NFL Takeaways: Week 10
Photo from NBC Sports Boston
We officially have cold football weather.
And frankly, I couldn’t love it more.
So wrap yourself up in a blanket, and let’s discuss what we learned.
Broncos defeat Raider 10-7
This Broncos defense is incredible. Their offensive line is excellent.
The offense still stinks.
I don’t know if that’s because of Sean Payton’s play calling or Bo Nix, but whatever it is, it makes me not believe in them whatsoever.
Colts defeat Falcons 31-25
The Falcons can do a lot of stuff right, and still find a way to lose.
It was funny, then it got sad, but now it’s funny again!
The Colts, on the other hand, need better from Daniel Jones.
These past few weeks have been rough.
Bears defeat Giants 24-20
The writing was on the wall weeks ago for Brian Daboll after the Giants had a historic collapse against the Broncos.
After another one against the Bears, it was time to cut ties.
This doesn’t excuse GM Joe Schoen, who also has his own issues, but that’s a story for the offseason.
What a moment for Caleb Williams, though.
Dolphins defeat Bills 30-13
Man.
I don’t know.
Does Mike McDaniel stay next year? Are the Bills actually contenders?
Was this a weird one off game that doesn’t actually matter?
I don’t know.
Ravens defeat Vikings 27-19
The Ravens offense still has some kinks to work out, specifically in the redzone, but the defense has gotten noticeably better.
That’s going to help them crucially in this playoff push.
Jets defeat Browns 27-20
The Browns defense was absolutely excellent again, but the special teams stunk and the quarterback play wasn’t good enough.
Such is life for the Cleveland Browns.
I’d say it may be time to clean house, but I don’t think that’d help.
Patriots defeat Buccaneers 28-23
This was a big win for the Patriots, and not just because they beat a good team on the road.
They beat a good team on the road without Drake Maye playing very well.
He really struggled, but TreVeyon Henderson ran wild and the defense did just enough to hold the Bucs at bay.
They might be legitimate contenders.
Saints defeat Panthers 17-7
Tyler Shough played pretty well against a Panthers defense that has been very stingy this year.
That’s not a bad sign for the Saints future.
As for the Panthers…
I like Bryce Young. I’m just not sure he’s the right guy.
Texans defeat Jaguars 36-29
The Jags defense, which feasted on turnovers early in the year, isn’t getting them now.
And as a result, they’re struggling a lot more.
But man, Trevor Lawrence really just has not been good enough this year.
It’s a big problem right now.
If he was even slightly better, they’d be fighting for the South.
Rams defeat 49ers 42-26
I said in the offseason I was worried about Matt Stafford’s back.
It appears I may have been wrong.
He’s still pretty damn good.
But Mac Jones did have an excellent game against that defense, which is concerning for the Rams, but also a little concerning for the Niners.
They paid Brock Purdy a lot of money when they didn’t have to, and are getting basically the same level of play from his cheap backup.
They probably should have waited.
Seahawks defeat Cardinals 44-22
Sam Darnold didn’t have to do too much, and still had three turnovers.
The Seahawks averaged 4 yards per carry.
The offense really didn’t hum.
They still won 44-22 and had to take their foot off the gas at halftime while they were winning 38-7.
They might just be legit.
Lions defeat Commanders 44-22
First things first, before this year we had one NFL game end 44-22.
We’ve now had three within the month, including two on Sunday.
That’s kind of weird!
Secondly, Dan Campbell took over play calling duties for the Lions and the offense hummed, which may be a sign of things to come.
But it also may be because the Commanders defense is absolutely woeful this year.
I guess we’ll see.
Chargers defeat Steelers 25-10
For the early part of this year, the Steelers offense was humming but the defense struggled.
Now, the defense has played pretty well, and Aaron Rodgers had one of his worst games ever.
They just can’t get on the same page, and the Ravens are creeping up on them.
Watch out…
Eagles defeat Packers 10-7
YouTube TV and ESPN are beefing about rights and an agreement and so no Disney channels are being shown on YouTube TV, because these mega corporations simply don’t have enough money!
But ESPN has tried tactics by reaching out to YouTube TV customers and saying “Hey! You won’t get to watch Monday Night Football! It’s a big matchup between two top teams!”
So I appreciate the Eagles and Packers for not caving into ESPN and having an absolutely unwatchable game so that no YouTube TV customers missed anything.
Your service is appreciated!
