This is the point of the season when things will begin to reverse—more division rivalry action, more heavy-weight matchups, and a step closer to playoff scenarios mapping out. The tenth week of the NFL season is when things become more transparent on who wants to win a championship, who wants an invitation to the postseason, and who is just doing their time until their offseason arrives. This is the crystal ball week of the NFL season.
Week 10 of this season has been no different, as we have seen what is to come for the remaining weeks and what we could witness for the next couple of seasons. There are three quarterbacks to highlight from this week. Their performances will cause you to have second thoughts about how these next eight weeks will go down.
Bryce is Finally Putting Things Together
With pitiful pass protection against a New York Giants defense that leads the league in sacks, Bryce Young was playing the best we have seen since his arrival to the league. Completing 15-for-25 passes for one touchdown and 126 passing yards. His touchdown pass on the run to tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders was a Bryce Young-like play that has yet to be seen since he was still playing for the Crimson Tide. On the play, Young moved up in the collapsing pocket once he saw ex-Panther Brian Burns coming off the edge and juked another Giants rusher to scramble to the right. He hit Sanders in the endzone with a nicely touched pass. Bryce Young showed off decisiveness in Germany last Sunday. He was releasing the ball within two to three seconds with a collapsing pocket, just like against the Saints the week before.
While the joy of playing the game was shown through his smile, he showed off after tucking and running for a first down in the third quarter, quickly escaping from the Giants' pass rush through the middle of the defense. His confidence was obvious with the big-time throws he made in the second half. The throw he made in the third quarter on a second and 11 play was a speeding 13-yard strike to David Moore for a first down and goal. That play was followed by a quick pass to Ja'Tavion Sanders in the flat with one Giant defender in his face. That should have been a touchdown, but it was still a play that revealed the poise he showed off all game against the Giants. The Bryce Young that spectators became used to seeing would have panicked and lost the ball or ducked in fear on that play. His best game throw was on a third and eighth play in the fourth quarter at the 2:40 mark when he completed a spiraling pass to Xavier Leggette for 11 yards towards the right sidelines with a perfect arc put on the pass. Bryce Young distributed the football to 6 different receivers last Sunday against the Giants.
With the Carolina Panthers on a winning streak for the first time since September of the 2021 season and Bryce Young finding the groove in understanding the way an NFL offense should move. There is optimism to spot with them. Along with other young talent to admire, such as Chuba Hubbard, Xavier Leggette, and Ja'Tavion Sanders. Bryce Young and this Panthers' offense can become a serious, balanced NFL force in the near future. Also, with new head coach Dave Canales already having a proud track record of turning around careers and offenses, that possibility can happen soon.
We Are TuAnon. Expect Us
Tua Tagovailoa is seeing things much better in these past three games since returning from concussion protocol. This should have been his career-best season, and he would be in the MVP race if things had gone right. Last Monday night, Tua performed superbly against a resurgent Rams squad. A combination of mobility and improvisational skills unseen by him in the past. Critics have said that he is a one-read quarterback who is unable to come through in the big games at critical moments. Coming off a 2-TD, interception-free performance against the Bills in Buffalo. Tua turned in another efficient performance with 1 touchdown pass and 207 yards through the air while missing only 8 of his 28 pass attempts against the Rams. The most impressive plays he made for the night were the ones where he was scrambling and finding targets on the move.
On the fourth play from scrimmage on third down and 13 where, he dodged three Rams' pass rushers, then scrambled to his left to find an open Jaylen Waddle for 36 yards, leading the Dolphins' first touchdown of the game, scored by Malik Washington. Another third and long play in the third quarter when Miami was up 17-9 where Tua spun away from Jared Verse and made an off-balanced throw to Raheem Mostert while shifting to the right, converting the first down to continue another scoring drive concluded by 3 more points. One throw he made in the fourth quarter with under three minutes was a tight window throw to Malik Washington between two Rams defenders for 17 yards that eventually led to another field goal by Jason Sanders. These plays would be considered out of Tua Tagovailoa's character to make.
At 3-6 with their playoff hopes on life support, the rest of their schedule presenting at least five of their next eight games being winnable for them. Their last stretch of games includes the Raiders, Patriots, Packers, 49ers, Texans, Browns, and the Jets twice. Tua and the Dolphins are coming off their best defensive performance of the season, shutting down a red-hot Rams passing attack led by a red-hot Matthew Stafford, which gives them a great chance of starting a winning streak for a playoff spot. Like the Rams, the Texans and 49ers need to live up to preseason expectations and try to figure out how to put themselves back together. That makes it, at best, seven of their last eight games being winnable for them, which is enough to make them 10-7. Suppose Tua continues to play more aggressively, and the defense keeps playing lock-down football. In that case, their playoff appearance streak will continue. Their possible 3-year playoff streak will be the longest since 1997-2001.
The Steelers will win the AFC North
The Steelers are now on a three-game winning streak with Russell Wilson heroically throwing three touchdowns, including the game-winner to new Steelers wideout Mike Williams against the Commanders. Justin Fields did an excellent job managing the offense during the first six games, but it became a completely different offense once Russell Wilson was under center. An offense that became more fluent and multi-dimensional with Russell's moonshot deep throws. He may not be as mobile as he was a decade ago, but his wisdom on patrolling a mistake-free offense that can be executed will help Arthur Smith open up the playbook more. The Steelers have averaged 30.3 points per game and 382 yards per game since starting Russell Wilson. They averaged 20.7 points per game and 298 yards per game during Justin Fields' six starts.
Wilson may have missed some deep shot passes, but he hit the one that mattered the most in the fourth quarter with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams towards the left pile line to beat Washington, 28-27. He was also hitting short-to-medium shots to 7 other players, including Calvin Austin and Pat Freiermuth, who have been getting more involved in an offense that was considered boring recently. George Pickens has been developing into becoming a true elite go-to-guy, as he caught his second touchdown and racked up 276 receiving yards during Russell Wilson's first three starts as a Pittsburgh Steeler. His seven targets to George Pickens and five completions to him for 91 yards with that spectacular touchdown grab for the first 6 points of the game reveal the trust that Russell and George have. Once again, Wilson is throwing to a guy who is thrilling to watch, as when he had D.K. Metcalf back in Seattle. This high-potent running game, gelled together by Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Cordarrelle Patterson, will continue to improve with the efficient passing game.
Their always-gritty defense slowed down Washington's explosive offense despite T.J. Watt not making much of an impact in the game due to facing so many blockers simultaneously. Cameron Heyward was still making plays at an elderly age for pro football with two sacks and tackles in the backfield. Another new Steeler through trade, Preston Smith, made his presence felt with a sack and two tackles for loss while sniffing out some screen passes. This Commanders' offense they faced last Sunday came into the game rated top ten in every statistical category except passing yards per game and ended up being held to 242 total yards by the Steelers defense. It was the first time since Week 1 that the Commanders didn't reach 300 yards of total offense in a game and the first time that they didn't convert on fourth down, a statistic in which they were a perfect 11/11 before last Sunday.
This new pass rush rotation with Preston Smith, Alex Highsmith, and T.J. Watt should be able to advance the Steelers' defensive success. They are the NFL's second-best scoring defense, with just 16.2 points permitted per game and 146 total points to their opposition this season. They are also tied with the Los Angeles Chargers in having the league's second-best turnover differential this season with a +9-turnover differential.
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