NFL Week 10 preview

Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NFL NETWORK)

The best game of Week 10 is the one you have to wait only a few days for. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about the quality of "Thursday Night Football." James Conner is quickly becoming the story of the year in the NFL, ranking second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage. Conner still has a game in hand over Todd Gurley, so if he keeps it up, it's not inconceivable that he could lead the league in that category. The Steelers' defense has been much-improved of late, but it will be tested by a Carolina offense that is taking full advantage of the talents of Christian McCaffrey and Cam Newton, who are meshing together in lethal fashion. Pittsburgh is coming off a physical battle in Baltimore, while Carolina was in more of a track meet with the Bucs. The Steelers have won four in a row and Carolina three, so someone's streak is ending in this one. Home field may well be the difference.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Detroit seems a far cry from the team that throttled the Patriots several weeks ago, and the Lions are once again looking for answers. They aren't a terrible team, per se, nor are they the team people thought had quit on Matt Patricia two games into the season, but they aren't very good, either. If they don't find a way to sneak into Chicago and get a road win, they'll be out of the playoff race altogether. Kerryon Johnson has been pretty good overall, but the Lions' run game has disappeared the last two weeks. Had Detroit handled its business against the Jets, 49ers and Cowboys, three mediocre teams, it'd be 6-2 and could afford a loss. Instead, with a brutal schedule looming, it cannot. Chicago is 5-3, and a win would keep the Bears right in the thick of things with Minnesota atop the NFC North. Mitch Trubisky's stats are a bit inflated by his six-touchdown wipeout of the Bucs in Week 4. But he's still been more good than bad. He may only need to be better than average in this one to help a balanced Bears team to a win.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Saints are riding high after downing the Rams in what was a possible NFC Championship Game preview last Sunday, and now they'll face a test similar to the one they narrowly passed in Baltimore, as they have to take on the elements and a Bengals team trying to keep pace with Pittsburgh. New Orleans is thin enough at wide receiver to be working out Dez Bryant, but even in light of that reality, the Saints have playmakers aplenty in the form of Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram and Taysom Hill. Oh, and some guy named Brees. For Cincy to win, it'll have to control the ball with Joe Mixon and try to figure out a way to pass effectively without A.J. Green around. Tyler Boyd has been a good second option this year, but it's going to be much tougher sledding for him with Green not around to draw attention. One thing the Bengals can't rely on is their defense, which ranks third from the bottom in points allowed and dead last in yards allowed. If the Saints get a lead early, the battle of "Who Dat" vs. "Who Dey" could be over in short order.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The bloom seems to be off the Cleveland rose, as now it has just settled into being a bad team with a rookie quarterback learning the ropes. Baker Mayfield has been more good than bad his last three games — all losses, of course — and against Atlanta's porous defense, he should be able to post good numbers. As bad as the Falcons are on that side of the ball, they've won three straight, and their offense is starting to hum. Wins against Tampa Bay and the Giants were one thing, but a total demolition of Washington and its usually stout defense was much more eye-opening, particularly because it happened on the road. At 1-4, the Falcons were left for dead by most, but it appears that Matt Ryan and Co. have plenty of life left in them. They still have a fairly brutal schedule, though, so games like this are must-wins if they want to have any shot of sneaking into the NFC Wild Card picture. As for Cleveland? One way to build a winning culture is to start defending your home turf more successfully. This would be a big step in that direction.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Titans kept themselves afloat in the AFC South with a win over Dallas that pulled them to 4-4, but their reward for that is a Patriots team that once again looks like the class of the AFC, save Kansas City — maybe. As usual, Bill Belichick's team doesn't rate well in total defense, but when it comes to points per game on that side, they're right around the top 10. The same goes for their offense, which is good all around but even better when it comes to scoring points. New England appears to be its usual ruthlessly efficient self, though a guy like Marcus Mariota, if he's going well, could give the Pats some fits for a while and perhaps make things interesting. Also capable of making things interesting is Tennessee's defense, which is tops in the league in points allowed, despite being eighth in yards. Perhaps Mike Vrabel's time playing for Belichick made an even bigger impression than previously thought. 

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

This game more or less functions as an AFC South eliminator. Whichever team loses will be 3-6 and have no real chance of catching up. Jaguars fans probably have some perverse hope that it is their team, so that they can fall to the bottom of the standings and perhaps draft a quarterback of the future and dispense with Blake Bortles. The Colts, on the other hand, have won two in a row and probably feel like they could get humming a bit with three straight home games against average or worse competition. If Indy wins here, they're 4-5 with Tennessee and Miami coming up, as well as Dallas and the Giants still on the schedule. Andrew Luck is cooking, and Marlon Mack has been stellar on the ground in three of his four games this season, including the previous two, in which he totaled 258 yards on just 44 carries. The Jags played the Eagles tough, but they've lost four in a row and the worm has very obviously turned in regard to Bortles, plus they've been gutted by injuries. Things may get much worse before they get better in Duval County.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

On paper, this seems like a major, major mismatch. In practice, this should be a major, major mismatch. Kansas City hasn't slowed down at all, and Patrick Mahomes' 29 touchdown passes are the most by a quarterback in his first 10 career starts in NFL history. What's more impressive is that all 29 TDs have come this season, as his one start last year did not yield any. Mahomes hasn't slowed down at all, and there's no reason to believe he or the Chiefs will anytime soon. The only mildly concerning thing for Mahomes is his interception total, which has jumped to eight. All of his picks have been in the last five games, but he's thrown 14 touchdowns during that stretch, so it isn't like he has been bad. Arizona can only hope that Josh Rosen someday morphs into what Mahomes already is, but the Cardinals need help in enough areas that a loss here is probably for the best, as it would allow them to continue moving toward the top of the draft. One fun matchup should be Mahomes and his receivers vs. Patrick Peterson.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Avert your eyes for this one, unless you like really bad football. The Bills' defense isn't actually half bad, but it's a classic example of a unit hamstrung by a historically inept offense. Buffalo ranks third in the league in yards allowed and a staggering 26th in points allowed. If that isn't an indictment of Buffalo's offense as one of the worst in league history, I don't know what is. The Bills' offense has created more touchdowns for opposing defenses (four) than it has passing touchdowns for itself (three). I'm struggling to write anything else about this team or this game because that's just astonishingly bad. Buffalo has reached double digits in four of its nine games. The other five? Zero, three, five, six and nine. The Jets aren't even worth writing about here because as bad as they are, it's in a mostly conventional way. Sam Darnold won't play, and the buzzards are circling Todd Bowles, but New York should still win this game. Heck, with Josh McCown playing, the Jets might win by a whole bunch.

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Washington still has the lead in the NFC East, but it is down to one game after it was drilled at home by Atlanta. The Redskins' defense, their calling card for most of this season, got shredded for 38 points, breaking a streak of three straight games in which Washington held the opposition under 20 points. Tampa Bay's offense is good and will test Washington. Ryan Fitzpatrick has a short shelf life, but he's early enough into his second stint as the starter to still have some FitzMagic in his arm. Washington needs this win, because it faces the streaking Texans next week then has a make-or-break stretch of division games, two of which are on the road. Adrian Peterson continued his up-and-down campaign with a dud against the Falcons, and Washington could really use him against Tampa's porous run defense. A ball-control, grind-it-out affair isn't always easy to bring about on the road, but a shootout could spell doom for Jay Gruden's bunch. 

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

Quick, which Los Angeles running back owns the best yards per carry, yards per catch and yards per touch average? Here's a hint: It isn't Todd Gurley. It's actually Austin Ekeler, but that wasn't the point of this exercise. Melvin Gordon, the Batman to Ekeler's Robin, also tops Gurley in each of those categories, despite garnering nowhere near the attention or praise. Gordon, who has 10 touchdowns on the season, is a major reason why the Chargers have ripped off five wins in a row after a 1-2 start. He's a dynamic, multipurpose threat, and he gives Philip Rivers the kind of versatile backfield weapon that makes quarterbacking much easier. Los Angeles shouldn't have any issue with the Raiders, who are, to put it bluntly, terrible. So long as the Raiders are bad enough to stay in one of the top two draft places, they should end up with Nick Bosa. It is in their best interest to lose this game. Good thing that losing is what they're best at.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

It makes little to no sense that the Dolphins are somehow 5-4 and very much in the thick of the AFC playoff chase. Miami has been outscored by 38 points on the season, doesn't do anything particularly well and owns just two wins that could be termed somewhat impressive: Tennessee in the season opener and Chicago in Week 6. All four of the Dolphins' losses are by at least 10 points. The Patriots crushed them. So did the Texans. The Lions beat them handily. The Bengals rallied from a 17-point deficit to win going away. Ryan Tannehill won't be back for at least another few weeks. Green Bay seems an obviously superior opponent, and unless the Packers shoot themselves in the foot over and over again, it's hard to imagine Miami coming into Lambeau Field and walking out with a win. But if the Dolphins somehow do pull out a victory, their remaining schedule is soft enough that 10-6 is not out of the question. One imagines Aaron Rodgers will want to take out some frustration after last week's dud in Foxborough, and that's bad news for the Fins.

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Seattle's defense is still stout, ranking fifth in the league in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed. But the Seahawks already lost once to the Rams, and that was in Seattle. This time, they'll be facing an angry team that fell short in New Orleans. A win for the Rams effectively ends the NFC West race, but a Seahawks victory might actually make things interesting, if only marginally so. Seattle's best chance is to try for a ball-control strategy on offense, shorten the game and limit L.A.'s possessions. Failing that, it will have to force plenty of turnovers. Chris Carson and right guard D.J. Fluker might not go for the Seahawks, which will make the whole "shorten the game" thing much tougher and put more onus on Russell Wilson to make plays. Wilson is plenty capable, of course, but getting into a shootout with Jared Goff is not a good idea. Plus, more dropbacks equals more chances for Aaron Donald to wreck Seattle's offensive game plan. All of this adds up to the Rams likely moving to 9-1 and probably clinching the division by early December.

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Earth to Scott Linehan: Ezekiel Elliott is your best offensive player — use him. Elliott had 96 yards from scrimmage at halftime of Dallas' loss to Tennessee on Monday night but finished with a mere 112 on the night. He barely touched the ball in the second half, and Dallas suffered for it. Now the Cowboys, who aren't very good in general, will have to face an Eagles team that is not without warts but certainly appears better positioned than the Cowboys. Philly at least knows its identity, and despite the fact that the defending champs are only 4-4, a 6-2 second half seems well within its reach. Plus, Philly still has yet to play division-leading Washington. But 9-7 feels like it could be good enough to win the NFC East, and if Doug Pederson can coax a win from his team here, it should be a near lock for that record. Right tackle Lane Johnson and running back Darren Sproles should both play for Philly, while Sean Lee will likely miss 4-6 weeks for Dallas. Add it all up, and things don't seem great for Jason Garrett — and that's putting it mildly.

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Another week, another absolute dog of a Monday Night Football matchup. Sorry, there's no nice way to talk about this game. Maybe watch if you're curious to see the Nick Mullens story continue to play out, or maybe watch if you want to see Saquon Barkley excel for an absolutely terrible team, but this game is a battle of teams with nothing to gain by winning. Both teams have a surprising number of close losses to good teams, so perhaps this one will be a competitive battle between teams playing hard for pride's sake. But the minute the Giants started out so poorly and Jimmy Garoppolo got hurt, this game's luster disappeared entirely. What we're left with is watching the sad final stages of Eli Manning's career, as he plays out the string in uninspiring, decidedly mediocre fashion. Not really what I'd call prime-time entertainment.