Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
Week 10’s early games saw some fantastic finishes, MVP performances and one contender laying an egg. While the Bears held off the Giants to stay in the NFC North hunt, the Texans stormed back from 19 down to stun the Jaguars and Jonathan Taylor put on a spectacular 244-yard, three-TD rushing day to top the Falcons in overtime, the Bills were embarrassed by the Dolphins in Miami. Making matters worse for Buffalo was a Patriots road win against the Buccaneers to broaden their lead in the AFC East.
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NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on Week 10’s highs and lows.
How alarming is the Bills’ upset loss to the Dolphins, who came into the game with just two wins? Was it a hiccup against a division rival or were bigger issues exposed?
Jones: Surprising, yes, in terms of how lopsided this was. Alarming, not necessarily. Every now and then, a good team will run into a divisional opponent and really can’t find a way to get on track. The Bills have issues. We’ve known this. Especially when it comes to their run defense. So, Mike McDaniel came up with the perfect recipe for attacking those weaknesses. De’Von Achane had a monster game with 174 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. That production really helped ensure that Tua Tagovailoa didn’t have to do too much (only 173 passing yards and two touchdown passes).
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