Buffalo extended their regular season domination over Kansas City.But they know that the playoffs are another matter altogetherOf course Josh Allen didn’t take a breath in the final seconds of the latest Chiefs-Bills classic.“You never know with Pat [Mahomes],” Allen told reporters after Buffalo eked out a 28-21 win on Sunday.Bills kicker Matt Prater had earlier missed a 52-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining that would have sealed the win for Buffalo.Even the miss was dramatic, with Prater doinking his kick off the right upright.

Allen wasn’t alone in thinking Mahomes could lead the Chiefs 58 yards down the field with 22 seconds left and no time outs,One Chiefs fan in Buffalo certainly reminded the home crowd of Buffalo’s 2021 divisional round collapse in which Mahomes hit Tyreek Hill and then Travis Kelce with 13 seconds remaining to set up a game-tying field goal and eventual overtime win,Are these two teams capable of a producing a boring contest when they meet? Sunday had looked like it would go down that route, given the statement made by Buffalo’s defense, before the Chiefs threatened a comeback in the fourth quarter,The Bills had responded to questions about their depleted defense by stymying Mahomes for most of the game,This sandwich sack by Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht showed the tenacity of Buffalo’s defensive line.

They needed it: Mahomes converted on fourth and 17 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, a reminder that no matter the situation, he is always capable of tormenting the Bills.Allen was spectacular, completing 23 of 26 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns (two via his legs).The two rushing touchdowns made Allen the first NFL quarterback in history with at least six rushing touchdowns in each of his first eight seasons.James Cook also slashed the Chiefs for 114 yards on 27 carries, becoming the first 100-yard rusher allowed by Kansas City in 27 games.Buffalo are now 5-1 against Kansas City when Allen and Mahomes meet in the regular season.

And the Chiefs enter the bye with numerous issues,They have no pass rush beyond Chris Jones,They need Josh Simmons back to shore up the offensive line,And they need more consistency and cohesion on offense,The current makeup does not appear like a group that has played together for long.

Still, the Bills, like the rest of us, recognize the elephant in the room.Since 2020, Kansas City hold a 4-0 playoff record over Buffalo.If they meet again in the playoffs this season, we know it will be close, and that is ultimately the beauty of this rivalry.Since the 2021 divisional win in overtime, the Chiefs won both the 2023 divisional game and 2024 NFC Championship over Buffalo by a mere six points combined.2023’s divisional loss was particularly painful given it was in Buffalo, Tyler Bass missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal, and the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl.

As rivalries go, Bills-Chiefs is friendly.For the most part, it is rooted in mutual respect and quality matchups.A rematch this postseason is far from guaranteed.Neither the 6-2 Bills, nor the 5-4 Chiefs are leading their respective division as we head to the back half of the season.Even if both make the playoffs, who knows how the postseason schedule will shake out.

But if the stars do align, let the streak of classics continue.The Steelers defense.Pittsburgh’s defense had been so disastrous in recent weeks that fans held a mock funeral outside Acrisure Stadium, while Rex Ryan called the group “absolutely atrocious”.The unit entered Sunday ranked 30th in the league.With the 7-1 Colts coming to town, expectations were, unsurprisingly, low.

But on Sunday they absolutely manhandled the NFL’s top offense, forcing six turnovers in the Steelers’ 27-20 win.TJ Watt’s second-quarter strip sack of Daniel Jones felt like a weight had been lifted from the maligned group.Line pressure was relentless throughout, defenders hit their gaps, and mistakes were minimal.The Steelers defense held the Colts brilliant running back, Jonathan Taylor, to just 57 total yards from scrimmage, diminishing his MVP hopes.Provided this week wasn’t an outlier, this defensive performance puts the Steelers’ Super Bowl chances in a new light.

#Panthers RB Rico Dowdle got flagged for this TD celebration (even though it was only 2 pumps).It was a costly penalty.The XP attempt was pushed back and the Panthers missed, keeping it a 7-point game.pic.twitter.

com/01w4F6HmKIHow many hip pumps constitute an excessive celebration? It’s hard to imagine this topic being discussed in offseason meetings,Yet NFL officials, who are clearly not Key and Peele connoisseurs, decided two was enough,Panthers running back Rico Dowdle drew a taunting penalty for emulating the duo’s famous McCringleberry celebration after his touchdown, even though he intentionally stopped at two,It’s supposed to take three pumps to draw the flag,Not only was the penalty over-the-top, but it almost cost Carolina the game.

Because of the flag, the Panthers missed the very long extra point and had to rely on a 49-yard Ryan Fitzgerald field goal as time expired to secure their 16-13 upset win over Green Bay.Whether Dowdle’s celebration was over-the-top is debatable.What’s not debatable is that most of the NFL is frustrated by officiating perceived as subjective, biased, or unfair.Beyond Dowdle, this week’s top roughing-the-passer controversy came on a Jack Campbell sack of JJ McCarthy, which was flagged for “body weight.” As with so many of these calls, this one raises the question: what else was Campbell supposed to do?No matter where you stand, we can all agree that NFL officiating is a way too prominent discussion point.

80.That’s the number of points the Cincinnati Bengals have scored in the last two games – and still managed to lost both of them.Last week, their defense coughed up 23 points in the fourth quarter in a 39-38 loss to the New York Jets.On Sunday, they held a 42-41 lead over the Chicago Bears with 49 seconds to go … and lost 47-42.The Bengals defense have given up more than 500 yards in each of those losses.

Rather charmingly, Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco – who threw for four touchdowns and a 470 yards on Sunday – refused to blame his hapless defense,“It’s one team,” Flacco said,“You need to focus on yourself and do your job,I get it, it can be emotional,I go to those guys and have good conversations about going to work and taking pride in what you do.

If you do that, you don’t have time to get mad at people you shouldn’t get mad at.You can’t be worried about anyone else.” Bengals fans may not be so forgiving.-- If Week 9 was Mac Jones’s last game as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, he can take a bow after leading San Francisco to a 34-24 win over the Giants.Jones was literally perfect in the first half, completing all 14 of his pass attempts and tossing two touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey continued to carry the majority of the offense, rushing for 106 yards and leading the team in receiving with 67 yards on five catches,McCaffrey’s 61 receptions this season is the most by any player other than Ja’Marr Chase,That the 49ers are 6-3 and in playoff contention considering their entire defense and half their offense have visited the infirmary is remarkable,Brock Purdy may return this week (although that’s the same story as each of the past few weeks),If he doesn’t, the 49ers are in good hands with Jones.

CAM LITTLE JUST KICKED THE LONGEST FG IN NFL HISTORY! 68 YARDS! pic.twitter.com/WGZb6O9xhX-- NFL history! Jags kicker Cam Little nailed a league record 68-yard field goal as time expired in the first half of Jacksonville’s win over the Raiders.An incredible moment that also felt inevitable given the slew of 60+ yard field goals we’ve seen across the league this season.Sixty has become the new 50, and 70 becoming the new 60 is just around the corner.

Little, by the way, has hit from 70 yards before, but that came in a preseason game so it doesn’t count as an official record.-- Sam Darnold was excellent in the Seahawks’ 38-14 win over the Commanders, throwing for 330 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.But the game was marred by a serious injury to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’s non-throwing arm.Some will question why Daniels was still on the field when the injury occurred in the fourth quarter – the Commanders were 38-7 down at the time with little chance of mounting a comeback.“Obviously like the hindsight, you don’t want to think that way, where an injury could take place,” Washington head coach Dan Quinn said after the game.

“Obviously we’re more conservative in that spot to run and hand off and not have reads to go, but just the end result – obviously, I’m bummed.”-- McCarthy silenced his doubters and remained undefeated in the state of Michigan after the Vikings’ dramatic 27-24 road win over the Detroit Lions.In just his third NFL start, McCarthy endeared himself to Vikings fans by winning his second divisional game on the road.McCarthy’s modest stat line doesn’t tell the story.The kid is a gamer.

It was McCarthy’s clutch deep strike to Jalen Nailor on third down with 1:41 left that sealed the statement win.The defense was also sensational, frustrating Detroit’s high-octane offense with a litany of blitz packages.Brian Flores’s crew walked away with five sacks of Jared Goff sacks (two by Eric Wilson).Will Flores get a serious head coach look this go-around?-- The Patriots extended their win streak to six after edging the Falcons 24-23.Atlanta received the ball with 3:30 left but their momentum was stalled after New England allegedly simulated the snap count, forcing Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr into an intentional grounding.

It’s a move Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called illegal but rarely enforced.-- Welcome to the MVP conversation, Matthew Stafford.He put on a passing masterclass in the Rams’ 34-10 win over the Saints.Stafford threw for four touchdowns, and now has nine TDs and zero interceptions over the past two weeks.Rams head coach Sean McVay called Stafford’s performance “just another game where he’s in total command.

” The 37-year-old Stafford seems to be getting better with age,-- Has there ever been a more promising 3-5 team than the 2025 Baltimore Ravens? Lamar Jackson shined in his return, tossing four touchdowns in a 28-6 rout of the Dolphins on Thursday night,The Ravens’ defense is on the rise, and the upcoming schedule – Vikings, Jets, Browns, and Bengals – is relatively soft,Despite still sitting two games behind the Steelers in the AFC North, there’s a lot to like about the Ravens’ postseason chances,