Big-game results didn't reveal much that wasn't obvious over the first 10 weeks of the NFL season

A loaded NFL schedule produced results that didn’t reveal much that wasn’t already known.

These are not the same Kansas City Chiefs who’ve owned the AFC West for nine seasons. Their struggles over the first nine games showed up again in a 22-19 loss at Denver.

The Buffalo Bills will go as far as Josh Allen takes them — as usual. His six touchdowns made up for two picks in a 44-32 win over Tampa Bay.

The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are even teams with two of the best defenses in the NFL. The Rams took a one-game lead over Seattle in the NFC West after holding on for a 21-19 victory when Jason Myers missed a 61-yard field goal try as time expired.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are still the team to beat in the NFC, even if their offense is underachieving. Vic Fangio’s defense has been dominant against dynamic offenses, including a 16-9 victory over the Lions.

Detroit is going to live and die with coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive play-calling. When it works, the Lions are unstoppable. When it doesn’t, they have a tough time.

Kansas City’s reign of dominance in the division is over. The Chiefs (5-5) will have to battle just to make the playoffs and they have a tough matchup next week against the Indianapolis Colts (8-2). A poor offensive line isn’t helping Patrick Mahomes, who threw one costly interception in field-goal range after a pick-6 was negated by a penalty. The offense isn’t making enough plays to win one-score games, going 0-5 this season. Still, the Chiefs will be considered a dangerous team in the playoffs, if they get in. They won twice on the road on their way to a second consecutive Super Bowl title two years ago.

Meanwhile, the Broncos (9-2) have won eight straight games but still look beatable. Six of those wins have been by four points or fewer, including five fourth-quarter comebacks. Denver’s last three wins have come by a three-point margin. The Broncos beat the Giants by one and the Jets by two. Bo Nix is making big plays in the fourth quarter and a dominant defense keeps the team in games. But it’s going to be hard to sustain success with an inconsistent offense that has to rally each week.

The Bills (7-3) are chasing the New England Patriots (9-2) in the AFC East. But they can beat anyone when Allen plays the way he did against Tampa Bay. The reigning NFL MVP overcame a poor interception on the first drive to finish with 317 yards passing with three TDs in the air and three TDs rushing. Buffalo has a tougher schedule than New England with upcoming road games against Houston (5-5) on Thursday night and Pittsburgh (6-4) on Nov. 30. But like the Chiefs, the Bills are a team nobody wants to face in January.

The Buccaneers (6-4) still look like a team that’s good enough to win a weak NFC South but won’t go anywhere in the playoffs. Their defense has been a problem against top teams since 2021.

Sam Darnold struggled in another big game, throwing four interceptions. His fantastic turnaround season in Minnesota last year ended with clunkers in back-to-back important games.

However, Seattle’s defense kept the team in the game and Darnold drove the Seahawks (7-3) into position for what would’ve been a remarkable comeback victory if Myers could’ve hit the long field goal. He has to play better start to finish in playoff-type games.

The Rams (8-2) couldn’t do anything on offense in this battle between two of the league’s best defenses. The defense baffled Darnold and two of the four picks turned into touchdowns on drives of 3 yards and 25 yards.

The teams will meet again on Thursday night in Week 16 in a matchup that will likely determine the division winner.

Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown still can’t get going but the Eagles relied on an elite defense to fluster Jared Goff and the Lions. After surrendering just one score to Green Bay in a 10-7 win on Monday night, they held Detroit to three field goals.

The Eagles (8-2) are the NFC’s No. 1 seed and keep finding ways to win games. They’ll need more production from the offense to have a chance to repeat but the defense has been getting better each week since shutting down Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Detroit was 0-for-5 on fourth down, including a fake punt. The Lions (6-4) fell one game behind the surging Chicago Bears in the NFC North. But the Lions are more talented. The two teams meet in Chicago in Week 18.

Eleven weeks into the season, it's a wide-open race in both conferences.

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Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips celebrates after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix celebrates following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts after being sacked during the second half an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

TAPALPA, Mexico (AP) — Maria Dolores Aguirre’s family corner store has lived off tourism that has flowed into her charming cobblestoned town of Tapalpa, tucked away in the mountains of Jalisco state.

That was until gunshots erupted and helicopters flew overhead as the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, just a few kilometers (miles) from her home.

Now, the 50-year-old Aguirre worries that the bloodshed will deal a blow to her livelihood and change towns like hers. It is something many in the western Mexican state are grappling with, from its Pacific Ocean beaches to its capital Guadalajara that will host matches in June for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It’s going to affect us. It’s collateral damage,” Aguirre said. “The government is going to have to have a lot of security. … The entire world just saw what happened and, of course, people are going to think twice about coming.”

Fighting between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Mexican security forces raged on in a number of states Monday, fueling fears among many like Aguirre that there will be more violence to come.

More than 70 people died in the attempt to capture Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and its aftermath, authorities said Monday. Known as “El Mencho,” he was the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials.

The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to the operation to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico’s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of "El Mencho."

The death of Oseguera Cervantes came as Mexico's government has stepped up its offensive against cartels in an effort to meet demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on criminal groups, threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action if the country does not show results.

Mexico hoped the death of one of the world’s biggest fentanyl traffickers would ease that pressure, but many people were anxious as they waited to see the powerful cartel’s reaction.

Oseguera Cervantes died after a shootout with the Mexican military on Sunday. Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said Monday that authorities had tracked one of his romantic partners to his hideout in Tapalpa. The cartel leader and two bodyguards fled into a wooded area where they were seriously wounded in a firefight. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.

In the aftermath, a sense of unease simmered in tourist towns.

The Pacific Ocean resort city of Puerto Vallarta also was hard hit by cartel reprisals, frightening tourists.

Steve Perkins, 57, was visiting Puerto Vallarta with his wife Gayle and some friends. They were on their hotel room's terrace when explosions and black smoke started appearing around the city Sunday morning.

Their return to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was delayed when their flight was canceled Monday and they were rebooked for March 1.

Perkins and his wife have been taking annual trips to Puerto Vallarta since 2012 and have always felt safe, until now. He said they don’t plan on returning to Mexico.

“There’s a lot of Americans trapped here,” Perkins said.

Back in Tapalpa, Aguirre worked next to her son from the small neighborhood shop her family has owned for 50 years. The 15-year-old's classes were canceled due to the violence.

Aguirre said it was unclear who exactly was in control of the area surrounding her: the military or the cartel. The other question on her mind was if this was just a one-off, or if there was more violence to come.

“We don't know if these people (cartel leaders) are permanently here or not,” she said. “If they really did kill this leader, it could be that they fight between each other to win control or see who will lead it.”

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Associated Press writer Juan Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.

This wanted poster released on Dec. 4, 2024 on the U.S. State Department website shows leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” (U.S. State Department via AP)

A charred truck blocks a road the day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in Guadalajara, Mexico, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

A body lies beside a bullet-riddled vehicle in Tapalpa, Mexico, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gives her the daily, morning news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, the day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Vehicles pass a burned car a day after the Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in Guadalajara, Mexico, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)