Week 10 Takeaways for the 2024 NFL Season
This was an odd week to say the least. The Bears and Jets were absolutely horrid, and they got crushed. Lions QB Jared Goff was also putrid, but he somehow won. Four different two-win teams earned victories this week, while three division leaders lost. Even the teams on byes weren’t out of the news. Browns LT Jedrick Wills appears to have been benched for making a “business decision” about his injury, while the Seahawks cut LB Tyrel Dodson, who happens to be their leading tackler. Let’s see what we can make of all this in my week 10 takeaways for the 2024 NFL season!
TNF: Ravens Beat Bengals in Another Classic with Help from Refs
When these two teams play, exciting things happen. They went to OT a few weeks ago, and they nearly did so again, but let’s start at the beginning. Baltimore got RB Keaton Mitchell back from injury, but he had 0 carries. Cincy acquired RB Khalil Herbert at the trade deadline, but he did nothing either except fumble and recover a handoff. Both teams entered shorthanded: the Ravens had no TE Isaiah Likely, while the Bengals had to do without WR Tee Higgins and OT Orlando Brown Jr. Nobody told the offenses that they lacked some weapons, as both groups exploded at various points of the game.
The Bengals got us started with a long opening drive, which seems to be a new theme for them. Baltimore wasted 2 timeouts on the drive: once on a dumb challenge over a three-yard pass and another because they had 12 men on the field. A 4th-and-goal holding penalty on CB Brandon Stephens extended the drive, and Cincinnati took a 7-0 lead. Following a 3-and-out from Baltimore, Cincy faced a 4th and 3 at the BAL 41 but missed, and the Ravens went right down the field to tie the game. Shortly thereafter, the Bengals faced another 4th and 1 at their own 39 yard line. They converted this time on a direct snap to TE Tanner Hudson (6/42/1).
Not much else happened in the first half except for a Hudson score with 30 seconds left. Baltimore punted to start the 3rd quarter, and Bengals QB Joe Burrow (34/56, 428 yards, 4 TDs) hit WR Ja’Marr Chase (11/264/3) for a 63-yard TD in one play. Those two have a great connection, and it produced bonkers numbers in this game. Burrow’s fantastic performance was nice because it was in this stadium that he hurt his wrist and was lost for the season in 2023. Baltimore’s defense simply couldn’t stop this passing game, though it didn’t help that S Kyle Hamilton left with an ankle injury and did not return.
At 21-7, Cincy was pulling away, but RB Chase Brown (13/42/1; 9/52 receiving) lost a fumble at his own 31, and the Ravens capitalized with a Derrick Henry (16/68) TD. Brown lost a crucial fumble against the Giants as well, so this is starting to become concerning. Baltimore tied the game on their next drive with an 84-yard Tylan Wallace (3/115/1) TD on a busted coverage…or they would have had K Justin Tucker not missed the PAT. His kicking has been downright shaky this season. What did the Bengals do after that? You guessed it: a 1-play, 70-yard TD drive that included nothing but a strike to Chase.
Cincinnati’s defense really broke down after that, allowing Lamar Jackson (25/33, 290 yards, 4 TDs; 7/33 rushing) to carve them up. While they actually handled Henry fairly well, Baltimore’s passing attack was too lethal, and the Bengals fell into a 35-28 hole with under 2 minutes left. Burrow led Cincy to the end zone with the help of some ill-timed Baltimore penalties. HC Zac Taylor, clearly remembering the last meeting between these two teams, wanted to avoid OT and went for two. I still hate the strategy, but that wasn’t to blame here. Burrow’s pass fell incomplete, but Ravens penalties that weren’t called became the culprits.
On the play, two Ravens tackled TE Mike Gesicki (4/30) during his route and should have been called for defensive holding. They also hit Burrow in the face after he threw the ball, but roughing the passer was not called either. Officiating expert Terry McAulay said both fouls warranted flags. One failed onside kick later, the Bengals lost 35-34. This was a devastating way to lose, and the impact is real: at 4-6, Cincinnati has no margin for error. Baltimore really got away with one, but their offense did deserve a win with how it performed. The 7-3 Ravens are definite contenders, especially if nobody figures out how to stop the Jackson/Henry combo.
Giants’ Season Reaches New Low with Loss to Panthers in Munich
For the last of our international games this year (most definitely not the last one ever), we went to Germany! I sincerely apologize to the German people for sending a pair of 2-7 teams their way. Seriously, we knew these two wouldn’t be very good, even at our most optimistic. On the plus side, the sellout crowd got a fantastic game; they just had to wait a bit. In the first half, New York did absolutely nothing. QB Daniel Jones threw a red zone INT, and K Graham Gano, back for his first game since a week 1 injury, missed a 43-yard FG. Conversely, Carolina looked competent, scoring 10 points by halftime.
The biggest factor was NYG’s inability to stop the run. Newly extended RB Chuba Hubbard (28/153/1) set a career high in rushing yards, though his pace slowed considerably in the 4th quarter. After halftime, the two teams traded TDs, and the Giants added another a bit later. Hubbard then lost a fumble on a play where he was briefly injured and reflexively dropped the ball, but Jones (22/37, 190 yards, 2 INTs; 7/26/1 rushing) had his opponent’s back for some reason and threw another INT in the red zone a few plays later. Somehow, NYG managed to tie the game at 17 (thanks to a Gano FG) to force overtime.
The Giants won the toss, but disaster immediately struck. RB Tyrone Tracy (18/103/1) fumbled on the very first play of OT. DT A’Shawn Robinson forced it, and LB Josey Jewell recovered it. Those two are among the Panthers’ best defenders, so that was fitting. You may recall that Tracy ascended to starter in part because Devin Singletary kept fumbling, making this an ironic result. K Eddy Pineiro knocked the easy game-winner, and NYG fell 20-17. Carolina got to see the best of QB Bryce Young (15/25, 126 yards, TD; 2/30 rushing), but the fact that this is his best (particularly against zone coverage) is not reassuring.
This game was more about the Giants. Jones spent the whole day skipping passes or throwing them behind his intended targets. HC Brian Daboll said he’s going to evaluate the QB position, and it’s about time. We know what Jones is at this point, so the team should just play out the string with Drew Lock and cut Jones in the offseason when his guarantees run out. That seems to be a foregone conclusion, but it remains to be seen whether Daboll and HC Joe Schoen are even around to make that decision. I’m not sure I would trust them to handle the team’s upcoming high draft pick; owner John Mara probably isn’t sure either.
3 Koo Misses Sink Falcons; 3 Moody Misses Don’t Sink 49ers
A pair of games featuring NFC South teams featured some very weird kicking mishaps. Atlanta wasn’t supposed to be in a competitive matchup. They were playing the Saints, who had lost 7 games in a row and just fired their coach. Interim HC Darren Rizzi was a long-time special teams coordinator, so perhaps he used some voodoo to mess with the Falcons. Atlanta K Younghoe Koo is known as one of the most accurate kickers in the league. He wasn’t in this game. Koo missed 53- and 46-yard FGs and saw a 35-yard attempt blocked. The Saints parlayed the first miss into a 10-0 lead, and they’d never relinquish the lead.
New Orleans surrendered plenty of yards but as evidenced by the FG attempts, they stood tall once the Falcons crossed midfield. Offensively, new arrival Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught 3 passes for 109 yards and 2 TDs, i.e., both TDs the Saints scored. I think the loss of WR Rashid Shaheed went under the radar. Having a deep threat really unlocks this offense, and it allowed the Saints to snap their losing streak. This is a perplexing loss for Atlanta. Yes, Koo’s field goals would’ve made the difference in a 20-17 game. However, this contest shouldn’t have been close. The fact that it was is not the best reflection of the Falcons.
Over in Tampa Bay, the underhanded Buccaneers took on the 49ers. The story was expected to be the return of RB Christian McCaffrey, who made his season debut after calf/Achilles injuries. McCaffrey (13/39; 6/68 receiving) energized the team but saw more success in the passing game. San Francisco also saw big games from WR Jauan Jennings (7/93), QB Brock Purdy (25/36, 353 yards, 2 TDs) and rookie WR Ricky Pearsall (4/73/1), the latter of whom scored his first career TD. As seen earlier in the season though, the Niners struggled in scoring range. Additionally, the Bucs showed their trademark ability to hang around.
By the final drive, the game was tied 20-20. That was San Francisco’s own fault, as K Jake Moody hooked FGs from 49, 50, and 44 yards out. Teammates knew how bad that was: WR Deebo Samuel took a swing at Moody and long snapper Taybor Pepper on the sideline. To Moody’s credit, he responded like a professional and kicked a game-winning 44-yard FG as time expired. SF should be glad that the rest of the team stepped up and kept them in the game so they could walk it off in the first place. However, this is not the only instance of Moody putting a victory at risk. This is something to monitor for a team with championship aspirations.
Mac Jones, Cooper Rush Struggle Mightily in 2024 Starting Debuts
With Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott injured, Jacksonville and Dallas entrusted their starting jobs to Mac Jones and Cooper Rush, respectively. One of those choices made sense: Jones was a 2021 first-round pick who made a Pro Bowl. Although his career fizzled, he should at least be a premium backup. Minnesota made that assumption look outright foolish. Jones led a first-quarter TD drive, which he capped off with a rushing TD. He led 0 additional scoring drives, and he finished 14/22 for 111 yards and 2 INTs. The New England version of Jones clearly transferred to Jacksonville.
The Jaguar defense did its very best to keep things competitive. They held Vikings QB Sam Darnold to 24/38 passing for 241 yards, no TDs, and 3 INTs. Elite WR Justin Jefferson had just 48 yards. Jones and the offense just didn’t do their part. Minnesota rolled with a former XFL kicker, John Parker Romo, in place of rookie Will Reichard, who is on IR. Romo made all 4 of his FG attempt, accounting for every one of the Vikings’ 12 points. Jacksonville could not even threaten to take the lead, but that’s how this season has gone for the Jags. Why should we have expected Jones to save this deeply flawed team?
Many questioned the wisdom of Dallas keeping Rush as their primary backup. He earned a 5-1 record in relief of Prescott the last time he was injured, but those victories mostly belonged to the defense. The current Cowboys defense is nowhere near that level, but they did get one key player back: OLB Micah Parsons. Parsons missed the last 4 games with an ankle injury, and the team suffered in his absence. Parsons made his impact felt against the Eagles, earning 2 sacks. One of the sacks was a strip sack that Dallas recovered, However, RB Ezekiel Elliott fumbled into the end zone, handing possession right back to Philadelphia.
When Rush had the ball, he was highly ineffective. On 23 attempts, he somehow completed 13 passes for just 45 yards. He also lost two fumbles, allowing the Eagles to run away with the game. Once Dallas waved the white flag, they brought Trey Lance (4/6, 21 yards) into the game. He completed his first two passes, only to watch TE Jake Ferguson to fumble possession away. For those counting, the Cowboys lost 4 fumbles. Oh, and Lance tossed an INT of his own. Philly won 34-6 in Jerry World on a day when Dallas’ defense played relatively well. The 3-6 Cowboys are toast, which is not what you want to hear during an “all-in” season.
Steelers, Chiefs, and Lions All Survive Massive Scares
Five contenders and one merely decent team faced off this week in three head-to-head matchups. In each case, the higher-rated team very nearly lost. In one of the games of the week, Pittsburgh went to Washington for a heavyweight tilt. The Steelers took an early lead before making an odd choice: trying a fake punt on 4th and 15 at their own 16 yard line. The play was so unexpected that it almost worked, but ST Miles Killebrew’s pass was dropped, setting up a very easy Washington touchdown. That wasn’t a move Pittsburgh needed to make given that Washington’s porous secondary doesn’t yet have trade acquisition Marshon Lattimore.
The momentum spilled over, and Washington jumped out to a 24-14 third-quarter lead. At that point, the Steelers defense clamped down, holding rookie sensation Jayden Daniels (17/34, 202 yards; 3/5 rushing) to his worst numbers as a pro. Conversely, Pittsburgh QB Russell Wilson (14/28, 195 yards, 3 TDs, INT), who had an up-and-down day, caught fire. He hit new WR Mike Williams for a 32-yard go-ahead TD to lead 28-27, marking his first catch as a Steeler. To ice the game, Wilson got Washington to jump offside. The Steelers remain the AFC North leaders, while the Commanders fall behind Philly in the NFC East.
The decent team, Denver, went to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs. That’s a daunting task for anyone, let alone a rookie QB like Bo Nix. Shockingly, Nix had a great first half. After two punts for each team, Denver scored TDs on each of their next two drives. Nix (22/30, 215 yards, 2 TDs) tossed them both, but the success ended there. The Broncos scored 0 more points and had to rely on their defense. That unit excelled, holding KC to 13 points through 13 quarters. Without a running game, QB Patrick Mahomes (28/42, 266 yards, TD) was effective but inefficient, settling for FGs in the red zone repeatedly.
That happened one more time, and the Chiefs took a late 16-14 lead. With one last chance, Nix guided the Broncos to the KC 17 with 1 second on the clock. All K Will Lutz had to do was make an easy 35-yard FG. He never got that chance. The Chiefs overloaded the line, and LB Leo Chenal blocked the kick, preserving Kansas City’s perfect season. Special teams matter, and this game proved it. Without an expertly designed rush, the Chiefs would have lost their first game of the season. Instead, it’s Denver who suffered the heartbreak, and we can only hope that this young team grows from the experience.
Sunday Night Football gave us the wildest game of all. We expected a fun matchup with 7-1 Detroit squaring off with 6-3 Houston, but we didn’t expect this. Lions QB Jared Goff, the most accurate QB in the league thus far, imploded. A guy who barely throws incompletions fired off FIVE interceptions in this game, a career high. Here’s the sign of a good football team though: Detroit did not quit, and the team rallied to lift their struggling passer up. CB Carlton Davis earned his first 2-INT game, but Goff threw picks in response each time he nabbed one. In spite of that, the Lions pitched a second-half shutout to give the offense a chance.
To rally for a win, Detroit still needed to overcome the 23 first-half points they ceded due to turnovers. Goff (15/30, 240 yards, TDs) found a rhythm late, buoyed by WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown (6/60/1) and Jameson Williams (3/53), as well as TE Sam LaPorta (3/66/1). The running game, left for dead in the first half, roared to live behind RBs David Montgomery (12/32/1; 1/24 receiving) and (especially) Jahmyr Gibbs (19/71; 2/37 receiving). That enabled the Lions to turn a 23-7 Houston lead into a 23-20 game. One final hero needed to step up: former UFL kicker Jake Bates. Bates squeaked a 58-yard FG inside the upright to tie the game.
On the next Houston drive, the Lions defense stepped up again, stiffening to force a 58-yard FG. Houston K Kaimi Fairbairn missed it, and Bates walked the game off with a 52-yard FG. For the Texans to lose 26-23 like that, everything had to go wrong. As usual, the pass protection was the primary culprit. QB CJ Stroud (19/33, 232 yards, TD, 2 INTs) was rushed all night, and he made some critical mistakes, most notably an end zone INT. Houston averaged 2 YPC rushing, and the defense buckled late after excelling with 5 takeaways. This loss will sting. Conversely, Detroit feels unstoppable. If 5 INTs can’t beat them, what can?