NFL 2024 (Week 10)

It gets dark at 5:00 and it's starting to get cold outside.  Which must mean the NFL season is heating up.  Depending on whether teams have already had their bye or not, they either reach the midway point or begin the second half of their schedule this week.  So, there's no more feeling teams out.  We should know who's good and who isn't by this point.  And this week has plenty of matchups featuring both.  There's good vs. good, bad vs. bad and team that needs a win vs. team that needs a win.  Week 10 has it all!

Thursday Night: Baltimore (Win)

Giants (2-7) vs Panthers (2-7): Carolina-London got Patriots-Jaguars.  Munich gets Giants-Panthers.  The NFL's best on full display for the European fans!  I kid, of course, but the trip to Germany will result in a win for one of the NFL's worst teams.  For Carolina, it would actually be a second straight victory after knocking off New Orleans last week (and getting the Saints' coach fired as a result).  It's been a while since they won back-to-back games, but that's exactly what I think will happen.

Patriots (2-7) at Bears (4-4): Chicago-Chicago has fallen a bit back to earth since the bye week, dropping two straight to fall to 4-4.  Those losses were both on the road to first-place teams Washington and Arizona, though.  And they should've beaten the Commanders.  So, there's no reason for them to panic.  Especially since they're coming home to face a not-very-good Patriots team.  They should get back into the win column heading into a stretch where they play three straight division games (six of the Bears' final eight games are against the NFC North).

Bills (7-2) at Colts (4-5): Buffalo-Buffalo hasn't won in Indianapolis since 1998.  Crazy stat, isn't it?  Of course, a lot of that had to do with Peyton Manning and the Bills not being good for a stretch, but still, that's 26 years!  They've got a very good chance of ending that streak here.  During the Bills' four-game winning streak, they haven't always been at their best, but they've found a way.  When they are at their best, like they were two weeks ago in Seattle, look out!  I think that's the Bills team we see this week.

Broncos (5-4) at Chiefs (8-0): Kansas City-The Chiefs are 8-0, yet their scoring margin for the season is just +56.  That means, obviously, they've been winning a lot of close games.  Their luck's gonna run out sometime, and it sure looked like that would be last week.  But, again, they pulled out the victory.  Can they possibly do it one more time and head into that showdown in Buffalo with a 9-0 record?  The Broncos will give them again.  But why would we expect this one to end any differently than the previous eight?

Falcons (6-3) at Saints (2-7): Atlanta-As hard to believe as it is now, New Orleans started the season 2-0 and scored 91 points in those two games.  That was obviously a long time ago.  Now the Saints are the losers of seven straight and playing with an interim head coach.  We'll see if that makes any difference at all over the remainder of the season.  Getting Atlanta right off the bat isn't the easiest way to start.  The Falcons are playing their fifth division game already (and don't play another until Week 18) and are 4-0 against their NFC South rivals.  A win here doesn't lock up the division, but will really put them in the driver's seat.

49ers (4-4) at Buccaneers (4-5): Tampa Bay-This game has taken on added standings importance.  The 49ers aren't running away with the NFC West like everybody thought they would.  Instead, they're involved in a tight division race.  Tampa Bay, meanwhile, can only think about a wild card after getting swept by Atlanta.  They need a win just to get back to .500, while the 49ers will drop below .500 with a loss.  Certainly not where a team with Super Bowl expectations thought they would be at midseason.

Steelers (6-2) at Commanders (7-2): Washington-Both of the Commanders' losses this season have come on the road against playoff teams from last season (Tampa Bay & Baltimore).  This is the first time they'll take on a 2023 playoff team at home.  It's a big one, too, since they head to Philadelphia on Thursday.  It's an important game for the Steelers, as well, since Baltimore already won this week and will take over the division lead if Pittsburgh loses.  So, there's plenty of intrigue and importance on both sides.

Vikings (6-2) at Jaguars (2-7): Minnesota-Trevor Lawrence will not play for Jacksonville.  That likely eliminates whatever slim possibility existed of the Jaguars winning this game.  We've seen enough of both teams to know that neither of their records is a fluke.  And the Vikings know their situation, too.  The NFC North is the best division in football this season.  They can't lose non-division games, especially to teams they know they should beat like the Jaguars.

Titans (2-6) at Chargers (5-3): Chargers-Jim Harbaugh is a pretty good coach!  That's not exactly breaking news.  I mean, he did take the 49ers to a Super Bowl and win a National Championship at Michigan.  But it's still worth pointing out since he's the biggest difference with the Chargers this season.  They haven't exactly played the hardest schedule, but they're winning the games they're supposed, which something they haven't always done in the past.  This is one of those winnable games.

Eagles (6-2) at Cowboys (3-5): Philadelphia-Last season, these two were in a dogfight for the NFC East title until the very end.  This season has obviously gone much differently.  Things haven't exactly been going well in Dallas, and they've just gotten worse now that Dak Prescott will be out for an extended period.  I'm not sure why they haven't put him on IR yet, but it's not like it makes a difference.  The Cowboys are going nowhere fast, and they're in the midst of a brutal stretch (Philadelphia, Houston, Washington).

Jets (3-6) at Cardinals (5-4): Arizona-Just my luck.  America is finally being given a reprieve on the Jets (they got flexed out of Sunday night next week), so, of course, while most of the country gets Eagles-Cowboys, they're playing the other CBS late game and New York is one of the few places stuck with Jets-Cardinals.  Thankfully, that's what Red Zone is for!  The Cardinals have certainly been a surprise, and they currently lead the NFC West.  While I'm not sure if that can continue, they can head into their bye at 6-4 knowing that at the very least they'll be tied for first after their week off.

Lions (7-1) at Texans (6-3): Houston-Two of the NFL's best, most exciting teams get the well-deserved Sunday night spotlight.  It's Houston's first game in 10 days after the Thursday night loss to the Jets.  Meanwhile, in December, they'll play three games in 10 days.  So, hopefully they enjoyed the break.  Or, at least as much as they could after a bad loss.  I do think they'll bounce back here.  Although, the Lions made a big statement in rainy Green Bay, so it wouldn't shock me to see them win this one.  I'm still going with the Texans, however.

Dolphins (2-6) at Rams (4-4): Rams-A few weeks ago, the Rams were 1-4 and being left for dead.  Now they've won three straight and are sitting just a half-game out of first in the NFC West.  Playing Miami at home gives them a great opportunity to make it four straight.  The Dolphins have dropped their last three by a combined 10 points, so they're in every game.  They just haven't found a way to finish it out.  So, we at least know it'll be close.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 10-5
Overall: 82-57