Panthers vs. Steelers kicked off Week 10 in the NFL and it actually may be one of the best games of the week, despite being on Thursday night.
Week 10 in the NFL is well underway after starting out with what we were expecting to be among the better Thursday Night Football matchups of the year. Instead, the Steelers completely dominated the Panthers at Heinz Field and put an impressive 52 points on the scoreboard. Ben Roethlisberger had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in the game, completing 22 of 25 passes for 328 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Sunday Night Football featured an NFC East battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles had their bye week last week so they should have been well rested and ready for the Cowboys who were coming off a disappointing home loss to the Tennessee Titans. Instead, Philly looked far removed from the team that won the Super Bowl in February. The Cowboys won 27-20 in Philadelphia and as a result, strengthened Washington’s hold of the NFC East.
The week ends with a Monday Night Football game that pits two teams against each other who may be more interested in the 2019 NFL draft than the rest of the 2018 NFL season. It’s the San Francisco 49ers against the New York Giants. The 49ers just beat the one-win Raiders last week. Will they get their third win of the year against another team that has only one win? The Giants may be better off with a loss for draft order purposes, though no one will admit that going into the game. The 49ers are three-point favorites, which is pretty much what the oddsmakers gift them for hosting the game.
Big moments from Week 10
Drew Brees was looking to continue his record-breaking season when he visited Cincinnati on Sunday. The Saints quarterback needed three touchdown passes to surpass Brett Favre for the second-most regular-season touchdown passes in NFL history. Brees had 506 going into Sunday and Favre had 508 in his career. Brees threw three touchdown passes before leaving the game in the fourth quarter as the Saints easily beat the Bengals, 51-14. Brees now has the second-most touchdowns in NFL history at 509. Meanwhile, Tom Brady was one behind Brees going into Sunday with 505. Brady threw no touchdowns on Sunday as the Patriots lost 34-10 to the Titans.
A much younger quarterback was also looking to hit an NFL milestone on Sunday. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the NFL with 2,901 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes coming into Week 10. He was on a streak of throwing for 300+ yards and three touchdowns in four straight games and with another 300+ yard and three touchdown performance against the Cardinals on Sunday, he would have joined Steve Young (a Hall of Famer) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns in five straight games. Instead, Mahomes threw just two touchdowns and for 249 yards in a 26-14 win over the Cardinals. He broke the streak, but does have more touchdown passes through Week 10 than any Chiefs quarterback has ever had in a full season.
The Browns actually won a game; this one came against the Falcons. But the Browns can’t escape any game (even a win) without a “what are you doing?!” moment. They attempted a trick play with a running back throwing a pass that resulted in an interception. Baker Mayfield had been playing lights out prior to the play, so there was really no reason for it.
The Seahawks made it hard for the Rams, but Los Angeles is now 9-1 after beating Seattle, 36-31. The Rams can clinch the NFC West in Week 11. They’ll need a Seahawks loss on Thursday Night Football to the Packers and their own win on Monday Night Football in Mexico City against the Chiefs.
Andrew Luck and the Colts beat the Jaguars, 29-26. Luck has has thrown at least three touchdown passes in each of his past six games and is one of three quarterbacks in NFL history to record at least six-straight games with three or more touchdown passes in a single season. He joins Brady (10 consecutive games in 2007) and Peyton Manning (eight in 2004) to accomplish that feat. Brady and Manning were each named Associated Press Most Valuable Player in those respective seasons. The Colts are just trying to climb their way back into the playoff picture.
NFL Week 10 scores and schedule
Thursday, November 8
Carolina Panthers 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 52
Sunday, November 11
New England Patriots 10, Tennessee Titans 34
Washington 16, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3
Buffalo Bills 41 New York Jets 10
New Orleans Saints 51, Cincinnati Bengals 14
Atlanta Falcons 16, Cleveland Browns 28
Detroit Lions 22, Chicago Bears 34
Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Indianapolis Colts 29
Arizona Cardinals 14, Kansas City Chiefs 26
Los Angeles Chargers 20, Oakland Raiders 6
Miami Dolphins 12, Green Bay Packers 31
Seattle Seahawks 31, Los Angeles Rams 36
Dallas Cowboys 27, Philadelphia Eagles 20
Monday, November 12
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)