Week ten saw thrilling finishes, breakout performances and a couple of surprises. Here are my winners and losers:
Winners:
- Dallas Cowboys: In a game that saw seven lead changes, running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns. His 32-yard scamper with nine seconds left ended up being a game-winner as the Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30 in a thriller. At 8-1, the Cowboys now have the best record in the league.
- Seattle Seahawks: In another game that had seven lead changes, quarterback Russell Wilson’s 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Doug Baldwin gave Seattle the lead. Then a goal line stand by the defense helped the Seahawks hold off the New England Patriots 31-24 in a rematch of Super Bowl XL.
- Washington Redskins: Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Preston Smith’s interception helped the Redskins seal their win over the Minnesota Vikings 26-23.
- Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as they came back to defeat the Carolina Panthers 20-17.
- Philadelphia Eagles: Running back Ryan Matthews rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive stops late helped the Eagles defeat the Atlanta Falcons 24-15.
- Miami Dolphins: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. The defense caught four interceptions including linebacker Kiko Alonso’s pick six helped the Dolphins defeat the San Diego Chargers 31-24.
Losers:
- Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers didn’t make enough big plays late in their loss to Dallas.
- New England Patriots: A fourth quarter fumble by tight end Julian Edelman proved costly as it led to the go-ahead touchdown by Seattle resulting in a loss.
- New Orleans Saints: An extra point that would’ve won it was blocked and returned for two points as the Saints lost a heartbreaker to the Denver Broncos 25-23.
- Atlanta Falcons: Being held to only 48 rushing yards and key drops doomed the Falcons in their loss to Philadelphia.
- NFC North: With the exception of the Detroit Lions who were on bye, the rest of the NFC North was blah. First turnovers cost the Chicago Bears in their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-10, with injuries and infighting abound, seems like another gut job is needed in the Windy City. Second, turnovers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers being sacked five times were the Packers’ undoing in their loss to the Tennessee Titans 47-25. Now there’s finger pointing in Green Bay. Meanwhile the Vikings couldn’t get scoring drives in the second half in their loss to Washington. Minnesota continues their freefall. After all that, the Lions are in the first place, we all had that, right?!
- Cincinnati Bengals: Quarterback Andy Dalton being sacked three times and 2 for 11 on third downs doomed the Bengals in their loss to the New York Giants 21-20.
Storylines Going Into Week 11:
Can Baltimore stop Dallas’ hot streak? Buffalo goes to Cincinnati. Tennessee plays Indy. Minnesota will try to snap their losing streak as they host Arizona.
Miami stays out west as they play Los Angeles. Philly goes to Seattle. Green Bay battles Washington. Houston travels to Oakland.