NFL Week 10 overreactions: Are Bills doomed to miss playoffs yet again?

With the second half of the NFL season in full swing, some teams are starting to separate from the pack, while others fall behind. Yet with so many games remaining, drawing conclusions about the postseason picture at this point can be a fool's errand.

Here are four overreactions from Week 10 that we're pushing back on:

The Bills are no longer playoff contenders after dropping two straight

As bad as the defeats have been — and it doesn’t get much worse than the 47-10 thrashing the Saints put on Buffalo — the Bills (5-4) are still holding down the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC.

The book on Buffalo is pretty straightforward. The Bills stay competitive by winning the turnover battle, running effectively and stopping opponents' rushing game.

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Quarterback Tyrod Taylor can effectively manage a game, but only if that threat of a consistent rushing attack is there. Without it, Taylor is susceptible to the kind of dud performance (9 for 18, 56 yards, one interception) that he posted against New Orleans.

Buffalo still leads the NFL in turnover differential at +11. In victories, the number is +12. In losses, it’s -1.

The Bills have taken significant steps in what initially appeared to be a long rebuild. But they’ve also proven they’re not talented enough to grind out games if their formula falls apart.

The saving grace is a top-heavy AFC. Despite its shortcomings, Buffalo still has a path to sneak in as a wild card and snap a 17-year playoff drought.

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The Cowboys are finished without Ezekiel Elliott

Dallas suffered a 20-point loss while its star running back served the first of his six-game suspension.

Elliott’s absence wasn’t the primary issue. It was that of all-pro left tackle Tyron Smith, who missed the game because of back and groin injuries. Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn victimized backup Chaz Green and set a single-game franchise record with six sacks.

In NFL history, only one player – late Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas – had more in one game with seven.

Atlanta sacked Dak Prescott eight times and hit him 10 times.

The offesnive couldn’t create creases in the rushing game, either, as he Falcons collected nine tackles behind the line of scrimmage. More and more, not re-signing left guard Ronald Leary this offseason and replacing him with the inconsistent Jonathan Cooper is looking like a critical mistake.

Still, the Cowboys combined for a respectable 107 rushing yards, on 21 carries for an average of just more than five yards per attempt.

The Cowboys' offense is obviously better with Elliott in it. But at 5-4 and still in the thick of a wide-open NFC playoff field, they can stay afloat without him, so long as the line returns to setting the tone.

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The 49ers won, so Jimmy Garoppolo should continue to sit

Rookie coach Kyle Shanahan claimed his first victory with San Francisco in a 31-21 win against a reeling Giants team.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard turned in his best performance of the season, accounting for three total touchdowns and completing 19 of 25 passes for 288 yards. He had completions of 83 and 47 yards, both of which went for scores.

So does that mean the Niners can keep Jimmy Garoppolo on the shelf?

Not quite. San Francisco traded for Garoppolo on Oct. 30, and he has served as Beathard’s backup the past two games. With the 49ers set to enter their bye in Week 11, this is the perfect opportunity for the former Patriots backup to immerse himself in the playbook, absorb the language and concepts Shanahan wants to run and emerge in Week 12 as the team’s starter against the Seahawks.

The 49ers have said they would like Garoppolo to eventually become their franchise quarterback. The second half of the season offers the perfect chance to see if that’s feasible.

Holding the No. 1 seed, the Steelers are the top team in the AFC

Pittsburgh has a bad habit of playing down to its level of competition at times, and that tendency resurfaced against the Colts.

The Steelers needed a last-second field goal from Chris Boswell to notch a 20-17 win. Indianapolis is a team in shambles, and Pittsburgh has far superior talent on its roster.

And this was a Steelers team coming off its bye.

The chief concern is an offense that has underwhelmed after entering the year as one of the league's most touted units. Pittsburgh (7-2) has yet to crack 30 points in a game. Against the Colts, the Steelers gained a season-low 92 yards in the first half and faced a 10-3 deficit.

A team that boasts Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell shouldn’t rank 18th in scoring (20.8 points a game). Turnovers have been one of the primary problems, as Pittsburgh has given the ball away 13 times.

The Steelers' schedule sets up favorably, with the exception of their Week 15 showdown against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Even though it currently sits behind Pittsburgh because of tiebreakers, New England looks far more balanced, and far more dangerous.

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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