This season has already exceeded nearly all expectations from spring/summer, but let's be real: this is still a Boston sports team, and this is when and where things will determine how this year will be remembered.

Harbaugh was that stale piece of gum we refused to spit out because we had grown so used to it.

Both Matt Stafford and Drake Maye have compelling and good arguments for this year's MVP award, and regardless of the borderline insane #discourse that's arisen in this debate nationally the last several weeks on either side of the fence, either would be a good winner.

As the old saying goes, "defense wins championships," and the Texans will prove it more than any other team in the AFC playoffs. Yes, even more than the Denver Broncos. Minus the 49ers, the Texans have shown more perseverance than any other team this season.

The fact that they won 14 games while clinching a division title over the 49ers and the Rams shows they can beat any team, one way or another. Winning football's most competitive division is serious heavy lifting for the Seahawks or any team in that matter.

Not a particularly long day for the first-team Patriots offense, but Maye's 256 yards and five TDs on just 24 dropbacks were one of the best EPA starts a quarterback has had in the last decade, and his 157 passer rating only trails the perfect 158.3 mark Jalen Hurts put up back in Week 7.

If dismantling the Jets last week wasn't that impressive to you, how do you feel now after Trevor Lawrence went into Denver and became the first road QB to win there all season in a 279-yard 3 TD day?

Sometimes, when things are quite literally falling apart around you, and it's winning time, it's going to be on you to come up and make plays. Drake Maye in the fourth quarter exemplified that to a T and then some. 12/14, 139 Yards, 1 TD, passer rating of 131.8, with a game-sealing first-down scramble to boot.

Baltimore has been... an interesting team this year, to keep it simple. They've won five of their last seven and most recently shut out the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. However, it's clear that even after returning, Jackson is still not at 100% physically...

Bring up the fact this was against the Jets all you want, Trevor Lawrence was absolutely on one for the Jaguars on Sunday. His 27.5 EPA was the best by a QB this week and it's not even close, and he was also the only QB league wide to have a passer rating north of 135...

Was the officiating super great? I wouldn't say so, but the bottom line is the Patriots had plenty of real chances to bury the Bills and couldn't get the job done.

What was once so commonplace that it was simply referred to as "Hat and T-Shirt Day", the Patriots are potentially set to have one of those by doing something they haven't done since 2019: Win the AFC East. They'd do so by defeating the team they did to clinch it that year, the Buffalo Bills, who've been just above water since beating the Kansas City Chiefs at 3-2 in their last five. Outside of their win in Pittsburgh, it hasn't exactly been the prettiest football ever for th

If you only counted McCaffrey's points as a receiver, he would be the WR7 in total points. Add 849 yards and eight touchdowns of rushing production, and you get a player who was built for fantasy.

With their chances of staying in the AFC East fight hanging in the balance, the Buffalo Bills absolutely needed Josh Allen at his best vs. the Bengals, who've been a major thorn in their side the last several years, and boy did they get it.

Derrick Brown and Mike Jackson weren't the only Panthers to make it here this week, but outside of Bryce Young, those two guys arguably won Carolina their biggest home game since...probably the 2015 NFC title game?

You could tell pretty early on Monday Night that the New England Patriots wanted this win badly. This team looked as fired up and locked in as they've been all year, and took nothing for granted in the opening half as they made big play after big play on offense and special teams, and physically set the tone defensively and took right to the Giants, and more speciffically, QB Jaxson Dart.

I also don't think I need to drive home the point that the Patriots have to be better down by the goalline and in the red zone offensively. The Giants rank 31st as a Red Zone defense on the year; there is ZERO reason why the Patriots, with the talent level they have at the skill spots, and especially at QB should be having situations like last week where they are getting stonewalled with less than a yard till paydirt.

Might as well get straight to the main event here and talk about Will Anderson, who was borderline unstopable on Thursday Night against the Buffalo Bills.

Worse than any of that was the injury bug, which hit the Patriots all at once on Sunday. Both Jared Wilson and Will Campbell got carted off, respectively. Brendan Schooler was spotted postgame in a walking boot, Khyiris Tonga didn't finish the game himself, and Morgan Moses also missed time with what the Patriots called an illness.

Still no Joe Burrow, who's back practicing but not ready to return after a Week 2 turf toe injury. Additionally, in worse news is that they'll also be without Ja'Marr Chase, as he's been suspended for spitting on Steelers' corner Jalen Ramsey, and without last season's sack leader, Trey Hendrickson...