Written by Brendon Donohoe
The writing has been on the wall all season long, but Sunday was just the nail in the coffin. Peyton Manning had the worst performance of his career, and was pulled in the 3rd quarter after partially tearing his plantar fascia. While there is a good chance that Peyton will play again this season, it is all but certain that this will be Peyton’s last season. Savor what little we have left with Peyton, as we are nearing the end of a truly magnificent career. Now here is your NFL Sunday week 10 recap.
Buffalo Bills – 22, New York Jets – 17
This was a critical game for both teams. With the division all but locked up by the Patriots, both teams are eagerly vying for one of the two wild card spots.
Recently, the Jets have been reeling, which would have made a win here even more critical. Instead the Jets struggles continued, and the odds of making the playoffs are steadily moving out of arms reach.
On the other hand, the Bills are starting to surge at the right time. The Bills are now 5-2 in games in which Tyrod Taylor starts. Assuming Taylor stays healthy, I like the Bills playoff chances.
Detroit Lions – 18, Green Bay Packers – 16
Last week I wrote about how the Green Bay may not be a championship caliber team, after losing to the Carolina Panthers. I’m going to take it a step further this week, and say I know this isn’t a championship caliber team. Three straight losses, with this lose being hands down the worst. This Lions team is bad. Like really bad. I don’t think the Lions even wanted to win Sunday, and yet the Packers still lost. A lot of the blame lies with the Packers offense, which has struggled mightily. Yes, you can go to the Jordy Nelson is hurt excuse, but the offensive woes go far beyond that. Eddie Lacy has been flat out bad this year. Randall Cobb has been fairly mediocre. Even Aaron Rodgers hasn’t looked like himself lately. The Packers will still make the playoffs, but don’t expect much more than that.
Dallas Cowboys – 6, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 10
Do I have to talk about this game?
Fine, here’s my best shot.
Like the Lions, I’m not sure either team wanted to win this game. Matt Cassel continued to be Matt Cassel. Darren McFadden relived his Raider days. Dez Bryant just, gave up. Jameis Winston gave the ball away twice. Winston fumbled the ball near the goal line too, which was recovered by the Cowboys. A defensive holding penalty erased the turnover, and ultimately led to a Bucs touchdown. Better to be lucky than good, I guess.
Carolina Panthers – 27, Tennessee Titans – 10
If you’re a very knowledgeable MMA fan, you knew that Holly Holm had a decent chance at beating Ronda Rousey.
Curious why I brought that up?
Well, the reason I brought that up is because if you are a very knowledgeable NFL fan, you know that the Panthers may have the best odds of going undefeated, instead of the Patriots and Bengals. Like Rousey, the Patriots get all the attention, but may have an underlying issue. The Patriots are dealing with some significant injuries, and the Bengals have a very tough remaining schedule. The Panthers are not only getting healthier, but have a very easy remaining schedule. Currently, only 1 team left on their schedule has a winning record, the Atlanta Falcons, who have looked terrible as of late. I think both the Patriots and Panthers will each lose 1 game (Bengals will lose 2), but if I had to pick a team to finish undefeated, I’m taking the Panthers.
Chicago Bears – 37, St. Louis Rams – 13
After week 3, we all thought the Bears were done. The fire sale had started. Jared Allen and Jon Bostic were gone, and we all thought more were going. Since then, no one has been traded, and the Bears have gone 4-2. The Bears win against the Rams is arguably their best of the season. The Rams looked like a potential playoff team, and the Bears flat out dismantled them. Jay Cutler continues to be one of the most underrated QBs in the NFL this year, and the Bears may have found their future RB in Jeremy Langford.
For the Rams, this game hurt. Like the Jets, the Rams needed the win here to keep their playoff hopes alive. The loss here really hurt those odds. Taking it a step further, I would say that the Rams were exposed in this game as well. The Rams win by playing great defense, and running the ball. If the Rams go down early and have to start relying on the passing game, they crumble. Nick Foles does not have the talent to push this team ahead.
Oh, and I just can’t have an article without talking about Todd Gurley. Here is Gurley giving his best Olympic hurdler impression.
New Orleans Saints – 14, Washington Redskins – 47
The only comparison I have for the Saints defense would be a dumpster fire. This defense isn’t just run-of-the-mill bad, it is historically bad. I’m talking all-time bad. Kirk Cousins is a starting-level NFL QB, but he is not old school Peyton Manning. He had almost 300 yards and 3 TDs, AT HALFTIME! It might be time to clear house on the defensive side, starting with the firing of Rob Ryan.
And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Redskins might win their division. The NFC East is already bad, and with four games against division opponents left, the Reskins could very well take the division.
Miami Dolphins – 20, Philadelphia Eagles – 19
Speaking of the NFC East, the Eagles continue to be bad. The Eagles had a great opportunity to take the division lead against a Dolphins team who were coming off two lopsided losses. Instead, the Dolphins defense shut down the running game, and Sam Bradford injured his throwing shoulder. Sam Bradford out, Mark Sanchez in, and game over. Nothing new there.
I will say this; the Dolphins did nothing to hurt themselves in the game. The defense played well, particularly Suh, who finally earned his paycheck Sunday, with 8 tackles and a sack. Tannehill didn’t turn the ball over, and Jay Ajayi might be better than Lamar Miller. Oh, and a little luck never hurt.
Cleveland Browns – 9, Pittsburgh Steelers – 30
So much for the Big Ben sitting out a couple of week. Big Ben and Antonio Brown did their thing on offense, and the defense shut down Browns.
Besides the unexpected return of Big Ben, the big story here was Johnny Manziel, who just continues to get thrown to the wolves. I’m getting the feeling that Brown’s head coach Mike Pettine, doesn’t want Manziel as his QB, as Pettine continues to put Manziel in difficult situations. Despite the circumstance, Manziel looked pretty good throughout the game, excluding the first drive. The offensive line was torn apart, the running game almost finished with negative yards, and there were countless dumb penalties. With all that going against him, Manziel still put together a solid game. I don’t think we are ever going to see what Manziel is fully capable of, as long as he is stuck in Cleveland.
Oh, and 10/10 for the flip and the landing.
Jacksonville Jaguars – 22, Baltimore Ravens – 20
Yet another close lose for the Ravens.
Injuries and bad luck have plagued the Ravens all season long, and this game was no exception. On the last play of the game, Elvis Dumervil sacked Black Bortles, but was called for a face mask, putting the Jaguars in field goal distance. Game over.
The Ravens are out of playoff contention at 2-7, but somehow the Jaguars aren’t at 3-6. The horrendous AFC South is still wide open at the Jaguars are only a game behind the first place Colts.
Minnesota Vikings – 30, Oakland Raiders – 14
The Vikings are legit. The Vikings dominated much of the game against a potential playoff team in the Raiders. The Viking defense shut down the lethal Raider passing game, with the exception of the 2nd quarter. Teddy Bridgewater played the game manager role well, but it was good ole Adrian Peterson who was the star. Peterson turned the clock back, and had his best game since 2013, rushing for more than 200 yards. The win put the Vikings in first place of the NFC North. Didn’t expect that going into the season.
New England Patriots – 27, New York Giants – 26
I don’t know what it is, but when these two teams play, magic happens. The game was yet another instant classic between these two teams, which had a Super Bowl like feel in November. However, it was the Patriots who had the ball in the last 2 minutes. Brady drove down the field, and set his kicker up for the game winner.
Despite the loss, this was the Giants best game of the season. They went toe-to-toe with the best team in football, and were so close to winning. I can’t explain how the Giants do what they do against the Patriots, but as a Patriots fan, no team scares me more than the Giants.
Despite the win, the Patriots suffered a big loss, as Julian Edelman went down for the remainder of the regular season with a broken foot. Get well soon Edelman.
Kansas City Chiefs – 29, Denver Broncos – 13
Here we are. The game that signaled the end of an era. I said my piece in the intro. There is no need for me to reiterate it again. Remember Peyton for the career passing yards record he set in this game, and not the 0.1 QBR statistic.
Yes, the Chiefs won, and I should give them more credit than I am, but the cloud of Peyton Manning completely overshadows the Chiefs win.
Arizona Cardinals – 39, Seattle Seahawks – 32
Oh, those 4th quarter woes. Seahawks just cannot close out games this year. The Cardinals even tried their best 4th quarter Seahawk impression, but the Seahawk choke game is just way to strong. The Cardinals fumbled the ball twice in the 4th, which lead to a 2 touchdown swing in favor of the Seahawks. Not to be outdone, the Seahawks then immediately gave up a big touchdown to Andre Ellington, and that was all she wrote.
At 4-5, the Seahawks may finally be feeling that Super Bowl hangover. At 7-2, the Cardinals are eyeing a Super Bowl.
BONUS ROUND
MNF Record: 5-3
Houston Texans – 20, Cincinnati Bengals – 26
A part of me wants to take the Texans in an upset, but I guess I’m not bold enough. Bengals in a close one.
Come back next week for the Week 11 recap.
