Close loss or not, DVOA is ready to ride or die with the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, Chiefs-Rams was one of a number of games this week where the losing team ended up with a higher rating than the winning team.

Big wins mean big movement in our DVOA ratings, with Pittsburgh jumping up from 11th to fifth and big moves for Green Bay, Tennessee, and Buffalo as well. We also explore the history of the DVOA Bowl as No. 1 prepares to meet No. 2, and jump into the workings of DVOA to try to figure out why New Orleans doesn't rank higher in our metric.

The Chiefs hit the DVOA sweet spot against Cleveland on Sunday, shooting their ratings up so they now rank among the best teams ever in both offensive and total team DVOA after nine weeks. The Patriots, Falcons, and 49ers also rise this week.

The Chiefs are the NFL's highest-scoring team, but they're not perfect. Derrik Klassen shows how the Arizona Cardinals used press coverage and unorthodox blitz packages to frustrate Patrick Mahomes and company -- and explains why it still wasn't enough in the end.

Don't look now, but Matt Ryan's on fire, Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones are getting open, Steve Sarkisian is making things easier for everyone, and the Falcons are playing their best football since the first half of Super Bowl LI.

The Eagles quarterback's numbers are way down from those of his 2017 MVP-caliber campaign, but Derrik Klassen shows he is still doing amazing things -- and the personnel moves Philadelphia made this week could help him in many ways.

San Francisco has fallen out of the playoff race, which means this will be the last time they appear in Word of Muth this year -- which is too bad, because between scheme, talent, and execution, they were one of the better offensive lines in the league this season.

After a very slow start to the year, the Falcons have won three in a row to get back to .500. Offensive line expert Ben Muth shows how the offensive line led the way to Atlanta's biggest win of the year.

A bad loss to Seattle and the trade of Golden Tate seem to have signaled the end of the competitive portion of Detroit's season. Ben Muth shows that the offensive line is not the cause of the Lions' struggles -- but it's not likely to be the solution, either.

How do you handle opponent adjustments when the gap between the best and worst run defenses is as big as we have ever seen? Plus, the best passers, runners, and receivers of Week 11.

Ben Roethlisberger's thrashing of Carolina was the best game of the week -- but not, surprisingly, the best game of the year. We explain and look at the best and worst quarterback games since 1989. Plus the best passers, runners, and receivers of Week 10.

Our staff of tape-grinding analysts, computer whizzes, and dedicated wordsmiths bring you the kind of cutting-edge commentary you won't find anywhere else: Nathan Peterman is really bad at football. Not the worst this particular week, but still. Really bad.

This week's Audibles features a huge road comeback for the Steelers in Jacksonville; a huge swing in playoff chances in the NFC East; and two wins for road underdogs from the AFC West. Also: adventures in Buccaneers quarterbacking, Week 11 edition.

Dominating wins for the Saints, the Titans (?), and the Bills (?!?) headline Week 10, but the closer wins might be the most significant. The Bears, Colts, Rams, and Cowboys all pick up important victories inside their divisions as the playoff race heats up. Your Audibles crew shares their thoughts.

A series of blowouts in the early window gives way to three tight contests in the afternoon, including a Game of the Year contender in New Orleans. Your Audibles crew discusses another bad, bad day for the Bills offense; an historic day for the Vikings pass rush; and another dynamic offensive show in Carolina.

A pair of backup quarterbacks! An NFC East showdown! A bazillion points at night! All this, and more in Bryan and Andrew's annual Thanksgiving Day preview!

Could the NFL really lose all its players and bounce back in just three years? Bryan and Andrew debate the hottest of hot takes from one of the great sports statisticians.

Bryan and Andrew look back at the first half of the season to reveal our Loser League Part I winners! No, they're not all Buffalo Bills ... just mostly.

Alex Vigderman of Sports Info Solutions introduces Total Points, a tool for player evaluation. Like DVOA, it starts with play-by-play data, but then it adds charting information to more accurately measure the contributions of each player on the field. And it will tell you that Matt Ryan has been the NFL's best quarterback for several years now.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the most talented rosters in college football. Their opponents, however, do not. Guest columnist Akshay Ramprakash looks at the caliber of athlete at every school to see which teams are heavyweights and which are punching bags.

Drew Brees needs 201 passing yards to surpass Peyton Manning as the NFL's new passing king. How long can his reign last, and who are the top challengers to the record?

Sometimes, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Brian Fremeau goes through the Playoff contenders and looks at which teams have jumped out to big leads early (Alabama) and which have spent more time flirting with disaster (Washington State).

McKenzie Milton and the Central Florida Knights are undefeated -- but did the College Football Playoff committee hand them a loss before the season even started? Brian Fremeau examines strength of schedule and what it says about Group of 5 schools in the rankings.

After feasting on cupcakes all season, Irv Smith and Alabama finally got hold of the main course ... and they devoured LSU 29-0. There's no doubt that the Crimson Tide are the best team in the land, but what has happened to college football's upper middle class? Brian Fremeau investigates.

With Oklahoma State's upset of West Virginia, the Big 12 race will stay exciting until the end.

Everyone in the top ten won this week, with only LSU and Oklahoma winning close games. This season could use a shake-up or two at the top, as the preseason favorites have more or less stayed that way.

A lot of mid- and lower-ranked teams lost this week, but the country's elite teams -- especially Quinnen Williams and Alabama -- continued their dominance

Hope you have access to the Longhorn Network; it's the only place to watch Hakeem Butler and the Iowa State Cyclones take on Texas in a key Big 12 matchup that's the most important game of the week. Other key games include Notre Dame-Syracuse, West Virginia-Oklahoma State, and Central Florida-Cincinnati.

Kyler Murray squaring off with Justice Hill in Bedlam is the headline rivalry game of the week, while other major games include Ohio State-Michigan State, Penn State-Wisconsin, and Texas-Texas Tech.

Yes, Georgia-Kentucky, West Virginia-Texas, and Penn State-Michigan are all critical conference matchups. But all eyes will be on Baton Rouge, where the Alabama Crimson Tide face their first stiff test this season against Joe Burrow and LSU.

The 2018 Los Angeles Chargers star in: A Loving Tribute to the 2017 Los Angeles Chargers! What does the future have in store for Denver?

Tom Brady and the New England offense are taking on some water. Is this the end of the line, or one of those many ends of the line you've heard about before that wasn't actually the end of the line? And what got into Tennessee's passing offense after the bye?

The Big Easy was exactly that for both offenses, but what did we learn about the New Orleans and Los Angeles defenses that could matter going forward?

This week: vengeance, abandonment, danger, lip syncing, moustaches, sad farewells, petty theft, undying hope, strange decisions to punt, and ketchup.

This week: players on new teams, players in new positions, players paying tribute to old players, old players unhappy with new players, new players unhappy with each other, players enjoying beer bashes, and a little bit of potty mouth.

It's Halloween, which means tricks at the trade deadline, treats of players in costume, and another horror show in Cleveland.

A historic week of close contests ends with the first game ever where both teams scored 50 points. Was Chiefs-Rams the greatest regular-season game in NFL history? Also: Roethlisberger shakes off his worst start, Riverboat Ron sinks, and the Falcons and Chargers are up to their old tricks.

The Packers and Seahawks bring drama back to Thursday Night Football. Were those really catches by the Seahawks, and what are these numbers that Mike McCarthy is going by to punt the ball away with one timeout?

Is time just a flat circle in the NFC East? Jason Garrett ends another short losing streak and the Eagles fail to close again. Also: Rams sweep Seattle, the Giants distance themselves from the No. 1 pick, and the final nail in Jacksonville's coffin is not a Blake Bortles turnover.

The Thanksgiving holiday brings us a trio of NFC playoff heavyweights doing battle with division rivals. It starts with Chicago traveling to Detroit to face the Lions, continues with Washington going to Dallas to play the Cowboys, and ends with New Orleans welcoming Atlanta to the Superdome. Use this thread to discuss them all.

Sometimes, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Brian Fremeau goes through the Playoff contenders and looks at which teams have jumped out to big leads early (Alabama) and which have spent more time flirting with disaster (Washington State).

A pair of backup quarterbacks! An NFC East showdown! A bazillion points at night! All this, and more in Bryan and Andrew's annual Thanksgiving Day preview!