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In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season, including:
But to kick things off, 10 players and coaches who could influence the second half of the season …
We’re rounding the midway point of the season now that Week 9 is winding down. We still have quite a bit of parity, but it also feels like more clarity is coming with each passing week. There’s more buzz around perennial heavyweights like the Ravens, Bills and Chiefs.
At the same time, there is more genuine hope in places like New England, Indianapolis, Chicago and Carolina these days. That’s a great thing to see. It means the games will be even more meaningful in the coming months. We don’t have to wait wistfully for epic matchups like the one between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes that played out once again in Buffalo (with the Bills winning, 28-21). Instead, we can anticipate a number of huge games happening in the second half, especially with so many competitive division races in the works.
This edition of The First Read wants to jump into that space, since we know postseason bids won’t come easily this season. The theme this week focuses on the people who will heavily influence how the second half plays out. These are the ones who make the most sense.
The main takeaway from Buffalo’s 28-21 win over Kansas City is something that should’ve been clear before Sunday: Josh Allen has a true sidekick this season in Cook. Anybody who didn’t know the Bills had the league’s best running game before now just learned how valuable that attack will be to this team moving forward. Cook ran for 114 yards on 27 carries and helped Buffalo dominate the line of scrimmage against Kansas City. He also has five 100-yard games this season, which speaks to how much offensive coordinator Joe Brady has leaned on his young star. The Bills are the only team in the league who run it more than they throw it. That tells you the level of maturation that has taken place around Allen within that franchise. He won his first Most Valuable Player award last season by utilizing a more balanced offense. Now he seems capable of leading Buffalo to its first Super Bowl if Cook can keep this up. Allen completed 23 of his 26 passes for 273 yards and accounted for three touchdowns against the Chiefs. The Bills’ defense dominated Patrick Mahomes despite missing five starters, largely because Buffalo controlled the ball for nine more minutes than Kansas City. All these achievements relate back to Cook’s ability to thrive in this system. It’s crazy to think he spent a good part of the offseason engaged in a contract dispute. He feels like a bargain with the way he’s currently playing.
Detroit won the NFC North and earned the top seed in the conference playoffs last season despite Hutchinson suffering a gruesome, season-ending leg injury in Week 6. But the tone-setting star has returned to make a gargantuan impact, especially given all the injuries in the Lions’ defensive backfield. And Hutchinson’s ability to wreck games means even more when thinking about how Detroit’s normally prolific offense has been neutralized lately. The Lions have gone from averaging over 40 points per game over a four-game stretch earlier this season to scoring a total of 65 points over their last three contests, two of which have been losses (including Sunday’s 27-24 defeat to Minnesota). It’s starting to feel like the Lions aren’t going to bully their way to another division title simply by boat-racing opponents. They need that defense to do its part, and that means Hutchinson — who picked up his seventh sack of the season on Sunday — has to start doing Defensive Player of the Year things.
