We roll right along into another great NFL slate, as we enter week 10. Teams far and wide will be looking to improve their position as they are locked deep in the playoff race. Only one team remains unbeaten following week nine, and that team is the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots couldn’t overcome a highly entertaining match-up in Baltimore, and enter their bye week with one loss. The Raiders were able to outlast the Chargers in Thursday night’s game, and that puts some pressure on other teams right on the playoff bubble. All in all, it sets up yet another must-see week in the NFL. Here are the 5 things to watch in week 10.
Coaching Hot Seats
It’s week 10 and coaches who find themseleves on the hot seat, are probably not currently comfortable, as those seats are roasting by now. The top of that list has to be Atlanta’s Dan Quinn, who will need to have a better performance out of his team if he wants to continue to be the head man, moving forward.
The Falcons are coming off a bye, but it has been made plenty clear that Quinn is on a week-to-week basis. The Saints are favored by a bunch on Sunday, and if the Falcons fail to get the job done, then this will most likely be Dan Quinn’s last game as the Falcons’ head coach. The Brown’s Freddie Kitchens and the Jets’ Adam Gase, teams haven’t performed to the level as expected, so they are right in the Hot Seat conversation.
Lamar Jackson For MVP?
Lamar Jackson did the unthinkable last Sunday Night, as he led the Ravens to a win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Has he punched his claim for this year’s MVP award? The Ravens get a little bit of a softer team this week as they square-off with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals seem to always come to play when facing the Ravens, so if Jackson can put on a strong encore performance, his MVP candidacy should continue to grow.
Are the 49ers for real?
Yes, San Francisco is the only remaining unbeaten team. However are they truly for real? They haven’t had that tough of a schedule to be honest, with games against the Redskins, the Cardinals this past week, the Buccaneers, and the Bengals just to name a few. The 49ers have built up wins, yes but they have come against some of the league’s worst teams. Now they will get a huge chance to prove that they are the best, as they get a Nationally Televised Game atmosphere on Monday Night Football match-up when the Seattle Seahawks visits San Francisco.
If the 49ers can win this game, they take a commanding hold of the NFC West and begin to run away with it. It can cement them as one of the best teams in the league. Plenty of skepticism as they haven’t really proved that they can be at that level.
End of an Era in Carolina
One of the biggest 5 things to watch in week 10 storylines, that has been for many weeks is the health and future for Panther Star quarterback Cam Newton. Newton’s time in Carolina looks to be nearing its end, as he was placed on Injured Reserve. Even without Newton, the Panthers find themseleves 5-3 heading into the second half of the schedule, and they are right in the playoff hunt.
Kyle Allen has really taken the quarterback job by the horns, as he has performed well, in that role. He has really created the eventual need to move Cam. Newton has been special in his time in the NFL, but it looks like it could be the end of an era in Carolina.
Can the Vikings bounce back?
Minnesota is in need of a rebound, as they couldn’t quite get the job done in Kansas City in week nine. It will be even tougher this week as Kirk Cousins will lead the Vikings into AT&T Stadium in Dallas for a clash with fellow 6-3 team the Cowboys. Cousins one knock throughout his career has been he can’t beat the big teams. He will get another shot this week. He played well against the Chiefs, but the rest of the team struggled. They will have to put it all together, because this is almost a must-win situation, as the Vikings trail the Packers in the NFC North, and this is a game that Minnesota just can’t afford to lose.
