Teams have been announcing themselves with statement games throughout the NFL season, but Week 10 was dedicated to two individuals: ‘They’re back!’
He’s Back!
Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Sam Darnold last week. His nightmare performance against the New England Patriots cost him his job as the starting quarterback. However, it also triggered the re-signing of Cam Newton who hasn’t played for the franchise since featuring twice in the 2019 season.
Welcomed back by most, particularly given how badly Darnold has struggled, Newton produced two touchdowns on his first two plays against the Arizona Cardinals – a two-yard run and two-yard pass.
Cam Newton on shouting 'I'm baaaack' after his first TD: "Well, at this time last week I was eating a bowl of cereal. You feel me?"
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 15, 2021
While he only finished up with eight yards on three of four attempts, the signs are good. So good, in fact, that the Panthers are preparing for him to start against the Washington Football Team in Week 11.
The Panthers are currently -3.5 favourites for next week.
Washington’s Up & Down Week
The Washington Football Team celebrated their impressive 29-19 loss over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10. Their defence flustered Tom Brady all day, forcing two interceptions in a generally poor performance from the GOAT. The unexpected victory makes it three for the season, but it came at a cost.
Cart coming onto the field for Washington DE Chase Young.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 14, 2021
Reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young limped off the field with a right knee injury. The non-contact nature had most expecting the worst with it later confirmed he would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Washington did it with defence in Week 10 but lost one of their most influential players in the process. It’s a tough week for a team that just can’t put it together over a long period of time.
And He’s Back!
We all knew it was coming…
Patrick Mahomes hasn’t looked himself to start the NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs offence hasn’t been firing and the defence has struggled to cope under the pressures of the ridiculous number of turnovers this team has been giving up. But it was only a matter of time before Mahomes clicked into gear and the Chiefs started to look like the team most expected heading into Week 1.
The superstar quarterback threw five touchdowns and for 406 yards as the Chiefs thrashed a hapless Las Vegas Raiders 41-14. Mahomes let it fly all afternoon to connect on 35 of his 50 attempts as he threw himself, and the Chiefs, back into form.
Patrick Mahomes has recorded his 30th career game with 300+ pass yards, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for most such games in a player's first 5 seasons in NFL history
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) November 15, 2021
Most notably given his start to the season, Mahomes finished with no interceptions.
Via ESPN Stats & Info: Patrick Mahomes is 11-0 in road division games in his career. Only Joe Montana (20 straight) and Peyton Manning (12 straight) had longer road division win streaks since the 1970 merger.
The Chiefs kicked off the NFL season among the championship favourites but have slowly been slipping due to their 5-4 record. But now 6-4 and with Mahomes showing signs of life, their $11 to win Super Bowl LVI appeals. This was the Raiders, though. And it’s November. The wheels fall off the franchise at this time of the year and Kansas City’s real test comes next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
Tie Game
“I didn’t even know you could tie in the NFL.”
Week 10’s 16-16 draw between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions came as a surprise to Najee Harris.
It came as a surprise to a lot of people, too. The Lions were winless heading into this one. They still are, but they’ve managed to avoid 0-9 to be 0-8-1 and rule out a dreaded 0-17 season. They’re still on a 13-game winless streak and are preparing to face an unconvincing Cleveland Browns outfit as +10.5 underdogs in Week 11.
NFL Against The Spread Standings
Aaron Rodgers returned to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 17-0 win as -3 favourites over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. The Washington Football Team broke their four-game losing streak against the spread with their win over Kansas City but remain fixed to the bottom of the ladder.
After Week 10
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| TEAMS | PRICE MOVE | |
| Green Bay (9-1) | Denver (5-5) | |
| Dallas (8-1) | Miami (4-5-1) | |
| Tennessee (7-3) | Chicago (4-5) | |
| Arizona (7-3) | Houston (4-5) | |
| Buffalo (5-3-1) | Jacksonville (4-5) | |
| Indianapolis (6-4) | Las Vegas (4-5) | |
| New England (6-4) | Atlanta (4-5) | |
| NY Giants (5-4) | Cincinnati (4-5) | |
| Minnesota (5-4) | LA Rams (4-6) | |
| Detroit (5-4) | San Francisco (3-6) | |
| New Orleans (5-4) | Tampa Bay (3-6) | |
| LA Chargers (5-4) | Pittsburgh (3-6) | |
| Seattle (5-4) | Baltimore (3-6) | |
| Philadelphia (5-5) | Kansas City (3-7) | |
| Cleveland (5-5) | NY Jets (2-7) | |
| Carolina (5-5) | Washington (2-7) | |
