The landscape of the NFL has completely changed after an upset-filled and injury-plagued Week 10.
The main takeaway from Week 10 is that the NFL is so competitive that any team can lose during any given week. However, every top team other than the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals exited Week 10 much worse off than they were just a week ago, and in more areas than just record.
Coming into the week, the Denver Broncos defense was inarguably the best in the league and continually bailed out quarterback Peyton Manning and the offense for their abysmal play. The defense finally broke down this week, mainly because the Kansas City Chiefs were starting every drive on the Broncos’ side of the field.
Manning went from bad to a walking corpse, completing five of 20 passes for 35 yards with four interceptions and 0.1 QBR. The Broncos are trying to pull the injury card, saying that Manning has a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. Regardless of Manning’s health, his play is far from the Hall of Fame level we are all accustomed to. Manning will be out next week, but I still think the defense should keep this team afloat.
The New England Patriots had an impressive comeback win in the Meadowlands against a New York Giants team that has seemed to have quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick’s number. The biggest play of the day was a third down conversion by wide receiver Julian Edelman that lead to a broken foot for the Pro-Bowl slot receiver. Yes, the injury hurts the efficiency of the Patriots’ offense and might jeopardize another perfect season, but at the end of the day what really matters is winning the division and getting the top seed for the playoffs.
Edelman is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The loss of Edelman will impact fantasy teams, and that is about it. Edelman should be back for the playoffs and that is all that matters. However, the Pats’ defense is still susceptible to the deep ball and they are by no means unbeatable. The toughest tests remaining on the schedule for Brady and company are road games at the Broncos and New York Jets.
The Cincinnati Bengals could not have disappointed more. Should there be panic in Cincinnati? Yes, but not because of the loss. They should panic because quarterback Andy Dalton is not built to win under pressure and head coach Marvin Lewis is a mediocre coach. The Bengals losing at home to the lowly Houston Texans was definitely a big upset, but Dalton losing in a primetime game should not come as a surprise at this point. The guy flat out stinks when it matters — Dalton is 0-4 in the postseason.
The Bengal’s running back Jeremy Hill has probably been the biggest disappointment this season in the NFL, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. Hill has failed to reach 70 all-purpose yards in a game this year. Defenses are starting to figure out Bengals running back Giovani Bernard, who still struggles to run between the tackles. Most fans have jumped on the Bengals bandwagon, but I continue to stay as far away from praising the Marvin Lewis-Andy Dalton duo as possible. Despite the weak AFC, I think Dalton will still be winless in the playoffs after this season. The Bengals will need to rebound quickly for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11.
Speaking of the Cardinals, they beat the Seattle Seahawks, but the latter needed that game. Their fan base, known as the “12th man,” is starting to tremble in Seattle as the team dropped to 4-5. I know it is an unpopular opinion, but I believe quarterback Russell Wilson is just a good game manager under center. He relies too heavily on the run game and the defense, which are no longer best in the league. As a result, Wilson is left with a task he isn’t tall enough for, literally. Without a healthy Marshawn Lynch at running back, don’t be surprised to see this team miss the playoffs.
Surprisingly, the Minnesota Vikings are 7-2, and their impressive road win against the Oakland Raiders was their fifth consecutive victory. However, the Vikings still have a lot to prove, as they haven’t beaten an imposing team. Barring a collapse, we should see the Vikings in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Their next four games will prove a lot when they play the Green Bay Packers and Seattle at home, and travel to the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona. They have one of the best tackling defenses in the league and Adrian Peterson is quietly averaging over 100 yards rushing per game. Those two factors make them immediate playoff contenders, but quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s inexperience leaves a lot of uncertainty.
This weekend, Minnesota will host the Packers in a must-win for the Pack, who have lost three games in a row. Following an 18-16 loss to the Detroit Lions, many are asking if Green Bay’s offense is falling apart. Rest assured, Wisconsin, they will be fine. This losing streak has been pinned on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, when in reality it is the Swiss cheese defense that has plagued them. The defense will continue to trouble the Packers, putting an unfamiliar burden on Rodger’s shoulders. Green Bay has a tough task on Sunday at Minnesota, but I expect them to rebound on the road in a statement game from Rodgers.
This week was an outlier in the NFL, but the top teams in the league are far less invincible than we previously thought.
