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We are now into the second half of the 2025 NFL season. Last week, numerous favorites lost, keeping the playoff picture still murky. This week, many teams come off their bye to return to action, but it is curtains for a coach.
Let’s look back at the action
MV-Maye?
The New England Patriots come into week 10 of the season as one of the best teams in the league, and could be considered one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. This week, they faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who, despite their minor slump over the last few weeks, could be seen as a contender in the NFC. Who would win this game?
The Buccaneers had the opening drive of the game and scored the first points of the encounter from it. Starting from their 35-yard line, the Buccs offense, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, was able to move down to the Patriots’ 21-yard line. Here, Mayfield found Emeka Egbuka for the touchdown pass to give them the lead. In response, the Patriots were unable to respond to the score.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe next few drives all ended in punts. This was until the final play of the first quarter. Patriots quarterback (and fore-runner for the MVP award) Drake Maye found Kyle Williams with a short pass. Williams would then find the endzone to record a 72-yard touchdown to level the scores.
Tampa Bay was able to retake its lead in the middle of the second quarter. Their drive stalled on the Patriots’ 18-yard line, setting up kicker Chase McLaughlin with a 36-yard field goal attempt. He was successful in this, giving the Buccs a three-point lead.
But this lead did not last long. On the following drive, the Patriots spend the remaining time in the quarter (over seven minutes) slowly driving down to the Buccs’ one-yard line. Here, on the stroke of halftime, Maye found Stefon Diggs for the touchdown pass.
This meant that at halftime, the Patriots had a 14-10 lead over the Buccaneers.
New England had the first possession of the second half and would quickly extend their lead. On the second play of the drive, TreVeyon Henderson found the endzone to record a 55-yard rushing touchdown. Tampa Bay was unable to respond to the score on their next drive immediately, but would find something from the drive after. Starting from their eight-yard line, Mayfield and company made their way down to the Patriots’ 10-yard line. Here, the quarterback found Tez Johnson for the touchdown pass to bring them back into the game. Tampa Bay would then attempt a two-point conversion, which failed.
Coming into the fourth quarter, the Patriots had a slim five-point lead and could not afford any mistakes. Unfortunately, midway through the quarter, an error occurred. On the Buccs’ goal line, Maye’s pass was intercepted, turning a near-definite touchdown into an opportunity for Tampa Bay to get themselves back into the game. Luckily for New England, the Buccs turned the ball over on their drive.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Pats would take advantage of this turnover, with Henderson finding the end zone from 69 yards out to give them an insurmountable lead. A late touchdown from Tampa Bay would not be enough, and the New England Patriots had defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-23.
This is the seventh consecutive win for the Patriots, and puts them in a very strong position for both the playoffs and the AFC North title (especially when you consider what happened to the Bills this week). They improved to 8-2 for the season. As for the Buccaneers, this defeat means they fall to 6-3 for the season, and are at risk of being caught by the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South.
Next week, the Patriots have a short week, as they face the New York Jets on Thursday night, while the Buccaneers face the Buffalo Bills.
A German win for Jones
The Indianapolis Colts have had a remarkable season. They have one of the best records in football, mostly thanks to running back Johnathan Taylor. This week, the Colts traveled to Germany to face the Atlanta Falcons. This marked a return to the country for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who played in Germany (albeit in Munich, not Berlin) last season in what was his final game for the New York Giants. Can the Colts’ strong season continue?
Turnovers signified the opening drives of the game. The Colts turned the ball over on downs on their first drive. But they did not go without possession for long, as Falcons’ quarterback Michael Penix Jr was sacked and then fumbled the ball on his first drive of the game, losing possession. The Colts would strike first in the game soon after with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Jonathan Taylor.
But the Falcons immediately responded with a score of their own. Like the Colts, their offense also made it down to the one-yard line. Here, Tyler Allgeier found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to tie the scores. This tie did not last long, as Jones found A Pierce for a 37-yard touchdown pass to hand the lead back to Indianapolis.
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter a down period of drives ending in punts, the Falcons would be able to retake the lead when Penix found Drake London for a 16-yard touchdown pass. In response to this, Jones threw an interception, ending any hope that the Colts would be leading at the half.
This meant that at halftime, the Falcons had a 14-13 lead over the Colts.
The Falcons were able to add to their slim lead on the first drive of the second half. The offense was able to take the ball down to the Colts’ 25-yard line, where the drive stalled. This setup allowed kicker Zane Gonzalez to attempt a 43-yard field goal, which he successfully converted. In response to this, we had another mistake from Jones, as he fumbled the ball and lost possession. Luckily for the team, the Falcons were unable to do anything on their subsequent drive.
The Colts were able to make it a one-point game midway through the fourth quarter when Michael Badgley found the uprights from 34 yards out. They would then take the lead thanks to an 83-yard rushing touchdown from Taylor. The Colts then attempted a two-point conversion, but this was unsuccessful, keeping their lead at five points.
But this lead did not last long, as Allegier found the endzone on the next drive for a one-yard rushing touchdown to hand the advantage back to Atlanta. A successful two-point conversion gave them a three-point lead.
The Colts needed a field goal to send this game to overtime. Luckily, they were able to get this when Badgley made the field goal from 44 yards out. This tied the scores at the end of the fourth quarter, meaning that for the second consecutive Germany game, this game was headed to overtime.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Falcons had the first possession of OT, but were unable to do anything with the ball and punted it away. This meant that all the Colts had to do was score something on their next drive, and they would win the game. Luckily for them, they have Johanthan Taylor on their roster. He scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown to give the Indianapolis Colts a 31-25 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
This win keeps the Colts among the best teams in all of football, and for Daniel Jones, it was a successful trip to Germany (unlike last year). They improve to 8-2 for the season, while the Falcons fall to 3-6. That is not the end of international games this year, as we have another game scheduled for next week in Spain.
Next week, the Colts are on their bye week, while the Falcons face the Carolina Panthers.
The Beginning of the End for Buffalo?
Last week, the Buffalo Bills were able to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in another instalment of the Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes rivalry. This win helped them stay in the race for the AFC East title with the New England Patriots. This week, things were a lot easier for the Bills, as they faced the struggling Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins had the first possession of the game, but did not hold onto possession for long. On the third play of the game, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s deep pass was intercepted by the Bills’ defense. Luckily for Miami, Buffalo was able to do nothing with this possession.
But this interception did not affect the Dolphins. Starting the next drive from their eight-yard line, the offense was able to slowly make its way down to the Bills’ nine-yard line. Here, Tagovailoa found Malik Washington for the touchdown pass to give them a surprise lead. This lead was doubled on the Dolphins’ next drive, when Tagovailoa found Jaylen Waddle for a 38-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Buffalo offense was struggling in this first half, ending most of their drives in punts. They were able to break into the Dolphins’ territory on one of the drives that did not end in a punt, but James Cook fumbled the ball and lost possession. This would prove costly, as the Dolphins’ kicker, Riley Patterson, kicked a 46-yard field goal on the following drive.
This meant that at halftime, the Dolphins had a very surprising 16-0 lead over the Bills.
Buffalo needed a strong start in the second half to try to get themselves back into the game. On their first drive of the half, Allen would very slowly move the offense down to the Dolphins’ five-yard line. Usually, this is where a touchdown would happen for the Bills; however, after the first half they had, anything could happen. Allen’s pass from the five-yard line was intercepted, keeping the Bills scoreless.
The Bills would finally be able to get onto the scoreboard in the fourth quarter from a drive that started on their two-yard line. Allen would fine Keon Coleman for a 35-yard touchdown pass. They would then attempt a two-point conversion to make it an eight-point game, but this failed.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, a Tagovalioa interception on the next drive gave the Bills some hope that they could get themselves back into the game. However, a fumble from Allen, which resulted in a lost possession, dashed this hope. A 59-yard rushing touchdown from De’Von Achane, a few plays later, would put the game to bed.
Allen would find Hawes for a 26-yard touchdown pass to get the Bills some pride, but this was immediately countered by another Achane rushing touchdown, this time from 35 yards out.
This meant that as the game ended, the Miami Dolphins had defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13.
It is remarkable how quickly teams and change can occur in a week. The Bills went from beating Mahomes to losing to a Dolphins team who were easily beaten by the Ravens last week. This defeat gives the New England Patriots the advantage in the AFC East, as the Bills fall to 6-3 for the season. The win gives the Dolphins a 3-7 record.
Next week, the Dolphins travel to Madrid to face the Washington Commanders at the Bernabeu, while Buffalo faces Tampa Bay.
What Happened in the Other Games?
Thursday Night Football always used to be a forgettable game between two poorly performing teams. We had a revival of that this week, when the Las Vegas Raiders faced the Denver Broncos (who are anything but poorly performing). A few weeks ago, the Broncos won a low-scoring game in London. We were treated to round two of that in this game, with the Broncos winning the game 10-7.
Now that Lamar Jackson is back as the starting quarterback, the Baltimore Ravens hope their revival will continue with a win against the Minnesota Vikings. Numerous mistakes by Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy cost the Vikings, as Baltimore did enough to record a 27-19 win.
In a matchup of two struggling teams, the New York Jets faced the Cleveland Browns. It was another poor showing for the Jets’ offense, but their return teams shone in this game. A kickoff return and a punt return touchdown would make the difference as the Jets beat the Browns 27-20.
Another team that has been struggling this season is the New Orleans Saints. This week, they faced the Carolina Panthers in Tyler Shough’s second-ever start. He threw for two touchdowns and 282 yards in the Saints’ 17-7 win.
Question for you: Are the Jacksonville Jaguars a good team this season? I don’t know the answer to this. One second they are, the next they are not. In their game against the Houston Texans, they were not very good. Backup quarterback Davis Mills helped his team overcome a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter to record a 36-29 win over the Jags.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn an all-NFC West clash, the Seattle Seahawks faced the Arizona Cardinals. Two defense touchdowns from DeMarcus Lawrence, taking advantage of Cardinal fumbles, helped the Seahawks record a 44-22 win.
The other two teams from the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, also met this week in a pivotal clash for the top spot in the conference. Four touchdowns from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford helped the team record a 42-26 win over the 49ers, keeping them in the race with the Seahawks in the division.
The Detroit Lions returned to the win column this week in their game with the Washington Commanders. Jared Goff threw for three touchdowns and 320 yards in their 44-22 win.
Aaron Rodgers had a game to forget when his Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Los Angeles Chargers. Rodgers threw two interceptions and struggled throughout as the Chargers beat the Steelers 25-10.
We could have had the game of the week on Monday night, as the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Green Bay Packers. This was an extremely defensive affair, with neither team scoring a point until the middle of the third quarter. In the end, the Eagles held on for a 10-7 win. When was the last time the opening game of the week and the last game of the week had the same scoreline?
And finally, let’s talk about the New York Giants. This week, they faced the Chicago Bears and appeared poised to secure the win. That was until the fourth quarter. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. A fourth-quarter collapse, paired with a Jaxson Dart concussion, meant that the Bears escaped with a 24-20 win. This is the fourth time this has happened this season, and the Giants have finally had enough of coach Brian Daboll, who has been fired. Whoever the coach will be in 2026 will have a potential goldmine of young talent that can bring the team back to the competitive end of the league.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat was week 10 in the 2025 NFL Season. Next week, the Eagles face the Lions, the Buccaneers face the Bills, and the first-ever game in Spain (I don’t know why either)