Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 10's biggest games
Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.
Sunday night spotlight
Steelers are cooked
A one-year investment in Aaron Rodgers was about going all-in on competing this year. I can't imagine anyone actually believes that's still on the table after what we saw against the Chargers. Even if the defense can sustain its recent improvements, the Steelers' offense simply isn't good enough for any sort of meaningful run. Rodgers had completed just 10 of 23 passes for 96 yards and two interceptions before a garbage-time drive made it a slightly more respectable 25-10 final. Not that it would have made a difference if the future Hall of Famer is going to play like he did Sunday night, but this team doing nothing to bolster its receiving corps at the deadline remains incomprehensible. The lack of firepower will be tough to overcome against a challenging second-half schedule. And even if Pittsburgh happens to sneak into the playoffs, what then? Passing on a quarterback early in the draft and rolling with Rodgers only to end up as the same old Steelers is a tough look.
Late-afternoon games
NFC West slugfest on tap
Next week's game between the Seahawks and Rams has the potential to be one of the best and most consequential contests of the year. Seattle heads in on a high note after terrorizing the Cardinals this week with five sacks and a pair of defensive touchdowns. And with another week to get Rashid Shaheed up to speed, the offense could be even more dangerous than the explosive unit we've seen all season. The Rams, meanwhile, might be the most complete team in football. Matthew Stafford further bolstered his MVP resume with a four-touchdown day in Sunday's win over the 49ers, and his offense is now tied for second in EPA/play, according to TruMedia. Mike Shula's defense doesn't get nearly the same level of attention, but that unit quietly ranks fourth by the same metric. It'll be a lot of fun to see who's got the edge head-to-head, because this could very well be the first of three matchups we get over the next few months. Both the Rams and Seahawks are making a case as the best team in the NFC.
Campbell gets Lions rolling
Dan Campbell thought the Lions' offense could stand to shake things up. As has so often been the case throughout his tenure, he knew exactly what buttons to push. The Lions head coach unceremoniously took over play-calling duties for Sunday's game against the Commanders, and the results couldn't have been much better. Detroit didn't punt once in the comfortable 44-22 win, and the unit's 0.46 EPA/play is the second-best output since Campbell took over in 2021. A favorable matchup with a bad Washington defense was probably part of the equation, but few opponents would have been able to deal with the way the Lions were spreading the ball around to their star playmakers. Keep an eye on Jameson Williams' usage moving forward. This team is all the more difficult to stop when one of the league's most explosive wideouts is being put in a position to impact the game. Williams put up a season-high 119 yards and a touchdown after the play-calling adjustments and that could set the stage for a much more active second half.
Early kickoffs
Bills come crashing down
I've been bamboozled. Granted, I probably should have shown a little more restraint before having the Bills rocket back up our NFL Power Rankings. But how else was I supposed to react to a convincing win over the Chiefs? It seemed possible, if not likely, that this was a sign of a Super Bowl favorite getting things back on track after some ultimately meaningless bumps in the road. As it turns out, not so much. At least not yet. Sunday's loss in Miami was a reminder of the issues we saw with this Bills team over the first two months of the season. The run defense is a problem that's only going to get worse without Ed Oliver, and the passing attack still doesn't have a true No. 1 target. Buffalo reportedly made attempts to address those spots leading up to the trade deadline, looking into both Quinnen Williams and Jaylen Waddle. Failing to meet those lofty price tags is understandable, but not having a pivot move is a failure for this organization. The Bills will be sliding back down my rankings, and they won't be returning to the elite tier until I see multiple weeks of evidence to suggest they've found in-house answers to those problems. That's not going to be easy.
Patriots make statement
A favorable schedule had understandably been giving the football world some pause when it came to buying in on this Patriots team. Taking down the Buccaneers on the road should go a long way toward silencing those lingering questions. The big story coming out of this one will be that Drake Maye continued to play at a high level against his most formidable opponent yet. That's a notable one for me, too, but I was never worried about his ability to sustain the early production. Personally, I'm focusing on the fact that the team around him is constantly improving. The pair of breakout performances they got this week is the most inspiring development on that front. TreVeyon Henderson is going to be tough to keep off the field after he ripped off a pair of long touchdowns en route to a 147-yard day. Kyle Williams made the most of his opportunity without Kayshon Boutte, showing off his game-breaking speed on a 72-yard score. The electric rookies getting more involved as the season goes on will only bolster the Patriots' chances of holding off the Bills for the AFC East crown. As things currently stand, New England is the team most worthy of your confidence in that division.
Massive win for Texans
The Texans are very much alive. Things weren't looking good when the Jaguars took a 29-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but Houston wasn't ready to let its season go down the drain. Veteran backup Davis Mills got the offense rolling for three straight touchdown drives to pull in front late, and the defense did its part by denying Jacksonville a single first down in the final frame. A playoff run won't be easy with the schedule that lies ahead, but the Texans can at least get back to .500 with a layup against the Titans next week. And once C.J. Stroud returns, they may not need much more than a league-average offense to complement this ferocious defense. On the other side, this is an inexcusable collapse for a Jaguars team that has been showing real signs of growth. I really want to believe this team is different, and it certainly has a chance to be in the long haul. But a 4-1 start has suddenly turned into an underwhelming 5-4 record, and this kind of loss to an undermanned opponent was supposed to be something the new regime put in the past.
Vikings slop fest
We spent a lot of time during the offseason talking about the incredibly favorable situation the Vikings had built for a young quarterback. We're still waiting to see that ecosystem deliver on the hype. That's not to say J.J. McCarthy is without blame - the first-year starter ranks 35th out of 36 quarterbacks in EPA/DB (min. 125 dropbacks). But he's not getting the help we expected, either. The offensive line has been a problem throughout the season, and the pre-snap penalties reached maximum embarrassment levels this week. Minnesota's eight false starts is the most a team has committed in a home game since 2009 when the Bills fell 6-3 to the Browns. That's not the company a playoff contender should be keeping. The offense will have to find a way to clean things up right away, or the upcoming three-game stretch against the Bears, Packers, and Seahawks could very well turn out the lights on their season.
Dolphins don't quit
A major letdown from the Bills will be the primary talking point coming out of Sunday's game in Miami, but it should be noted that this wasn't entirely a matter of the favorite not showing up. The Dolphins also did their part to take it from them. Considering the trajectory of its season leading up to this point, nobody would've been surprised if this team went completely off the rails. There were probably a bunch of players expecting to be traded at the deadline, too. While we could certainly argue that Miami should have been more active in that regard, the ability for everyone to lock back in and put together this kind of effort reflects positively on Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins have a real opportunity to keep stacking wins over the next month or so. McDaniel is probably still a long shot to save his job, but could he give ownership something to think about?
Shough showing signs
I was among those who believed Spencer Rattler hadn't done anything to deserve getting benched, and I still feel that way. But I also understood the move. The Saints had to see what Tyler Shough could do if they were going to have a full picture of their young quarterback room heading into the 2026 draft. So far, so good. The second-round rookie looked comfortable at the controls of Kellen Moore's offense in his second start this week, completing 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win over the Panthers. Shough now owns the second-best single-game performance from a rookie QB this season by EPA/dropback, and he's the first Saints rookie to win a start since 1981. He's got a long way to go before anyone will be calling him the quarterback of the future in New Orleans, but the combination of arm talent, athleticism, and pocket presence absolutely gives him starter upside.
Taylor chasing history
Jonathan Taylor isn't going to slow down, is he? The Colts running back was once again the star of the show in Sunday's win over the Falcons, racking up 244 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including the winner in overtime. Taylor's three-score game, his fifth such performance of the year, already gives him 17 total touchdowns on the year. That puts him on pace for nearly 29 over the course of the season, well within striking distance of LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season record (31). His 1,139 rushing yards (6 per carry) also has him tracking to challenge the 2,000-yard mark. While the "value" component of the MVP conversation will always have voters leaning toward quarterbacks, this is shaping up to be a unique case. Taylor deserves to be a part of that conversation if he's able to finish off one of the best running back seasons we've ever seen.
Concern for Penix
The Falcons' defense has to be better against the run, but I'm putting this loss squarely on the shoulders of the offense. With Atlanta's new-look pass-rush creating plenty of chaos for Daniel Jones, racking up seven sacks on the day, there was a real opportunity to establish the kind of lead that would phase Taylor right out of the game. The Falcons' offense was unable to capitalize. While a lack of receiver depth is a major issue - this is the second straight game that Drake London accounted for all but one reception from the wideout group - it doesn't help that Michael Penix's accuracy is so spotty. This could have been a different result if the second-year quarterback didn't miss a wide-open David Sills across the middle on a key third down in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Taylor went 83 yards for a go-ahead score three plays later. This passing game has to be better.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.