Week 10 in the books and it was...whelming. Some good, some terrible and a little in between as these teams begin to show their true colors.
Let's look into some of the fun storylines:
Consolation Prizes
Cincy may be 0-2 against their divisional rivals Baltimore, but Joe Burrow threw for 820 yards and 9 touchdowns in those two games. Can't pin those losses on him, absolutely absurd statistical outputs.
A Missed Extra Point?!
Justin Tucker doesn't do that...with a 98.6% track record as proof. It didn't cost the Ravens this week, but his kicking has been much less reliable this season than past ones.
That's Why You Pay the Man!
Chuba Hubbard busted out with 62 yards in the first quarter before finishing with 153 on 28 carries. The fourth year back absolutely paced the offense throughout the entire game, showing everyone that he was well worth that $33 million dollar extension.
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| Photo: Steve Luciano/ AP |
Daniel Jones is Unwatchable
I've caught glimpses of Jones throughout the year on RedZone or highlights, but a whole game of it...during my breakfast no less. Nauseating. Throwing the ball over the heads of open receivers, passes regularly behind his guys. Apologies to Giants fans because this is barely football. New bottom rung of the power rankings.
The Little Things
It's what separates the goods from the greats. A walk off opportunity that appeared to be a layup-- a 35-yard field goal-- was all that stood between the Broncos and a massive upset of the Kansas City Chiefs. Then KC burst through the left side of the offensive line to block the kick and send Arrowhead into a frenzy. They almost never win pretty, but they always win, which we have to commend. 15 straight now.
Miles Better
After a step up in competition humbled Bo Nix in Baltimore, the rookie fully redeemed himself in Kansas City, going 22/30 for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns. His deep ball to Courtland Sutton on their scoring play was an absolute dot. Far from a finished product, but there's plenty of reason for optimism in the Mile High.
The Circus is in Town
If you didn't see George Pickens and Mike Williams touchdown catches, do yourself a favor and YouTube them jaunts. Pickens' in particular was another spectacular highlight for his ever growing reel. The two wideouts really play to Russell Wilson's current strengths and could become one of the more formidable duos moving forward once Williams learns more of the playbook.
Turning to a Pumpkin
In the two games since Halloween, Sam Darnold's thrown 5 of his 10 interceptions. Compounding matters is the fact that those contests were against the Colts and Jaguars, each at the bottom of the barrel as far as pass defense goes. Jacksonville actually only had two total picks on the year prior to their three on Sunday. A win's a win, but Minnesota fans have to be feeling pessimistic right now.
In Case You Were Wondering...
Mac Jones still sucks. 14/22 for 111 yards and two interceptions. The offense as a whole mustered just 143 total yards. Bum.
That's the NFC South For Ya
How does Atlanta lose that game? They possessed the ball for 10 minutes more than the Saints and outgained them by 103 yards, yet lost to a depleted opponent with an interim head coach. Thanks to a lack in competition, the division is still all but locked up for the Dirty Birds, but an uninspiring L.
MVS
Marques Valdes-Scantling always seems to be good for a big game or two each season. Sunday was one of those days for him, totaling 109 yards and 2 scores on just 3 catches-- exemplifying the "boom" component of "boom or bust". Back to the shadows until his next big outing.
Welcome Back. Get to Work
Christian McCaffery was back in the Niners lineup like he never left, racking up 19 touches for 107 yards. It's almost certainly the lightest workload he'll see moving forward, especially when considering backups Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo combined for just two touches.
Keep Fighting Tampa
This Bucs team is so banged up...in so many areas. But to their credit, they really force their opponents to beat them each week. On the surface, their 4 game losing streak looks bad. Upon deeper dive however, we can give credence to the fact that these losses came to the Ravens, Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers-- by an average of just 6 points. Plenty of fight, just a little too little talent on the field.
Anthony Richardson Time?
The Colts look like they've quit, as described by star cornerback Kenny Moore the II no less. Why not see what they have in Richardson at this point? The draft capital's been spent, the upside is there and there's virtually nothing left to lose. Shit, at this point a strong finish by AR-15 may be the only thing separating Shane Steichen from the unemployment line.
Interceptions Creeping Back In
After one of the cleanest first seven weeks of his career, Josh Allen has reverted back to a gunslinger, tossing 4 interceptions over the last three weeks. The Bills have won all three of those games while scoring an average of 30.7 points, so it hasn't hampered their success, but not a trend Buffalo fans want to see continue.
Anemic
The Bears offense. 142 total yards. Nine sacks allowed. Just 3 points. They had one drive that went for over 21 yards on the afternoon. Astounding levels of ineptitude from a group that looked like it'd turned the corner just three weeks ago in the midst of a three game win streak. Since then, they're averaging just 9 PPG. They better be careful not to break Caleb Williams. Firing OC Shane Waldron won't be the immediate fix many are hoping it is.
Drake Maye Looks Foundational
Unlike anything the aforementioned Mac Jones ever did up in New England, Drake Maye actually looks like someone the Pats can be happy with moving forward. It wasn't his best performance Sunday, but the game was never really in doubt on the road against a tough D. Looks like a solid piece to start building around.
All Aboard the Bus
Gus Edwards is back for the Chargers, immediately cutting into JK Dobbins' workload. The rumbler handled 10 carries for 55 yards, not looking the least bit limited after dealing with his ankle injury. The fantasy implications of his return are worth monitoring.
Alright Will Levis!
Freshly back from a shoulder injury, with expectations as low as ever, Will Levis actually put together a really nice start, against a formidable foe at that. The second year QB went 18/23 for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns, having his most success when targeting Calvin Ridley. Levis still has a long way to go, but he needed a little positivity in an otherwise drab year. He'll need to string together a couple more performances like this to convince the Tennessee brass that he can be the guy moving forward.
A Special Kind of Bad
The New York Jets. All of this money invested into the offense and they're score the 7th fewest points and put up the 7th fewest yards. The defense has been okay but they'd need to be an all-time unit to elevate this sad team. Sad, sad state of affairs for Woody Johnson's investment.
Jonathan Gannon
The Cardinals are 6-4, currently in the midst of a four game winning streak. During that stretch, the defense has given up just 14.3 PPG, really rounding into form under their defensive minded head coach. The offense looks consistently competent, playing to their strengths and taking what the defense gives them. Credit to this Arizona coaching staff for an excellent job thus far.
The Eagles Have Arrived
They've won five straight overall, are getting healthy in key areas and the defense is starting to click under Vic Fangio. Their Thursday night tussle with the Commanders is going to be must watch TV. Philly's flying very high right now, reinserting themselves into the discussion as true Super Bowl contenders.
Dall-Ass
It's honestly laughable how bad the Cowboys are. Winless at home, quarterback-less and now bickering between ownership and the players about curtains. America's Team, certainly doing a top-tier job at symbolizing the disarray our country is in.
Five Interceptions...In A Win!?
Jared Goff was impeccable over the last 5 weeks, throwing for 11 touchdowns and no picks while going 88/105 (83.8%). Needless to say, he saved a month-plus of bad play for this one game, tossing five interceptions to the Texans. Somehow, the Lions managed to pull victory from the jaws of defeat, helping Goff to become just the third quarterback in the last 30 years to throw 5 picks and win.
Haunting
Houston was leading 23-7 at halftime, completing dominating Detroit. Then they decided to stop playing, getting shut out in the second half en route to a 26-23 loss. A once intimidating team is now wilting right before our eyes. Luckily for the Texans, they have a terrible division and Nico Collins should be playing next week. But it's hard to spin their last month of play positively.
Still Alive!
The Dolphins may be 3-6, but they're in a bad division and have already played (and lost to) the Bills twice. Tua's back and healthy, giving the offense some semblance of competency and hope-- something that Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle were drastically incapable of. With winnable games coming up against the Raiders and Patriots, don't count Miami out just yet.
What's an End Zone?
Pretty impressive putting up 328 yards and not managing a single touchdown, but that's exactly what the LA Rams did on Monday. Tough loss for them to take in a middling NFC, one that may end up negatively impacting them in a few months.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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