Believe it or not, Week 10 of the NFL regular season already is upon us, and a sense of urgency has set in across the league with just nine weeks remaining before the playoffs.
The second head coach of the season received his walking papers last week. The Saints fired Dennis Allen on Monday and replaced him with interim Darren Rizzi as they grasp for solutions on how to end their league-worst seven-game losing streak. The trade deadline followed Tuesday, concluding with 25 teams engaging in 18 trades in hopes of fortifying their rosters for the homestretch.
Division races are beginning to take shape or tighten. A crucial AFC North showdown took place Thursday night, when Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens outdueled Joe Burrow’s Bengals 35-34 despite a historic night by Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The action continues Sunday morning, when the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers face off in Munich, Germany. It continues with seven games at 1 p.m. ET, three more in the 4 p.m. ET window and a Sunday night matchup between the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans. Week 10 concludes Monday night with the Miami Dolphins visiting the Los Angeles Rams.
Here’s a look at five compelling storylines around the NFL this week. (Find the full schedule here.)
1. Familiar faces in new places after trade deadline
Eight players changed addresses Tuesday, the final day for teams to make trades. That brought the total player moves this season to 19. In recent weeks, we saw Davante Adams, Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins make their debuts with their new teams. Now we’re about to see another cluster of players try to bolster their new teams’ chances of contending for division titles, playoff berths and Super Bowl runs.
In-season trades rarely dramatically change team fortunes, but there are some exceptions. Hopkins looks like a difference-maker in Kansas City, where he recorded two touchdown catches to help lift his new team over Tampa Bay last Monday. Who will make an instant impact this week? Cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) is out for the Washington Commanders and Lions pass rusher Za’Darius Smith may not play Sunday, but keep an eye on two new Steelers acquisitions, edge rusher Preston Smith and wide receiver Mike Williams.
2. Steelers-Commanders: Meeting of unlikely division leaders
The Steelers and Commanders both reset at quarterback this offseason. The Steelers acquired veteran Russell Wilson hoping the nine-time Pro Bowl selection could help them win their first playoff game since the 2016 season. The Commanders, meanwhile, drafted Jayden Daniels second overall, praying he could rescue them from years of dysfunction and ineptitude.
Wilson’s Steelers tenure got off to a slow start thanks to a calf strain that sidelined him for five weeks while Justin Fields helped Pittsburgh to a 3-2 start. But now in the starting role, Wilson has looked like the difference-maker Mike Tomlin envisioned this offseason, going 2-0 and directing the offense to two of its best outings of the year.
Daniels, meanwhile, has shined as a passer and rusher for one of the most prolific offenses in the league and as a result is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors. Midway through the season, not only are these teams winning thanks largely to the sparks their new quarterbacks have provided, but they’re both leading their respective divisions. Pittsburgh (6-2) is first in the AFC North and Washington (7-2) leads the NFC East.
Both teams enter Sunday’s contest in Landover, Md., riding three-game win streaks but needing victories to hold off divisional foes (Baltimore for Pittsburgh, Philadelphia for Washington). The game is a reunion for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and the Commanders’ Dan Quinn. In 1994, Tomlin played defensive back for William & Mary while Quinn served as the Tribe’s defensive line coach. The following season, they both landed jobs on Virginia Military Institute’s coaching staff. Now they’ll try to lead their teams to victory and maintain the momentum built during the first half of the season. (Steelers at Commanders, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
3. Broncos’ next tough test: Visiting the Chiefs
Sean Payton’s Broncos embarked on a surprising 5-3 start to the season despite playing a rookie quarterback and going through growing pains in other areas. Last week, however, they ran into a buzzsaw in Baltimore and got thumped 41-10. They are in a tight race with the Chargers (5-3) for second in the AFC West and remain hopeful they can end an eight-year playoff drought.
Their next task won’t be easy: Sunday, Denver travels to Kansas City to take on the 8-0 Chiefs, who are the NFL’s only undefeated team. Patrick Mahomes boasts a 12-1 record against the Broncos. His only loss to them came in Week 8 last season, when he threw two interceptions and no touchdowns and also lost a fumble in a 24-9 defeat in Denver.
Can the Broncos make it two in a row? Cornerback Pat Surtain II said this week, “It’s a good opportunity for us to showcase what we’ve got,” and if anyone’s up to the challenge of stopping Mahomes, it’s Surtain, who is regarded as the top cornerback in the NFL.
Denver’s greatest concern, however, might be its own offense versus Kansas City’s defense. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has delivered bright spots this season, but this week he must face the unit led by mastermind Steve Spagnuolo. Spags makes life difficult for most quarterbacks, but his defenses tend to feast on rookie quarterbacks in particular. Since 2019, Spagnuolo owns an 11-1 record against rookie quarterbacks, and his Chiefs have gone 5-0 at home against Denver during the same span. Spagnuolo will send all kinds of pressures, disguise coverages and plant seeds of doubt in Nix’s mind. How will Payton equip his rookie to deal with the challenge? (Broncos at Chiefs, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
4. Arizona Cardinals’ rise
Is it time to start viewing the Cardinals in a different light? Considered non-factors in the NFC West after a 1-3 start to the season, the Cardinals have since won four of their last five, including three straight, to improve to 5-4. Arizona is now atop the division standings as it hosts the New York Jets on Sunday.
An authoritative 41-10 victory over the Rams in Week 2 was the only early-season highlight for Arizona. But after a 42-14 loss to the Commanders, Jonathan Gannon’s team rebounded with a 24-23 win at San Francisco in Week 5. They lost to the Packers in Week 6, but back-to-back comeback victories over the Chargers and Dolphins preceded a convincing win over the Bears last week, and now the Cardinals find themselves as the only NFC West team with a winning record.
There’s a lot to like about this team. Quarterback Kyler Murray is doing a good job of taking care of the football while distributing it to a diverse cast of weapons that include tight end Trey McBride and wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Harrison, a rookie, has shown flashes of dominance (his six-catch, 111-yard performance in Week 8 carried Arizona to victory over Miami). Running back James Conner ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing. Defensively, the Cardinals have displayed improvement and hope to receive a boost with their trade for Baron Browning.
While Arizona appears to be trending in the right direction, the Jets have endured a challenging season and lost five straight before last week’s win over Houston. Aaron Rodgers, Garrett Wilson and Adams lead the Jets offensively, but the unit has yet to live up to expectations. New York’s defense has surrendered 330-plus yards in three of its last four games under interim head coach/defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who replaced the fired Robert Saleh. The Jets’ biggest weakness is stopping the run, so a heavy dose of Conner and fellow backs Trey Benson and Emari Demercado with Murray sprinkled in could help pave the Cardinals’ way to success. (Jets at Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)
5. Detroit Lions: Ripe for an upset?
On one hand, the Lions — with a 7-1 record and riding a six-game win streak — are one of the hottest teams in the league. Much of the time, they look like the best team in the entire NFL. But could Dan Campbell’s imposing group be upset Sunday night at Houston?
Jared Goff is leading the NFL with a completion percentage of 74.9 and in recent weeks has completed 100, 72, 88, 80 and 81.8 percent of his throws for 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. The Lions can win pretty. They can win ugly. Detroit’s defense is among the best in the red zone, allowing touchdowns only 43.48 percent of the time (fourth best) and only 37.5 percent in the last three games combined.
The Texans are coming off a bye, however, and although Las Vegas has them as 3 1/2-point home underdogs, DeMeco Ryans’ boys are 3-0 when boasting a rest advantage from a bye or mini-bye. Offensive production has dipped recently for the Lions (225 yards against Tennessee in Week 8 and 261 against Green Bay in Week 9). Meanwhile, Detroit’s defense has allowed at least 130 rushing yards in four of its last five contests. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will command plenty of attention, and not having his top two receivers will hamper his efforts. Running back Joe Mixon has five 100-yard performances in six outings this season, however, and could exploit Detroit’s weakness in this department and position his team for a strong outing. (Lions at Texans, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
(Top photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
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