was evident in the losing locker room<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFinish the (expletive) game,\u201d running back Chase Brown said when asked about the Bengals\u2019 defensive collapse on the final drive. \u201cJust end it.\u201d<\/p>\n All that, and we still haven\u2019t gotten to the league\u2019s annual meeting of AFC heavyweights. In Orchard Park, N.Y., Josh Allen and the Bills continued their regular-season mastery of their biggest rivals<\/a>, beating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21. It was Buffalo\u2019s fifth straight victory over K.C. in games not played in January. But at this point, making it to January is no lock for the Chiefs: at 5-4, they\u2019re in third place in the AFC West and one spot out of the playoffs.<\/p>\n In Washington, one of the league\u2019s best offenses shone on the national stage, as the Seattle Seahawks raced to a 28-0 lead on the Commanders before winning 38-14. That\u2019s now four NFC teams tied atop the conference at 6-2: the Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers are just behind at 5-2-1.<\/p>\n Most concerning for Washington was star quarterback Jayden Daniels exiting the game in the fourth quarter<\/a> after what appeared to be a serious arm injury. A disastrous year for last season\u2019s NFC runners-up continues.<\/p>\n In Houston, the league\u2019s most dangerous fourth-quarter team, the Broncos, did it again, ripping off 11 points in the final period to beat the Texans 18-15. That\u2019s six straight wins for Sean Payton\u2019s team<\/a> and Denver\u2019s fourth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Houston, now 3-5, lost quarterback C.J. Stroud to a concussion during the game, which means a rocky season could get rockier.<\/p>\n In Foxboro, one of the league\u2019s hottest teams \u2014 the New England Patriots \u2014 won its sixth straight by beating the Atlanta Falcons 24-23. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye has set the bar pretty high when a 259-yard, two-touchdown performance feels like an average week of football for him. Maye\u2019s been that good of late, and Mike Vrabel\u2019s Patriots (7-2) are tied with the Broncos for the longest winning streak in the league<\/a>. After starting 3-2, the Falcons have dropped three straight<\/a>.<\/p>\n In East Rutherford, N.J., the San Francisco 49ers overpowered the New York Giants 34-24 in a vintage game for Christian McCaffrey: 33 touches, 173 yards, two scores. Mac Jones is now 4-3 in place of Brock Purdy<\/a>, and the 49ers are 6-3 and very much in the thick of the NFC West race. The Giants are 2-7 under Brian Daboll for the third straight year<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Nashville, the Los Angeles Chargers survived a scare from the lowly Tennessee Titans but held on for a 27-20 win that moved them to 6-3. This one required a goal-line stand \u2014 including a stop of Titans rusher Tony Pollard on the 1-yard line on fourth down \u2014 and a 99-yard touchdown drive to seal it. But another injury to tackle Joe Alt looms large for the Chargers moving forward.<\/p>\n In Las Vegas, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed overtime to halt their two-game losing streak and beat the Raiders 30-29. Tied 23-23 after regulation, the Jaguars scored first on a Trevor Lawrence QB sneak from the 1-yard line. The Raiders answered with a touchdown to tight end Brock Bowers \u2014 his third of the day \u2014 before coach Pete Carroll rolled the dice and went for the 2-point conversion. Geno Smith\u2019s pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage. Jacksonville is now 5-3 and holding onto the last AFC playoff spot, while Las Vegas is 2-6.<\/p>\n Also noteworthy: Jags kicker Cam Little set an NFL record<\/a> with a 68-yard field goal, breaking Justin Tucker\u2019s mark of 66 yards set four years ago.<\/p>\n In Los Angeles, Matthew Stafford and the Rams stayed hot with a 34-10 rout of the New Orleans Saints. Sean McVay\u2019s team has won three straight, by a combined margin of 86-20, and it\u2019s about time his quarterback heard his name in the MVP conversation: Stafford has thrown 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what stood out from Week 9 in the NFL:<\/p>\n Bills\u2019 decimated defense makes Mahomes look mortal<\/p>\n Most figured the 10th all-time meeting between two of the best quarterbacks of this era would end up a shootout, like so many iterations before. Who would have the ball last between Allen and Mahomes? There\u2019s your winner. We\u2019ve all watched enough Chiefs-Bills games over the years to know how this works.<\/p>\n Instead, this one was decided by a Buffalo defense that harassed Mahomes into the most inaccurate night of his illustrious career. Which is fairly stunning, considering how well the Chiefs quarterback has played in recent weeks: During a three-game win streak that revived title hopes in Kansas City, Mahomes piled up more touchdowns (10) than any other quarterback in football.<\/p>\n The Chiefs were heating up, while the Bills \u2014 outside a romp over a Panthers team playing without Bryce Young last week \u2014 looked far shakier, losing to the Patriots and Falcons.<\/p>\n Then came Joey Bosa and a ferocious Bills\u2019 front. The result: a 15-for-34 night for Mahomes. No touchdowns. One interception. His 44.1 completion percentage was the worst of his nine-year career. He was hit 15 times and never looked totally comfortable, shades of February\u2019s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.<\/p>\n On the other side, Allen was excellent: his 88.5 completion percentage set a franchise record. He piled up three touchdowns, and in the process became the quarterback with the most rushing scores in NFL history.<\/p>\n A regular-season win over the Chiefs is nothing new; Allen is now 5-1 against Mahomes this time of year. It\u2019s the 0-4 record in the playoffs that remains the biggest hole on his resume. If Buffalo\u2019s defense can replicate Sunday\u2019s type of performance in January, there\u2019s a good chance the Bills will finally get over the hump.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a long way to go, and the Chiefs still have to play the Broncos twice, plus the Colts and Chargers. If they find their way back in the postseason, they\u2019re going to have to earn it.<\/p>\n One bad day or a sign of things to come?<\/p>\n Maybe a game like this was bound to happen. Maybe the Colts were always going to come back to earth after their otherworldly start, an eight-game stretch in which the offense couldn\u2019t be stopped and the wins just kept piling up. Maybe all they\u2019d proved was that they were really good at beating up on bad teams.<\/p>\n The Steelers\u2019 defense did what no other unit has in 2025: made Daniel Jones and the Colts look pedestrian. After Indianapolis\u2019 opening-drive touchdown, Pittsburgh dominated.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes in this business,\u201d Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. \u201cIt\u2019s nothing dramatic.\u201d<\/p>\n Translation: his team wasn\u2019t playing that poorly. A few simple tweaks and the Steelers looked like the Steelers of a different era. Pittsburgh\u2019s six takeaways were the franchise\u2019s most since 2010.<\/p>\n During their 7-1 start, the Colts committed just four turnovers; they had six on Sunday, including one on special teams. Daniel Jones, stirring MVP chatter with his electric play over the last month, had a hand in five. Jonathan Taylor, who\u2019s been darting through defenses every Sunday since early September, finished with just 45 yards on 14 carries and didn\u2019t find the end zone for the first time since Week 4.<\/p>\n If this was a preview of what the Colts\u2019 stiffer tests will look like later in the season \u2014 games against the Seahawks and 49ers \u2014 they\u2019re in trouble. If it was just a lousy day for the offense \u2014 particularly the line, which was facing an angry Steelers\u2019 front\u2014 then they still remain a player in the crowded AFC. The next few weeks should further reveal the Colts\u2019 legitimacy as a contender: After a date with the Falcons in Berlin and a bye, the Colts will travel to Kansas City for a showdown with the Chiefs on Nov. 23.<\/p>\n Darnold, Seahawks flex in prime time<\/p>\n