This league, man. It never slows down. Just when you think there’s time to breathe, it just keeps coming. Week 10 kept the chaos rolling with a couple of overtime games, a dominant win from a potential AFC powerhouse, and the first-ever regular season game in Munich, Germany, between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We’re one step closer to the postseason, and we’re still learning new things.
A high-quality win for the Vikings (finally)
Every win matters in the NFL. In such a condensed schedule, the margin for error is razor thin. But that doesn’t mean all wins are born the same or have as much emotional meaning as another. Does a tight win against the worst team in the league count the same as a convincing win over the best team in the league? They both show up the same on the record, but they’re not the same for evaluation purposes.
That’s why figuring out the Minnesota Vikings was an impossible task. Heading into Sunday against the Bills, the Vikings were 7-1 on the season – the second-best record in the NFL – but the quality of their wins left much to be desired. Aside from a convincing victory against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, the Vikings’ average margin of victory had been just under five points and the combined record of the teams they had beaten was 24-38. The Vikings were riding the ability to win close games, but they needed a high-quality win to prove that they were for real. They got it on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in one of the games of the year.
Major mistakes, one of the best catches you will ever see, and a boatload of points, this game had it all. But it ended with a 33-30 win in overtime for the Vikings after Patrick Peterson picked off Josh Allen in the endzone. It was the win the Vikings desperately needed to be taken seriously. The Bil ls are still one of the best teams in the NFL despite a wobble over the last couple of weeks – so this one counts as a good win. Regardless, the Vikings are 8-1 and cruising to the postseason.
A break for Saturday on Sunday
The Colts caused a stir earlier in the week by firing their head coach Frank Reich and hiring former offensive lineman, Jeff Saturday, to take over as the interim coach until the end of the season. The kicker? Saturday had no previous NFL or college sideline experience to speak of. No one knew how the next nine games would go.
Well, things got off to a good start for Saturday and the Colts on Sunday as they bested the freefalling Las Vegas Raiders 25-20. Saturday brought Matt Ryan back into the fold, leaned on a now-healthy Jonathan Taylor, and helped deliver an all-around inspired performance for the Colts, pushing their season record to 4-5-1.
How far this thing with Saturday can go is anyone’s guess. The Colts are likely actively starting their search for their next head coach but if Saturday keeps winning, they genuinely might consider him as the long-term option. It’s unlikely, but the win against the Raiders will silence the critics for at least one week.
Christian Watson gives the Packers something they’ve needed all season
Not every rookie can hit the ground running. In fact, not many do in the first place. The Packers drafted Christian Watson in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the hope of him stepping into the role as a starting receiver from the word go. Watson was seen as a raw talent with great physical attributes, and pairing him with Aaron Rodgers would help him grow.
It didn’t happen immediately. Watson had a brutal drop in Week 1 against the Vikings before missing a number of games and amassing just 10 catches for 88 yards prior to Week 10. On top of that, the Packers offense was struggling to put points on the board and generate plays downfield. Rodgers was not playing to his usual standard, turning the ball over at his highest rate since 2010. The Packers needed to be inspired.
They got some inspiration from Watson against the Cowboys on Sunday, with the rookie receiver having a breakout game with 4 catches for 107 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Packers won 31-28 in overtime. Watson demonstrated his ability to win downfield against man coverage with an average depth of target of 21 yards. The Packers offense looked as good as it has all season because of Watson’s ability to stretch the field.
The embarrassing Cleveland Browns defense
The Cleveland Browns expected big things this season on both sides of the ball. The offense has been competent with Jacoby Brissett under center. They have the second-best EPA per rush attempt in the NFL and are above-average in dropback EPA. But, the Browns are 3-6 and have too much work to do if they want to make a postseason run. If the defense continues to play this bad then the Browns are doomed. Their performance against the Dolphins, especially up front, was embarrassing.
Their defensive interior is the worst in the league by a country mile. They’re too often getting eaten up by blockers, giving ball-carriers a free run at the second level where there’s more space to break off bigger runs. Their demise was compounded by a lack of effort as well – and that seems to be more than just an isolated incident. Supposed leaders on defense, are half-assing pursuits and trying to shed blocks with little to no effort. That’s making it harder for everyone else to execute their assignment.
What sort of example does that set to the rest of the team? And that’s why the Browns are allowing 4.8 yards per rushing attempt this season. It’s also why they allowed 184 rushing yards at a 7.5 yards per attempt clip to Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert on Sunday. Things are going to get worse before they get better.
The Eagles’ unbeaten streak finally ends
It had to happen eventually, but the Eagles are now 8-1 on the season, with their unbeaten run coming to an end on Monday night against the Washington Commanders of all opponents. The fashion in which it happened wasn’t worthy of ending an undefeated streak – but this is the NFL and nothing ever really goes the way you expect.
The Commanders methodically won at the line of scrimmage, rushing for 152 yards on 49(!) attempts and holding the ball for 40:24 – twenty minutes longer than the Eagles. The offense wasn’t efficient. They turned the ball over twice and averaged 4.1 yards per play, but converted 12 of their 21 third-down attempts and kept the chains moving.
For the Eagles, it was frustrating. Aside from turning the ball over four times, they didn’t do too much wrong. A.J. Brown was banged up a bit during the game which limited his impact, but Hurts still found ways to move the ball downfield. The game was ultimately decided in controversial fashion. After Taylor Heinicke gave himself up on third down, he was hit late by two Eagles defenders who were flagged for unnecessary roughness and the Commanders were awarded the automatic first down. Truthfully, it was a soft flag – even if it was the letter of the law.
That took away any real chance the Eagles would have of getting back into the game and keeping their undefeated streak alive. The Eagles are still the favourites in the NFC and still have a favourable schedule from now until the end of the season, but there’s a formula to beating them now.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.