Welcome to the Week 10 grades!
If you love drama, then this might go down as your favorite week of the season. Through the 4 p.m. ET window, there have been a total of 12 games played so far in Week 10 and seven of them have been decided by five points or less.
The drama on Sunday started in Germany with the Panthers pulling off an overtime win against the Giants. Kansas City then added to the drama by pulling off one of the most improbable wins of the season by any team. The Chiefs blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by the Broncos on the final play of the game to keep their undefeated season alive with a 16-14 win.
If you're wondering how rare it is to win on a blocked field goal from that close: It was the 108th potential game-tying/go-ahead field goal attempt of 35 yards or shorter in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter since 2000 and it was the only one that got blocked.
The drama continued into Sunday night when the Lions pulled off a stunning comeback from 16 points down to beat the Texans on a last-second field goal in a game where Jared Goff threw five interceptions.
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Let's get to the Week 10 grades, starting with a game that didn't really have any drama: Miami's Monday night win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Miami 23-15 over L.A. Rams
| B+ | |
| The Dolphins had their season hanging in the balance Monday and played like it. The defense had arguably its best performance of the season. The Dolphins got constant pressure on Matthew Stafford, which threw the Rams' offense out of sync. Calais Campbell, who came up with two batted passes, led a pass-rush that sacked Stafford four times. The Dolphins' high-powered offense got off to a hot start with a TD on Miami's opening drive, but things slowed down after that. Tua Tagovailoa turned the ball over twice, but he made up for that with an impressive second half where he was nearly perfect, going 11 of 13 for 120 yards and a touchdown. At 3-6, the Dolphins obviously aren't in a great spot, but this win gave them a fighting chance to get back in the playoff race now that they're only 1.5 games out of the final wild-card spot in the AFC. | |
| C | |
| The Rams got dominated on both sides of the ball. The offense seemed out of sync for most of the night, especially on third down with the Rams only converting 2 of 11 opportunities. Although the offense did eventually have some success, it sputtered in the red zone. Matthew Stafford got his favorite receivers involved (Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp), but the Rams couldn't come up with a big play when they needed it. Defensively, the Rams came up with several big plays, but they couldn't stop the Dolphins on third down. Miami converted both a third-and-13 and a third-and-19 in the game. The Rams simply got outplayed, and if they look this sloppy going forward, they're not going to be in the NFC playoff race for very long. | |
Carolina 20-17 (OT) over N.Y. Giants in Germany
| C | |
| It might be time for the Giants to bench Daniel Jones. This loss wasn't all on him, but he certainly didn't help things. Jones struggled with his accuracy, included throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter, which was one of his two interceptions in the game. His indecisiveness also hurt the Giants (For instance, he didn't throw the ball despite having a WIDE-open receiver on a flea flicker in the second quarter). This wasn't just on Jones, though: Tyrone Tracy made the biggest gaffe of the game with a lost fumble in overtime, which overshadowed a solid performance by the rookie, who rushed for 103 yards and a TD. There was also a missed field goal from Graham Gano and the defense couldn't stop a Panthers offense that rushed for 188 yards (Carolina hadn't rushed for more than 155 yards in any game this season). This team is going nowhere and it might be time for some wholesale changes. | |
| B | |
| The Panthers' decision to give Chuba Hubbard a contract extension on Nov. 7 is looking pretty brilliant after the way he played in this game. Hubbard carried Carolina's offense by running for a career-high 153 yards. The success of Hubbard took some pressure off of Bryce Young, who made several big plays while totaling 156 yards. Although Hubbard had a huge day, Josey Jewell was arguably the star of the game for Carolina: Not only did the linebacker pick off a pass in the fourth quarter, but he also recovered a fumble in overtime to set up Eddy Pineiro's game-winning field goal. This was a huge win for a team that's now undefeated in November (2-0) after starting the season 1-7. It's also a huge confidence booster for Young, who has now won consecutive games for the first time in his career. | |
New England 19-3 over Chicago
| A- | |
| The Patriots defense came up with its best performance of the season and that was enough to carry New England to the win. The Patriots tied a franchise record with nine sacks with Deatrich Wise Jr. and Anfernee Jennings each coming up with two of those. The defense suffocated the Bears, holding them to just 142 yards of total offense. New England's offense wasn't overly impressive, but Rhamondre Stevenson led a steady rushing attack and Drake Maye came up with several big plays. The Patriots have now won two of three and if their defense keeps playing like this, they might be able to steal a few more wins this season. | |
| D- | |
| Whatever rock bottom is in the NFL, the Bears offense hit it on Sunday. For the second straight week, the Bears didn't score a touchdown, marking the first time in 20 years that they've failed to score an offensive TD in back-to-back weeks. The offense struggled for multitude of reasons with the big ones being: They couldn't protect Caleb Williams (he was sacked nine times) and they couldn't convert on third down (they went 1 of 14). After a hot start to the season, the Bears could be in trouble over the second half of the year and that's because seven of their final eight games are against teams that are above .500. | |
Buffalo 30-20 Indianapolis
| B | |
| The Bills defense came up with a pick six in the first three minutes of the game and that ended up being a preview of how well Buffalo's defense was going to play. Not only did the Bills get Taron Johnson's pick six, but they also picked off two more passes after that. The Bills also sacked Joe Flacco four times, including a strip-sack from Gregory Rousseau in the second half. Josh Allen threw two interceptions, but otherwise, the offense was mostly efficient for Buffalo. Allen got everyone involved in the passing game with six receivers all finishing with at least 20 yards. The offense definitely could have played better, but the defense was so good, that it didn't matter. The Bills continue to look like one of the best teams in the AFC. | |
| D | |
| It might be time to end the Joe Flacco experiment. Flacco has been starting because he gives Indianapolis the "best chance to win," according to coach Shane Steichen, but that definitely wasn't true on Sunday. Flacco was single-handedly responsible for four turnovers, including a pick six on his first throw of the game. Overall, the Bills got 17 points off of those four turnovers and that was the difference in the game. The Colts played well enough to make keep this close, but it's almost impossible to win in the NFL when you're QB is turning the ball over four times. | |
Kansas City 16-14 over Denver
| B- | |
| The Broncos haven't won in Kansas City since 2015 and it looked like that streak was going to end, but then they suffered a special teams meltdown. Wil Lutz's game-winning field goal attempt on the final play got blocked. The ending of the game definitely overshadowed an otherwise impressive performance by Denver. Their defense kept the high-flying Chiefs in check with Kansas City only scoring one touchdown. The offense moved the ball all over the field in the first half, but then disappeared in the second half with just 68 yards. Bo Nix and the offense only had one drive in the second half that went for more than 10 yards. Moral victories mean nothing in the NFL and this one will likely sting for awhile, but the Broncos now know that they can compete with the best teams in the NFL. | |
| C+ | |
| When you're trying to go undefeated in the NFL, sometimes you need a little luck and the Chiefs got that on Sunday. Kansas City's special teams won this game: Not only did Harrison Butker kick three field goals, but Leo Chenal came up with the play of the year when he blocked a Broncos field goal on the final play of the game. There are three phases to the game in the NFL and one reason the Chiefs are so good is because they can be carried by any one of those phases on any given day. | |
New Orleans 20-17 over Atlanta
| C+ | |
| The Falcons played well enough to win, but their kicker had a total meltdown with three missed field goals. Younghoe Koo's final miss came from 46 yards and it would have tied the game late in the fourth quarter. The Falcons defense got lit up in the first half, but it calmed down over the final two quarters, holding the Saints to just 100 yards and three points. Bijan Robinson rushed for 82 of his 116 yards during the second half, but the Falcons were undone by big mistakes, including a Kirk Cousins interception in the fourth quarter. The Falcons' biggest issue going forward could be Koo, who is just 2 of 7 on field goals since Week 7. He's been one of the best kickers in the NFL since signing with Atlanta in 2019, but he's definitely in a rut. | |
| A- | |
| The Saints were playing their first game since the firing of Dennis Allen and they seemed to get a spark from new interim coach Darren Rizzi. That spark led to some offensive fireworks, especially from Marques Valdez-Scantling, who caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in just his second game with the Saints. Alvin Kamara also helped carry the offense with 109 total yards. The Saints looked completely rejuvenated under Rizzi and if they can string a few wins together over the next few weeks, they might be able to claw their way back into the NFC wild-card race. That might sound crazy, but they have the third-easiest remaining strength of schedule, which might give them some hope. | |
San Francisco 23-20 over Tampa Bay
| B | |
| In Christian McCaffrey's first game of the season, the 49ers looked like a brand new offense. Brock Purdy threw for a season-high 353 yards with 68 of those going to McCaffrey. The very presence of McCaffrey opens things up for other players on offense and Jauan Jennings (seven catches for 93 yards) and Ricky Pearsall (four catches for 73 yards a TD) both benefitted from that on Sunday. One thing McCaffrey couldn't fix was the 49ers special teams. The woes continued there with three missed field goals and a muffed punt. However, Jake Moody redeemed himself for his misses by hitting a game-winner. The bottom line here is that with McCaffrey back on the field, the 49ers are now one of the most dangerous teams in the NFC. | |
| C+ | |
| For the second straight week, the Bucs went toe to toe with one of the participants from Super Bowl LVIII and for the second straight week, the Bucs lost a heartbreaker. The Buccaneers defense struggled to stop the 49ers, but the unit did come up big in the red zone, which is one reason why this game was so close (The 49ers only scored a TD on one of their three trips to the red zone). Bucky Irving played a big part in Tampa Bay's offensive success with 73 yards and a TD, but overall, Tampa had trouble moving the ball against the 49ers defense. At 4-6, the Bucs' season is on life support, but don't count them out just yet, especially since their next three games are against the Giants, Panthers and Raiders. | |
Pittsburgh 28-27 over Washington
| B+ | |
| Going into this game, Mike Tomlin had a 25-6 career record against rookie quarterbacks and we saw why, especially in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, the Steelers defense absolutely shut down Jayden Daniels, holding the Commanders to just 16 yards in the game's final quarter. Offensively, the acquisition of Mike Williams already is already looking like a genius move after he caught what proved to be the game-winning TD with just 2:22 left to play. That was one of three TD passes thrown by Russell Wilson. This team is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the Chiefs, Bills or Ravens, but maybe it's time to put them in the conversation because they're looking better and better every week. | |
| B | |
| Jayden Daniels got to go up against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and like most quarterbacks playing the Steelers, he struggled. Things got especially ugly for the Commanders during the second half as they only totaled 68 yards of offense over the final 27 minutes of the game. With offense sputtering, the Commanders defense almost willed the team to a win by forcing two turnovers in the fourth quarter, but the offense couldn't capitalize on either one. In the grand scheme of things, this might sting now, but a one-point loss to one of the best teams in the NFL is something that could give them confidence going forward. The Commanders are still one of the best teams in the NFC. | |
Minnesota 12-7 Jacksonville
| C+ | |
| Sam Darnold tried to give this game away, but the Vikings defense wouldn't let him. This game probably would have been a blowout, but Darnold threw three interceptions with all of them coming deep in Jacksonville territory. With Darnold struggling, the defense took over, holding the Jaguars to just 143 yards of offense while sacking Mac Jones three times and picking off two passes. The big star for Minnesota was John Parker Romo, who scored all of the Vikings' points in his first career NFL game. Although the Vikings won, they're going to need Darnold's play to improve if they want to be a playoff threat in January. | |
| C- | |
| The Jaguars offense was bad with Trevor Lawrence running it this year and it was even worse with Mac Jones. The Jags struggled to move the ball on a day where they couldn't even top 150 yards of offense. Thanks to an inspiring performance from a defense that came up with three interceptions, the game was there for the taking, but Jones fumbled it away, literally. The Jags' final three possessions of the game all ended with a turnover from Jones with one fumble and two interceptions. It was a dismal performance from a team that's having a dismal season. Doug Pederson's seat just went from hot to scalding. | |
L.A. Chargers 27-17 over Tennessee
| D+ | |
| For the first time all season, Will Levis didn't throw an interception in a game, but that was about the only good news for the Titans offense in Levis' return to the field. Tennessee's offensive line got overwhelmed by a Chargers defense that sacked Levis seven times. The Titans' special teams also had a rough game with a missed field goal by Nick Folk and a long 56-yard kickoff return by the Chargers that set up a second-half TD. At this point, the only thing the Titans have left to do this season is figure out if Levis is their QB of the future, and right now, it's not looking that way. | |
| A | |
| The Chargers might not be wowing anyone with their wins, but for the third week in a row, they were absolutely dominant. The dominance started on the defensive side of the ball with a pass rush that totaled seven sacks on Will Levis. The Titans QB will be having nightmares about Bud Dupree and Tuli Tuipulotu, who both finished with two sacks. On the offensive side of the ball, Justin Herbert didn't put up eye-popping numbers, but he put a dagger in this game by playing a perfect second half, going 5 of 5 for 74 yards and a TD. The Chargers even outplayed the Titans on special teams. This was an all-around beatdown and it would have been an even bigger win if not for a garbage-time TD by Tennessee. | |
Philadelphia 34-6 Dallas
| A+ | |
| This was a game the Eagles were expected to win, and sometimes, those are the hardest ones to win, but that wasn't the case here. Jalen Hurts got beat up in the first half -- he was sacked five times -- but that didn't slow him down on a day where he totaled 258 yards and four touchdowns. Although Hurts scored four touchdowns, the Eagles only needed one of them to win the game and that's because the defense was so dominant. It's a good thing the Eagles got an easy win, because they have to turn around and play the Commanders on Thursday. This team is showing no signs of the collapse that hit them last year, and based on how they're playing, they look like one of the best teams in the NFC. | |
| F | |
| Mike McCarthy's seat has been getting hotter every week, and now, it's probably the same temperature as the sun. With Dak Prescott out, the Cowboys' season feels over and the team is now playing like that. With Cooper Rush running the show, the offense reached a new low with five turnovers and just 142 yards. It seems like it's only a matter of time before the Cowboys blow things up and start over. At this point, they're only playing for draft position. | |
Arizona 31-6 over N.Y. Jets
| F | |
| The season isn't over for the Jets, but this felt like the final nail in the coffin. The defense looked lifeless and the offense did almost nothing after its first two drives of the game. The ugly part is that the Jets had 10 days to prepare for this game after playing on Thursday night in Week 9 and they still somehow looked unprepared. If the Jets keep playing like this, they might not win another game this season. | |
| A+ | |
| This game turned into the Kyler Murray show: The Cardinals QB got off to a hot start with two touchdowns in the first quarter and he only got better from there. Murray had a nearly perfect day throwing the ball, completing 91.7% of his passes for 266 yards and a TD. He also tacked on two rushing touchdowns just for good measure. The Cardinals offense got everyone involved with 11 DIFFERENT players finishing with at least 10 yards from scrimmage. The only thing more impressive than Murray was an Arizona defense that terrorized Aaron Rodgers for four straight quarters. Before the season, no one was picking the Cardinals to win the NFC West, but now, they feel like a very real threat to win the division. | |
Detroit 26-23 over Houston
| C+ | |
| Football is the ultimate team sport and the Lions showed why on Sunday night. Despite Jared Goff's five interceptions, the Lions were still able to rally back from a 16-point deficit to win thanks to a total team effort. After giving up 23 points in the first half, the defense came alive in the second half, holding the Texans to 97 yards and zero points. Goff rebounded from his five interceptions with a nearly perfect fourth quarter that saw him go 6 of 8 for 79 yards. Not only did he throw a TD to Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he also set up Jake Bates' 52-yard game-winning field goal. The Lions definitely took a beating in the first half, but they overcame that and this win is just more proof that they're the best team in the NFC. | |
| C | |
| The Texans looked like they were going to coast to a win until they totally imploded in the second half. After moving the ball at will over the first two quarters, C.J. Stroud couldn't get anything going during a second half where he threw for just 68 yards with two interceptions. John Metchie III, who missed the 2022 season with leukemia, had a huge night with 74 yards and his first career TD, but just nine of those came during a second half where the Texans only had one receiver top 10 yards. The defense came up with five interceptions, but the Texans were rarely able to capitalized on those as they scored just 10 points off of the turnovers. The Texans are still in a good spot in the AFC South, but this loss is going to sting for awhile. | |
Baltimore 35-34 over Cincinnati (Thursday)
| B- | |
| It's been the story of the Bengals' season so far: The offense comes up big, but the defense lets them down. The Bengals blew a 21-7 lead in the second half and it mostly happened because the defense imploded during a fourth quarter where the Ravens totaled 231 yards and three touchdowns. It was a shocking performance when you consider the Bengals had held the Ravens to just 158 yards in the first three quarters combined. They also mostly shut down Derrick Henry, who rushed for just 68 yards. Despite the defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter, Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase almost did enough to get the win. Burrow had another heroic performance (428 yards, four TD passes) and Chase had another monstrous night (11 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns), but the offense did make one mistake and that was a third-quarter fumble by Chase Brown. Also, Burrow did make two highly questionable decisions when he decided to throw deep on two separate fourth-and-short plays in the game. The Ravens scored a TD after each failed fourth down and that ended up being a huge difference in the game. Bad decisions, poor tackling and untimely turnovers have plagued the Bengals this season and that continued on Thursday night | |
| B | |
| The high-powered Ravens offense got shut down for the better part of three quarters, but then Lamar Jackson turned on the magic over the final 15 minutes of the game to will Baltimore to a win. Jackson came up clutch in the fourth quarter, throwing for 197 yards and three touchdowns, including a career long 84-yard TD to Tylan Wallace. With Derrick Henry being bottled up by the Bengals, it was on Jackson to carry the offense and he did exactly that. Defensively, the Ravens got torched by Joe Burrow, but they did come up with one huge play by forcing a fumble in the third quarter that changed the momentum of the game. The bottom line here is that when Jackson is playing at an MVP level, the Ravens are almost impossible to beat and he's playing at an MVP level | |