• Sam Darnold goes off versus the Falcons: The Vikings quarterback tossed five touchdowns in the 42-21 win versus the Falcons.
• Zach Charbonnet leads the way: The Seahawks' rushing attack did more than enough to get the win versus the Cardinals.
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Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
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Detroit Lions 34, Green Bay Packers 31
Why the Lions won: Everything that was good for the Lions came from their ability to attack the middle of the field — especially in the passing game. Jared Goff didn’t complete a pass beyond 20 yards but still feasted between the numbers, completing 23-of-28 pass attempts for 214 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions offense repeatedly found ways to attack the Packers’ linebackers and safeties across the middle of the field, and it proved fruitful.
Why the Packers lost: The Packers' passing game never fully got off the ground. Jordan Love completed just 12-of-20 pass attempts for 206 yards and a touchdown pass, but the passing game wasn’t expansive. Love attempted just six passes beyond 10 yards and only completed passes to four different receivers. None of those receivers were Jayden Reed, who was held catchless on one target in the game. This wasn’t the fluid drop-back attack we’ve been used to seeing.
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Minnesota Vikings 42, Atlanta Falcons 21
Why the Vikings won: Sam Darnold delivered a performance that was every good as the box score suggested in the win, completing 22-of-28 pass attempts for 347 yards and five touchdowns, earning a 91.9 passing grade in the process. Darnold delivered four big-time throws on top, while his 12.4 yards per attempt was a season-high. His connection with his two receivers, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, was on point too. Minnesota’s passing game was rolling.
Why the Falcons lost: The Falcons' passing defense struggled against the Vikings' passing game, but Atlanta was especially vulnerable in the deep passing game. Darnold completed 4-of-6 attempts of over 20 yards for 163 yards and two touchdowns. A couple of those completions came from miscommunication and busted coverages too. Slot corner Dee Alford gave up seven catches for 127 yards and four touchdowns, earning a 28.8 coverage grade.
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New Orleans Saints 14, New York Giants 11
Why the Saints won: The Saints did a good job of protecting Derek Carr prior to his injury, and he was dealing in a clean pocket. Carr completed 17-of-22 pass attempts in a clean pocket for 191 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.7 yards and posting an 85.3 overall grade. His grade dropped to 38.9 when pressured, so keeping Carr clean was a win for the Saints.
Why the Giants lost: Drew Lock and the Giants’ passing game struggled to do much of anything in this game. Lock completed 42.9% of his passes for 227 yards and an interception but put the ball in harm's way a few times with three turnover-worthy plays. The drop-off from Daniel Jones to Lock is significant, and though Lock is only a placeholder starter until next season, the next few games will be tough.
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Miami Dolphins 32, New York Jets 26
Why the Dolphins won: Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins picked apart the Jets defense in the short passing game. Tagovailoa completed 17-of-19 pass attempts of under 10 yards for 142 yards and a touchdown, with 40.7% of his attempts going under 10 air yards. The Dolphins were getting the ball out fast, and it worked to their advantage as they rallied to beat the Jets.
Why the Jets lost: The Jets' passing defense struggled with the Dolphins’ receivers' ability to make big plays after the catch. Miami’s wideouts tallied 198 yards after the catch and averaged 6.0 yards after the catch per reception, with four pass catchers accumulating over 30 yards after the catch.
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Philadelphia Eagles 22, Carolina Panthers 16
Why the Eagles won: The Eagles' rushing game compensated for the fact the passing game never got going against the Panthers. Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and Kenneth Gainwell combined for 209 rushing yards and a touchdown on 31 attempts, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. Barkley didn’t have a massive game-breaking run, but he was consistent, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt and forcing four missed tackles — and he still managed to have five runs of over 10 yards. The Eagles just know how to grind down defenses with an effective rushing game.
Why the Panthers lost: Bryce Young delivered a strong game again, but the Eagles blitzed him on 34.1% of his dropbacks and caused duress each time. Young completed just 3-of-12 pass attempts when blitzed for 39 yards and an interception, earning a 40.8 overall grade. More specifically, Young averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt when blitzed compared to 6.9 yards per attempt when he wasn’t blitzed. The Eagles got after the second-year quarterback with five or more rushers, which slowed down the Panthers.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28, Las Vegas Raiders 13
Why the Buccaneers won: It looked like the Buccaneers' rushing attack might have struggled without Bucky Irving, who left the game due to an injury, but Rachaad White stepped up and delivered a strong performance. White rushed 17 times for 90 yards and a touchdown, securing a 78.3 rushing grade on the day. He forced five missed tackles, totaled four explosive runs and averaged 3.71 yards after contact per rush. White kept the chains moving when the Tampa passing game slowed down.
Why the Raiders lost: The Raiders’ passing defense struggled to contain the Buccaneers for large portions of the game and gave up 10 explosive passing plays for 225 yards. Baker Mayfield averaged 10.2 yards per attempt and completed 18 passes for 295 yards, with 76.2% of his passing yards coming on explosive plays. The Raiders’ pass rush showed up, sacking Mayfield four times, but any time he completed a pass, the Las Vegas defense felt the weight of it.
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Jacksonville Jaguars 10, Tennessee Titans 6
Why the Jaguars won: The Jaguars’ passing defense played well and helped hold the Titans to just two field goals in the game. Will Levis completed 59.4% of his pass attempts for 168 yards, and the Jacksonville defense compiled seven forced incompletions. Moreover, five Jaguars defenders had coverage grades of 74.0 or higher. The Jaguars defense has been better in recent weeks, and the unit showed some gumption against the Titans.
Why the Titans lost: The offense moved the ball okay, but the Titans shut down in the red zone. They finished 0-of-2 in the red zone and 0-of-2 on fourth down. A lack of ability to convert inside the 20 dearly cost them points, especially in a game that finished with just one touchdown all day. Poor execution cost the Titans.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Cleveland Browns 14
Why the Steelers won: The offense did its job, but the Steelers’ defense led the way — particularly the pass rush. The Pittsburgh defense sacked Jameis Winston three times and pressured him 22 times in total. Alex Highsmith led the way with a 90.6 pass-rushing grade and six total pressures, while Cameron Heyward added two sacks. In total, eight defenders had at least one pressure, while star pass rusher T.J. Watt had the second-most on the team with five.
Why the Browns lost: Winston was sacked three times and struggled immensely when pressured by the Steelers defense. He was pressured on 40% of his dropbacks, completing just 5-of-15 pass attempts for 50 yards, a touchdown and an interception when pressured. Winston's highs and lows are always fun, but the Pittsburgh defense made sure the lows reared their head more often. Winston earned only a 48.1 overall grade when pressured.
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Seattle Seahawks 30, Arizona Cardinals 18
Why the Seahawks won: The Seahawks were without Kenneth Walker III, but the ground game still made a significant impact on the afternoon. Zach Charbonnet led the way, carrying the ball 22 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns, forcing six missed tackles while rushing for over 10 yards on four carries. He generated a 77.9 rushing grade, and his ability to consistently move the chains — as well as rip off big runs — set the Seattle offense on its way to a strong performance.
Why the Cardinals lost: Two Kyler Murray interceptions certainly didn’t help proceedings. The first interception led to the Seahawks scoring on the very next play, but Murray struggled when pressured for most of the game. When under duress, Murray completed 2-of-7 pass attempts for 19 yards and two interceptions, averaging just 2.7 yards per attempt and posting a 40.3 passing grade. He was also sacked twice and had a turnover-worthy play rate of 15.4%.
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San Francisco 49ers 38, Chicago Bears 10
Why the 49ers won: Brock Purdy bounced back from a tough performance versus the Bills in style. The 49ers quarterback was kept clean on 62.1% of his dropbacks and completed 14-of-16 pass attempts for 229 yards and two touchdowns from a clean pocket, earning an excellent 91.3 overall grade in the process. Everything worked within structure for Purdy, and he delivered when the 49ers needed him to.
Why the Bears lost: Chicago’s offense regressed against the 49ers, and it didn’t help that the 49ers' pass rush had its way with the offensive line. Caleb Williams was sacked seven times in the game and was pressured on nine dropbacks, completing just 1-of-2 passing attempts for 14 yards. The Bears offense could get nothing going, and Williams spent a large chunk of the day on the ground.
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Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42
Why the Rams won: The Rams came out on top in potentially the game of the year, and Matthew Stafford’s play was the driving force. Stafford was near-perfect when the Rams kept him clean, completing 18-of-22 pass attempts for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The veteran quarterback compiled a 96.2 overall grade and registered three big-time throws while averaging 11.3 yards per attempt from a clean pocket. This was a truly great performance.
Why the Bills lost: Any Bills defender who came within the vicinity of Puka Nacua struggled to slow him down. Nacua caught 12 of 14 targets for 162 yards and a touchdown, securing a 92.3 overall grade in the win. He caught a pass versus eight separate Bills defenders, and whoever was matched up against him struggled. Six of his catches came against Taron Johnson and Rasul Douglas, and Nacua racked up 84 yards after the catch too.
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Kansas City Chiefs 19, Los Angeles Chargers 17
Why the Chiefs won: The Chiefs scored just one touchdown on the day, so it was up to a strong kicking performance from Matthew Wright to get them over the hump. The offense did enough to set Wright up, and he converted on 4-of-4 field goal attempts to earn an 80.0 field goal grade, as well as kick the game-winner as time expired. His 13 points in the game proved crucial.
Why the Chargers lost: The Chargers’ ground game has struggled this season, especially without J.K. Dobbins, and did so again against the Chiefs. The unit racked up 94 total yards on 24 attempts, which seems okay on the surface. But aside from a 10-yard run from Gus Edwards and a 12-yard scramble from Taylor Heinicke, the rushing game offered little contribution to the offense. That made life harder for Justin Herbert and the passing game.
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Cincinnati Bengals 27, Dallas Cowboys 20
Why the Bengals won: Ja’Marr Chase delivered an emphatic performance on Monday night and was ever-present in the Bengals passing attack. Chase caught 14-of-18 targets for 177 yards and two touchdowns, earning a 90.4 receiving grade on the night. The Cowboys defense couldn’t contain him, and Chase had 81 yards after the catch, too, with a chunk of those yards coming on the game-winning touchdown catch. Big players make big plays.
Why the Cowboys lost: Mistakes have been the unfortunate war cry of the Cowboys season, and a massive mistake late in the fourth quarter set up the scene for another disappointing loss. The Cowboys blocked a punt, but Amani Oruwariye muffed the unnecessary return, and the Bengals recovered the ball to drive down the field and score the winning touchdown.
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