Tag: 2023 NFL Week 10

NFL fans had mixed feelings about Tony Romo calling the Lions a Super Bowl-caliber team

Tony Romo is the last person Lions fans should want calling their team a Super Bowl contender.

One thing has been clear about the 2023 Detroit Lions: they are no longer a bottom feeder. Dan Campbell and Co. have built a real NFC power, a team that can not only win its first NFC North title in decades but also, perhaps, contend for a championship.

CBS announcer Tony Romo seems to agree.

After the 7-2 Lions held serve in a 41-38 thrilling win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Romo didn’t mince his words. He called them a “formidable team” who can indeed contend for Super Bowl 58 this February.

I mean, sure. Why not? There don’t appear to be too many real juggernauts this season. The Lions are definitely in that mix!

The Lions have all the hallmarks of a championship team. They’re solid in both trenches, with Pro Bowl-caliber talents like Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson. They have a solid quarterback in Jared Goff. They have the playmakers — led by Amon-Ra. St. Brown. And you better believe Campbell is a good enough coach.

But with all due respect to Romo, maybe Detroit should win its division title first before it starts talking Super Bowl.

Giants routed by Cowboys, 49-17: Everything we know from Week 10

Everything we know from the New York Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The New York Giants traveled to North Texas on Sunday afternoon to face their longtime NFC East rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season.

The showdown was featured on FOX’s America’s Game of the Week in the late window and was called by their top broadcasting crew of Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.

The matchup quickly turned into one between America’s Team versus America’s Nightmare.

The Cowboys were 17.5-point favorites heading into the game with an over/under of 38.5 total points. They covered both with ease.

The 17.5-point spread is the largest the Giants have faced since Dec. 4, 1966 when they were 25-point underdogs to the Cleveland Browns as per veteran beat reporter Art Stapleton.  The Giants lost (but covered) that day, 49-40.

May we add that 1966 was the worst season in Giants history. So far…

 

NFL Week 10 Awards: Bill Belichick should finally say goodbye to his awful Patriots

Watching a legend like Bill Belichick go out like this is just sad.

Let’s make one thing abundantly clear: Bill Belichick’s legacy is secure. Whenever he decides to hang up his headset, his cut-off hoodie, and stop grimacing at reporters’ basic questions like they just asked him the most offensive thing ever, he will be remembered as the greatest coach in NFL history. Bar none. He does not have to accomplish anything else. A resume with eight different Super Bowls (six with the New England Patriots) speaks for itself.

That race is over. Sorry, Vince Lombardi.

But as we watch Belichick’s modern Patriots bumble around to a 2-8 record this year, reality is really, really hard to ignore. It’s probably high time for the 71-year-old living legend to walk away from the game he so desperately loves. Because these Patriots are flat-out atrocious from top to bottom — imagine scoring six points against the Indianapolis Colts in an international showcase — and I’m not sure they will turn it around any time soon.

Seriously, as unbelievable as it might be, does this sound like a guy who has the answers? Not even close.

I know the natural conclusion to Belichick continuing to coach is that he loves football more than anything. The man has partly established his legend by occasionally sharing random, enthusiastic diatribes about the nuances of special teams play. I’d go as far as to say that no one thinks about this beautiful, complicated, dangerous game as much as Belichick does. It’s why he’s so great and why he helped deliver the Patriots the greatest extended dynastic run in the sport’s history earlier this century.

But part of being great should be knowing when to walk away. I would’ve argued that the time to step down was when Tom Brady left New England — because that was the Patriots’ peak — but Belichick wanted another go at it. He wanted to make Mac Jones work (for a time, anyway) and continue winning with the running game and defense. Aside from a surprising 2021 campaign, that plan has blown up in Belichick’s face and in spectacular fashion.

The Patriots, who currently own one of the league’s worst records, will almost certainly be drafting a new quarterback (Caleb Williams? Drake Maye?) this April. An extended rebuild likely waits for one of pro football’s marquee franchises. Whoever is the architect of this product will probably have to rip out the studs and build from the ground up.

Does Belichick, in his early 70s, really want to run back this mess and try again? I have my doubts, and I’d worry about him if he did. He should be enjoying retirement, sailing around Nantucket, not worrying about seeing through the overhaul of an atrocious football team that needs a remodel everywhere.

There’s virtually zero chance the Patriots and owner Robert Kraft fire Belichick this offseason. He has done too much for the franchise to be publicly disrespected like that. The optics for an organization that has lost all of its goodwill from the Tom Brady era would be horrific in that scenario. But I would be shocked if we didn’t see a “mutual parting of ways” (a.k.a. Bill, we like you, but please go away). That is if Belichick doesn’t just retire outright.

Belichick is one of the finest minds and leaders football has ever seen. But that shouldn’t change his future. His Patriots head-coaching tenure should be referred to in the past tense soon.

Elsewhere in For The Win‘s Week 10 NFL awards, two old Ohio State pals enjoyed an awesome “sack reunion.” Meanwhile, Fox had an awesome way of reminding us a certain NFL quarterback is an astronaut.

Let’s dive in.

NFL fans blasted the 49ers for recklessly trying to keep Christian McCaffrey’s TD steak alive while up 31 points

Kyle Shanahan should know better than to risk his best player’s health for a silly streak.

Kyle Shanahan should know better. After injuries to Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams earlier this season, the last thing the San Francisco 49ers should be doing is exposing them to further danger. But even while his juggernaut team pasted the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3 on Sunday — earning the unofficial opportunity to call off the (defensive) dogs — Shanahan couldn’t help himself.

With San Francisco holding a 31-point lead over Jacksonville in the closing moments, Shanahan elected to give McCaffrey four straight touches from goal to go. Why? He wanted to extend the superstar running back’s incredible touchdown streak to an unfathomable 18 games.

Shanahan and McCaffrey fell short, of course, with the runner’s streak officially ending. To say this decision was silly and baffling for the 49ers would be an understatement:

Here is how McCaffrey described his falling short after the game:

Yeah, maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t have risked the health of my best player in a winning blowout because I wanted to maintain an arbitrary streak that ultimately doesn’t mean much to my team’s primary goal. Even in a top-heavy NFC, health might be the only thing that keeps San Francisco from finally reaching the NFL’s highest summit and capturing the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship in nearly three decades.

Shanahan and the 49ers should count themselves lucky that they left this sequence with McCaffrey’s streak concluding being the worst news.

Charles Davis thought the Packers were screwed by a controversial non-lateral from Kenny Pickett

The Packers got so screwed by this OBVIOUS backward pass.

There have undoubtedly been better years for a matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. These are two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, and the 2023 Steelers are (kind of?) good, while the three-win Packers are enjoying one of their worst seasons in decades.

Nevertheless, that did not make this close battle in Pittsburgh immune to controversy.

Late in the second quarter, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett threw a dump-off pass to running back Jaylen Warren. It seemed pretty clear that Pickett’s pass went backward, making it a fumble when Warren dropped it, allowing the Packers to run it back the other way for a touchdown. Except that’s not how the officials saw it, calling the play incomplete. Never mind that they blew the play dead while Warren literally rolled around with the ball.

When the Packers unsuccessfully challenged the sequence, CBS announcer Charles Davis said he “vehemently” disagreed, insinuating he believed Green Bay got screwed:

I understand that many NFL rules seem Byzantine by design, but that looks like a pretty clear lateral to me. Rules analyst Gene Steratore offering up a weak defense of the officials’ call (“I just felt like it was a tough one” … really?) should be all the confirmation we need.

Of course, while football isn’t played in a vacuum, this call did end up costing the Packers dearly. They would lose 23-19 in heartbreaking fashion.

Mics picked up Trevor Lawrence unsuccessfully arguing his case to a ref against a delay of game penalty

This ref didn’t care about Trevor Lawrence’s argument at all.

In a challenging game for his Jacksonville Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence knew that he’d have to find an edge anywhere possible. This was especially the case with the San Francisco 49ers boasting both Nick Bosa and Chase Young off the defensive edge.

With Jacksonville already facing a 10-0 deficit in the second quarter, Lawrence was called for an unfortunate delay-of-game penalty on a second and long. Naturally, the quarterback took great exception to this and tried pleading his case to the announcing referee. Before the official revealed the call, it seemed his microphone captured Lawrence’s less-than-pleased reaction to the penalty.

Absolute gold in every way:

Lawrence can at least take solace that he tried his best. There was no chance the referee would reverse the delay of game call, but that doesn’t mean you should just give up.

Fox had cartoon astronaut Josh Dobbs rocket through NFL cities in a delightfully weird graphic

Josh Dobbs to the moon? Literally???

Josh Dobbs has been one of the NFL’s better stories in 2023.

For many, it’s impossible to root against a career journeyman who won his first game with the Minnesota Vikings after less than five days with the team. If you’ve paid attention to Dobbs’ recent ascent, you’ll also note how often it’s referenced that he’s literally an astronaut who has worked for NASA in the past.

As Dobbs’ Vikings took on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Fox made light of his impressive background and how he’s hopped all over the NFL landscape lately. How? The network unveiled a perfectly weird graphic featuring Dobbs as a cartoon astronaut who rode a rocket to all the teams and places he’s been in since December 2022.

I simply can’t get enough of this, and I’m so happy someone gave it the green light:

This is what television graphics during pro football games should resemble.

You want that perfect mix of bizarre and silly while paying homage to an awesome story like Dobbs. This hit all the right chords for someone who traded his astronaut helmet in for a football helmet.

Nick Bosa and Chase Young laughed about getting a combined sack together in their 49ers reunion

Just like old times at Ohio State for Nick Bosa and Chase Young.

Adding Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline was the definition of the rich getting richer. Even amid a three-game losing streak, the San Francisco 49ers did not necessarily need to add a pass-rusher like Young. But adding someone of his ability undoubtedly made the San Francisco front seven more dangerous in a Super Bowl push. It also reunited Young with former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa, who used to collapse pockets together all the time with the Buckeyes.

Early in the second quarter, during the 49ers’ matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, we received a great flashback of the destruction Bosa and Young once created together on a weekly basis.

As Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed his drop, both Bosa and Young were busily humbling both Jaguars starting offensive tackles. They wound up meeting Lawrence together for a devastating sack (a half-sack for each) that now feels like a preview of what the duo will accomplish together in the NFL.

Fittingly, Bosa and Young laughed about the combined sack on the 49ers’ bench after the fact:

Look, any time you can pair two former No. 2 overall picks together on the same defense, that’s an opportunity you can’t pass up. It looks like reuniting Bosa and Young is already paying off dividends for the 49ers.

Kyle Hamilton’s pick-6 off Deshaun Watson was so absurd that the camera couldn’t even keep up

Not even the broadcast expected Deshaun Watson to be so terrible!

The Baltimore Ravens have arguably the NFL’s top defense specifically because they harass quarterbacks to no end. During Sunday’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson — who once faced more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct — would assuredly be no different.

And it took almost no time at all.

On Cleveland’s second offensive snap of the game, Watson tried to hit tight end David Njoku on a quick dump-off. The problem for Watson was that Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton saw the play coming and jumped the passing lane perfectly. Hamilton read the play so well, in fact, that he tipped the ball to himself and walked in a pick-six that even the Fox broadcast camera failed to keep track of.

I’m still marveling at the absurdity of this athleticism by Hamilton:

Here’s another Madden-like first-person angle showing how quickly Hamilton embarrassed Watson:

I mean, my goodness. Has there been a better interception during the entire 2023 NFL season? Will there even be a better pick by the time Super Bowl 58 concludes? I have my doubts.

3 biggest winners and losers of Thursday Night Football: Woeful Bears help 2024 draft pick

The Bears’ TNF win officially opens the door to drafting a new QB.

No one expected a show of fireworks between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers on Thursday night. In fact, we knew this was a patently garbage game on paper and would probably not morph into an instant classic.

In a 16-13 win for Chicago, the Bears and Panthers predictably delivered boredom amid an unrepentant snoozefest. As someone who literally (and regrettably) watched all 60 minutes, I’m not sure I remember more than a handful of select plays. And even then, this game is already fading from my memory because I’m probably trying to repress its ugliness.

But it wasn’t all bad! Chicago’s victory carries some serious ramifications for the organization’s future. Meanwhile, Bryce Young’s failure to outduel a former Division II quarterback doesn’t spell out good things for his future.

Let’s dive into the winners and losers from TNF in Chicago.