Thoughts On The NFL: Week 10

Seattle vs. Arizona

With the playoff picture in the NFC becoming more clear Seattle still presents a great obstacle to the Skins wildcard hopes with their win over the Cardinals this week. Seattle regained their form on defense this week and make several key plays on that side of the ball including forcing a turnover via fumble and getting yet another safety. Considering how Carson Palmer was playing pre-injury the Cardinals don’t look worse off with Stanton at the helm which should give you a sense of just how poorly Palmer was playing. Adrian Peterson was terrible in this game gaining just 29 yards on 21 carries. It’s hard to pinpoint where the Cardinals will look on offense during the draft - they need help everywhere.

Cleveland vs. Detroit

Hugh Jackson has got to go and maybe others with him. I feel confident in saying Jackson falls under the fine coordinator / terrible head coach umbrella over nearly two seasons he has played so much QB roulette he should have won something by now. The main issue with the Browns in this game was strategic play calling and time management was below average at best. DeShone Kizer probably played his best game of the year and in the game the Browns should have won they were crushed in the second half by Stafford, Golladay, Tate, and Ebron.

Cincinnati vs. Tennessee

Speaking of coaches in over their heads if this isn't Marvin Lewis’ last year in Cincinnati based on team performance and results I’m not sure what it will take. The Bengals are just right kind of bad to make their fanbase cringe every Sunday and lose close games they should win. The Titans aren't particularly impressive either they just played a slightly better game to get the win. DeMarco Murray finally showed up in the end zone - twice in this game which doubled his touchdown total on the year. If the Titans are going to have a shot they need a much more balanced offense and consistent performances from Murray.

New Orleans vs. Buffalo

The Saints are on a legit tear and they are in top form on offense thanks in large part to Kamara and Ingram again. They both are without a doubt the best RB duo in the league and the Skins are going to face a huge task in stopping them and also stopping Brees and the passing game. The Bills really sh*t the bed in this one. This quite obviously is their worst performance to date. I was a bit shocked at just how much their usually solid defense conceded to the Saints. Despite this awful loss for them, they are still in the thick of the hunt for an AFC playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Saints has shattered all preseason expectations and look firmly in control in the NFC South.

New York (Jets) vs. Tampa Bay

With the Jets looking mostly competent on any given week its a bad look for Jameis Winston that the Bucs broke their losing streak with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. It wasn't spectacular but it gave the Bucs a win they sorely needed for their own moral’s sake. This game was actually pretty ugly and full of turnovers and I’m a little bit surprised the Jets didn’t attempt to run the ball more given the tight nature of the game and how bad the Bucs defense has been at defending it.

Minnesota vs. Redskins

To be honest I expected this game to be a loss but I did not expect the Skins to look so terrible in it. Particularly on defense. I would never have thought our players would give up a career performance to Case Keenum or that Josh Norman and the DL would get beat like a drum. Not to mention Adam Thielen completely embarrassing our secondary. The Redskins are on the cusp of not making the playoffs for the second straight year in a row. With a number of teams in the NFC sitting at 5-4 the Redskins having a 4-5 record simply isn’t good enough and the team needs to turn it around ASAP.

Green Bay vs. Chicago

What a difference a couple weeks in the offense makes. Brett Hundley looked much better and above all else competent running Green Bay’s offense this week. I know it’s against the Bears but they are a division rival nonetheless and could have easily exploited the weaknesses of the young QB. The most impressive feat for Green Bay was how they were able to shut down Jordan Howard. I would have thought that defense would have been ripe for giving up a 100-yard performance but there were stout and disciplined and played well. Mitch Trubisky has a long way to go still and though he performed relatively well he shouldn't be expected to carry the team on his back at this point.

Los Angeles (Rams) vs. Houston

I see Tom Savage is still starting. The Texans should expect nothing less but this special kind of pain as long as they allow a QB doesn't fit their offense at all to play. The Rams dominated this game all afternoon. Jared Goff had another career performance and tossed 3 touchdowns. I’m glad to see Robert Woods having a good reset in LA. I liked him a lot when he came out of USC a few years ago and thought he was never used up to his potential in Buffalo.

New York (Giants) vs. San Francisco

Bwahahahaha. I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the Giants locker room, meeting room, coaches office, GM office, and owners office. I can’t imagine the environment is anything other than toxic and chaotic right now. I was a little surprised Shanahan didn't make the move to Garrapolo this week. They didn’t need to because C.J. Beathard had his best game as a pro against the Giants. I’m not sure if the 49ers will win another game this year but I’m glad this one was against a rival.

Pittsburgh vs. Indianapolis

This isn't the first time the Indy defense has dropped the ball. The Colts were in good position to pull off an upset well into the 3rd quarter. After a key turnover, the defense started to leak and let the Steelers get back into and pull away with this one. To Big Ben’s credit and to the credit of the Steeler offense they pulled off several impressive offensive drives including the game-winner. The Steelers are firmly in first place in their division.

Los Angeles (Chargers) vs. Jacksonville

Jacksonville’s special teams unit started things off with an exciting fake punt run for a touchdown. The Jags defense also shut down the Chargers one legitimate offensive threat in Melvin Gordon. Despite that Phillip Rivers tried his best to keep the Chargers in this one. They were in a position to upset until Jacksonville’s kicker set the game to OT and Rivers threw what was effectively a game-ending interception. I would never have thought the Jags would have been this good if you asked me a couple months ago. They are still jockeying with the Titans for first place in the AFC South but I think they’ll eventually overcome them in a few weeks.

Dallas vs. Atlanta

Atlanta’s defense showed up at the right time this year and I love them for it. Dallas was completely overwhelmed without a balanced attack on offense. Atlanta, on the other hand, did have a balanced attack with Tevin Coleman after Devonta Freeman suffered a concussion. This loss helps the Skins lets hope they can capitalize on it this Sunday.

New England vs. Denver

The Broncos aren't at all fun to watch so I’ll be honest I was sort of in and out of this beatdown that they endured. Some may disagree but I really don't think they can be much worse with Paxton Lynch (I feel like I’ve said that 10 times now). In fairness, the Bronco defense dropped the ball in this one and offered little resistance to Brady and Co. The Broncos who not long ago looked like a perennial playoff team illustrte how important it is to have just a competent QB in today’s NFL.

Miami vs. Carolina

Cam Newton looked like his 2015 self in this one. The Panthers also pose a serious obstacle to the Skins Wildcard hopes - especially if they keep playing like this. Miami had no answer for him or anyone else really on the Panther offense. Johnathan Stewart also regained some old form in this one and looked really good. Carolina is a very inconsistent team. Let’s hope they don’t go on some sort of run.