Week 10 had a lot of drama and intrigue to it: some blowout victories, some big upsets to shake things up, a tie that felt like a loss… and also a win, and some losses that felt like something much bigger.
First, the positives – two teams answered the bell following brutal Week 9 losses:
1. Bills 45. Jets 17
After a beatdown of the Chiefs at Arrowhead, the Bills hit a trough – first a tough road loss on Monday night in Week 6 at Tennessee (a game that may impact them in other ways as the season wears on), then a bit of malaise out of the bye in a tougher than it should’ve been matchup at home to Miami, however, the wakeup call was felt in Week 9 at Jacksonville, where 10 points was enough to win but they could only manage 6. If Week 9 was the alarm, then Week 10 was the Monday morning after 3 coffees and an espresso. The Bills steamrolled the hapless Jets as Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs (8 rec, 162 yards, 1 TD) revived their partnership and the Bills defense picked off Mike White 4 times and were the beneficiaries of a Corey Davis fumble in a complete game. Buffalo even got their running game going with 139 yards and Matt Breida came out of hiding to get 2 TDs
2. Cowboys 43, Falcons 3
After winning on Sunday night with a backup QB in Minnesota, the Cowboys paid the price for their overconfidence in Week 9 when the Broncos came in and steamrolled them to a 30-0 lead before eventually succumbing by the 30-16 score. There would be no repeat in Week 10, as the Cowboys set franchise records for the most points in a quarter (29) and biggest ever halftime lead (33 points) as they destroyed the Falcons 43-3. CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott got two TDs apiece in the first half while Dan Quinn’s defense stifled his former QB, Matt Ryan, as the Falcons could manage only 213 yards of total offense in the loss – a loss so bad that Josh Rosen – on his fourth team after being taken 10th overall in the 2018 draft – subbed in for the fourth quarter.
Following a week with a number of upset victories, we were treated to another week for the dogs in Week 10, including the biggest upset which happened on Thursday night:
3. Dolphins 22, Ravens 10
Who saw this coming? Sure, maybe you could’ve foreseen the struggling Dolphins playing well and squeaking out a narrow victory, but in this game the Dolphins defense played like the one from 2020 not 2021, where a 9-3 fourth quarter game was broken open by a 49 yard scoop and score (fumble recovery for touchdown) by Dolphins corner Xavien Howard. The Ravens could not get any offense going until a late TD drive with 4:10 left that was immediately countered by a game-icing drive by Miami, including a 1 yard TD by Tua Tagovailoa, who himself had a decent game as an emergency fill-in for Jacoby Brissett, who left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter. It may be too late for the 3-7 Dolphins to salvage their season, but could be a great opportunity to cause trouble for other teams in the AFC playoff race and build some momentum into a pivotal 2022 season for the franchise.
4. WFT 29, Buccaneers 19
One would be forgiven for thinking that Tom Brady and Taylor Heinicke decided it would be fun to switch jerseys before the game started, as Brady threw two first quarter interceptions (first one qualifies as a pick in name only but the second one… oof) as the Washingtons shocked the defending champions 29-19. This victory came at a cost, as their second-year DE Chase Young went down with a torn ACL in the first half. While the Defensive Player of the Year from 2020 has struggled to match last season’s productivity, his loss will be felt in the defensive front. Washington is now 3-6 and, perhaps unlike Miami, still has a decent path to the postseason, however some other upsets have further muddied the NFC playoff race, including a division rival:
5. Eagles 30, Broncos 13
Remember the reference to the Broncos-Cowboys game above? Where Denver annihilated an overconfident Cowboys team on the road? Well, it looks like the effects of that game were felt in Denver as well, this time the Eagles beating up on an overconfidence Broncos team in a 30-13 victory in the Mile High City. As with the Dolphins win, the Eagles benefited from a fumble recovery for a touchdown, as their corner Darius Slay picked up a Melvin Gordon fumble and took it back the other way for 82 yards and the score. With the Broncos down 20-13 at this point and in the red zone, the fumble recovery TD completely changed the prospects for both teams, not just for this one game, but possibly for the season as a whole. The Eagles have now won two of three (both wins somewhat convincingly) and the schedule, while laden with divisional opponents, does open up a bit – the 4-5 Eagles are just a 1/2 game out of the final wild card and get a battered Saints team at home, then they have five games against the Giants (2x), WFT (2x), and the Jets before the season finale against the Cowboys. On the other hand, the Broncos fall to 5-5 and, while they are only a 1/2 game out themselves, are a bad game away from watching the season slide through their fingers. Their schedule is also heavy in the division but, unlike in the NFC East, there is little respite in the AFC West, as they still have the Chiefs and Chargers twice each and the Raiders once before the season ends.
6. Panthers 34, Cardinals 10
Kyler Murray missed this game, so should it be considered an upset? Maybe not, but the Cardinals were still favoured by a touchdown before this game kicked off, so it counts. The Panthers defense absolutely dominated the undermanned Cardinals, forcing two Colt McCoy turnovers before he was benched and holding the Cards to 169 total yards in this shellacking. However, most of the focus will be of the triumphant return of Cam Newton to the Queen City (not to be confused with the other Queen City, Cincinnati). Newton did not start and only took a few snaps under centre, but his first two snaps resulted in touchdowns, a two-yard designed run and a two-yard pass to WR Robby Anderson. It looks like Newton will be ramped up to start the Week 11 game and, while one would suggest that Week 11 playbook may be somewhat limited, the prospects for the Panthers this season have improved immediately. The 5-5 Panthers now hold the last playoff spot in the NFC and that defense is good enough to cover flaws in the offense to an extent (not a Sam Darnold extent but something better than that, which the Panthers have now). Fortunately for the Cardinals, Kyler Murray’s injury does not appear significant and he should be fine for the stretch run – he may miss this weekend’s game in Seattle though.
7. 49ers 31, Rams 10
Not to be outdone, the San Francisco 49ers played a complete game against the Rams, picking off Matthew Stafford twice (second game in a row for him), including a Jimmie Ward pick six (also second week in a row for Stafford), and the Niners offense played a methodical run-heavy game relying on Elijah Mitchell, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle to punish the Rams defense. The Niners held the ball for nearly 40 minutes as their ball-control strategy paid dividends, not allowing the Rams to get comfortable on offense. The Rams were without Robert Woods, who tore his ACL in practice and were with new signing Odell Beckham Jr on a very limited basis as he gets acclimatized with the Rams offense which is likely a bit more complex than the run-heavy Browns offense he just left. The 7-3 Rams have hit a speed wobble after their 7-1 start – not insurmountable by any means, but they do need adjusting. Add to that bringing in Von Miller and OBJ has further increased the expectations of this team though both will need time to integrate. On the Niners side, they are now 4-5 with the Jaguars up next, which shows how quickly fortunes can change in the NFC. Either way, with George Kittle back, some of the defensive pressure needs to be taken away from Deebo Samuel, who may only face double teams now. If this team can stay healthy (*chortle*) they are a tough out the rest of the way and would be foolish to count out.
And while there were many upsets, the most surprising one on paper might not have been a loss at all:
8. Lions 16, Steelers 16
This game could’ve been dubbed with this and it would’ve fit in perfectly. While that might not be completely fair to the Lions, who did not throw an interceptions, commit a fumble, nor get sacked all game, it would apply to their kicker Ryan Santoso, who missed a PAT and a 48-yard field goal attempt in overtime that fell woefully short. It definitely applies to the 5-3-1 Steelers, who were without Ben Roethlisberger, who was forced out with a positive COVID test on Saturday night. Without him, the Steelers turned the ball over three times, including a Pat Freiermuth fumble inside the Lions 40 with 8 seconds left to secure the tie. The tie ensures that the Lions will not be the NFL’s first 17 loss team but for the Steelers, this is a missed opportunity to gain ground on the Ravens as well as some space in the wild card race. There was a significant scare early, as TJ Watt had to leave the game with knee and hip injuries (though it appears he avoided a significant injury). This game leads into a monstrous end of season schedule, where the 4-5 Vikings are the only sub-.500 team left for them to face in their final eight matchups.
And last but not least, an ugly loss at Foxborough will require some soul searching:
9. Patriots 45, Browns 7
The Browns jumped out to a 7-0 early but the Patriots bowled over the Browns for the rest of the game, getting 3 TDs from Mac Jones, 2 from Rhamondre Stevenson, who ran for 100 yards in the absence of Damien Harris (and uh oh to his job security), and even one from Brian Hoyer in this beatdown. The 6-4 Patriots have now won 4 in a row and, where have we heard this before about a struggling Patriots team putting it together before the stretch run. With so many new pieces and a rookie QB, it looks like the Patriots took their lumps early but look like world-beaters – the Pats have outscored teams 150-33 during this winning streak and have a Thursday night date with the Falcons on tap. Two games loom in December with the Bills that will decide the AFC East (who would’ve thought that a month ago?) But more importantly, this loss was a tough one for the Browns to swallow – even though they were missing all but one of their running backs, the passing game was the big culprit. Baker Mayfield went down with a knee injury in the third quarter, but put up a dismal 11-21, 73 yard, 1 TD, 1 INT line before the injury and the Pats were already up big. There are questions that need to be answered about Mayfield, whose rookie contract is up at the end of next season, but rumours have swirled about the status of further extension talks. Is he worth $30-40 million per season? In this game though, it wasn’t just him – the defense looked like it quit as the Patriots ran all over them to the tune of 452 total yards. Even at 5-5 and just a half game back of the Bengals, the conference is too strong to allow them to limp into a playoff spot – they’ll need to fix their issues immediately.
POOL UPDATE
When there are a lot of upsets in the NFL, the pool feels it as well – the pool saw the lowest average score (5.8 per player) and only two people scored in double figures this week:
Our top scorer this week was Jay, who put up 11 points. After losing a confidence pick on the Thursday nighter, Jay was able to avoid the other traps and scored 12 points on Sunday. His big week moved him from towards the bottom of the pack to towards the middle.
The top of the pool suffered just like the rest of us, but after an 11 point week, Salvo was able to put together 8 points this week and now finds himself in a tie for first with Jerome, as both have 121 total points.
Sam finds herself alone in third place just one point off the pace.
Will is in fourth place with 119 points
Alessandro and Paul are each tied for fifth, with 118 points apiece.
Here are the standings after 10 weeks:
| Name | Total |
| Salvo | 121 |
| Jerome | 121 |
| Sam | 120 |
| Will | 119 |
| Alessandro | 118 |
| Paul | 118 |
| Joe L | 117 |
| Donna P | 116 |
| Neil | 116 |
| Gary | 116 |
| Justin | 113 |
| Jason G | 112 |
| Marcus | 111 |
| Molly | 111 |
| Adam | 110 |
| Baldip | 110 |
| CSA Red Bulls | 110 |
| Courtney | 110 |
| Lourdes | 110 |
| Steve | 109 |
| Darryl | 109 |
| Jason R | 108 |
| Team Bracken | 108 |
| Denzil | 108 |
| Quinn | 107 |
| Darren | 107 |
| Farhan | 107 |
| Terry | 107 |
| Jay P | 106 |
| Jason H | 106 |
| Keville | 106 |
| Marcel & Aiden | 105 |
| Des | 104 |
| Ronda | 104 |
| Tom | 104 |
| Joe S | 104 |
| Predictor | 103 |
| Matt | 100 |
| David | 100 |
| Donna K | 98 |
| Nigel | 96 |
| Mark | 85 |
| Dwayne | 75 |
| Ruby | 19 |