What will the NFL Week 10 bring?
Last week saw the Jaguars, (over Bills) Titans (over Rams), and Broncos ((over Cowboys) record upsets, and saw the Chiefs hold off the Aaron Rogers-less Packers, and the Steelers rally late.
After a wild Week Nine, there could be some shocks and surprises this weekend, as the league continues to shift toward its version of equity. Yey, this could be the week where some teams begin to take a major step forward (Dallas, Green Bay, Tennessee, and Tampa Bay).
The Giants showed they still have something left in the tank with their convincing win over the Raiders, while the Jets began the week being throttled by the Colts. Rogers stayed in the news with his controversial COVID tale. Rogers id due back this week.
CARDINALS’ FLYING HIGHER: Arizona bounced back after with a solid win over San Francisco after Green Bay pulled out a last-second victory over them the previous week,
The Cardinals quietly have established themselves as the league’s elite behind Kyer Murray, who can be the leagues’ top weapon. Ex-Giant Colt McCoy proved he can still be a viable option after leading the Cardinals to win last week over the 49ers. Murray is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday.
Arizona also didn’t have DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and may have lost James Conner against San Francisco.
Oh, don’t forget ex-Giant Markus Golden, who had rediscovered his pass-rushing abilities back in the Valley of the Sun with nine sacks, three last week against San Francisco. The Cards’ defense is the league’s best on third- and fourth-downs, and has been among the top three units all season.
Most insiders see Arizona as the third-best or worse in the league’s top 10, but winning eight of your first nine games isn’t easy on any front.
RAMS, PANTHERS TAKE A CHANCE; The Rams took the George Steinbrenner or Fantasy Football approach by acquiring All-Pro edge rusher Von Miller from Denver at the trade deadline. If Miller adjusts as well as everyone else on his side of the ball, the Rams undoubtedly have a Super Bowl -caliber unit.
They then continued shopping and signed Odell Beckham Jr. This is a much bigger gamble than the sully stable Miller. But Robert Woods ironically went down with a season-ending ACL injury, and Beckham can step right in.
With Miller and Beckham, the heat certainly will be turned up on Sean McVay. There’s also the case of whether Matthew Stafford can continue to play at a high level. The Rams have succeeded with a high profile core of players, and Beckham will need to fit in and not rock the boat.
It’s now Beckham and Hollywood, and things will be interesting. Remember what happened with him on another big stage here, and he couldn’t survive in Cleveland.
You wondered how long Sam Darnold would last until he was injured. Darnold guided the Panthers to a 3-0 start, and then the wheels started to fall off. Hie got yanked against the Giants
after a pitiful performance that was the team’s fourth straight defeat. Darnold returned with a mediocre performance in a 19-13 victory over Atlanta.
Last week, he injured his shoulder against New England in a 26-3 loss and will miss four weeks.
Carolina brought back Cam Newton as a back to P.J. Walker, and you have to wonder if the 32-year-old will ever find the magic again. He basically was ineffective in New England, but still may be the best Darnold replacement at this time.
Speaking of New England, Bill Belichick has them playing well at 5-4, and Mac Jones looks like he can be another long-term solution at quarterback for the team. Stay tuned there.
The Giants have a bye week, and the Jets host the Bills, who have New England on their heels. After Buffalo’s poor performance in Jacksonville last week, it likely will be a cold day in more ways than just the weather at MetLife.