Aftermath: Moulds returned earlier than expected for the Washington game in Week Nine, and — presto! — Buffalo’s offense vastly improved. With Moulds in the lineup, Flutie is a much better player, and the running game is more effective because opposing defenses must respect Moulds’ speed. His 2½-game absence gave rookie WR Peerless Price more playing time, accelerating his growth.

Aftermath: The ones that got away haven’t hurt the Colts yet, but they may come back to haunt them down the stretch. With so many teams tightly bunched in the division, tiebreakers could come into play. That pair of three-point losses could mean the difference between a division title and a wild-card berth for the upstart Colts.

Aftermath: The running game’s inconsistency at times has made Miami a one-dimensional team, enabling opponents to gang up on the quarterback. Case in point: the Dolphins’ Week Five game at Indianapolis, where Dan Marino took a beating and suffered the injured neck that has sidelined him for more than a month.

Aftermath: The Patriots won their next two games, but the Miami loss could have major ramifications in the division and conference standings. Because it came against an AFC East rival, the loss essentially served as a two-game swing.

Aftermath: It took weeks for the shocked Jets to shake their post-Testaverde funk. The loss of an indispensable player caused severe damage to the team’s psyche and forced the offense to radically change its philosophy. Only in recent weeks have the Jets begun to recover.