Biggest Winners and Losers in the NFL: Week 10
A couple of teams get huge wins to keep pace with first-place and a team ready to start rattling off wins. On the other hand, the losers should not panic, but need to pick it up quickly.
Winners
Minnesota Vikings
After an extremely rough start to the 2020 season, the Minnesota Vikings have now turned the corner and look like the team we saw last year. After starting the year 1-5, Minnesota has now won three in a row, all three in the division. Their latest was a 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. At 4-5 now, the Vikings' next three games feature the Dallas Cowboys (2-7), Carolina Panthers (3-7), and Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8). While the games still must be played out, Minnesota has a real chance to be 7-5 going into the last quarter of the season.
Indianapolis Colts
They are not the most impressive team, but the Colts have found ways to win football games in 2020. At 6-3, the Colts now lead the AFC South and are coming off a statement victory over the Tennessee Titans by a score of 34-17, moving the Titans to second in the division. Indy’s schedule is extremely tough, but with a veteran quarterback and a top tier defense, the Colts can beat anybody on any given Sunday, including the Green Bay Packers, who are one of the top teams in the NFC. Another statement win would be massive for the Colts and their quest to take the division title.
Arizona Cardinals
Through ten weeks, it is time to start taking the Arizona Cardinals seriously, especially after beating the Buffalo Bills. With their backs against the wall, QB Kyler Murray threw a Hail Mary heave and completed it to star WR DeAndre Hopkins for the game-winning touchdown. Arizona is now 6-3 and has a golden opportunity to keep pace for the division lead on Thursday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. Kyler Murray is performing like a star and is putting his team in a position to win. If Arizona can avoid a few let-down losses, they might be poised to take a tough NFC West division in 2020.
Losers
Seattle Seahawks
While it was hidden when QB Russell Wilson was playing the best he has ever played, the defense is now being exposed against good offenses. Since their bye week, Seattle has lost three of four with two of those in the division and are now 6-3 heading into a big matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. While still playing great, Wilson proved to be human the last couple of weeks, proving he needs help on the defensive side of the ball. Despite this, Seattle will get RB Chris Carson back on Thursday and hope to become more balanced on offense. Even if this does happen though, there is no hiding how bad the Seahawks defense has been this season.
Baltimore Ravens
While still at 6-3, the Baltimore Ravens have not looked great since their bye week, totaling to a record of 1-2. After a crushing loss to the Steelers and an uneasy win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Ravens got outplayed by the New England Patriots, who were 3-5 entering the game. This is a game the Ravens should have dominated, but obviously, it did not end up that way. It is not time to panic in Baltimore, but with their next two opponents combining for a record of 15-3 (Titans, Steelers), the Ravens are going to need to win a marquee game to stay anywhere near the Steelers for the division. Besides the division, the Ravens also must keep winning to keep pace with the other five 6-3 teams in the AFC (Browns, Raiders, Dolphins, Colts, Titans).
Chicago Bears
After starting the season 5-1, the Chicago Bears have officially come crashing down to earth. Heading into their bye week, they are now 5-5, and have not scored 25 or more points in seven weeks. What makes that extra frustrating is that their defense has been phenomenal, holding opponents to 25 points or less in eight of the ten games. Their record in those games is 4-4, which is mediocre at best. The quarterback play has been well below-average and there are no signs of that getting better, let alone the entire offense.
Writer
-By: Richie Dordas