What we discovered in NFL Week 10: Lions pull off stunner, Bears falling aside

How good are the Detroit Lions? How gritty?

Jared Goff threw extra picks Sunday night time — 5 — than he had all season, and the Lions nonetheless erased a 16-point halftime deficit in Houston for a 26-23 victory.

Detroit, now 8-1, stays the category of the NFC. Nineteen unanswered factors from the Lions had been punctuated by back-to-back kicks from Jake Bates, who was good from 58 yards with 5 minutes left within the fourth quarter, then from 52 yards as time expired to cap a wild win. For the Texans (6-4), it’s a surprising loss: After torching the Detroit secondary within the first half, C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense had been held scoreless.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum within the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys are formally in free fall without end. Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Eagles was one other defeat at house and one other recreation that was by no means aggressive. And it was one other referendum on how far this staff has fallen.

With quarterback Dak Prescott shelved for the foreseeable future with a hamstring damage, the Cowboys may wish to begin serious about their draft place moderately than maintain out any hope of a miracle late-season run — and about who’s going to be teaching the staff subsequent season as a result of it’s getting more durable and more durable to think about Mike McCarthy retaining his job. Take into account: In 4 video games at AT&T Stadium this season, the Cowboys have been outscored by a mixed 94 factors.

With Philadelphia’s fifth straight victory, the Eagles (7-2) at the moment are a half-game forward of the Commanders (7-3) within the NFC East with the 2 set to fulfill for the primary time this season Thursday night time. The Cowboys, losers of 4 straight, at the moment are 3-6.

Talking of groups falling stunningly in need of offseason expectations, Sunday’s 31-6 loss in Arizona dropped the Jets to 3-7. Possibly firing Robert Saleh 5 weeks into the season wasn’t the correct transfer — on the very least, Saleh had the protection enjoying like a reliable unit.

In New Orleans, Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi not solely gained his debut but additionally completed with the quote of the day. After a 20-17 victory over the Falcons, Rizzi admitted to clogging the bathroom within the coaches’ locker room earlier that morning and considering, “That is gonna be a crappy day, pun supposed.” Seems, it wasn’t. The Saints’ seven-game dropping streak is historical past.

In San Francisco, the 49ers gained in Christian McCaffrey’s return, however not with out some fireworks. Cameras caught star wideout Deebo Samuel lunging on the throat of lengthy snapper Taybor Pepper, then swiping at kicker Jake Moody after Moody’s third missed area aim of the day. “I kinda obtained out of character a bit of bit,” Samuel instructed reporters later. “I’ll discuss to Moody, and we’ll get previous it.” Moody obtained previous it nicely sufficient to drill the game-winner from 44 yards in San Francisco’s 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who’ve now misplaced 4 in a row.

In Jacksonville, the Vikings beat the Jaguars 12-7 regardless of ending 0-for-5 within the pink zone. Ugly because it was, Minnesota is now 7-2, one recreation again of the Lions within the aggressive NFC North.

In Munich, Bryce Younger gained back-to-back video games for the primary time since he was at Alabama. However the Panthers’ 20-17 extra time victory over the Giants stated extra about New York’s disastrous season. The Giants, 2-8 for the second straight 12 months, are going through some critical questions as they enter the bye, beginning with whether or not Daniel Jones ought to stay the beginning quarterback. Jones threw two extra picks Sunday, and the staff is 3-13 with him beneath middle courting again to final season.

Staying on the subject of groups with quarterback points, the Colts’ Joe Flacco experiment is blowing up of their faces. Two video games in — each losses — the 39-year-old has thrown 4 interceptions, together with a choose six on Indy’s first snap of a 30-20 house loss to the Payments. If benching Anthony Richardson was about competing this season, it’s time to revisit the choice. The Colts don’t appear like a playoff staff in any respect in the mean time.

“This can be a humbling recreation. This league is hard,” Flacco stated. “We will solely take a look at ourselves. I can solely take a look at myself.”

Coach Shane Steichen reiterated after the loss that Flacco stays the starter “proper now” as a result of he provides the staff the most effective probability to win. However at 4-6 and losers of three straight, the Colts aren’t doing sufficient successful with both quarterback beneath middle.

In Los Angeles, the Chargers moved to 6-3 with a straightforward 27-10 victory over the Titans. For all these doubting Jim Harbaugh in his second NFL stint, he’s doing what he’s all the time achieved: win. Harbaugh’s staff has already eclipsed final 12 months’s win complete and we’re not even to Week 11. The Chargers are additionally simply the fourth squad since 1990 to permit 20 or fewer factors in every of their first 9 video games of a season.

Right here’s what we discovered throughout the NFL in Week 10:

Chiefs can’t discover a method to lose

The Broncos had been a 35-yard area aim from handing the Chiefs their first loss since Christmas Day. It wasn’t a chip shot, but it surely wasn’t an extended one, both.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix had been wonderful on the would-be game-winning drive, marching the Denver offense 43 yards in 13 performs, together with a vital third-and-6 from Kansas Metropolis’s 30-yard line wherein Nix climbed the pocket, purchased a while and hit receiver Courtland Sutton for a 13-yard achieve.

All of it appeared to set the stage for the Chiefs’ first lack of the season. Then Leo Chenal stored them undefeated

The Chiefs’ third-year linebacker, who additionally blocked a area aim in February’s Tremendous Bowl win, dove by the Broncos’ line to get a hand on Wil Lutz’s try. Ballgame. Chiefs 16, Broncos 14.

“I’m getting manner too previous for this, man,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid stated within the locker room after the win. “All proper, Superman,” he continued, turning Chenal’s path. “Leo, I’ll deal with you to a cheeseburger.”

The last-second triumph strikes the Chiefs to 9-0, 7-0 in one-score video games this season. Kansas Metropolis has now gained 9 straight after trailing sooner or later within the second half.

This isn’t the dominant Chiefs staff of the previous — Patrick Mahomes has seemed extra human this season than maybe every other since changing into the starter in 2018 — however they continue to be the most effective within the league and hold scraping out slender victories. Their championship mettle continues to indicate, week after week.

Lions’ miracle is Texans’ catastrophe

Sunday night time was what the Texans had been imagined to appear like — for 3 quarters, a minimum of. A shock division champ that loaded up within the offseason, and with a second-year star in quarterback C.J. Stroud, most figured Houston was prepared to affix the ranks of Kansas Metropolis, Baltimore and Buffalo as the category of the AFC.

However 9 weeks into the season, the Texans had been a confounding 6-3, their shiny file hiding some very actual inconsistencies. Nico Collins was lacking time. Stefon Diggs was misplaced for the 12 months. And even with Joe Mixon offering some punch from the backfield, Stroud and the Texans had leveled off.

Then got here a date with the NFC-leading Lions, and for some time the Texans met the second. Stroud was carving up the Detroit secondary, and the Texans’ protection was piling up takeaways. Houston constructed a 23-7 halftime lead.

Then Detroit began chipping away, refusing to fold. David Montgomery scored from 3 yards out. Then Amon-Ra St. Brown caught one from 9 yards out. Then Bates drilled a kick from 58, the third-longest area aim in franchise historical past. A 16-point lead had disappeared. And when Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed from 58 with 1:51 left, Houston gave Goff a golden probability at ending off the inconceivable comeback.

Six performs later, Bates had an opportunity to win it from 52. He simply inched the ball contained in the left upright, and Detroit had the 26-23 win. It’s the Lions’ first win when trailing by double digits within the Dan Campbell period.

As for Houston, it’s a staggering collapse for a staff that’s hit some kind of midseason malaise. Stroud was picked off twice, and the Texans didn’t rating some extent after halftime. That’s not the way you end off a contender on your private home area. If the Texans wish to be taken severely within the AFC — past being simply the inevitable winner of a really unhealthy division — they’ll’t choke away a 16-point lead at house.

Tomlin has Steelers rolling

It was the primary time Mike Williams ran the route along with his new staff. And it turned out to be his first catch as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Days after being traded from the Jets, Williams hauled in a 32-yard go-ahead landing from Russell Wilson with 2:22 left in Sunday’s win over the red-hot Commanders, a good recreation between two first-place groups.

The play, which had Williams working an out towards the nook of the top zone, had initially been designed for broad receiver Calvin Austin III, however he’d been sidelined because of a head damage. So Williams’ quantity was known as simply 5 days after he was dealt on the commerce deadline, and he delivered.

“He was out, so I went in there and made a play,” Williams stated.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has gained eight straight video games coming off a bye, and Pittsburgh is now 3-0 since he elevated Wilson to starter following the quarterback’s restoration from a calf damage. Put him within the Coach of the Yr dialog. Thus far, Tomlin’s pushing all the correct buttons for a Steelers staff most figured would wrestle to return to the playoffs.

All instructed, the win is Pittsburgh’s fourth in a row, and it retains the Steelers (7-2) simply forward of the Ravens (7-3) within the AFC North. The 2 will meet subsequent week in Pittsburgh for the division lead.

Requested after the sport if Washington rookie Jayden Daniels compares in any respect to Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Tomlin smiled.

“Man, be actual sluggish evaluating folks to Lamar Jackson,” he stated. “That’s a multi-time MVP. That’s Mr. Jackson. We’ll see Mr. Jackson in a couple of days.”

Bears falling aside

A number of weeks in the past it seemed just like the Bears had it discovered. Caleb Williams was settling in and enjoying far much less erratic than he needed to open the season. Chicago ripped off three in a row to maneuver to 4-2, although a pair of these victories got here towards two of the worst groups within the league in Carolina and Jacksonville.

Was it a mirage? Or was this staff approaching?

Then got here the Hail Mary in Washington — a gutting, last-second loss punctuated by cornerback Tyrique Stevenson’s antics — and the next fallout. Chicago hasn’t been the identical since, and Sunday felt like a brand new low: the Bears’ third straight loss, an embarrassing 19-3 defeat at house to the lowly Patriots. Chicago was 1-for-14 on third down and managed simply 142 complete yards. Williams was sacked 9 instances — New England had simply eight sacks in its final six video games — and completed 16-for-30 for 120 yards.

Put merely, this was an offensive embarrassment coming off one other offensive embarrassment within the Bears’ 29-9 loss in Arizona.

“It first begins with me,” Williams stated. “I had two to a few performs in key moments of situational ball the place it didn’t click on in my head.”

Whereas Williams’ play has undeniably been up and down, it doesn’t appear to be offensive coordinator Shane Waldron helps. The Bears have scored 12 factors of their final two video games, and over their final 34 possessions have scored simply two touchdowns. Williams’ completion share throughout the three-game dropping streak is a dismal 50.5.

That’s not encouraging midway into the season, when younger passers are supposed to indicate indicators of enchancment.

The unhealthy information for the Bears, who at the moment are 4-5? The favorable schedule this staff loved early is formally over. Right here comes the NFC North: Chicago’s subsequent three are towards the Packers, Vikings and Lions, all playoff groups in the mean time.

Even to start with, when hypothesis swirled about his quarterback’s future and his staff’s probabilities at incomes the No. 1 draft choose, Jonathan Gannon refused to flinch.

“Whenever you say rebuild, the connotation is we count on to lose,” Gannon stated in August 2023, earlier than his first season in Arizona. “I don’t count on to lose.”

Typical coach converse, proper? Gannon was inheriting fairly probably the worst roster within the league led by a $230 million quarterback, Kyler Murray, who was coming off an ACL tear. Murray’s future in Arizona appeared unsure, particularly with the prospect of the Cardinals touchdown the highest choose and grabbing USC’s Williams.

However beneath the staff’s 4-13 file in Gannon’s first season was a aggressive group that was higher than most gave them credit score for (the Cardinals beat three playoff groups). And Gannon was determined: Murray was going nowhere.

Midway by the 2024 season, Arizona (6-4) is main the NFC West, and on Sunday turned the newest staff to rout the sorry Jets. The Cardinals’ 31-6 win is the staff’s fourth in a row and fifth in six weeks.

They’ve gained the final two by a mixed 45 factors.

Gannon’s getting it achieved. So is Murray, who set a franchise file for many consecutive completions (17) in Sunday’s win and completed with three touchdowns. So is defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, whose unit has now gone three straight house video games with out permitting a landing. The final time that occurred? Attempt 1926.

“The quarterback was the most effective participant on the planet at present,” Gannon stated of Murray. “We’re gonna work tomorrow, the (gamers) are gonna get a bit of little bit of relaxation, and the season begins tomorrow.”

Seems like Gannon — and the surging Cardinals — are considering playoffs.

(High photograph of Jake Bates: Thomas B. Shea / Imagn Pictures)