If it wasn’t clear already, the Buffalo Bills are now officially the team to beat in the AFC.
Sure, the Kansas City Chiefs might still have a better record, but anyone who has watched the two teams over recent weeks can clearly see who the better squad is.
Not to mention we have a Week 11 matchup between the two AFC powerhouses that the Bills won 30-21.
Now it’s never smart to bet against Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs have had the Bills number in the playoffs. But with the way Bills QB Josh Allen is playing, could this finally be the year?
Allen came into Week 13 as the MVP favourite per BetMGM, and only further cemented his case as he led the Bills to a 35-10 thumping of the San Francisco 49ers to clinch the AFC East on Dec. 1.
The 28-year-old QB became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for a TD, run for a TD and catch a TD in the same game. What makes his night even more remarkable is that his TD reception came on a throw he made to Amari Cooper. Cooper caught the ball, then lateraled it back to a sprinting Allen who dived in for the score.
“It’s got to be up there,” said Allen when asked about the play where he was credited for both a receiving and passing TD. “I wish Cooper got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown. I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. … It was dope.”
The win capped a pretty good week for Allen, who also announced his engagement to actress Hailee Steinfeld on Friday. He can really do it all.
It seems like the only thing Allen is missing now is a Super Bowl ring. We will see if that’s still the case come February.
Here are some more takeaways from Sunday’s Week 13 action:
Injuries too much for 49ers
With the snow falling in Orchard Park, the 49ers were slipping and sliding all night in Buffalo and looked like they never even had a chance.
But even on a clear night, it probably wouldn’t have mattered with the way the 49ers players are dropping like flies.
San Francisco came into the game without DE Nick Bosa, OT Trent Williams and WR Brandon Aiyuk, three of their biggest stars.
Then they lost RB Christian McCaffrey in the first half with what head coach Kyle Shanahan said could be a season-ending PCL injury.
Every season, there is usually at least one team that has their season derailed with injuries. The 49ers seem to be that unlucky winner this year.
The only good news for the 49ers is that they play in the NFC West and, at 5-7, are still only two games back of the Seattle Seahawks for the division lead.
But it’s starting to look like the injuries are going to be too much for the defending NFC champs to overcome.
“Real disappointed. We have a lot more pride than this,” Shanahan said after the game. “Definitely know we have some people out and stuff, but we can play a lot better than this.”
Allen vs. Barkley for MVP?
The last non-quarterback to win the NFL MVP’s award was legendary RB Adrian Peterson way back in 2012.
Over the past 12 seasons, the award has basically been a “who is the best QB” competition.
But Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is on a mission to shake things up.
Barkley won the battle of the league’s top two RBs on Sunday, as he outrushed Ravens bell cow Derrick Henry 107 to 82 and also added a 25-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to help the Eagles seal the game.
Barkley now has seven touchdown runs of 20-plus yards. No other RB has more than three. He’s also now on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.
Now, it should be noted that Barkley will have an extra game to break Dickerson’s mark. But even with the extra game, if he does it, can he really not be named league MVP?
Unfortunately for Barkley, that Allen guy up in Buffalo might have something to say before all is said and done. But Barkley will certainly be in the conversation, that much is sure.
The Ravens officially have a Justin Tucker problem
One of the most shocking developments of the 2024 NFL season has been the dramatic decline of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker.
Arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history, Tucker has been an absolute weapon for the Ravens since he joined the team in 2012. Anything within 60 yards has seemed essentially automatic for the all-time great.
But this season has been a completely different story for the 35-year-old.
Tucker was already kicking a career-low percentage coming into Sunday’s heavyweight matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, and his struggles continued in a major way.
He missed two field goals and an extra point in what ended up as a 24-19 loss. I’ll let you do the math.
With the three misses on Sunday, Tucker is now last in field goal percentage (70.4) and total missed kicks (10) among qualified kickers this season.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was asked after the game if the team was thinking about moving away from Tucker. “I don’t think that would be wise,” Harbaugh said.
Tucker’s track record has given him a longer leash than most NFL kickers, and rightfully so. But with the Ravens looking to make a Super Bowl run, every point could be crucial. We’ll see if Tucker can turn it around when it matters the most.
Bengals defence continues to let their offence down
The Cincinnati Bengals have scored 99 points over their last three games, and are 0-3 over that stretch. Yes, you read that right.
Cincinnati has wasted a superb stretch of play from franchise pivot Joe Burrow, and essentially had their playoff hopes squashed after a 44-38 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
The Bengals defence has now allowed over 34 points in six games this season, not exactly a winning formula.
Not many would’ve predicted the Bengals to be at 4-8 at the start of December. Mathematically, they’re not eliminated from post-season contention. But it appears that even the Bengals see the writing on the wall.
“This is a tough season,” Burrow told reporters after the game. “We will be remembered by how we handle this. We’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room, the guys we can count on going forward and the guys that we can’t. We have to change a lot from this year. We haven’t been good enough.”
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin continues to make his case to go down as one of the best coaches in league history.
The Steelers moved to 9-3 with Sunday’s win over the Bengals, and Tomlin secured an 18th consecutive season without a losing record.
That’s an incredible display of consistency in a league where parity is abundant. Tomlin is a sure bet to make the NFL Hall of Fame when he hangs it up. The only question will be if he can add any more Super Bowls to his shining resume.
No one thought this year’s Steelers would have much of a chance, but Tomlin has them right in the conversation.
The Carolina Panthers lost a heartbreaking 26-23 OT game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but for Carolina, wins and losses are irrelevant.
It was actually a positive Sunday if you’re a Panthers fan, because 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is starting to show signs of life.
Young, 23, finished the game with 298 yards passing, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
The Alabama product was benched following Carolina’s Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and many wondered if it was the beginning of the end for Young in a Panthers uniform.
But since being handed back the reins in Week 8, Young has looked like a completely different QB.
“I’m so proud of you dude,” Bucs QB Baker Mayfield told Young as the two met at midfield after Sunday’s game. Mayfield, a QB who also knows about being written off before reviving his career in a major way.
Young’s redemption arc is not only one of the feel-good stories of the NFL, but it could be massive for the Panthers’ future. After his benching, it looked almost like a sure thing that Carolina would use another high draft pick on a quarterback.
But if Young’s resurgence continues over the remainder of the season, the Panthers could instead use their pick on their defence, which is in desperate of a boost.
