There was a ton of exciting NFL action that took place yesterday. Some teams suffered humiliating losses, while other franchises made statement wins and told the rest of the league that they have arrived. With all that happened, let's talk about some of the biggest takeaways we came away with following Sunday's slate of games.
6. The MVP race is between Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Jonathan Taylor.
There was a lot of discussion through the first few weeks of the season as to who should be the favorite to win the NFL's Most Valuable Player award. Some players linked to the award early on included the Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield, the Colts' Daniel Jones, and the Lions' Jared Goff, to name a few. After everything that we saw yesterday, the MVP will likely be won by either Indy running back Jonathan Taylor, LA quarterback Matthew Stafford, or New England QB Drake Maye.
Matthew Stafford is another player who will undoubtedly get MVP consideration. He's fourth in passing yards (2,427), second in passing yards per game (269.7), and, most importantly, first in passing touchdowns (25). In terms of passing TDs, he has five more than the next closest player (Jared Goff - 20). Considering the Rams have a below-average rushing attack (19th in rushing yards per game), yet they still rank in the top five in the league in total yards per game (fifth) and points per game (fourth), Matthew Stafford will definitely be in the race for the league's Most Valuable Player award when the season ends.
Matthew Stafford is another player who will undoubtedly get MVP consideration. He's fourth in passing yards (2,427), second in passing yards per game (269.7), and, most importantly, first in passing touchdowns (25). In terms of passing TDs, he has five more than the next closest player (Jared Goff - 20). Considering the Rams have a below-average rushing attack (19th in rushing yards per game), yet they still rank in the top-five in the NFL in total yards per game (fifth) and points per game (fourth), Matthew Stafford will obviously receive MVP consideration when the season ends.
As of this writing, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is the favorite to win the 2025-26 NFL MVP award. The second-year quarterback has taken a monumental step forward in terms of production and efficiency. He's second in the league in completion percentage (71.7%). He ranks third in passing yards (2,555) and second in yards per attempt (8.9). Lastly, he has the sixth-highest passer rating in the NFL (113.9). On top of all of that, New England has won seven straight games and sits near the top of the AFC in terms of record. Based on all of those factors, Drake Maye deserves to be one of the frontrunners for MVP.
5. The Los Angeles Chargers are not going away.
There is a case to be made that nobody has suffered more losses through injury than the Chargers. Running back Najee Harris and offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt have all been lost for the season. Key players like running back Omarion Hampton, linebacker Khalil Mack, and defensive back Tony Jefferson have all missed multiple games. Despite all of these injuries, the Chargers are still 7-3 and have multiple signature wins this year.
They opened the season by beating the Kansas City Chiefs in a neutral-site game, something that is incredibly tough to do given the Chiefs' track record in neutral-site games like Super Bowls. If we're being honest, that was probably a more Chiefs-friendly crowd in Week One. They also pulled off a thrilling comeback victory over the Denver Broncos, who haven't lost since then. Last night, when the Steelers came to town after a huge win, LA answered the call in dominating fashion with a 15-point victory over Pittsburgh.
Every time it seems like the Chargers are down for the count, they get back up and respond in a big way. They have some undeniably bad losses like that 17-point defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders or the two-touchdown loss they suffered against the Indianapolis Colts, but neither one of those games derailed the Chargers' season. This is a well-coached group with an elite quarterback. When you have those two factors working in your favor, you're a threat to go all the way, which the Chargers are.
4. The Chicago Bears can make the postseason and maybe even win a game.
We keep waiting for the Bears to have a classic Chicago Bears moment and lose a game that they were outplayed in, but that has not happened in quite some time, which would explain why they're 6-3 and have won six of their last seven games. New head coach Ben Johnson has his guys playing at a high level, especially second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, who looks like the number-one overall draft pick he was expected to be. Though their victories haven't come against the NFL's best teams, they're still winning games they should be losing, which is more than what could be said for last year's Bears squad.
There were multiple times during this recent stretch of wins that Chicago looked down and out, but instead of accepting defeat, they fought back and found ways to win. Despite trailing to the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth quarter, Chicago came back to win that game. When it seemed like the Bears were going to lose to the Commanders in Week Six, they forced a fumble, recovered it, and then marched down the field to kick a game-winning field goal. Yesterday, the Bears were getting killed by the New York Giants. They trailed by ten points with 6:20 to go in the game, yet they scored 14 unanswered points for their sixth win of the season.
The 2024-25 Chicago Bears lost so many heartbreaking games. They gave up that Hail Mary to the Washington Commanders and allowed a game-winning field goal attempt to be blocked by the Packers. This season, they're not losing those games. In fact, Chicago is the team breaking hearts this time around. When a squad starts to win games that they have historically lost, that is a clear sign that they're headed in the right direction.
3. The Buffalo Bills might be pretenders.
This was supposed to be the Buffalo Bills' year. When the season started, the Kansas City Chiefs were 1-2, the New England Patriots were 1-2, and the Bills were 3-0. It looked like Buffalo was going to run away with the AFC East once again. However, things have taken a turn after the Bills started the season 4-0. Since then, they're 2-3, with losses to the Patriots, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Miami Dolphins. The loss to the Pats is somewhat understandable because that was a divisional game against a legitimately good opponent, but the double-digit losses to the Falcons and the Dolphins are unacceptable. Neither one of those teams is good.
It feels like the Bills didn't do enough to add key pieces on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball in the off-season. As a result, Buffalo can only win games in which quarterback Josh Allen puts on the Superman cape and plays lights out. Yesterday was a perfect example of how that is not a winning strategy. On a day where running back James Cook underwhelmed and no player had more than 60 receiving yards, Josh Allen had to basically do everything by himself. That led to an interception, a lost fumble, three sacks, and his second-lowest QBR of the season (28.8). Granted, the Dolphins are a familiar opponent who have a good understanding of Allen's tendencies, but that's no excuse to lose to that team by 17 points when they're clearly trying to tank and looking for any excuse to fire their head coach.
The Bills are decent. They'll often beat bad opponents and might even defeat a team that's better than them. Right now, though, this squad doesn't have the coaching or the players necessary to win a Super Bowl. They might win a playoff game, if they even reach the postseason, but a Super Bowl feels like a pipe dream at the moment.
2. The Seattle Seahawks look like the best team in the NFC and maybe the NFL.
The Seattle Seahawks are 7-2 and stand alone at the top of the NFC West because they have more divisional wins than the Los Angeles Rams. Their lone losses this season have been sandwiched between three- and four-game winning streaks. During those stretches, they have beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, their losses have only come by a combined seven points. And that Week One game against the San Francisco 49ers would probably end differently if these two played today.
Seattle is doing everything it is supposed to do. It's blowing out inferior opponents and playing well against high-level competition. Through the first ten weeks of the season, they have the second-best point differential in the NFL (+103) behind only the Indianapolis Colts, who have looked like one of the best teams in the league. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is playing like the best wide receiver in football, leading the NFL in receiving yards despite having only played nine games. Quarterback Sam Darnold proved that last season wasn't a fluke and ranks third in passer rating this year (116.5), ahead of guys like Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. And, they have an elite defense that is in the top five in points allowed per game (19.1) and sacks (32).
The Seattle Seahawks are playing some of the best football we have seen from that franchise since the Legion of Boom days. They'll probably make the playoffs for the first time since the 2022-23 season and will likely break the 11-win threshold for the first time in five years. Nobody has looked better than Seattle recently, and they will be a tough outing for anybody who faces them in the playoffs.
1. The New England Patriots are Super Bowl contenders.
Plenty of NFL fans and media members - myself included - were not ready to take the Pats seriously because they only had one marquee win under their belt, a 23-20 victory on the road against the Buffalo Bills. Before yesterday, their four most recent wins came against teams that had a combined record of 7-27. New England needed an impressive victory to solidify itself as a Super Bowl contender, and they got it on Sunday.
The Patriots had to go on the road and face a very talented Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that will surely win the NFC South for a fifth consecutive year. Not only did they pass that test, but one could argue that New England embarrassed Tampa Bay in the 28-23 victory. The final score was not indicative of how dominant the Patriots looked. The Bucs only lost by five points because they scored a touchdown with 33 seconds to go in the game. Realistically, New England should've won that game by double-digits.
There were a few moments where it felt like the scales were about to tip in Tampa's favor, but every time it seemed like the winds of change were about to blow, the Patriots responded. The Bucs went up 10-7 in the second quarter, so New England orchestrated a 7:16 drive that ended with a touchdown and a 14-10 halftime lead. After a turnover on downs by the Pats in the third quarter, they forced two straight punts. Though Drake May threw a late interception, the defense forced a turnover on downs, and the offense scored a touchdown two plays later to basically put this game out of reach, 28-16. The Bucs scored a TD, but it would be too little too late as New England held on for the win.
The Patriots now have two signature wins on the books, and they both came on the road. You can't ask for much more from a Super Bowl-contending team, which New England is by all accounts. With a relatively friendly schedule the rest of the way, the Pats have a good shot to earn the number-one seed in the AFC, which will make it that much easier for them to reach the Super Bowl.
