Tag: Week 10

Broncos QB Bo Nix nominated for weekly NFL award

Broncos QB Bo Nix is the only quarterback nominated for the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award in Week 10.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has been nominated for the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award following a heartbreaking 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.

Nix had an impressive showing against the defending champions, going 22-of-30 passing (73.3%) for 215 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers, good for a a 115.3 passer rating.

This marks Nix’s fourth Rookie of the Week nomination of the season. He was also nominated after performances against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. This comes on the heels of Nix’s Rookie of the Month award for the month of October.

This week, Nix faces off against five non-quarterbacks in the voting.

  • QB Bo Nix: 215 passing yards, two passing TD’s, 73.3 completion percentage.
  • RB Bucky Irving: 97 scrimmage yards (73 rushing, 14 receiving), rushing TD
  • RB Tyrone Tracy: 103 rushing yards, rushing TD
  • WR Ricky Pearsall: four receptions for 73 yards, receiving TD
  • CB Kamari Lassiter: Tackle, two INTs, two passes defended
  • DL Jared Verse: Four tackles, sack, two TFL, forced fumble, fumble recovery

Through ten games, Nix leads all rookie quarterbacks with 14 total touchdowns (10 passing, four rushing), is second in passing yards (1,968 yards), and most importantly, he looks poised in coach Sean Payton’s offense.

Fans can vote for Nix through Thursday morning on NFL.com.

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Mike Tomlin highlights what led to fake-punt decision in Week 10

Mike Tomlin shed additional light on the decision to call the fake-punt against the Washington Commanders in Week 10.

While taking risks on special teams has paid off for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the past, the team hit a snag in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. A failed fake punt nearly cost them the game, leading to plenty of questions for Head Coach Mike Tomlin.

In Monday’s press conference leading up to the Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Tomlin explained what prompted the decision to attempt a fake punt in Washington: “We’re just not gonna allow people to do unorthodox and potentially unsound things against us. I’m not gonna allow people to over-stress our punt protection unit by leaving people uncovered when we have people capable of throwing and catching the football.”

Interestingly enough, though the play didn’t work as intended, Tomlin added that these special teams plays are a focus in 2024, and as routine as offensive or defensive calls.

Can fans of the Black and Gold expect more trick plays moving forward, or will Tomlin be forced to dial it back after the failed Week 10 attempt?

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Mike Tomlin hilariously shrugs off risky play-calling inquiry

Mike Tomlin had an interesting response when asked if offensive success contributes to riskier play calls on defense and special teams.

Taking risks, making bold moves, and securing victories any way they come are just a few aspects of Mike Tomlin’s high-level coaching that benefit the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout their Week 10 contest against the Washington Commanders, the Steelers executed a variety of risky play calls across all three phases of the game—some of which succeeded, while others fell short.

During Monday’s press conference, when asked if Russell Wilson and his dynamic deep-threat ability affect riskier decision-making, Tomlin responded with a smirk: ‘No, we’re gonna take risks on defense and special teams anyway.’

While fans may argue against the destructive potential of relying on risk over strategy, Tomlin has managed to balance this razor-thin line, combining both elements when calling plays and securing critical victories in 2024 as a result.

The Steelers may need to once again lean on Tomlin’s willingness to take risks as they face a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on November 17th at 1:00 PM EST.

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Ex-Broncos players defend Alex Forsyth’s field goal protection

“A lot of these clips look more normal than you would think,” Tyler Polumbus said of Alex Forsyth falling down in field goal protection.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos with a last-second field goal block on Sunday, securing a 16-14 victory.

Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth has taken the brunt of the blame for the block because the Chiefs identified that he was “light on his toes” and susceptible to a bull rush.

Following the loss, film junkies noted that Forsyth had been knocked down on eight of the team’s last ten kicks, making it appear that he was an obvious weakness in the field goal unit’s protection.

Forsyth’s apparent struggles, however, might be overblown.

Two former Denver players — offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus and tight end Joel Dreessen — came to the defense of Forsyth on Twitter/X.

“It’s not normal how often he gets knocked down but you get knocked on your ass often,” Polumbus tweeted. “You have to take on 3 guys at once playing TE on FG block. You stick your arms out like an Iron Cross get your pads low and pray to God you fall slow enough that nothing bad happens. A lot of these clips look more normal than you would think.”

Forsyth is the “tight end” in field goal protection and it’s not uncommon (and not necessarily discouraged) if the player in his position falls backward. The key is to fall slowly and to cause a pileup, not allowing rushers to break through the line.

The problem with Forsyth’s fall was that he fell so quickly and straight to the ground, allowing rushers to quickly jump over him and block the kick. The lineman should have been more “stout” (something he admitted), but the outrage over his frequent falling is perhaps a bit overblown.

Broncos coach Sean Payton also came to Forsyth’s defense on Monday.

“This isn’t on the player,” Payton said. “This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches. We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming.”

Denver is now set to host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. A big storyline this week will be (a) is Forsyth still on the kick protection team and (b) if he is, does he hold up better in protection against the Falcons? We’ll find out Sunday.

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PFF: Veteran DL earned Chiefs’ highest grade in Week 10 win over Broncos

According to Pro Football Focus, veteran DL Chris Jones was the #Chiefs’ highest graded player in Kansas City’s Week 10 win over the #Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a thrilling win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday that saw the defending Super Bowl champions remain undefeated heading onto their Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

While the Chiefs’ offense struggled all game, gaining just over 300 yards and only one touchdown, Kansas City’s defense was absolutely dominant, as it has been all season, allowing only 260 yards and two touchdowns.

On Monday, the experts at Pro Football Focus released their player grades for the Chiefs’ latest win. In their estimation, veteran defensive lineman Chris Jones was Kansas City’s top performer, followed by safety Justin Reid and linebacker Drue Tranquill.

 

Though the Chiefs are riding high after their win over Denver, Kansas City won’t have any time to celebrate with their showdown against the Bills on the horizon.

Expect the Chiefs to continue leaning in the excellent performances of players like Jones, Reid, and Tranquill as they look to keep their perfect season alive for another week.

Best photos from Chiefs’ Week 10 win vs. Broncos

See all the best photographs from the Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 10 win over the Denver #Broncos.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs overcame all odds to defeat the Denver Broncos 16-14, thanks to a last-second field goal block by budding linebacker Leo Chenal.

Fans won’t soon forget Chenal’s heroic effort on the game’s final play, and with their latest victory, the Chiefs stole Denver’s chance to deliver Kansas City its first loss of the season.

Star pass-catcher Travis Kelce made history by tying Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez’s franchise record of 76 receiving touchdowns. Kelce has repeatedly shown that he has what it takes to stand among the greatest receivers of all time.

The Week 10 matchup put the Chiefs’ rivalry with the Broncos in the spotlight and produced one of the most exciting games of the season for both teams.

After this win, Kansas City’s win streak was extended to 15 straight games. The defending Super Bowl champions have not lost since their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day in 2023.

Take a look at the best photos from the Chiefs’ latest victory:

Is it time to hit the panic button on Joey Porter Jr.?

As Joey Porter Jr. continues to shows signs of regression after a strong rookie year with the Steelers, is it time to panic?

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., the Steelers’ second-year cornerback from Penn State, entered his rookie season in 2023 with high expectations and ultimately earned the respect of both his peers and fans. However, his second NFL season has been disappointing, to say the least.

Through nine games in the 2024 season, Porter has allowed 26 receptions for 365 yards and a quarterback passer rating of 94.5. At this rate, he is on pace to allow 689 yards by the season’s end. This marks a noticeable decline from his 2023 rookie season, where he allowed just 25 receptions for 385 yards and a QB passer rating of 68.8 over 17 games.

Though Porter has shown inconsistency throughout the season, his worst performance came in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. He allowed 131 yards on six receptions, which accounted for 71% of Washington’s 182 total receiving yards.

Pittsburgh may need to evaluate its options moving forward, perhaps by giving Porter additional practice reps or placing a safety over him during man-coverage plays, as the Steelers defense need to keep his inefficiency under control heading into a difficult second half stretch of the 2024 season.

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Steelers lead NFL in second-half scoring margin

Despite slow starts, the Steelers lead the NFL in second-half scoring margin, with strong comebacks like their Week 10 win over Washington.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Such is the case with Pittsburgh in 2024. While the Steelers look vastly improved compared to recent seasons, they still manage to start off games slowly, picking up steam as the second half rolls around.

Such was the case in the Week 10 victory over the Washington Commanders. Heading into halftime, the Steelers trailed 17-14. However, Pittsburgh’s second-half resurgence would once again push the team to victory, as they outscored Washington 14-10, finishing the game 28-27.

Pittsburgh has done this plenty of times throughout the 2024 season, with one of the most notable examples coming in Week 7, when the Steelers scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

Coaching indeed matters, as once Pittsburgh improves their first-half production, the team will be immediate Super Bowl favorites.

The Steelers will need all facets of their team to stay sharp throughout the entirety of the game moving forward, as Pittsburgh faces extremely tough matchups from Weeks 11-18, which are considered to create the most difficult remaining schedule in the NFL.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix: It doesn’t hurt if you don’t care

“It doesn’t hurt you if you don’t care,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said following the team’s 16-14 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos‘ locker room was dejected following the team’s last-second 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

That’s good.

“We’ve got to go back to work,” quarterback Bo Nix said following the loss. “All we want to see is effort, intensity, passion and love for the game of football. That’s what they’re going to continue to get from me and everybody in the locker room. It doesn’t hurt you if you don’t care. It doesn’t hurt if it doesn’t mean anything to you. It doesn’t hurt if you don’t put in the work and want the good result. Everyone in that locker room is hurt because we do all that stuff.

“We put in the energy, the effort, out there practicing in the snow, doing all this stuff and it’s hard, it’s difficult. Eventually, it’s going to go in our favor but right now, it hasn’t. The easy thing to do is give in and stop, say that it’s too hard. I feel like our locker room is going to respond better and consistently find ways to improve, find ways to keep going toe-to-toe with teams like this. One time, it’ll go our way.”

That’s the perfect mentality for Nix and Co. to have for the final seven games of the season. The Broncos will get to play the Chiefs again (in Week 18), but attention now turns to Sunday’s showdown with the Atlanta Falcons.

Denver’s players have been putting in the work, and they came oh-so-close to a huge upset win on Sunday. The loss hurt, and the Broncos now want to get a bad taste out of their mouth. The first opportunity to do so is the Falcons game. Expect Denver to bounce back in Week 11.

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NFL power rankings: The Kansas City Chiefs are beatable

The Chiefs remain undefeated, but they’re not the No. 1 team in our NFL power rankings this week.

The Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) remained perfect in Week 10, but it took a last-second field goal block to fend off the Denver Broncos (5-5). Denver was in position to hand Kansas City its first loss of the season, and the Broncos will face the Chiefs again (at home) in Week 18.

Up next for Kansas City are the Buffalo Bills (8-2). Later in the year, the Chiefs will face the Los Angeles Chargers (6-3), Houston Texans (6-4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2). Sunday demonstrated how close KC is to its first loss — the Chiefs are a beatable team, and they will likely trip up soon.

With that in mind, here’s a look at our latest NFL power rankings.

NFL power rankings after Week 10

  1. Detroit Lions (8-1)
  2. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
  3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
  4. Buffalo Bills (8-2)
  5. Washington Commanders (7-3)
  6. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)
  7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
  8. Houston Texans (6-4)
  9. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
  10. Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
  11. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
  12. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
  13. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
  14. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
  15. Denver Broncos (5-5)
  16. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)
  17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
  19. Miami Dolphins (3-6)
  20. Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
  21. Indianapolis Colts (4-6)
  22. New Orleans Saints (3-7)
  23. New England Patriots (3-7)
  24. Chicago Bears (4-5)
  25. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
  26. Cleveland Browns (2-7)
  27. Tennessee Titans (2-7)
  28. New York Jets (3-7)
  29. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
  30. New York Giants (2-8)
  31. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)
  32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)

Week 11 will kick off Thursday when the Eagles host the Commanders.

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