Week 10 of the NFL proves that any team can win any on any given day. The league now only has one winless team left, who plays Monday night, and an undefeated team who is resting on their bye week.
Jacksonville 29 Tennessee 27 – They finally did it. The Jacksonville Jaguars won a game. It was ugly and were outgained by Tennessee 371-234, but by being opportunistic, they were able to secure their first win. Jack Locker started the game, but left early due to an injury, so Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way for the Titans. Fitzpatrick went 22-33 for 264 yards with 2 touchdowns and a very big fumble that was returned 21 yards by Will Blackmon to put the Jags ahead 29-20. The Jags kept the Titans running attack grounded as Chris Johnson ran 12 times for 30 yards. Who would have thought that a safety midway through the 4th quarter would be the difference between a win and a potential loss for Jacksonville? With this win, only Tampa Bay remains as the league’s last winless team.
Baltimore 20 Cincinnati 17 (OT) – Well, this makes things interesting. Cincinnati, coming off an unusual loss last week finds themselves in an unusual circumstance once again. After spotting Baltimore 17 points due to some very ugly football, the Bengals chipped away and tied the game on a 51 yard hail mary as time expired in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, they could not take advantage of the opportunity and fell in overtime. Cincinnati outgained the Ravens 394-225. With this loss, the Bengals fall to 6-4 with a big game against Cleveland next week while Baltimore is now tied with the Browns at 4-5 for 2nd place. Another interesting note is that A.J. Green had 151 yards receiving while Joe Flacco only threw for 140 yards. Elite quarterback still?
Detroit 21 Chicago 19 – This game provides us with a great example that rushing players back from injuries can have negative effects. Chicago tried to push Jay Cutler back and he struggled. Cutler went 21-40 for 250 yards with a touchdown and interception. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey each had 100 yard receiving games for the Bears. Matthew Stafford led Detroit by going 18-35 for 219 yards with 3 touchdowns and an interception. Reggie Bush went 14 for 105 and became the first Lion since Barry Sanders to have back-to-back 100 yard games against the Bears. Chicago scored with 40 seconds left, but failed at the would-be tying 2pt conversion. With this win, couple with Green Bay’s loss, Detroit has sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Carolina 10 San Francisco 9 – What an ugly game. Both offenses played sloppy and both defenses rose to the occasion as neither team looked good with the ball. Cam Newton and the Panthers looked much better though. Newton went 16-32 for 169 yards and a pick while Colin Kaepernick went 11-22 for 91 yards and a pick. Newton was sacked 4 times and Kaepernick 6 times, which isn’t normal for these mobile quarterbacks. San Francisco’s Frank Gore nearly matched the rushing output of the combined numbers of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The only difference was that Williams scored the only touchdown of the game and the 49ers had to settle on 3 Phil Dawson field goals. Both Carolina and San Francisco are now 6-3, but it is worth noting that the Panthers have won 5 straight with no opponent scoring more than 15 points. That streak will be put to the test next Monday against New England.
Philadelphia 27 Green Bay 13 – Nick Foles is on fire. Since taking over in Philadelphia, Foles has been unstoppable. He had a perfect game last week and did well today, going 12-18 for 228 yards and 3 more scores. Add in 155 yards on 25 carries for LeSean McCoy and you have a potent offense. With Aaron Rodgers out, Seneca Wallace started until he went out early with an injury. Scott Tolzien stepped in and went 24-39 for 280 yards and a score and 2 interceptions. It’s worth noting that the shortest touchdown pass Foles threw today was a 32 yard strike to Riley Cooper. Yes, the other passes were longer.
St Louis 38 Indianapolis 8 – Welcome to the Tavon Austin show. Austin dominated for the Rams with 2 catches for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, which breaks down to 81 and 59 yard catches along with a 98 yard punt return for a score. The killer receiving number from Austin made Kellen Clemens have an easy day going 9-16 for 247 yards and 2 scores. The Colts were not as fortunate as they had 5 turnovers. Andrew Luck threw 3 interceptions and lost a fumble that Chris Long returned for a score. Indianapolis had only 18 net yards of rushing with Luck leading the charge with 17. Are we able to call Trent Richardson a bust yet?
Host of the OT with Andrew G for the Sports Chronicles Radio Network
Host of The College Cram, NFL and NCAA writer on the National Gridiron Network
