Tag: NFL Week 10

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.

3 key C.J. Stroud stats from the Texans’ 30-27 win over the Bengals

Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud had a big game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here are three key stats to know from Stroud’s Week 10 performance.

The rookie quarterback did it again.

Despite a lengthy injury report, including the loss of top wideout Nico Collins and running back Dameon Pierce, and a hostile road environment, the Houston Texans pulled out a statement 30-27 win over the AFC powerhouse Cincinnati Bengals.

It wasn’t a perfect contest as the offense turned the ball over three times and the defense began to finally hemorrhage late in the contest against quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals dynamic passing game. However, the positives far outweighed the negatives. The defense picked off Burrow twice in the game and running back Devin Singletary became the Texans first 100-yard rusher of the 2023 season.

Nothing was more impressive than C.J. Stroud’s performance.

Here are some of the most impressive statistics from Stroud’s dominant outing.

Saints barely hold onto their grip on the NFC South title after Week 10 loss

The Saints are barely holding onto their grip on the NFC South title after Week 10’s loss. That’s the benefit of a weak division:

Let’s start with the good news. The New Orleans Saints are still on top of the NFC South, and they’re going into their bye week with a great opportunity to rest up some injured players (including several key starters). Their weak division keeps them in the playoff picture.

But barely, and here’s the bad news: the Saints are not in a strong position. They’ll come out of the bye week and face the Atlanta Falcons who are also on bye next Sunday. They’re still a flawed football team that is underperforming its expectations, and it’s worth asking if the coaching staff has what it takes to help the players meet their potential.

Losing to another playoff hopeful like the Minnesota Vikings is a gut punch. Even if the Saints reach the postseason, they haven’t shown they have what it takes to compete with their peers.

That’s a problem for another day. For now, we’ll thank the Arizona Cardinals for breaking Falcons fans’ hearts on a last-second field goal, and take a quick look at the NFC South standings after Week 10:

Lions fire last in a shootout win over the Chargers

The Detroit Lions fired the last shot in a 41-38 shootout win over the Chargers in Week 10

The quirky NFL schedule made Detroit Lions fans wait an excruciatingly long time between the Week 8 win over the Raiders and Sunday’s late-afternoon kickoff in Los Angeles against the Chargers. It was worth the wait.

Riley Patterson nailed a 41-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Lions to a 41-38 win in Week 10. The Lions had the last shot and made it count in a thrilling shootout that was tight for the entire second half.

Detroit played very well in the first half but only managed to eke out a 24-17 lead at halftime. Two failed red zone possessions made the game a lot tighter than it should have been with the Lions largely dominating the first two quarters.

The Chargers scored on the opening drive of the second half to tie the game a 24. The two teams then exchanged touchdowns again. And again. Equal parts great offense and really bad defense from both squads progressed to a 38-38 tie when Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen for a too-easy catch-and-run touchdown with just under four minutes to play.

The Chargers scored touchdowns on three different fourth-down snaps, including Allen’s late TD. Detroit answered with a gutsy fourth-down conversion of its own to set up Patterson’s game-winner, which was dead solid perfect the whole way.

Detroit racked up 533 yards of total offense and scored five touchdowns. The Chargers matched the TD total and cranked out 421 yards of offense on their own. The Lions raced out to over 300 in the first half, but the inability to cash in drives kept the game close and tense.

The second half had the feel of a game where whoever had the ball last would win. It took the clutch 4th-and-2 pass from Jared Goff to rookie TE Sam LaPorta to allow the Lions to be that team.

With the win, the Lions improved to 7-2 on the season and have won two games in a row. The Chargers fall to 4-5. Next up for Detroit: a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at home against the Chicago Bears in Week 11.

Fantasy football inactives, injuries and weather: Week 10

Week 10 weather, injury updates and gameday inactives for the fantasy football lineup decisions.

Sunday updates will begin when teams start releasing official pregame inactives and starter information to the league. This is typically around 60-90 minutes prior to the kickoff of their game.

Weather forecasts are courtesy of The Football Database.

Week 10 gameday inactives, weather and notes

KEY GAME-TIME DECISIONS

Early games: WR Ja’Marr Chase (active), WR Josh Downs (active), TE T.J. Hockenson (active), WR K.J. Osborn (inactive)
Afternoon games:
Sunday night:
Monday night:

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots in Germany (9:30 a.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 48 degrees, cloudy

Colts

Inactives: TE Drew Ogletree, OG Arlington Hambright, CB Julius Brents, LB Cameron McGrone and OG Jack Anderson

Lineup notes: WR Josh Downs (knee) and WR Alec Pierce (ankle) are both active, and LB Zaire Franklin (knee) also will give it a go.

Patriots

Inactives: CB Alex Austin, DT Sam Roberts, WR DeVante Parker, OT Trent Brown, CB J.C. Jackson and LB Ja’Whaun Bentley

Lineup notes: WR DeVante Parker (concussion) is out. WR Demario Douglas (ankle) is active after being limited all week. LT Trent Brown (personal, ankle) won’t play.

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 53 degrees, clear

Texans

Inactives: RB Dameon Pierce, WR Nico Collins, LB Jake Hansen, TE Andrew Beck, TE Brevin Jordan, SS Jimmie Ward and LB Henry To’oTo’o

Lineup notes: PK Ka’imi Fairbairn (quad) went on IR, and PK Matt Ammendola will handle the kicking chores. RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) and WR Nico Collins (calf) are out. WR Robert Woods (foot) will be on the field following a questionable designation. CB Derek Stingley Jr. (hamstring) was activated from injured reserve.

Bengals

Inactives: WR Tee Higgins, OT Jackson Carman, C Trey Hill, LB Devin Harper, DE Sam Hubbard and DL Josh Tupou

Lineup notes: WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) and DE Sam Hubbard (ankle) have been ruled out. WR Ja’Marr Chase (back) will give it a whirl but could be somewhat limited.

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Saints

Inactives: TE Jimmy Graham, RB Kendre Miller, DL Isaiah Foskey, OG Nick Saldiveri and QB Jake Haener

Lineup notes: WR Michael Thomas was arrested Friday, Nov. 10, and charged with simple battery and criminal mischief. He is active, and it is believed Thomas will play a normal role. RB Kendre Miller (ankle) has been ruled out.

Vikings

Inactives: QB Jaren Hall, S Lewis Cine, DE Dean Lowry, LB Brian Asamoah, OT Hakeem Adeniji, TE Nick Muse and WR K.J. Osborn

Lineup notes: RB Cam Akers (Achilles) went on IR and will miss the rest of the season. QB Jaren Hall (concussion) is out, and QB Joshua Dobbs will start under center. WR Justin Jefferson (hamstring) won’t be activated this week. TE T.J. Hockenson (ribs) was limited all week but will play. WR K.J. Osborn (concussion) is unable to play.

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 47 degrees, clear

Packers

Inactives: WR Samori Toure, CB Jaire Alexander, DL Brenton Cox, LB Quay Walker and OT Caleb Jones

Lineup notes: WR Christian Watson (knee) had full practices all week and will go. RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) was limited all week, but he’ll play. LB Quay Walker (groin) and CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) will miss this contest.

Steelers

Inactives: CB Darius Rush, NT Breiden Fehoko, QB Mason Rudolph, OT Dylan Cook, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, DT Montravius Adams and RB Godwin Igwebuike

Lineup notes: TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) remains on IR but could return in Week 11. S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) has been ruled out.

Tennessee Titans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 84 degrees, cloudy

Titans

Inactives: OT Daniel Brunskill, DL Caleb Murphy, DE Rashad Weaver, QB Ryan Tannehill, WR Treylon Burks, DB Sean Murphy-Bunting and WR Colton Dowell

Lineup notes: WR Treylon Burks (concussion) has been ruled out. QB Will Levis (foot) will start after practicing all week. CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (thumb) will not play.

Buccaneers

Inactives: QB John Wolford, S Josh Hayes, OT Matt Feiler, TE David Wells, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn and CB Carlton Davis

Lineup notes: WR Trey Palmer (neck, illness) is questionable but had a full session Friday. CB Carlton Davis (toe) is unable to go, but CB Jamel Dean (concussion) is available.

San Francisco 49ers at Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 70 degrees, cloudy

49ers

Inactives: OG Aaron Banks, DT Kalia Davis, QB Brandon Allen, TE Brayden Willis, S Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, LB Jalen Graham and RB Tyrion Davis-Price

Lineup notes: WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder) practiced all week and is good to go. LT Trent Williams (ankle), who was iffy, is ready to return.

Jaguars

Inactives: DT Angelo Blackson, OG Cole Van Lanen, CB Montaric Brown, LB Yasir Abdullah and WR Zay Jones

Lineup notes: WR Zay Jones (knee) is out again.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (1:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 47 degrees, clear

Browns

Inactives: S Ronnie Hickman, WR Marquise Goodwin, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, DT Siaki Ika, DL Isaiah McGuire, WR David Bell and OT Dawand Jones

Lineup notes: RB Pierre Strong (hamstring) will be available after drawing a questionable tag. QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) practiced all week and will play. TE David Njoku (knee) made it back for a full practice Friday and also will play. LT Jedrick Wills (knee) was placed on IR, and starting RT Dawand Jones (knee/shoulder) has been ruled out.

Ravens

Inactives: OT Morgan Moses, WR Tylan Wallace, OT Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, CB Jalyn Armour-Davis and QB Josh Johnson

Lineup notes: RB Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) had a full practice Friday but remains questionable. WR Rashod Bateman (back) also had a full session Friday and carries no injury designation. WR Odell Beckham Jr. (knee) practiced Thursday and Friday and will play.

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 80 degrees, clear, ESE 11 mph (retractable-roof dome)

Falcons

Inactives: QB Logan Woodside, DT David Onyemata, DE Joe Gaziano, CB Dee Alford, WR Mack Hollins, DT Travis Bell and OG Jovaughn Gwyn

Lineup notes: WR Drake London (groin) was limited Wednesday but had a full workload the rest of the week and will play. WR Mack Hollins (ankle) has been ruled out.

Cardinals

Inactives: OT D.J. Humphries, S Qwuantrezz Knight, C Doug Kramer, TE Blake Whiteheart, RB Emari Demercado, C Trystan Colon and LB Ezekiel Turner

Lineup notes: RB Emari Demercado (toe) is out. RB James Conner (knee) and QB Kyler Murray (knee) will start. LT D.J. Humphries and LG Trystan Colon will not play.

Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 74 degrees, clear (open-air dome)

Lions

Inactives: DT Levi Onwuzurike, CB Steven Gilmore, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, LB Trevor Nowaske, DL Brodric Martin and OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Lineup notes: RB David Montgomery (ribs) worked all week and will play. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (ribs) isn’t quite ready yet.

Chargers

Inactives: CB AJ Finley, RB Isaiah Spiller, DT Scott Matlock, RB Elijah Dotson and OG Zack Bailey

Lineup notes: WR Joshua Palmer (knee) went on IR with a knee injury. QB Justin Herbert (finger) continues to practice and play through a left finger injury.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 62 degrees, cloudy (retractable-roof dome)

Giants

Inactives: CB Adoree’ Jackson, OG Mark Glowinski, RB Deon Jackson, PK Cade York, OT Evan Neal, DT Jordon Riley and S Gervarrius Owens

Lineup notes: QB Daniel Jones (knee) will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and went on IR, and backup QB Tyrod Taylor (rib) is on IR, too, so third-string QB Tommy DeVito will start. TE Darren Waller (hamstring) is also on IR. WR Parris Campbell (hamstring) is active after limited sessions all week. RT Evan Neal (ankle) was ruled out, whereas LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring) has been cleared to play.

Cowboys

Inactives: OT Asim Richards, QB Trey Lance, WR KaVontae Turpin, CB Noah Igbinoghene, CB Eric Scott Jr. and DL Villami Fehoko Jr.

Lineup notes: No injuries of fantasy relevance.

Washington Commanders at Seattle Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 51 degrees, cloudy

Commanders

Inactives: TE Cole Turner, OG Julian Good-Jones, TE Curtis Hodges, CB Tariq Castro-Fields and WR Mitchell Tinsley

Lineup notes: WR Curtis Samuel (toe) will be on the field after a questionable tag had him iffy.

Seahawks

Inactives: OG Anthony Bradford, OT Raiqwon O’Neal, RB Kenny McIntosh, WR Dee Eskridge, OG McClendon Curtis and DT Myles Adams

Lineup notes: WR Tyler Lockett (hamstring), WR DK Metcalf (hip), RB Kenneth Walker (chest), TE Noah Fant (wrist) and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (hip) all appear on the report, but none of them carry injury designations. LB Jordyn Brooks (hamstring) is accurate after being labeled questionable.

Sunday Night Football

New York Jets at Las Vegas Raiders (8:20 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: Dome stadium

Jets

Inactives: LB Chazz Surratt, OT Billy Turner, DE Will McDonald, WR Randall Cobb, RB Israel Abanikanda, CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse and WR Jason Brownlee

Lineup notes: WR Allen Lazard (knee) was limited Wednesday but had full sessions Thursday and Friday and will play.

Raiders

Inactives: DL Isaac Rochell, DT Nesta Jade Silvera, FB Jakob Johnson, OT Kolton Miller, LB Jaylon Smith, QB Brian Hoyer and DL Byron Young

Lineup notes: LT Kolton Miller (shoulder) is inactive.

Monday Night Football

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (8:15 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 44 degrees, mostly clear

Broncos

Lineup notes: No injuries of fantasy relevance.

Bills

Lineup notes: TE Dawson Knox (wrist) remains on IR. WR Stefon Diggs (back) is good to go, and QB Josh Allen (shoulder) continues practicing and playing through his shoulder injury.

Studs and Duds from Tampa Bay’s victory over the Tennessee Titans

Here’s who we thought showed out and showed little in Tampa Bay’s streak-snapping win.

It took a while, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their first win after the bye week.

The team bested the Tennessee Titans 20-6 on Sunday, winning its first game in four weeks and moving to 4-5 on the year. Miraculously, the Bucs are still just a half a game back from the NFC South and remain in contention for the division after the rough slide.

Offense and defense played decently well on Sunday, making for a well-rounded performance that took home the win. As with every game, some players dazzled and some fell flat — check out our studs and duds from the matchup below:

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.

4 storylines to know from the Texans’ 30-27 win over the Bengals

Here are four storylines to keep in mind after the Houston Texans’ 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Houston Texans gave football fans another dramatic finish as C.J. Stroud led the offense on his second game-winning drive.

Kicker Matt Ammendola hit a 31-yard walk-off field goal, and the Texans edged the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium in Week 10.

Stroud was magnificent as he went 23-of-39 for 356 yards, a touchdown, an interception, yet made up for it with a rushing touchdown.

As exciting as Stroud is, he is part of a team, and the Texans as a whole touched another milestone with their win over the Bengals.

Here are four storylines to remember from the comeback victory.

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.

Twitter reacts to the Texans’ last second win over the Bengals

Twitter was full of takes as the Houston Texans pulled out a nail bitter against the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27.

The Houston Texans provided another thrilling conclusion for NFL fans for the third straight week.

With the game tied 27-27, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led the offense on a six-play, 55-yard drive to put kicker Matt Ammendola in position to boot the game-winning 38-yard field goal. Houston gets out of Paycor Stadium with a 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a 5-4 record.

Stroud played magnificently again as he connected on 23-of-39 passing for 356 yards and a touchdown. Stroud did throw his second career interception, but made up for it with a rushing touchdown.

Twitter was full of takes regarding the matchup. Here are some of the best.