Ten weeks in and I can now say that no undefeated teams remain! Let’s dive into the breakdown.
Panthers @ Falcons
A game that involves the Panthers and the Falcons shouldn’t be entertaining, on paper, but it was. D’Onta Foreman made sure he used every bit of energy he had to take the opportunity and run with it. Foreman admitted he was tired — at times completely gassed. “When the game is on the line there is no coming out,” Foreman said. Foreman carried 31 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, Laviska Shenault added a 41-yard burst to the end zone and the Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on a rainy Thursday night. The Falcons’ quarterback Marcus Mariota finished 19 of 30 for 186 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked five times and intercepted once. The Falcons’ once stood atop the NFC South, but after suffering their most recent loss Sunday; Atlanta now falls behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the coveted first-place nod. Final score 15-25, Panthers.
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Seahawks @ Buccaneers
This game was a battle all the way through from the opening kick to the final snap. Going into this matchup, one team has drastically over-performed while the other has struggled. This game, which was played in Munich, Germany, was a very entertaining matchup. Tampa took the victory with a score of 16-21. Tom Brady and his squad are now on a two-game win streak and reclaim the top spot in the NFC South. Brady completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards to add Germany to his list of international wins after victories in London (twice) and Mexico City with the New England Patriots. Smith was 23 of 33 for 275 yards and the two touchdowns for the Seahawks (6-4), who are still atop the NFC West. “This feels like a real opportunity missed,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said.
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Minnesota @ Buffalo
Sunday’s 33-30 overtime win over the previously AFC-leading Buffalo Bills might have been the most stunning so far. Peterson intercepted Josh Allen with 1:12 left in overtime to finally end a sloppy, yet thrilling back-and-forth game between two of the NFL’s best teams, in which Minnesota rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit. The Vikings took advantage of three turnovers by Allen in the fourth quarter and overtime, pulling ahead late in regulation when he mishandled a snap and fumbled in the end zone. The Bills (6-3) have lost two straight and no longer lead the conference, or even their division. They now trail Miami by a half-game in the AFC East. Cousins threw for 357 yards, and Jefferson had a monster game. Jefferson had a 22-yard touchdown catch on the Vikings’ first possession. But the most amazing of his many highlights was a 32-yard grab on fourth-and-18 on Minnesota’s final drive of regulation. Jefferson reached back to get one hand on the ball and rip it out of the grasp of Bills defender Cam Lewis. Devin Singletary rushed for two first-quarter TDs as the Bills appeared to take control by building a 24-10 halftime lead. Allen finished 29 of 43 for 330 yards passing and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Davis. Final score 33-30 in overtime, Vikings.
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Lions @ Bears
Jamaal Williams scored on a 1-yard run in the closing minutes, Jared Goff threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and Detroit overcame another dazzling effort by Chicago’s Justin Fields to beat the Bears 31-30 on Sunday. Jeff Okudah returned an interception for a touchdown, and the Lions (3-6) scored 21 points in the fourth to rally for their second straight win after losing five in a row. Fields threw for 167 yards and two TDs, including a 50-yarder to Cole Kmet against Detroit. But the Bears lost for the sixth time in seven games despite scoring 29 or more for the fourth straight week. Goff completed 19 of 26 passes. Amon Ra St. Brown had 119 yards receiving. Brock Wright caught a touchdown, and the Lions won on the road for the first time since beating the Bears at Soldier Field in December 2020.
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Jaguars @ Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes did what he does best: sling the football! Mahomes threw for 331 yards with touchdown passes to four different receivers, and the Kansas City offense piled up nearly 500 yards despite three turnovers in a 27-17 victory Sunday. All the theatrics were overshadowed by the Jaguars defensive unit’s blatantly obvious dirty plays. It began when Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco delivered a helmet-to-helmet blow that left wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster motionless on the turf. Officials initially threw a flag for the helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver, but referee Brad Rogers said that the officials determined Cisco was leading with his shoulder and picked up the flag. Needless to say the Chiefs’ were furious. In fact, they had to escort Smith-Schuster to the sidelines as he looked as if he was on another planet.
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Browns @ Dolphins
Tua was getting chants of “MVP” during Sunday’s outing against Cleveland. While I don’t think beating the Browns is anything special, Tua was crushing it under center. Tagovailoa maintained his scorching form since his return from a concussion, throwing three touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins beat the Cleveland Browns 39-17 on Sunday for their fourth straight win. He finished with 285 yards on 25-of-32 passing Sunday. Miami (7-3) moved into first place alone in the AFC East, overtaking Buffalo, which lost in overtime to Minnesota and dropped into a tie with the New York Jets (6-3) in the stout division. The Browns (3-6) scored a touchdown on their opening drive, thanks in part to a 48-yard kickoff return by rookie Jerome Ford, but Miami tied the game on its first possession en route to scoring 24 straight points. Cleveland never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way. Final score 17-39, Dolphins.
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Texans @ Giants
The New York Giants have been finding ways to win all season and they came up with a new one against the Houston Texans. His name is Saquon Barkley. Barkley carried a career-high 35 times for 152 yards and scored a touchdown as the surprising Giants returned from their bye week and beat the Houston Texans 24-16 on Sunday. Do I think it was a smart decision to lean heavy on Barkley given his injury history? Not really, but he got the job done. Mills (22 of 37 for 319 yards) threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins. Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked field goals of 38, 34 and 46 yards for Houston, which has lost four straight. To Houston’s defense, no-one expected them to be any good this season. Plus the best quarterback draft in years is upcoming next year so that’s a plus. Final score 16-24, Giants.
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Saints @ Steelers
After two months spent standing on the sideline while his torn left pectoral muscle healed deprived the Pittsburgh star linebacker, TJ Watt returned to the field. That is good news for the Steelers as Watt is one of the few generational players that can change the arcs of games, if not entire seasons. Pickett completed 18 of 30 passes for 199 yards without an interception. Pickett and George Pickens ran for 1-yard touchdowns and Pittsburgh’s rejuvenated defense shut down the Saints late in a 20-10 victory that provided fuel to Watt’s belief there is still time for the Steelers to make something out of 2022. Andy Dalton connected on 17 of 27 for 174 yards with a touchdown and two late picks. The first, a deflection scored by recently activated Steelers safety Damontae Kazee, set up Pickett’s touchdown run. The second — which came one series after Dalton was stuffed on a botched fourth-down quarterback sneak — allowed the Steelers to seal it.
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Broncos @ Titans
A touchdown here, a flea-flicker there, and stout defense was the Titans’ recipe for success. They also have the best running back in the league by way of King Henry. Tannehill returned after missing the last two games with a sprained ankle by throwing two touchdown passes to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as the Titans rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Broncos 17-10 on Sunday. The Titans (6-3) won for the sixth time in seven games. Denver came in rested off a bye, not that it helped as the Broncos (3-6) now have lost five of six. The Broncos had plenty of chances but couldn’t score after halftime. Russell Wilson had a final chance to tie the game, but his pass on fourth-and-8 from the Titans 25 was tipped and picked off by Terrance Mitchell with 11 seconds left. The Broncos had plenty of chances but couldn’t score after halftime. Russell Wilson had a final chance to tie the game, but his pass on fourth-and-8 from the Titans 25 was tipped and picked off by Terrance Mitchell with 11 seconds left. Once again the Broncos couldn’t get it done. It’s clearly time to go in the complete opposite direction. Final score 10-17, Titans.
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Colts @ Raiders
Matt Ryan has wheels! I’ve never said that. Ryan, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards, justified that decision in leading the Colts (4-5-1) to the victory. The highlight of the game was Ryan’s 39 yard scramble. Ryan also benefited from a strong running game led by Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 147 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown. It was Taylor’s first 100-yard game since the season opener against the Houston Texans, when he rushed for 161 yards. Things are horrible in Vegas, so much so that it reduced quarterback Derek Carr to tears in his post-game press conference. “I know where I stand,” said Carr, who became emotional as he spoke. “I love the silver and black. I’m going to give it everything I can every time I go out there, and I can’t speak for everybody, for every man what’s going on in their head. But I can tell you what’s going on in my head, and I’m going to give it all that I can every single time.” Final score 25-20, Colts.
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Cowboys @ Packers
The Packers finally got an impressive win this season as they squeaked by the Cowboys, 28-31. Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to rookie Christian Watson and led a 55-yard drive in overtime to set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning 28-yard field goal, and the Packers stopped a five-game skid with a 31-28 win over former coach Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Watson entered Sunday with 10 catches for 88 yards in an injury-riddled rookie season. He caught four passes for 107 yards against Dallas, including touchdowns of 58, 39 and 7 yards. The Cowboys (6-3) blew a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter for the first time in franchise history. They entered Sunday with a 195-0 record in such games, including playoffs.
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Cardinals @ Rams
Colt McCoy started in an NFL game for the first time this season and he delivered a great performance. McCoy passed for 238 yards in his first start of the season, James Conner rushed for two touchdowns and Arizona hung on for a 27-17 victory Sunday over the Rams, who lost Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp to a possibly serious ankle injury. As of today, the injury was listed as a Grade 2 ankle sprain. Let’s address the elephant in the room. They used up a lot of what could have been very beneficial draft capital to get the pieces that the Rams needed last year. However, now they’re at a severe disadvantage in the long run because of it. But I guess the Lombardi trophy was worth it.
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Chargers @ 49er’s
Christian McCaffery just needed to get out of Carolina. It’s already done wonders in reviving his career. McCaffrey ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:54 to play, and the Niners pitched a second-half shutout to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-16 Sunday night in their first game back from a bye week. That being said, it was the 49ers defense that once again led the way. McCaffrey ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 7:54 to play, and the Niners pitched a second-half shutout to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-16 Sunday night in their first game back from a bye week. Justin Herbert went 21 for 35 for 196 yards with a touchdown pass for the Chargers, who were playing without both starting tackles and receivers. After scoring a touchdown on their opening possession, the Chargers managed just three field goals — two on drives that started in Niners territory — the rest of the way against a stout San Francisco defense. I wasn’t lying when I said the star of the show was the Niner defense.
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Commanders @ Eagles
Well, there are no more undefeated teams left in the league. Washington made sure to spoil Philly’s night on Monday. An Eagles team that romped toward the first 8-0 start in franchise history played with uncharacteristic sloppiness, failed to hit on the game-breaking plays that had defined their season, and had every flaw exposed in quite an imperfect performance. The Washington Commanders turned methodical drives into scores and took advantage of turnover-prone Philadelphia, stunning the Eagles 32-21 on Monday night and sending them to their first loss in nine games this season. There were a myriad of plays that didn’t go the Eagles way but one of them involves new acquisition AJ Brown. A.J Brown had a catch go off his hands and turn into an interception. And, Dallas Goedert fumbled in the fourth quarter when linebacker Jamin Davis grabbed the tight end by the facemask — but no penalty was called. Final score, 32-21, Commanders with the big upset.
