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| Bills quarterback Josh Allen (center) was sacked five times and threw two interceptions in Sunday's loss to the Jets. |
The power that stands at the top of A.F.C. Constantly changing between the 10 or so teams in playoff quality vying for just seven spots, week after week the Buffalo Bills made the most consistent case of top seed deserving. Josh Allen's choice raised eyebrows on Sunday with a 20-17 loss to the decidedly down-to-earth Jets.
In the N.F.C, Tom Brady's last-minute touchdown drive helped the Buccaneers fend off the Rams, but Aaron Rodgers' nightmare season hit a new low.
The Jets' front four were relentless against Josh Allen.
The Bills' top-ranked offense surpassed the league's M.V.P.s on a four-game winning streak but was overwhelmed by Zach Wilson and the Jets (6-3). East takes the lead with a win. Allen took a season-high five sacks and lost 22 yards. It was a loss of three weeks.
He dropped about half of his Jets games 39 making his defensive effort more impressive. The Jets pounced on just four players to create quarterback pressure, but enough receivers Stephon Diggs (5 catches for 93 yards) and Gabe Davis (5 catches for 93 yards) to hold them without a touchdown catch. 3 catches for 33 yards).
The Jets' success up front consisted of three dimensions. First, there is talent in the defense of manager Robert Saleh. Quinn Williams was arguably the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in the division other than Aaron Donald this year. Williams won't be paired with Star Edge Rusher, but the Jets have a deep rotation of quality players between Karl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, and Bryce Huff, and they'll always keep the pressure on. Ready to produce.
Secondly, Saleh plans twists, stunts, and other funky four-man looks to get free rushers, while just sending the four guys on base forward makes him the most defensive player in the league. It does a better job than the mind. N.F.L. protection usually half-slides in the center and plays man protection on the weak side. The Jets are deadlier than anyone by exploiting that man's side of protection. The same unrelenting infusion of those two elements by Surrey when he coached the 49ers' chaotic front. Combined with Energy, the end result is a four-man rush that can hold off one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Tom Brady can still lead the winning drive.
Tom Brady is widely regarded as the greatest player in football. Aaron Rodgers is the league's Most Valuable Player and he has won it four times. Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory last season in one of the most impressive passing campaigns in recent memory.
Even with injuries and lineup shuffles to their respective teams, none of the three elite quarterbacks are expected to struggle as strongly as their respective teams are under .500 by Week 9. I did.
But Brady seemed to be in the best position to rebound in the three, and the Buccaneers' 16-13 victory over the Rams on Sunday showed he could bolster a depleted team if needed. . Tampa Bay trailed 13-9 with no timeouts with 44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when Brady unleashed a classic game-winning sequence on a 60-yard touchdown drive for a 5-6 success at 54 yards. was.
On the most important play of the drive, Brady lofted a pass to Mike Evans on the right wing on the second and third plays from the Rams' 7-yard line. Cornerback Derion Kendrick was called for pass interference on the play, putting the Buccaneers at the 1-yard line and scoring an easy score on a catch by rookie tight end Cade Otton.