Delayed games, rain storms and Hail Marys? What a week of football in week 10. Wade Zanchetta gives his storylines from the craziness that was.
K.1.
Yes this is a recurring theme as the NFL gets to watch the young superstar make his case for MVP each week. This week Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals took the Buffalo Bills to the wire where Murray made the best play of his young career for a 32-30 win.
As good as that moment was, Murray became the first quarterback to record a passing and rushing touchdown in eight of the first nine games in a season. He was stellar both through the air and on the ground against Buffalo as he had 306 yards and three touchdowns.
With the season well underway and players separating themselves with each game, Kyler Murray is the front runner for MVP. Russell Wilson has been throwing interceptions non-stop and dropping key games where he could have pulled ahead. The two stars face off this week in a game that could determine the race at the end of the year.
Miami Dolphins, Division Leaders?
While the Miami Dolphins are not in the lead of the AFC East, they are just a game behind the Buffalo Bills who fell to 7-3 on Sunday. Miami has used a stout defence to anchor their team. Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has also helped them reach 6-3 by going undefeated through his first three games.
Tua has looked like he is in complete control of the Dolphins’ offence and has done everything his team has asked him to. As of late the team has asked for ball control and methodical drives which Tua has delivered.
Miami can control their own destiny from here on out with a chance to reel off three more wins before they host the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England Nor’easter
The Baltimore Ravens travelled to New England to take on the Patriots on Sunday Night Football and walked out drenched and with a 23-17 loss. The same storm that delayed Cleveland’s game earlier in the day showed up in the north east. With the weather and a depleted Ravens’ defensive line, New England relied on the ground game and controlled from start to finish.
New England’s defence was firing despite not having Stephon Gilmore as they held Baltimore’s rushing attack 60 yards below their average number. While Baltimore did not really try to establish the run with 28 total attempts split between four ball carriers, they were outclassed by the Patriots all game.
As for Baltimore, they struggled to hold onto the ball with three bad snaps, an interception, and a handful of dropped passes. With the Derrick Henry led Tennessee Titans and the 9-0 Pittsburgh Steelers in the next two weeks, the Ravens will need to find a way to get healthy and limit their mistakes.
Rams’ Defence Stands Tall
Russell Wilson was held out of the endzone and turned the ball over three times against the Los Angeles Rams as the Seattle Seahawks fell 23-16. While he accounted for 308 total yards, the three turnovers made the difference in the game.
Darious Williams led the Rams defence with two interceptions, and a key pass break up in the endzone to help seal the win. On the other side, Jalen Ramsey kept D.K. Metcalf quiet, limiting him to two receptions on the afternoon.
The win creates a deadlock atop the NFC West where the Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks are all in position to win the top division in football while the other two will be left to fight for the three wildcard spots available this year.
Bears’ Offence MIA
The Chicago Bears lost their fourth game in a row to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night in a game that featured a ton of defence. Chicago shut down the NFL’s leading rusher in Dalvin Cook for most of the game, but were only able to piece together 32 yards of offence in the second half.
While Nick Foles struggled to move the ball, Cordarrelle Patterson was the only bright spot as he returned a kickoff 104 yards to give Chicago the lead coming out of the half.
The Bears’ first four drives in the second half were all three and outs which left their defence exhausted by the end when Cook finally began to break some longer runs and extend drives for the Vikings.
The lack of an offence for Chicago cements the need to reset the face of the franchise with a new quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. With weapons like David Montgomery, Allen Robinson, and rookie Cole Kmet paired with Matt Nagy’s creative schemes, this team should be amongst the best offences and not struggling to even gain first downs.
If you want to check out last week’s storylines click here.