The first thing I want to say here is that if today's newsletter reads like a guy with 41 cups of coffee in his system wrote it, it's because I actually think I have 41 cups of coffee in my system.
The NFL got so crazy yesterday that I haven't been able to sleep, so I've been drinking coffee nonstop for 14 straight hours. The irony here is that I actually almost did fall asleep while watching the Browns game, but I'm glad I didn't, because the rest of the day was total chaos.
A Hail Mary from Kyler Murray? A 61-yard field goal? The Ravens falling on their face in New England? Nick Chubb ruining my fantasy season?
That all happened and it's all in today's newsletter, so let's get to the rundown. As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share the link. We'll gladly accept all new sign-ups, even if they fell asleep during the Texans-Browns game.
1. Today's Show: Week 10 winners and losers plus full recap
It's Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 10 and let me just say, there is a lot you need to know, because Week 10 was bananas.
One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday's action. For our winners this week, Ryan got lazy and picked the same team as last week, Brinson picked the most obvious choice and I must have been drunk because I picked an NFC East team.
Ryan Wilson
- Winner: Brian Flores and the Dolphins. I'm starting to think Ryan has a man-crush on the Dolphins, because for the second straight week, they are his winner. Wilson has been highly impressed with their defense and he's starting to feel like they're a lock to make the playoffs, which is saying a lot, considering this team started 0-7 just last season.
- Loser: Ravens. After being upset by the Patriots, the Ravens have likely squandered any chance they had of winning the AFC North. Not only are they now three games behind the Steelers, but they're also tied with the Browns for second place in the division.
Will Brinson
- Winner: Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. You can probably guess why Brinson picked this combo. If you can't guess why, just click here and watch the Hail Mary again.
- Loser: Texans. This seems like a franchise going nowhere. They're wasting Deshaun Watson's prime, they have no draft picks and they're led by a guy in the front office (Jack Easterby) who has no history of leading a team. Brinson thinks the Texans are headed for a "dark place." I have no idea what that means, but it doesn't sound good.
John Breech
- Winner: Giants. For most teams in the NFL, being 3-7 through the first 10 weeks is viewed as a total failure, but not for the NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS. This team is now just a half game out of first place in the NFC East and as crazy as it sounds, I'm starting to feel like they might be the best team in the division.
- Loser: Nick Chubb fantasy owners. I'm not going to beat around the bush here, Nick Chubb is on my fantasy team and I cried for a full 10 minutes when he decided to STOP on the 1-yard line instead of scoring a touchdown late in the game against the Texans. If you also have Chubb on your fantasy team, I empathize with you. We need to have a group meeting at some point this week so we can all console each other. I'll see if CBS will let me schedule a Zoom call.
Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. If you want to listen -- and you definitely should -- you can click here.
2. Cardinals beat Bills on the "Hail Murray"
From this day forward, Kyler Murray's Hail Mary pass will forever be known as the "Hail Murray." On the other hand, the pass might as well be named after Bill Murray due to the fact that Buffalo lives in a perpetual Groundhog Day where they are always finding new and improbable ways to lose. The team that was on the losing end of the Music City Miracle and once lost a Super Bowl on a missed field goal can now add this to their historic list of crazy losses."
The Cardinals' 32-30 win over the Bills was wild for the first 59 minutes and then went absolutely bonkers in the final 34 seconds.
- Bills score TD with 34 seconds left. The sad thing about the Hail Mary for the Bills is that everyone is going to forget about the fact that Josh Allen led a 75-yard scoring drive that culminated with a 21-yard TD pass to Stefon Diggs that gave the Bills the lead with just 34 seconds left. On the drive, Allen was absolutely clutch, going 8 of 11 for 61 yards. In most games, scoring a touchdown with 34 seconds left is usually good enough to get you the win, but this wasn't most games.
- Kyler throws up 43-yard prayer to DeAndre Hopkins. Every time I watch this play, I notice something amazing that I didn't see the first time. First, Murray almost got sacked before he was even able to get the pass off, but his athleticism saved him. The Cardinals QB had to use a sweet stutter-step to keep the play alive. Second, he was rolling left, so he had to throw ACROSS his body and he had to throw it at least 50 yards in the air, which is not an easy combo, even for an NFL QB. Finally, DeAndre Hopkins then had to somehow beat the Bills coverage, which was nearly perfect. Hopkins was completely surrounded and yet still managed to catch the pass (You can click here to see how well covered Hopkins was). I will be watching this play on a loop for at least two hours today.
- Gamblers now hate the Cardinals. The craziness of the game didn't stop after the Hail Mary and that's because there was a fun twist on the extra point: The Cardinals decided NOT to attempt one. With Arizona up 32-30, coach Kliff Kingsbury didn't want to risk the Bills blocking the extra point and returning it for two, so he decided to have Murray kneel the ball, much to the chagrin of everyone who bet on the Cardinals. Arizona closed as a 2.5-point favorite at most sports books and if they had kicked the extra point, they would have covered, but Kingsbury called for the kneel down, giving Bills bettors the improbable win.
You know what, now that I'm thinking about it, Bills fans deserved that. They didn't get the win, but at least Kingsbury let them keep their dignity.
3. Monday preview: Prepping you for Vikings-Bears
Guys, I know that we all hate Mondays, but I have to say, I don't think anyone hates Monday more than Kirk Cousins and that's because he has NEVER WON A MONDAY GAME in his career. That's like going an entire year without going to the bathroom on a Tuesday, it doesn't even seem possible. Since being drafted in 2012, Cousins has started in nine Monday games and he's gone 0-9 in those games. Also, since signing with the Vikings, he's gone winless against the Bears (0-3).
Anyway, I think the reason I'm telling you all of this is because the Vikings are favored by 3.5 points tonight and that feels like too many points for a team that's quarterbacked by a guy who's never won on a Monday.
With that in mind, let's take a look at a few nuggets from our Vikings-Bears preview.
- On Minnesota's end, the Vikings are likely going to turn to Dalvin Cook early and often. Cook has arguably been the best running back in the NFL over the past two weeks with five touchdowns and an average of 184.5 yards per game since Week 9. Of course, if Cook has one weakness, it's playing the Bears. In three career games, he's averaged just 28.7 yards per game.
- The Bears have one of the worst offenses in the NFL this year, but if there's one saving grace, it's that they get to go up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL on Monday night. The Vikings are surrendering an average of 412.9 yards per game this season, which is the third most in the NFL. The Bears might actually be able to move the ball on them.
Breech's prediction: Bears 20-17 over Vikings (Note: I'm somehow 11-2 on my picks in Week 10).
For a more in-depth preview on this game from Jared Dubin, be sure to click here.
4. Week 10 grades: Eagles get an 'F' in loss to Giants
Every week, I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the Philadelphia Eagles failed out of our imaginary football school. Honestly, we should probably just fail out the entire NFC East, but someone has to win that division and as crazy as it sounds, the Giants are starting to look like they might be that team.
Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:
Giants 27, Eagles 17 (Click here for full recap)
Giants takeaway: For the first time in his career, Daniel Jones beat a divisional opponent not named Washington. Going into this game, Jones was 4-0 against Washington, but 0-4 against Dallas and Philadelphia. Jones finally got the Eagles monkey off his back with an impressive performance that included more than 300 total yards (244 passing yards, 64 rushing yards). Grade: B
Eagles takeaway: The Giants went into this game with the worst offense in the NFC -- averaging just 306.6 yards per game -- and the Eagles still couldn't stop them. Offensively, things might have actually been worse for the Eagles, who managed to go through the entire game without converting a single third down (0-for-9). Grade: F
Raiders 37, Broncos 12 (Click here for full recap)
Raiders takeaway: The Raiders ran the ball down Denver's throat and dared the Broncos to stop them, but Denver simply couldn't figure out how to slow down the Las Vegas rushing game. The Raiders ground attack imposed its will on the Broncos' defense, totaling 203 yards on 41 carries. Josh Jacobs did most of the damage (21 carries, 112 yards, two touchdowns), but he also got some help from Devontae Booker (16 carries, 81 yards, 2 touchdowns). Grade: A+
Broncos takeaway: I think the Raiders' game plan on Sunday was to just let the Broncos beat themselves and that plan worked to perfection as the Broncos turned the ball over five times. The Broncos might have to start their quarterback search all over again and that's because it's starting to look like Drew Lock might not be their QB of the future. Of those five turnovers, four came on Lock interceptions. It was a disastrous game for the Broncos' second-year QB. Grade: F
As for the other 20 grades we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here.
5. NFL playoff picture heading into Monday night
Now that we're 10 weeks through the season, I've decided that now is a good time to see how the playoff picture is shaking out, so let's check out how the race is looking in each conference, starting with the AFC.
Two key things to remember this year is that SEVEN teams will be getting in and that only the top seed will be getting a bye. Also, the "First team out" is being listed because that team could be the last one in if the NFL decides to expand the playoffs to 16 teams. That proposal has been approved, but the expansion to 16 will only happen if multiple regular season games are canceled and can't be made up.
AFC
1. Steelers (8-0)
2. Chiefs (8-1)
3. Bills (7-3)
4. Colts (6-3)
5. Raiders (6-3)
6. Dolphins (6-3)
7. Ravens (6-3)
First team out: Browns (6-3)
The most notable part of the AFC playoff picture is that the Tennessee Titans are NOWHERE to be found. When we checked in on the playoff picture last week, the Titans had the fourth seed, but after losing to the Colts in Week 10, they dropped all the way down to ninth, which means they wouldn't even be in if playoff field was expanded to 16 teams. The Titans are one of nine AFC teams that currently has six or more wins, which is a record for one conference through 10 weeks. Also, if the seeding holds, it would give us Ravens-Chiefs in the wild-card round. Yes please.
NFC
1. Packers (7-2)
2. Saints (7-2)
3. Cardinals (6-3)
4. Eagles (3-5-1)
5. Buccaneers (7-3)
6. Rams (6-3)
7. Seahawks (6-3)
First team out: Bears (5-4) -- Bears will keep this spot even if they lose on Monday night.
Why is the NFC East getting a playoff berth? I have no idea. At 3-5-1, the Eagles have the fewest wins by an outright division leader through 10 weeks since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970. As crazy as it sounds, we are staring at the very real possibility that the NFC East champ only finishes with five wins. In non-NFC East news, the "Hail Murray" didn't just help the Cardinals pick up an improbable win, it also vaulted Arizona to the top of the NFC West. Last week, the Cardinals were the sixth seed in the NFC, but after their win over Buffalo, they're now up to the third seed.
6. Drew Brees headlines list of QB injuries in Week 10
It was an ugly week of injuries at the quarterback position as Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Matthew Stafford all got banged up on Sunday. Of the injuries, Brees' situation definitely seems to be the worst and with that in mind, let's take a look at the latest update on each guy.
- Drew Brees (ribs): This is definitely the most concerning injury on this list and that's because it's starting to look like Brees is the only quarterback of the three who could potentially miss some time. Brees suffered a a rib contusion against the 49ers and according to NFL.com, New Orleans is bracing for Brees to miss some time so he can fully heal. Fortunately for the Saints, they might be able to survive for awhile without Brees and that's because their next four opponents all have just three wins. The Saints play the 3-6 Falcons in Week 11, the 3-6 Broncos in Week 12, a rematch with the Falcons in Week 13 followed by a game against the 3-5-1 Eagles in Week 13. If Jameis Winston has to start, those are four games he could absolutely win.
- Teddy Bridgewater (right knee): The Panthers quarterback injured his knee against the Buccaneers, and so far, it doesn't look like anything serious. The initial diagnosis is that Bridgewater strained his MCL and will be day-to-day going forward. Although that means he'll likely play in Week 11 against the Lions, the Panthers could also choose to be cautious here and hold him out a week.
- Matthew Stafford (right thumb): Stafford's thumb got so banged up against Washington that he had trouble gripping the ball at times during the Lions' 30-27 win. The good news for the Lions is that his X-rays came back negative and the team is optimistic that he'll be able to play this week against the Panthers. Even if he plays in Week 11, there's a good chance he'll be limited in practice this week.
Stafford and Bridgewater are actually playing each other in Week 11, which adds a twist to the injuries suffered by those two players.
7. The Kicker!
Guys, when it comes to kicking, you know I never exaggerate, so I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this: Sunday might have been the greatest kicking day in NFL history. There were 10 field goals on the day of 50 yards or more and there were four field goals of 55 yards or more with both totals tying an NFL record for a single day. NFL kickers were also a perfect 11 of 11 on field goal attempts of more than 50 yards in Week 10, which is the most ever attempted in a week where they combined to make 100% of their kicks.
Personally, my favorite kick of the day came from Seattle's Jason Myers, who drilled a 61-YARD FIELD GOAL against the Rams. Let me just say that I don't usually do tequila shots at 4:30 p.m. on a Sunday, but I will absolutely do one if I see someone make a kick of more than 60 yards. Fortunately for me, I haven't had to really break out the Sunday afternoon tequila this season, because before this week, no one in the NFL had made a field goal of 60 yards or more.
Not only did Myers hit the longest field goal of the season, but it also set the Seahawks franchise record for longest kick. If you want to see the field goal -- and trust me, you do, because the kick only made it by about a foot -- just click here.
If you need me, I'll be watching that kick on a loop for the next 24 hours straight, but I probably won't be including the tequila shot while watching the replay. That doesn't seem like a good idea. See you guys Tuesday!
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-week-10-winners-and-losers-plus-grades-for-every-game-the-wild-hail-murray-and-vikings-bears-preview/
2020-11-16 18:23:00Z
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