NFL Week 10 winners and losers: Mike Vrabel has Patriots rolling; Panthers, Vikings sink again

Another Sunday, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 10 has already delivered lots of drama.

The action kicked off overseas, where the Indianapolis Colts ran wild against the Atlanta Falcons to claim a high-scoring win in Berlin (more on that below). But it got plenty wacky as the day wore on, as evidenced by the Miami Dolphins cruising past the rival Buffalo Bills in an unexpectedly one-sided AFC East showdown. Then there was the Houston Texans overcoming a three-score deficit to the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, complete with a walk-off touchdown by defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins.

And that’s not even accounting for some of the other madness of Sunday’s schedule, such as the rebuilding New Orleans Saints blanking their own division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens clawing within one game of .500 thanks to a sloppy but resilient showing against the Minnesota Vikings, and the Chicago Bears improving to 6-3 by downing the New York Giants.

Which players, coaches and teams stood out the most, for better and worse? Here are some of Week 10’s biggest winners and losers:

Winner: Dan Campbell

The Detroit Lions were stunned in an upset loss in Week 9. No problem. Campbell had his boys revved up and ready to dominate on the rebound, and rebound they did, driving the ball all over the old, depleted Washington Commanders defense for a blowout win. Give Jared Goff even reasonable run support, and he’ll pick you apart. Against Dan Quinn’s front, he got a lot more than reasonable help, with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery exploding to the tune of more than 200 yards on the ground.

Loser: Robert Saleh

The San Francisco 49ers need feisty defense these days, with the offense consistently relying upon fill-in Mac Jones to guide Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which was once again without an injured Brock Purdy against the Los Angeles Rams. Yes, Saleh has a whittled-down lineup, with stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner out due to injury. But he had basically no answers for Matthew Stafford on Sunday, struggling to find good secondary matchups as the Rams’ gunslinger torched the 49ers for four scores.

Winner: Jonathan Taylor’s MVP case

The Indianapolis Colts running back was already among midyear favorites for the NFL’s top honor. Then he ripped off 286 scrimmage yards, including 244 on the ground, against the Atlanta Falcons to headline the league’s first-ever Berlin game. The highlight was an 82-yard scoring scamper, but this is the kind of thing Taylor’s been doing all year as the centerpiece of Shane Steichen’s rejuvenated attack. No one — not even elite quarterbacks — has enjoyed such a special start to 2025. Four years after clearing 1,800 rushing yards as a young breakout, this ball carrier might win the Colts the AFC South with his own legs.  

Loser: Justin Jefferson

This is for multiple reasons. No. 1: His quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, fell right back to Earth after a resilient Week 9 upset of the Detroit Lions, heaving up a handful of desperation balls to afford the Baltimore Ravens easy takeaways. But Jefferson was actually part of the problem this time, appearing to let up on McCarthy’s first pick rather than try to outmuscle a pair of defenders for a jump ball. Then he all but declined to pursue Marlon Humphrey on the second pick, which occurred because Jefferson slipped on a deep route in the first place. It was an unusually passive look for the Minnesota Vikings’ star receiver, who’s typically above criticism.

Winner: Mike Vrabel

In Buffalo, the Bills played down to their competition on Sunday, with Sean McDermott failing to parlay a Josh Allen-led attack into victory against the lowly Miami Dolphins. The Bills’ chief rivals did precisely the opposite, proving a formidable foe for the feisty Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under Vrabel’s direction, New England’s defense got to Baker Mayfield when it counted, and Josh McDaniels finally unleashed TreVeyon Henderson as explosive run support for Drake Maye, who once again tossed a couple of beautiful deep shots. Just over halfway through his first year running the Patriots, Vrabel is well on his way to the postseason.

Loser: Bryce Young

It’s sad, because Young registers as a genuinely likable leader in Carolina, complete with requisite poise for the occasional late-game comeback. But physically, as a passer, this just can’t go on much longer for the Panthers if Dave Canales and Co. intend to be taken seriously. It’s not just the unusually small build (5-10, 205) that created plenty of pre-draft skeptics; it’s the stuck-in-mud speed of his operation that makes interceptions thrown right to the opposing defense look like part of Carolina’s plan. This was apparent in an ugly 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, in which counterpart Tyler Shough flashed difference-making traits.

Winner: Mike Macdonald

One thing we don’t talk enough about: the Seattle Seahawks’ surge, not only as new NFC West frontrunners but possible Super Bowl contenders. Maybe that will change after Sunday. Macdonald’s defense got off to a rip-roaring start against the rival Arizona Cardinals, scoring a pair of touchdowns to help Seattle jump out to a 35-0 lead … by midway through the second quarter. And Sam Darnold, the gunslinger at the helm of the offense, was once again razor sharp out of the gate, feeding No. 1 target Jaxon Smith-Njigba to render Arizona helpless. Macdonald and his staff are making the most of a balanced lineup across the board.