NFL Week 10: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game

Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off Thursday with the Broncos narrowly beating the Raiders despite two interceptions by quarterback Bo Nix.

Sunday’s action started in Berlin, where Colts star Jonathan Taylor turned in the best performance by a back all season in a win over the Falcons. Back in the United States, Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough got his first NFL win against the Panthers. Meanwhile, the Bears and Texans overcame double-digit deficits in the second half against the Giants and Jaguars, respectively.

In Tampa, the Patriots halted a potential game-winning drive to beat the Buccaneers. The Ravens secured their third consecutive win in Minnesota, while the Bills failed to win their third straight in Miami.

Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.

Jump to:
JAX-HOU | BAL-MIN | CLE-NYJ
BUF-MIA | NE-TB | NYG-CHI
NO-CAR | ATL-IND | LV-DEN

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Texans

Was Houston’s season saved? Quarterback C.J. Stroud did not play today, and it showed at times as the Texans fell behind 29-10. But backup quarterback Davis Mills rallied his team by throwing two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to cut the lead to 29-24. Houston’s defense forced a third-and-out leading to Mills & Co. walking the Jaguars down the field to take the lead, capped by Mills’ long scramble into the end zone. This marked the Texans’ second-biggest comeback in franchise history. The fight from the offense and defense after falling behind by three scores gives you confidence they can win next week against the Titans on the road.

Stat to know: Defensive end Danielle Hunter’s 3.5 sacks is tied for the second most in a game in franchise history. Hunter and the defense held the Jaguars scoreless in the fourth quarter. — DJ Bien-Aime

Next game: at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

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Davis Mills’ rushing TD caps Texans’ comeback vs. Jags

Davis Mills rushes into the endzone to give the Texans a 30-29 lead over the Jaguars with less than a minute.

Jaguars

How do the Jaguars recover? This will go down as arguably the worst loss in franchise history. The Jaguars were up by 19 points with 1:33 to play in the third quarter. They were 64-0 in games in which they had an 18-point lead until Sunday, per ESPN Research. Per ESPN Analytics, the Jaguars’ playoff chances would have risen to 70% had they beaten the Texans. Now, they’ve dropped to 42%, and the Jaguars still have games against the Chargers, Broncos and Colts (twice). They’re not out of the playoff race, but the road just got much harder.

What to make of the QB performance: Trevor Lawrence was without his top three pass catchers — Travis Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr. and Brenton Strange — and it was a struggle to get anything going in the pass game. Parker Washington and newly acquired Jakobi Meyers led the Jaguars with three catches each, and they were unable to get much out of Austin Trammell, Tim Patrick and Tim Jones. It didn’t help that the Jaguars couldn’t keep Hunter off him, either. — Mike DiRocco

Next game: vs. Chargers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Ravens

How good is this Ravens defense? The Baltimore defense was excellent the previous four games and the reason why the Ravens pulled out the victory in Minnesota. On a day when Lamar Jackson and the Ravens struggled in the red zone (2-of-5), the Baltimore defense picked off J.J. McCarthy twice and hit him 12 times. This has been one of the biggest turnarounds in the league this season. The Ravens allowed an NFL-high 177 points in the first five games, the most over a five-game span in franchise history. With do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton blowing up plays, Baltimore has held its past four opponents to 17 points or less, which is the longest current streak in the NFL. The Ravens have now won three in a row after a 1-5 start.

Trend to watch: Creating turnovers. The Ravens have forced six turnovers in their past two games, including three against Minnesota. This comes after Baltimore managed only four takeaways in its first seven games. The Ravens converted 13 points off of interceptions from safety Malaki Starks and cornerback Marlon Humphrey and a forced fumble on a kickoff.

Best quote from the locker room: “That’s been a big key — the mindset shift of, even though we have Lamar Jackson, let’s give him a smoke break, let’s give him an off day,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said on the strong defensive performance. “He’s bailed it out so many times. How about we do it.” — Jamison Hensley

Next game: at Browns (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

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J.J. McCarthy throws 2nd INT of the game

After a receiver falls down, Marlon Humphrey picks off J.J. McCarthy to give the Ravens the ball back.

Vikings

What can we take from J.J. McCarthy’s performance? For the second consecutive week, McCarthy started strong. He led the Vikings on an 86-yard touchdown drive on their opening possession, one that included a perfectly placed deep ball that traveled 40 yards in the air to receiver Jalen Nailor. But the offense once again bogged down in the middle of the game, and McCarthy was one of the reasons. He threw two interceptions and had five passes tipped or batted down at the line of scrimmage, but the Vikings also committed eight false start penalties at home — an indication of a disconnect on cadence and/or audibles. Coach Kevin O’Connell also had some curious third-down plays. Among them: a throwback screen pass to McCarthy on thrid-and-12 in the first quarter and a one-route deep throw to Justin Jefferson on third-and-1 in the third quarter. In the end, McCarthy did not produce enough of the late magic that helped them to wins in Weeks 1 and 9.

Turning point: The Vikings lost control of the game early in the third quarter. McCarthy threw an interception on the opening drive of the second half, leading to a Ravens field goal. Returner Myles Price fumbled on the ensuing kickoff. The Vikings’ 10-9 halftime lead faded into a 19-10 deficit in a matter of 6 minutes and 58 seconds. — Kevin Seifert

Next game: vs. Bears (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Jets

How did the Jets respond in the aftermath of two blockbuster trades? Very well. They won their second straight with a complementary game from all three phases, and the biggest contributions came from players whose names were mentioned in trade talks over the past couple of weeks: defensive end Will McDonald IV (four sacks), running back Breece Hall (125 total yards and one touchdown) and linebacker Quincy Williams (eight tackles, one sack). Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make. The Jets needed this win for morale, especially after trading away stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

Stat to know: Running backs Kene Nwangwu (99 yards) and Isaiah Williams (74) scored on kickoff and punt returns, respectively, as the Jets became the first team since 2017 to have both in the same game. Previously, it happened only once in franchise history, back when they were known as the Titans in 1960. — Rich Cimini

Next game: at Patriots (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

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Isaiah Williams burns Browns for 74-yard punt-return TD

The Jets get their second special teams touchdown courtesy of Isaiah Williams returning a punt 74 yards for a score.

Browns

Did the pathway to the first overall pick just open up? According to ESPN Analytics, the Browns’ odds to get the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft would rise to 27% with a loss. Those odds will only increase with the Saints picking up their second win of the season, leaving the Titans as the lone one-win team in the NFL. Cleveland still hosts Tennessee in Week 14.

Stat to know: With offensive coordinator Tommy Rees taking over playcalling duties, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy had his best game of the season. Jeudy caught six passes on 12 targets for 78 yards, all season-high marks, and recorded his first touchdown catch of the season. — Daniel Oyefusi

Next game: vs. Ravens (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Dolphins

Is this performance a product of having 10 days to prepare or the start of a turnaround for the Dolphins? It’s not surprising to see them play well against a division rival, but Sunday marked the Dolphins’ second impressive performance in the past three games. Granted, these wins over Buffalo and Atlanta are sandwiched around a clunker against Baltimore, and the Dolphins are only three weeks removed from a blowout loss to Cleveland. This roller coaster has to even out somewhere and Miami does have a realistic path toward a .500 record. They have games against the Commanders and Saints bookending a Week 12 bye, followed by a Week 14 game against the Jets.

Most surprising performance: The Dolphins felt like they outplayed the Ravens in last week’s loss before the game got out of hand in the second half. Sunday, they put together a four-quarter effort against the reigning MVP and forced two turnovers from Allen in critical spots. They pressured him constantly and held the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense to roughly half of its season average. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: vs. Commanders in Madrid (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET)

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De’Von Achane rips off a 59-yard TD run

De’Von Achane seals the game for the Dolphins with a 59-yard touchdown run.

Bills

What went so horribly wrong in Miami, and is it likely to carry over? All of the Bills’ issues caught up to them in a no-show performance Sunday. The injured defense got off to another slow start, but this game was so lopsided because of a sloppy offense. Buffalo turned the ball over three times in Miami territory and went scoreless for three quarters, which highlighted how much of an issue the passing game is right now. As the Bills try to keep pace with the Patriots in the AFC East, this was not a game they could afford to lose. Tight end Dalton Kincaid left the game with a hamstring injury. The Bills not being in the game made it an outlier, but the same concerns have existed all season.

Most surprising performance: The Bills’ league-leading rushing attack (averaging 161.5 yards coming into the game) was held to 86 yards — its fewest this season — against a defense that had been allowing an average of 145.6 running yards per game (third most). An early two-score deficit played a part, but the combination of not being effective enough and going away from a clear key to success, forced quarterback Josh Allen to try to do it all. — Alaina Getzenberg

Next game: vs. Buccaneers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Patriots

What does this game say about the Patriots as a postseason contender? This was a step up in weight class against the NFC South-leading Buccaneers, and the Patriots — who have benefitted from playing some of the NFL’s lower-caliber teams this season — showed they are worthy opponents as the game came down to the wire. New England’s bye is in Week 14, and this was a tough spot in warm, humid conditions against a Tampa team coming off its bye week. The Patriots played with their trademark energy, and with coach Mike Vrabel stressing to players the “season starts now,” they are worthy of respect as a top AFC team.

Stat to know: Wide receiver Kyle Williams reached a top speed of 21.78 mph on his 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown, which was the fastest by a rookie this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats … until running back TreVeyon Henderson reached a top speed of 22.01 mph on his 55-yard touchdown run in the second half. Henderson hit 21.38 mph on his 69-yard rush TD in the fourth quarter as well, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That marks the three fastest max speeds by any rookie this season, and the three fastest by any Patriots player on an offensive touchdown over the past four seasons.

Best quote from the locker room: “I’m definitely hard on TreVeyon because I see so much potential,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said after Henderson’s two touchdown runs. “I’ve been around some great backs in my career and I was telling him, ‘Those great backs don’t get tackled and I want to see you score.’ So him coming out there and busting two of them, it’s good to be hard on people, I guess.” — Mike Reiss

Next game: vs. Jets (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)

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TreVeyon Henderson asks sideline if he can score on 69-yard TD

Before TreVeyon Henderson scores a 69-yard touchdown, he looks to the Patriots’ sideline to see if he needs to get down or score.

Buccaneers

With the Bucs now in arguably the toughest stretch of the season, how concerning is this loss? With the Panthers (5-5) losing to the Saints (2-8) and the Falcons (3-6) falling to the Colts in overtime, the Bucs (6-3) still have some cushion in the NFC South. But aside from explosive plays given up on defense (see below), the trouble here was that the offense hit a lull after wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s 21-yard opening-drive touchdown. It didn’t find another spark until a late third-quarter touchdown by fellow receiver Tez Johnson. The team went just 5-for-13 on third downs.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Containing explosive plays on defense. The damage came on a handful of plays: A short pass taken 72 yards for a touchdown by Williams, Henderson’s 55-yard touchdown, Drake Maye’s 54-yard completion to Mack Hollins and Henderson’s 69-yard dagger late in the fourth quarter.

Best quote from the locker room: “Offensively, I am hoping that our guys do get pissed off about this,” Mayfield said. “This isn’t the end of our season. I know that. We still have very important games ahead of us, but games like this, when you don’t win them — it should sting. It should really hurt.” He also said they were lacking in “killer instinct.” — Jenna Laine

Next game: at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Bears

How did Caleb Williams lift the Bears to victory once again? The Bears offense did little to help its quarterback for 3½ quarters. Chicago leaned on the run game early and then got away from it after Kyle Monangai’s touchdown. Williams’ pass catchers dropped six balls, but it was the late-game heroics of the Bears quarterback that allowed Chicago to scrape by the Giants. Williams led his team back from a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter when he connected with Rome Odunze for a 2-yard score and then used his legs to run in a 17-yard go-ahead TD. It marked Williams’ fourth game-winning drive of the season and the Bears’ sixth win.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Why did the Bears not have someone spy Jaxson Dart? The rookie quarterback had five rushing touchdowns entering Sunday, yet Chicago’s defense looked ill-prepared trying to contain him. Dart rushed for two touchdowns and 66 yards on six carries. That’s the most rushing yards Chicago has allowed to an opposing quarterback in a game this season. In total, the Bears have allowed 241 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per rush to opposing QBs, which ranks 31st.

Best quote from the locker room: “It does build confidence,” Williams said when asked about what pulling off these late wins does for the Bears. It doesn’t matter the deficit we’re at, it doesn’t matter how much we’re up, it doesn’t matter what happened throughout the game. We can come through as a team. That’s what we did today.” — Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Vikings (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

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Caleb Williams’ incredible TD run puts Bears up late

Caleb Williams manages to stay inbounds en route to the end zone as the Bears take a late lead vs. the Giants.

Giants

What now for quarterback Jaxson Dart? Taking all those hits finally caught up to the rookie after rushing for a pair of touchdowns. Coming into Sunday, Dart had taken 76 quarterback contacts in his first six starts, second most to Justin Herbert during that span. Dart was forced to leave against the Bears at the start of the fourth quarter with a concussion, appearing to hit his head hard on a third-quarter fumble before returning for two plays. Dart went into the blue tent in between periods and was replaced by Russell Wilson. It begs the question: How do the Giants use his mobility and toughness while also protecting him?

Stat to know: The Giants led by at least 10 points against Dallas, New Orleans, Denver and now Chicago. The common thread? They lost all four games. Against Chicago, the Giants led by 10 points with under four minutes remaining. That’s when they gave up a touchdown, went three-and-out, shanked a punt and allowed the Bears to go on for a game-winning touchdown in the final three minutes. They’re doing everything possible to lose games. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Packers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Saints

What do the Saints have in Tyler Shough? The rookie quarterback took a big step forward in his second start. He finished 19-of-27 for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Shough was working with three backup offensive linemen and without speedy wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who was traded to the Seahawks, but Shough still gave the offense life with big touchdown throws to Juwan Johnson and Chris Olave. Johnson had a career-best 92 receiving yards while Olave had a career-long 62-yard touchdown. If Shough can continue to trend upward, it’ll give the Saints hope for an offense that has struggled for much of the season.

Turning point: The second-quarter touchdown to Olave was big for several reasons. It happened on the field where Olave was carted off following a concussion last November. It was also his first 100-yard game since Week 8 of 2024 and gave the offense a boost, showing that Shough is capable of igniting the downfield passing game. While the Saints still made some head-scratching decisions, Olave’s touchdown gave them a lead they would not relinquish.

Best quote from the locker room: “I had a great week of practice. I didn’t think about it too much, but as soon as I stepped on the field, I just felt it all over again,” Olave said after his return to Bank of America Stadium. “It was a tough situation from last year. It ended my season, so I just coming back here, first time playing here again, I’m glad I had the performance I had, but I couldn’t do it without my teammates and my coaches and everybody around me.” — Katherine Terrell

Next game: vs. Falcons (Nov. 23, 4:25 p.m. ET)

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Tyler Shough connects with Chris Olave for a 62-yd Saints’ TD

Chris Olave loses his defender and reaches the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.

Panthers

Did this loss pump the brakes on Carolina’s playoff hopes? Absolutely. Losing to the now-two-win Saints was devastating. Everything was set up for the Panthers to go to 6-4 before facing the Falcons, who Carolina has already defeated 30-0. Now, the Panthers are 5-5 and must win in Atlanta before facing a brutal final stretch that includes serious playoff contenders in the 49ers, Rams, Seahawks and Buccaneers (twice). New Orleans also provided those opponents a blueprint on how to stop running back Rico Dowdle.

What to make of the QB performance: Bryce Young was off from the start. A roughing-the-passer penalty wiped out an early interception. He was fortunate not to get picked off on two early tipped passes at the line, too. He threw an interception with about 12 minutes left on a pass that wasn’t close, which led to the Saints’ insurance TD. In all, Young went 17-of-25 for 124 yards and the interception.

Best quote from the locker room: Young seemed more agitated then normal after losing to the one-win Saints a week after beating the one-loss Packers. “I don’t like to lose. No one likes to lose,” he said. “I’m definitely frustrated. But that frustration isn’t with the team. That’s not with anybody. We didn’t be the best version or ourselves that we’re chasing, that we know we can be.” — David Newton

Next game: at Falcons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Colts

Can the Colts clean things up on offense? Production has not been a problem for the Colts in their past two games. They’ve had over 800 combined yards in games against the Steelers and Falcons. The issue is inconsistency on the details with what has been the No. 1 offense in the NFL most of this season. The penalties, missed blitz pickups, protection breakdowns — all of it was uncharacteristic. And it has happened two weeks in a row. This week, the Colts overcame it with a sensational performance from Jonathan Taylor with 244 yards and three touchdowns, the top individual rushing game in the NFL this season. But the Colts will want to clean things up with a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs coming up after next week’s bye.

Most surprising performance: It was clear cornerback Sauce Gardner was going to play an important role after Tuesday’s blockbuster trade. But Indianapolis wasted no time getting him deeply involved. He played the entire game and was often in coverage against Atlanta star receiver Drake London. Gardner also had a near interception, jumping a route on a third down to force a punt. Gardner finished with a team-high 31 coverage snaps. — Stephen Holder

Next game: at Chiefs (Nov. 23, 1 p.m. ET)

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Jonathan Taylor’s 83-yard TD breaks Colts’ rushing TD record

Jonathan Taylor explodes for an 83-yard touchdown to become the Colts’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns.

Falcons

How far does this loss set back the Falcons’ playoff hopes? The Falcons have lost four straight and the goal of making the playoffs for the first time since 2017 is slipping away. It stood at 4% at the final buzzer of Sunday’s loss. While Atlanta has played close in consecutive weeks with elite AFC teams (24-23 loss to Patriots in Week 9), that’s hardly a consolation. Atlanta’s defense yielded 519 total yards Sunday. The Falcons’ offense has sputtered for most of the season, including 3-for-29 on third downs over the past three games, and the defense broke under the pressure late in Berlin. The schedule gets easier for Atlanta, but nothing has come easy for this team.

Key stat to know: The Falcons have 13 sacks over the past two weeks and six or more sacks in consecutive games for only the second time in franchise history. It’s the first time the Falcons’ defense has six or more sacks in back-to-back games since 2002. — Marc Raimondi

Next game: vs. Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Catch up on the action: Box score | Recap

Broncos

Can the Broncos continue to lean this hard on their defense? Well, the guys on defense say yes. Linebacker Alex Singleton said “whatever we need to do, we do” after Thursday’s win. But history would say the Broncos can’t keep forcing the defense to defend a short field. Denver punted seven times Thursday, had four possessions that went for negative yardage and quarterback Bo Nix threw two interceptions. Including Thursday night, the Broncos have now won five times when they have lost the turnover battle. They have trailed in all but one game this season (Week 5 win in Philadelphia). The Broncos still sit atop the AFC West, but running back J.K. Dobbins put it best that “eventually it’s going to bite us in the butt.”

Trend to watch: The Broncos are in the hunt for a record that has stood since 1984, just two years after the sack became an official statistic. With six more sacks Thursday, the Broncos have 46 after 10 games. The single-season record, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears, is 72. Denver’s 46 sacks after 10 games are the most since New Orleans had 44 after 10 games in 2000. — Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Chiefs (Nov. 16, 4:25 p.m. ET)

Raiders

Are the Raiders headed toward significant changes in the offseason? It shouldn’t be out of the question. Under Pete Carroll, the Raiders have taken a major step back, especially on offense. They’ve been held to under 10 points four times this season and fewer than 30 points in 29 consecutive games. That latter stat is the longest active streak in the NFL and second longest in franchise history. Chip Kelly’s offense has clearly been ineffective, and quarterback Geno Smith has regressed since reaching two Pro Bowls with the Seahawks. Patience is a virtue, and Las Vegas will need a ton of it.

Stat to know: Smith’s 12 interceptions are the most by a Raiders quarterback in their first nine games of a season since Kerry Collins had 12 through nine games in 2004, per ESPN Research. — Ryan McFadden

Next game: vs. Cowboys (Nov. 17, 8:20 p.m. ET)