NFL Week 10 Round-up

Feels very weird to be starting something like this over half way through a season but hey, that’s what I get when I take 6+ months off from writing!

I figured rather than deep dive stats like I have done in the past with my pieces, I’m going to do these round-ups ‘off cuff’. No stats. No hidden meaning. Just pure thought spilling straight onto your screens. With that being said, let’s go ahead and talk about week 10 of the NFL regular season…

Baltimore Ravens (6-3) 10 – 22 Miami Dolphins (3-7)

The NFL this year seems particularly full of these shock upsets to the point where they no longer seem quite as shocking. This one was though. Lamar Jackson and his purple gang waltzed into Hard Rock Stadium and, like everyone else, expected a comfortable victory against a Dolphins team that has managed to underachieve in almost every category this year. The porous defence managed to find some Flex Tape to fix its gaping holes and holding the flying Ravens offence to just 10 points. Jackson’s MVP campaign also appears to have hit a large bump in the road in Miami. He couldn’t find a rhythm against the Dolphins, the 30th ranked D coming into week 10. Not exactly the stuff MVP’s are made of…

Buffalo Bills (6-3) 45 – 17 New York Jets (2-7)

After another of those ridiculous games I mentioned above, Buffalo firmly got itself back on track with a 45-17 drubbing of the AFC East meme brigade. The Bills should be playing like this against teams like that, and thankfully Josh Allen was able to brush off the nightmares of Josh Allen (the other one) to lead a comfortable, albeit highly expected victory. On the other sideline, the Mike White Express came to a screeching halt, showing once again why back-ups backup. His 3 INTs didn’t matter in the overall flow of the game as the Bills realistically were not going to lose in consecutive weeks to basement dwelling NFL teams, but it did show that Zach Wilson definitely will have his starting job back when he is healthy.

Seattle Seahawks (3-6) 0 – 17 Green Bay Packers (8-2)

For the first time in his NFL career, Russell Wilson was shut out. Part of this has to be down to rustiness, he has been out for numerous weeks with a finger injury that required surgery but credit has to go to this Packers defence, slowly creeping up on everyone as a genuinely elite unit in the NFL, even while having an injury list that is about 7 pages long. The game as a whole was pretty abject, the only two TD’s of the game coming in the 4th Quarter, but the Packers will take it, rumbling on as the NFC’s No.1 seed going into Week 11. The Seahawks should be at panic stations right now, as it is clear even Chef Russ can’t save this Kitchen Nightmare in Seattle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) 19 – 29 Washington Football Team (3-6)

I don’t think any quarterback in NFL history has relished facing Tom Brady more than Washington stand-in/starter Taylor Heinicke. Clearly wanting revenge for last years play-off game, Heinicke ran the show, complimented by a rare off day for Brady. His accuracy and decision making was very off the mark for the man who prides himself on having the highest personal standards in the league, culminating in a win no one saw coming, not even those in DC. The only negative to come out of this for the Football Team was the news that last years Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young is down for the season, a crucial part of their defence.

Atlanta Falcons (4-5) 3 – 43 Dallas Cowboys (7-2)

Another team with a point to prove after an unexpected loss in Week 9, Dallas absolutely dismantled the Falcons, who surprisingly came into this game possessing the final NFC play-off spot. Prescott looked in the groove and his receivers were able to consistently create separation, leading the Cowboys to be able to rack up the score and exercise those Denver demons. The Falcons didn’t do too much wrong other than… well, being the Falcons, but just came up against a far superior opposition starting to perform nearer to the level that the talent that they possess deserves. With no doubt that they’ll win the NFC East, it will be interesting to see how Dallas stacks up against other contenders in the remainder of their schedule.

New Orleans Saints (5-4) 21 – 23 Tennessee Titans (8-2)

Personally, I’m still not convinced by this Titans team as genuine Super Bowl contenders. I’m not entirely sure what it is because this team are even finding ways to win without their one man wrecking ball and they’ve already beaten numerous teams you would call contenders, but it just doesn’t seem like their brand of football will hold up in January, coming up against aerial attacks and wealth’s of post-season experience. The Saints on the other hand, are desperately missing kicker Will Lutz, a missed PAT near the start of the game forcing them to go for two at the death and ultimately coming up short. In a season where kicking standards feel lower than normal, this game was another prime example.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) 17 – 23 Indianapolis Colts (5-5)

The Colts are absolutely not as good as their .500 record suggests, beating up on teams they absolutely should like the Jags and Jets, yet crumbling when they play any sort of half decent team. The fact that this game was decided by 6 points reflects poorly on Indi, against a Jags team that apparently have decided to protect star QB Trevor Lawrence with the O-line equivalent of paper mache. Both teams have an awful lot of work to do in terms of roster building, though there’s a danger the Colts record could blind the front office to this at seasons end.

Detroit Lions (0-8-1) 16 – 16 Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3-1)

So close yet so far for Detroit who, after the recent upturn in fortunes for the Browns, must be a prime candidate to be the new Factory of Sadness. Managing to avoid being the first team in NFL history to go 0-17, the Lions had many chances to pull one of the biggest upsets in the season, yet blew them in typical fashion. But the fact that this Pittsburgh team very almost lost this game reflects far worse on them. Like the Colts above, they are playing much worse than their record and both offence and defence felt very flat for the Steelers at home. They need a bounce-back game asap or it could be a very disastrous run-in for Pittsburgh.

Cleveland Browns (5-5) 7 – 45 New England Patriots (6-4)

Cleveland are unfortunately mega-banged up of late, with both top running backs unavailable for a team very reliant on its rushing attack. It arrived into Foxborough to face a Pats team annoyingly hitting their stride of late, winning their last 3 quite convincingly. Mac Jones is the bookies second favourite for Offensive ROTY and is playing remarkably well for a player many had written off as a bust prior to the season, myself included. If New England continue in this efficient fashion, they will be serious contenders come play off football in the wildcard, potentially even as AFC East champions if the Bills have another couple unforeseen stumbles.

Minnesota Vikings (4-5) 27 – 20 Los Angeles Chargers (5-4)

As of late, the Chargers season has taken a sharp nose dive off of a cliff. Things looked very promising for Brandon Staley’s men 6 weeks into the season but too many unforced, very Charger-like errors have reduced them down to close to .500 and lost their grip on the wildly unpredictable AFC West. Minnesota on the other hand look like a team who have finally figured themselves out. Cousins had a clean but unspectacular game, which is all he needs to do given the receiving talent on the Vikings roster. The news regarding the ever-changing Dalvin Cook situation is concerning however, as without him, teams could look to play more 2 safety shell coverages and force Captain Kirk to beat them with his arm.

Carolina Panthers (5-5) 34 – 10 Arizona Cardinals (8-2)

He is indeed back. The return of Super Cam to Charlotte went a lot better than most, probably even Newton himself expected, with a touchdown through the air and a typical rush to boot. It isn’t realistic to expect that sort of production on a weekly basis but right now, anything is an upgrade over the hapless Sam Darnold. Arizona on the other hand shouldn’t be too concerned, especially being without Murray and Hopkins and that early season unbeaten run has given them the ability of a cushion, allowing them to rest their stars without having to rush them back after injury.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) 30 – 13 Denver Broncos (5-5)

Riding a high of an upset win against the Cowboys, Denver should’ve fancied themselves to go back to back against an inconsistent Eagles team who are likely to have two top 10 picks in the 2022 Draft. Instead we got another damp display from the Broncos, summed up by QB Teddy Bridgewater’s effort (or should I say lack of) on Darius Slay’s scoop and run. The win for Philly will do wonders for second year signal caller Jalen Hurts but provides no answer for where this Eagles team is headed, which is a concern.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) 41 – 14 Las Vegas Raiders (5-4)

Will the real Pat Mahomes please stand up? The former regular season and Super Bowl MVP looked back like his old self in dispatching the Raiders whose season is falling apart at the seams given off-field events in recent weeks. Kansas’s offence has not felt right all year but still maintained a position near the top of EPA leader boards and showed in Vegas what happens when everything begins to click again. The question for the Chiefs is whether this level of cohesion can be maintained, but as it stands, they have pole position in the AFC West.

Los Angeles Rams (7-3) 10 – 31 San Francisco 49ers (4-5)

From one pre-season MVP candidate to another, Stafford seems to have reverted to a Detroit factory model in the last two primetime games, both of which have resulted in the Super Bowl fancied Rams dropping two very winnable games. They feel eerily similar, two picks each, the second of which being housed and a largely dysfunctional Rams offence. With all the Free Agent splashes and flashy trades, LA is very much in win-now mode, which is something they’re going to have to re-figure out during their bye week if they are to achieve their lofty goals this campaign.