The Falcons had a rough outing in Week 9, falling by two scores to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid. Atlanta was able to compete for the first part of the game, but quickly fell behind and ultimately looked outclassed by one of the NFL’s premier offenses. That result, and the way it unfolded, seemed to prompt some soul-searching from the Falcons coaching staff and front office. In the ensuing days, Atlanta traded away star safety Jessie Bates III and starting center Ryan Neuzil.

That seems to signal a change in philosophy for the Falcons to more prominently focusing on the future. Atlanta isn’t going to tank or anything close to it—the NFC South is led by a 3-win team at the moment, so nobody is even close to being “out of it”. But this is at least a tacit acknowledgement that the current construction of the team isn’t close enough to turn down future assets. It’s the right move, and an important realization for the new staff.

That said, there’s still a big game coming up this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. The Falcons are currently 3.5-point home underdogs, per FanDuel, and there are some significant injury question marks to consider heading into this one.

Falcons vs Chiefs Week 10 predictions

The biggest matchup to watch here will be the beleaguered Falcons run defense against the electric Chiefs rushing attack headed by former Seahawks star Kenneth Walker. Walker has been a godsend for Kansas City, finding a new level of success beyond even his final Super Bowl-winning season in Seattle. With the Chiefs passing game still a bit lackluster, Walker’s dominance on the ground has been a key cog in their offensive machine.

Even though Atlanta started out the season with fantastic run defense, teams have largely figured out how to beat the Falcons attacking-style front with inside runs and a lot of man/gap concepts. The Falcons haven’t yet developed a counterpunch, and until they do…it’s going to be a long day for the defense against any team with even a semi-competent rushing attack. Slowing down Kenneth Walker—or having him not play, as he’s currently questionable for the game—is a pivotal matchup to watch.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons will have to build some offensive consistency. Michael Penix Jr. is in the midst of a two-game slump and was unable to find much success against a fairly beatable Bengals defense. The bigger issue might be the ground game, which should be the backbone of the offense but hasn’t had any consistent success in over a month. With Ryan Neuzil heading out and Corey Levin taking over at center, I’m not expecting significant strides there. But perhaps Levin is a better fit for what Bill Callahan wants to do, given their experience together.

This is a tough matchup for Atlanta against a Super Bowl-contending Chiefs team. I’m not expecting much from the offense or defense, to be completely honest. With a bye coming up in Week 11, I worry we might see a “let’s just get to the bye” performance. Hopefully I’m wrong, and the Falcons can at least give us an entertaining game on Sunday. An upset victory would keep Atlanta right in the thick of things in the NFC South, and the latter part of the schedule is considerably easier than the last month and a half. We’ll see if the Falcons can do it.

The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers released their final injury reports, along with injury designations, in advance of their matchup on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Here they are:

Minnesota Vikings

Green Bay Packers

Injury Report Terms and Glossary

• FP = Full participant in practice.
• LP = Limited participant in practice.
• DNP = Did not participate in practice.
• NIR = Not injury related.
• PUP = Physically unable to participate list.
• IR = Injured reserve. Note: only starters on IR are listed.
• Player Name* = Starter.

Injury designation definitions:

Probable = the league defines a Probable injury designation as a 75% or greater chance of playing. Historically, 95% of players designated probable are active and played on game day.

Questionable = the league defines a Questionable injury designation as being ‘uncertain’ of whether the player will play or not. This replaces the former definition of having a 50% chance of playing. Historically, 70-75% of players with a Questionable injury designation were active and played on game day.

Doubtful = The league defines a Doubtful injury designation to mean the player is unlikely to participate in the game. In practical terms, teams use the designation when a player has less than a 50% chance to suit up, and active game appearances from this designation remain rare. Historically only around 6% of players with a Doubtful designation are active and played on game day.

Out = will not play. Players with this designation are not active on game day and league rules prohibit them from playing.

Notes on Injured Players

For the Vikings, kind of the worst-case scenario based on the injury list earlier this week, with only Kyle Van Noy being upgraded today among previous DNP players- the rest of which are out on Sunday, including Blake Cashman, T.J. Hockenson, Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Jauan Jennings, and Kyler Murray. Moreover, Jordan Addison and Josh Metellus were added to the injury report as both were limited on Friday and carry questionable injury designations. Hopefully both will be able to go on Sunday, however. Not having Hockenson will make it a bit tougher for the debut of Kirk Cousins on Sunday while not having Blake Cashman means Eric Wilson may have the green dot on defense on Sunday with a greater role for Ivan Pace Jr. and probably Jake Golday as well.

For the Packers, starters Josh Jacobs, Sean Rhyan, and Micah Parsons are out, as expected. Starting linebacker Zaire Franklin is doubtful, meaning he probably won’t play on Sunday. A few other starters are questionable for the Packers on Sunday, including right guard Kevin Zeitler, defensive end Lukas Van Ness, and safeties Javon Bullard and Xavier McKinney- who was added to the injury list on Friday with a foot injury. Lastly, running back Chris Brooks is also questionable, and with Josh Jacobs out on Sunday may be expected to have more of a role if he’s able to go. But while I expect most of the questionable players to play on Sunday for the Packers, most of them have injuries that may keep them at less than 100%.

Overall, both teams are a bit banged up and will be missing some key starters on Sunday.

Follow me on X/Bluesky @wludford

Twice.

That’s the exact amount of times Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been limited to under 100-yards receiving in the nine games the Seattle Seahawks have played this season.

With 71 receptions for a league-leading 1,036 yards and nine touchdowns, the 6-foot, 197-pound 24-year-old is arguably the best wideout in the NFL. To say the Las Vegas Raiders defense will have its hands full with Smith-Njigba in Sunday’s Week 10 matchup with the Seahawks this Sunday is an understatement.

Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard knows JSN presents a supreme challenge for Las Vegas and he expects Seattle to exploit any and all matchups.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s unbelievable. He’s number one in the league across the category in all things, receptions,” Leonard said when asked about the collective effort it’ll take to limit Smith-Njigba. “But yeah, it’s very critical. You start with him day one. We’re still talking about him all the way, early down, third down, red zone. Not just coverage-wise, different things that we have to do.”

Fully expect the Raiders secondary to get the full JSN experience with cornerbacks Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Jermod McCoy, Taron Johnson and Hezekiah Masses to get the responsibility of covering the Seahawks elite wide receiver. This is because Seattle isn’t shy about deploying their elite wide receiver in both slot and outside alignments. The 20th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has been a strong slot receiver since he arrived but he’s spending more time as a perimeter option, too.

That slot and boundary capability has truly expanded Smith-Njigba’s effectiveness and the Ohio State product’s production highlights just how much more dangerous he’s become as a weapon in the Seahawks offense. And all this despite Seattle’s offensive attack not being at the level that current Raiders head coach and play caller Klint Kubiak produced when he was the Seahawks offensive coordinator during the team’s Super Bowl-winning run last season.

Rookie offensive coordinator Brian Fleury has Seattle’s offense ranked 18th in points scored (202) and yards gained (2,950). The passing game is ranked 17th in yards gained (1,953) and touchdowns scored (15) while the run game is 18th in yards gained (997) and 20th in touchdowns scored (seven). But whether it’s Sam Darnold or Drew Lock at quarterback, JSN

Interestingly enough, however, Smith-Njigba’s lowest output of the season was last Sunday in a Week 9 tilt with division foe Arizona Cardinals: 10 targets, seven receptions, for 51 yards (long of 18) and no touchdowns. Leonard and the Raiders defense meticulously studying the way the Cardinals covered the Seahawks elite pass catcher in round two of their NFC West contests this year.

And one of the defensive tactics Arizona deployed is something Leonard is keen to do with his Las Vegas defense: Zone-heavy and two-high safety looks.

While Leonard has deployed more man coverage to try and mitigate defensive woes, returning to a zone-heavy look helps Stokes — who excels in Cover 3 and struggles mightily in man-to-man — and allowed Arizona to bracket Smith-Njigba over the top and took away the deep and intermediate routes where Seattle’s wideout does a lot of his damage.

Doing this forced working underneath with shorter passes and this is an area where linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker operate, offering the opportunity to hit JSN — hard. The Cardinals’ adjust gameplan severely limited Smith-Njigba and was a far cry from their Week 2 contest where the wideout produced 155 receiving yards and three touchdowns on nine receptions.

To put it plain: The Raiders approach to JSN should be similar to what defenses do when matching up with Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers — bracket and make other pass catchers beat you.

But what a coverage responsibility and experience Smith-Njigba presents to the younger Raiders cornerbacks like Porter, McCoy and Masses. That trio are 25, 21 and 22 years of age, respectively, and going against one of the game’s best wide receivers should be a welcome task, albeit, daunting.

According to Pro Football Reference, Porter is charged with 24 targets allowing 13 receptions (54.2 completion percentage) for 201 yards and one touchdown. Masses has been targeted 31 times allowing 16 receptions (51.6 percent) for 258 yard and a team-leading four touchdowns allowed, while McCoy draws six targets allowing four receptions (66.7 percent) for 63 yards and one touchdown.

“Yeah, he’s playing faster. His eyes are in the right spot, and he made a play on the ball, which was awesome,” Leonard said when asked what he’s seen from McCoy this season. “Him and Zeke (Hezekiah Masses) are both growing, and that’s what you’re looking for, is improvement, right? So, it’s been fun to get him more reps so he can feel a little bit more calm out there.”

JSN’s elite ability to maintain consistent speed through his routes without telegraphing or slowing down will thoroughly test the entire Raiders secondary’s skillset — beyond the cornerbacks, too. Because Seattle will place their elite pass catcher all over the alignment, even in the backfield and alongside an offensive tackle to truly force the opposing defense’s hand. And if Dean or Walker draw coverage responsibility based on JSN’s alignment and pre-snap motion, good luck, Raiders.

At that point, the pass rush and coverage need to combine so disruption of or taking down the quarterback means no dice for Smith-Njigba.

Head-to-Head

Sunday’s tilt in Allegiant Stadium marks the 57th time the Raiders and Seahawks square off. The Silver & Black lead the all-time series 30-26 (29-25 in regular season play, 1-1 in postseason action). The last time the two teams played one another was in 2022 with Las Vegas dropping Seattle 40-34 in overtime on a walk-off 86-yard run by running back Josh Jacobs. Before that, the Seahawks won the 2018 and 2014 meetings (27-3 and 30-24).

Quote of Note

“How aggressive you want to be, based on what their personnel is, what our personnel is, and what gives you the best chance of starting fast. Is it coverage? Is it pressure? Is it a different front? There’s a million variables that go into it. And then what personnel package do we want to start with? What 11 do we want to put out there to start the game, and then have a plan to get to a different one later? So those are all factors. How did we practice that week? What was the best thing that we were executing? ‘All right, I like that as a lead call.’ It’s very interactive, both call-wise and personnel-wise, and it’s a week-long conversation of that back-and-forth decision of what’s best.”

—Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard on nuances of starting better defensively

On Sunday, the (6-2) Kansas City Chiefs are on the road again taking on the (3-6) Atlanta Falcons.Let’s see how the game plays out in Madden NFL 27.

Note: Madden simulation is 7-1 this season, predicting the outcome.

First quarter

The Falcons’ opening drive gained just seven yards before they were forced to punt on their first possession.

The Chiefs’ ground-and-pound attack erupted on their first drive, highlighted by a 28-yard run from Kenneth Walker. Walker rushed for 36 yards on the drive, while backup running back Emmett Johnson added 13 yards on a third-and-10 run to move the chains.

The drive would end with Harrison Butker drilling a 44-yard field goal to open the scoring.

End of first quarter: Chiefs 3, Falcons 0

Second quarter

The Falcons opened the quarter at the Chiefs’ 19-yard line. Drake London caught a 15-yard pass to reach the four-yard line. From the pistol formation, Michael Penix Jr. handed the ball to Bijan Robinson, who ran to the right, broke a tackle, and found the end zone for a touchdown.

The Chiefs failed to reach the first-down marker on their next possession and were forced to punt the ball back to Atlanta.

A 14-yard pick-and-roll pass to Jahan Dotson moved the ball to the Chiefs’ 14-yard line. Bijan Robinson finished the drive by catching a pass from Penix Jr. and scoring his second touchdown of the game.

The Chiefs found themselves at midfield with a minute remaining in the quarter. On third-and-three, Rashee Rice ran a comeback route and picked up the first down to keep the drive alive. Mahomes then connected with newly acquired Josh Downs for a 12-yard gain and another first down.

The Chiefs managed to put points on the board before halftime as Butker drilled his second field goal of the game, this time from 44 yards out, cutting the Falcons’ lead to eight.

End of second quarter: Falcons 14, Chiefs 6

Third quarter

Josh Downs hauled in an 18-yard pass on a deep out route, going up to make the catch while keeping both feet in bounds. The reception moved the Chiefs to the Falcons’ 25-yard line.

Two plays later, Xavier Watts intercepted Mahomes on a high throw intended for Rashee Rice running a crossing route.

The Falcons turned to their running game to drain the clock, alternating between Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson.

Another 11-yard run from Bijan Robinson moved Atlanta to the Chiefs’ 11-yard line. Brina Robinson followed it up with a 10-yard run to carry the Falcons into the fourth quarter.

End of third quarter: Falcons 14, Chiefs 6

Fourth quarter

A toss to Bijan Robinson went untouched into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game, extending Atlanta’s lead.

The Chiefs found themselves at their own 48-yard line facing a third-and-five. From the shotgun, Mahomes delivered a strike on a fly route to Jalen Royals, who hauled in the pass for a touchdown to bring the game back within one score.

The Falcons reached midfield on their next possession but were stopped at the Chiefs’ 48-yard line and forced to punt.

Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for 16 yards to move the Chiefs to their own 48-yard line.

Downs followed with a 26-yard reception on an out route.

Royals then hauled in a 17-yard pass on a deep crossing route to move the Chiefs to the nine-yard line.

Mahomes went back to the player who helped get the drive started. Kelce was targeted inside the red zone and came down with the touchdown to bring Kansas City closer.

The Chiefs attempted a two-point conversion to tie the game, but the Falcons stopped a screen pass intended for Johnson.

Kansas City’s defense came up with a three-and-out on the Falcons’ next possession, giving the Chiefs another opportunity. Atlanta was forced to punt, leaving Kansas City with one timeout and eight seconds remaining before the two-minute warning.

The Chiefs crossed midfield after Mahomes connected with Kelce for a 14-yard gain. However, the next play went backward as Mahomes was sacked for an eight-yard loss.

The sack put Kansas City in a fourth-and-13 situation with 15 seconds remaining.

The Chiefs’ final attempt fell incomplete as Mahomes tried to make a throw while being taken down by the pass rush. Kansas City turned the ball over on downs, ending its comeback attempt.

Final score: Falcons 21, Chiefs 19

Notable stats

• Patrick Mahomes: 29 for 39 passing, 293 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 rushing attempt, 7 yards
• Kenneth Walker: 4 rushing attempts, 40 yards
• Travis Kelce: 7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 touchdown. 
• Josh Downs: 6 receptions, 84 yards.
• Rashee Rice: 6 receptions, 41 yards.
• Jalen Royals: 6 receptions, 82 yards. 1 touchdown
• Harrison Butker: 2 for 2, long of 44 yards.

• Michael Penix Jr.: 16 for 22 passing, 171 yards, 1 touchdown, 4 rushing attempts, 16 yards.
• Bijan Robinson: 16 rushing attempts, 100 yards, 2 touchdowns
• Kyle Pitts Sr.: 5 receptions, 61 yards.
• Drake London: 3 receptions, 37 yards.
• Cameron Thomas: 1 sack

Next week, the Chiefs are back home, welcoming the wounded Arizona Cardinals for a noon kickoff. Until then, we will see how it is played out inside the EA Universe.

The Minnesota Vikings finally made the announcement that many have been expecting for several days.

Quarterback Kirk Cousinswill start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, head coach Kevin O'Connell announced on Friday, Nov. 13. The intra-divisional game will mark the start of Cousins' second stint in Minnesota, three years after his last game for the Vikings.

"Kirk Cousins will start the football game. Cannot give him enough credit for coming in here, how he's gone about the week. Both him and the coaching staff getting him ready to go, working extremely hard, using all the time we possibly can," O'Connell said.

"It's been really impressive, what he's been able to do ... just getting right back in the huddle with a lot of guys he's played with, but certainly some guys he hasn't. It's been something that everybody's been very, very impressed by. Excited to start Kirk in the game, see him play on Sunday."

KIRK COUSINS: Veteran QB kept mum about his chance to start Week 10

Coincidentally, the upcoming Nov. 15 clash will be Cousins' second straight matchup against the Packers as the Vikings' starting quarterback. The last game the 38-year-old played for Minnesota, in 2023, was also at Lambeau Field.

Cousins' first stint with the Vikings ended unceremoniously – trainers had to cart him off of the field after he tore his Achilles during a game his team went on to win. In the offseason that followed, the Vikings allowed him to walk in free agency, and he went on to sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

A war of attrition remains in the trenches on both sides of the ball for the Seattle Seahawks but at least defensively, there will be slight reinforcements.

After missing back-to-back games with an ankle injury, edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu practiced in full on Friday and will head into Sunday without an injury designation. The ninth-year pro appeared to be trending toward a return, after consecutive limited practices to start the week, and will now make his return after a full participation on Friday.

Nwosu has struggled to stay on the field in recent years, limited to six games in both 2023 and 2024, but has produced for the Seahawks when healthy, posting 9.5 sacks in his debut season in Seattle and seven last year. Through seven games in 2026, the former Charger has just a single sack and a pair of tackles for loss.

The Seahawks will need some instant impact from Nwosu, as Leonard Williams remains out with the stinger that saw him leave the game against the Chicago Bears and miss last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. While Williams will remain missing form the interior, Brandon Pili will be back in the rotation after recovering from his back injury. Pili practiced in full on Friday after consecutive DNPs to start the week.

No such help is headed for Seattle’s offensive line, however, with Charles Cross and Quenton Nelson remaining out with their respective ankle and knee injuries. Cross’s absence is a particular blow, after he was limited in practice on Thursday before a return to DNP status on Friday.

Though Sam Darnold remains out as well, backup quarterback Drew Lock will get additional help with the return of Rashid Shaheed, who got in a full week of practice as he has recovered from a knee injury.

For the second straight week, Lock was limited in practice across all three days in his ramp up to start, as he continues to manage severe tendinitis, as well as the oblique injury suffered in Week 9.

Here’s the full injury report ahead of the Seahawks’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders:

Kirk Cousins rejoined the Minnesota Vikings this week via a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. He will officially don purple this weekend against the Green Bay Packers after head coach Kevin O’Connell officially named him the team’s Week 10 starter on Friday. He’ll make his return to Minnesota against the very team he last faced as a Viking, when he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. He'll look to give the offense a much-needed boost to complement Brian Flores' defense after the team's 6-2 start.

With the trade of Cousins, the Raiders officially named 2026 No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza as their starter moving forward. He'll face a tough schedule to kick off his career as a starting quarterback, with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos on deck in Weeks 10 and 11.

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL news, injury updates and more ahead of Week 10.

Just when you were out on the Dallas Cowboys, the NFC East pulls back in. The Washington Commanders did the Cowboys a tremendous favor last night by dealing the New York Giants a loss on Thursday Night Football.

If Dallas can somehow win at home versus the San Francisco 49ers, they could be right back in the mix for a return to the playoffs. Both Dallas and San Francisco are dealing with a lot of injuries at many key positions. Here’s what we know after Friday’s report. 

The Cowboy are pretty banged up entering Sunday’s game. Donovan Ezeiruaku (Ankle), Jake Ferguson (Knee/Ankle), P.J. Locke (Concussion), Tyler Goodson (Ankle/Knee), and Jonathan Mingo (Ankle) have all been ruled out. Joey Porter Jr. (Ankle) was limited today at practice and is cited as questionable to play. George Pickens (Hamstring) and KaVontae Turpin (Ribs) carry no injury designation for this week’s game and will play.

For the 49ers, Mike Evans has been ruled out with his Achillles injury. Several other veterans for San Francisco are listed as questionable. Deommodore Lenoir (Foot), Trent Williams (Shoulder), Dre Greenlaw (Knee), Renardo Green (Back), and Upton Stout (Shoulder/Neck) are all cited as questionable. Deebo Samuel will play against the Cowboys.

If the Minnesota Vikings want to repeat their Week 1 win over the Packers, they’re going to have to do it shorthanded. They’ve already ruled out five players for Sunday’s game, including tight end T.J. Hockenson and linebacker Blake Cashman.

Hockenson hasn’t practiced yet this week with a combination of wrist and chest injuries. His absence will deprive the Vikings — and newly acquired quarterback Kirk Cousins — of one of their most productive receivers. Hockenson ranks first on the team with 35 catches and is second in yards with 328. Though he averages just 9.4 yards per catch, he’d have been a reliable and steady help for Cousins as he settles back into his familiar Minnesota environs.

Cashman, meanwhile, has been in the concussion protocol all week. He leads the Vikings with 76 total tackles and is also a key part of the Vikings’ pressure scheme; his 4.5 sacks are the second most on the team, while his eight tackles for loss are tied for the team lead.

The Vikings also ruled out defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, wide receiver Jauan Jennings, and quarterback Kyler Murray.

Though Murray’s absence is basically immaterial at this point, Ingram-Dawkins and Jennings are noteworthy. Ingram-Dawkins was a significant part of the Vikings’ defensive line rotation, playing just a hair under 58% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps this year.

Jennings was more of a supporting player for the wide receiver-rich Vikings. Behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Jennings had only logged six catches in six games. But Addison also finds himself questionable for Sunday, putting the Vikings in a bit of a wide receiver bind with Jennings already ruled out.

(And not for nothing, Jennings had five catches for 61 yards against the Packers in the 2023 playoffs as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. I just assume that any random role player who ever had a good game against the Packers has their number forever. It seems like it just works out that way.)

In any case, the Vikings won’t be dealing from a full deck when they visit the Packers on Sunday. That’s good news as the Packers try to continue their climb toward the top of the NFC North, especially since the Packers’ injury report is anything but short as well. 

The San Francisco 49ers’ final injury report was released. As expected, Mike Evans was ruled out with an Achilles injury. The following players are questionable:

CB Renardo Green (back)
CB Deommodore Lenoir (foot)
CB Upton Stout (shoulder)
DT CJ West (ankle)
CB Nate Hobbs
LT Trent Williams (shoulder)
LB Dre Greenlaw (knee)

Kyle Shanahan said Williams hurt his shoulder and Greenlaw hurt his knee during Thursday’s practice. Shanahan wouldn’t give a concrete answer about the concern level surrounding Williams. “Any time you hurt your shoulder on a Thursday, it doesn’t make you totally at ease. Sunday comes fast. But hopefully, that’s enough time for him to be all right.”

Shanahan said Evans’ recovery is “going well.” He added, “I’m sure if it was the last game or something, he’d be able to go out there. But we’re just trying to make sure it fully heals, so it doesn’t act up again. But it’s going in the right direction.” Shanahan said “there’s a chance” Evans can return next week, but he wasn’t sure yet.

Keenan Allen “had a good week” of practice and “will have a role” Sunday against the Cowboys. How big of a role that is remains to be seen.

Deebo Samuel is “healthy.” Shanahan said he’s a full go. For at least a week, the 49ers will have Samuel, Allen, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks, and Jacob Cowing at receiver.

The 49ers worked out a right-footed punter, but Shanahan said that was more for Cowing, the punt returner. “Just the spin of the ball. Always seeing it turn one way. And then you get into a game, and it’s turning the other way. It’s similar with deep balls. When you catch from a left-handed quarterback and go to a right-handed quarterback. It’s the same with punts. Catching punts is one of the hardest things in sports. You can’t get enough work of it.”

Corliss Waitman, the Niners punter, is left-footed.

The Cowboys ruled out pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, tight end Jake Ferguson, running back Tyler Goodson, and safety P.J. Locke.

Tight end Mo Alie-Cox (groin) has been ruled OUT for Sundays game against the Dolphins. The Colts are looking thin at tight end this week. With Alie-Cox out the team will have to lean heavily on Warren and Ogletree. There could be a practice squad elevation needed too.

Linebackers Jaylon Carlies (neck) and Akeem Davis-Gaithers (knee) have both been ruled OUT for Sundays game against the Dolphins. CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher will start at linebacker this week backups Austin Ajake and Tahj Chamnets will have a bigger role to play and expect a practice squad call up for West Weeks.

Long snapper Luke Rhodes (hamstring) has been ruled OUT for Sundays game against the Dolphins. With Rhodes out the Colts will have have to elevate from the practice squad to fill the void Rhodes leaves. The Colts signed long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer to the practice squad earlier in the week.

Right tackle Jalen Travis (knee) has been ruled OUT of Sundays game against the Dolphins. With Travis out this week the Colts will have to find a suitable replacement at right tackle, it could mean Luke Tenuta starting in his place or a reshuffle moving Matt Goncalves to right tackle a starting Dalton Tucker at right guard.

Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (calf) has been ruled OUT of Sundays game against the Dolphins. Expect a bigger role in the defensive tackle rotation for Tim Smith and Kevin Givens with Tillery out. There could also be a practice squad elevation for Cam Ball.

Defensive end Arden Key (hamstring) and Tight End Will Mallory (hamstring) are both QUESTIONABLE for Sundays game against the Dolphins. Key managed to practice all week but hadn't played since the London game. Mallory was a full participants all week but injured his hamstring during Fridays practice.

Week 10 is underway, and we're tracking all of the injuries before game time.

Jump to a team:

AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | Jets
AFC North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | Steelers
AFC South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | Titans
AFC West: Broncos (bye) | Chiefs | Raiders | Chargers
NFC East: Cowboys | Giants (played Thurs.) | Eagles (bye) | Commanders (played Thurs.)
NFC North: Bears (bye) | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers (bye)
NFC West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks

A.J. Brown (ankle/knee) could return this week after a multi-week absence when the New England Patriots face the Detroit Lions in Munich. Brown traveled with the team to Germany and, along with running back Rhamondre Stevenson (knee), has looked "pretty good" in practice this week, according to head coach Mike Vrabel.

Brown has been limited to three games this season and has been out since Week 7. He is listed as questionable for Sunday, along with Stevenson.

After sitting out last week while in concussion protocol, Deshaun Watson will be back under center for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Shedeur Sanders got the start against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9, but head coach Todd Monken announced this week that Watson is healthy enough to start.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III did not take part in Friday's practice after reporting a tight groin. Head coach Andy Reid said the NFL's second-leading rusher will get treatment and the team will see how he feels on Saturday before making a decision on his availability.

"We're feeling it out just to see. We're not going to put him at risk," said Reid. "If he can go, he'll go. If he can't, he can't."

Walker is currently listed as questionable.

Other Week 10 injuries to monitor:

• Bhayshul Tuten (ankle/foot) practiced on Friday after sitting out this week for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team's RB1 has 531 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the season. He was questionable last week after not practicing leading into the game against the Baltimore Ravens. He did end up playing, but managed just 29 yards on 12 carries.

• Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) sounds ready to return after missing last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts. When asked if he'd be available Pickens told reporters, "When you turn that TV on, get some food, make sure if you have a wife or girlfriend, make sure you hug her, love her and when you turn the TV on you should see me."

• Sam Darnold (ribs/quad) is expected to miss another week for the Seattle Seahawks with Drew Lock (right elbow/oblique) taking charge against the Las Vegas Raiders this week. Darnold missed a Week 9 win after suffering the injuries the week before against the Chicago Bears.

• Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis (groin) and Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nucua (knee/turf toe) both were placed on injured reserve this week. Willis has been playing through a groin injury and, after undergoing an MRI, it showed he is dealing with a core muscle issue. Nacua sustained his injuries in Week 9. He was later diagnosed with MCL and PCL sprains in his right knee and a turf toe injury.

Here's the rest of the Week 10 injury report:

ARIZONA CARDINALS

• QB Gardner Minshew (elbow): OUT

• WR Michael Wilson (neck): OUT

• C Hjalte Froholdt (concussion): OUT

• G Jon Gaines II (ankle): OUT

ATLANTA FALCONS

• WR Zachariah Branch (hamstring): OUT

• LB Divine Deablo (forearm): doubtful

• DT Gervon Dexter Sr. (illness): questionable

• DE James Pearce Jr. (back): questionable

• LB Josh Woods (ankle): questionable

BALTIMORE RAVENS

BUFFALO BILLS

• RT Spencer Brown (ankle): doubtful

• CB Christian Benford (wrist): questionable

• DB Sam Franklin Jr (shoulder): questionable

• DB Jordan Hancock (hamstring): questionable

CAROLINA PANTHERS

• LB Bobby Okereke (foot): OUT

• CB Mike Jackson (groin): doubtful

• RB Jonathon Brooks (groin): doubtful

• OLB Jaelan Phillips (hamstring): questionable

• CB Will Lee III (hamstring): questionable

• OL Brady Christensen (hamstring): questionable

• WR Xavier Legette (calf): questionable

CINCINNATI BENGALS

• S Kyle Dugger (quad): OUT

• CB Jalen Davis (hamstring): doubtful

• WR Andrei Iosivas (thumb): doubtful

• G Brian Parker II (knee): doubtful

CLEVELAND BROWNS

• S Ronnie Hickman (concussion): OUT

• FB Michael Burton (calf): OUT

• WR Denzel Boston (toe): questionable

DALLAS COWBOYS

• TE Jake Ferguson (knee): OUT

DETROIT LIONS

• S Kerby Joseph (knee): OUT

• C Cade Mays (ankle): OUT

• CB D.J. Reed (hip): OUT

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (rib): questionable

• RB Sione Vaki (ankle): questionable

GREEN BAY PACKERS

• RB Josh Jacobs (finger): OUT

• LB Micah PArsons (knee/illness): OUT

• C Sean Rhyan (ankle): OUT

• TE Josh Whyle (concussion): OUT

• OLB Zaire Frankling (shin): doubtful

• RB Chris Brooks (ankle): questionable

• SAF Javon Bullard (ankle/knee): questionable

• OT Travis Glover (knee): questionable

• SAF Xavier McKinney (foot): questionable

• WR Skyy Moore (ankle): questionable

• LB Lukas Van Ness (back): questionable

• G Kevin Zeitler (ankle/triceps): questionable

HOUSTON TEXANS

• LB Azez Al-Shaair (groin/personal): OUT

• TE Brevin Jordan (finger/foot): OUT

• WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (hamstring): OUT

• DE Danielle Hunter (hamstring): OUT

• C/G Keylan Rutledge (neck/shoulder): OUT

• CB Jaylin Smith (hamstring): questionable

• RB David Montgomery (groin): questionable

• LB Jake Hummel (groin): questionable

• DE Will Anderson Jr. (ankle): questionable

• G Wyatt Teller (back/illness): questionable

• T Trent Brown (wrist): questionable

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

• LB Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee): OUT

• LB Jaylon Carlies (neck): OUT

• T Jalen Travis (knee): OUT

• LS Luke Rhodes (hamstring): OUT

• DT Jerry Tillery (calf): OUT

• TE Mo Alie-Cox (groin): OUT

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

• S Jessie Bates III (NIR-rest): OUT

• DT Jordan Davis (NIR-rest): OUT

• DE B.J. Green (forearm): OUT

• C Robert Hainsey (concussion): questionable

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

• OL Jaylonn Moore (ankle): OUT

• DL Peter Woods (neck): OUT

• DT Omarr Norman-Lott (knee): OUT

• CB Mansoor Delane (shoulder): questionable

• RB Jaydn Ott (hamstring): questionable

• RB Kenneth Walker III (groin): questionable

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

• DT Thomas Booker (ankle): questionable

• WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. (back): questionable

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

LOS ANGELES RAMS

• WR Puka Nacua (knee/toe): OUT

• OLB Myles Garrett (knee): questionable

• S Kam Curl (toe): questionable

• CB Trent McDuffie (back): questionable

MIAMI DOLPHINS

• QB Malik Willis (groin): OUT

• C Aaron Brewer (concussion): OUT

• WR Chris Bell (knee): doubtful

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

• QB Kyler Murray (hamstring): OUT

• LB Blake Cashman (concussion): OUT

• TE T.J. Hockenson (wrist/chest): OUT

• DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (ankle): OUT

• WR Jauan Jennings (calf): OUT

• OLB Kyle Van Noy (calf): questionable

• WR Jordan Addison (thumb): questionable

• S Josh Metellus (shoulder): questionable

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

• G/C Ben Brown (knee): OUT

• CB Carlton Davis III (knee): OUT

• RB TreVeyon Henderson (illness): OUT

• WR A.J. Brown (ankle/knee): questionable

• S Kevin Byard III (chest): questionable

• FB Reggie Gilliam (knee): questionable

• TE Cameron Latu (back): questionable

• OL Walter Rouse (concussion): questionable

• S Brenden Schooler (hamstring): questionable

• RB Rhamondre Stevenson (knee): questionable

• OL Greg Van Roten (hamstring): questionable

• CB Charles Woods (hamstring): questionable

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

• T Taliese Fuaga (knee): OUT

• RB CJ Donaldson (shoulder): OUT

• DL Christen Miller (knee): OUT

• C Erik McCoy (shin): OUT

• CB Martin Emerson Jr. (shin): questionable

• RB Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring): questionable

NEW YORK JETS

• LB Trevin Wallace (groin): OUT

• DB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (illness): questionable

• WR Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle): questionable

• EDGE Joseph Ossai (ankle): questionable

• WR Adonai Mitchell (knee): questionable

• DL Harrison Phillips (ankle): questionable

• WR Garrett Wilson (concussion): questionable

• DB Nahshon Wright (back): questionable

• S VJ Payne (back): questionable

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• DT Derrick Harmon (foot): questionable

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

• WR Mike Evans (Achilles): OUT

• CB Renardo Green (back): questionable

• CB Deommodore Lenoir (foot): questionable

• LB Dre Greenlaw (knee): questionable

• LT Trent Williams (shoulder): questionable

• DT CJ West (knee): questionable

• S Upton Stout (shoulder): questionable

• CB Nate Hobbs (adductor): questionable

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

• QB Sam Darnold (quad/ribs): OUT

• T Charles Cross (ankle): OUT

• G Quenton Nelson (knee): OUT

• DT Leonard Williams (stinger): OUT

TENNESSEE TITANS

• LB Cody Barton (concussion): OUT

• LB Anthony Hill Jr. (neck): OUT

• G Peter Skoronski (hamstring): OUT

• P Tommy Townsend (left knee/right Achilles): OUT

• WR Carnell Tate (shoulder): OUT

• RB Tyjae Spears (knee): questionable

The Vikings’ defense is incredible. Their offense should be more capable with a new quarterback under center. But their special teams also present a very interesting challenge for the Packers.

Under the guidance of new coordinator Cam Achord, the Packers’ special teams have been — with some exceptions — generally pretty solid. Pre-injury, Skyy Moore bolstered the Packers’ return game, but the Packers’ special teams have really shined in coverage. As of this week, the Packers’ have allowed the fourth-lowest average per return on punt returns and the 10th lowest figure on special teams. (This, incidentally, aligns with the special teams stuff the Packers have historically cared about the most and done the best, but it’s still good to see them doing a good job there.)

But as good as the Packers are in punt and kick coverage, the Vikings are even better at punt and kick returns. Minnesota currently ranks first in punt return average (17.5 yards per return) and second in kickoff return average (29.9 per return). It’s true the Vikings have logged a very long punt return (86 yards) and a pretty long kickoff return (68 yards), but even if you removed those long returns, the Vikings’ averages would only drop them to the fifth- and third-best spots in the league on punt and kickoff return, respectively.

And it’s all thanks to return man Myles Price.

Undrafted out of Indiana in 2025, the 5-foot-9, 183-pound Price was a special teams only player for the Vikings last season. He averaged a respectable 9.9 yards per return on 30 punt returns and 25.9 yards per return on 60 kickoff returns, but capped out at a long of 43 yards on his punt duties and 61 yards on kickoff returns. Certainly not bad numbers, but not eye popping.

That’s changed in 2026. The pocket-sized Price leads the NFL in punt return yardage, boasts the longest punt return in the league, and is the only player in the NFL to score on a punt return this season. He’s also the only player who’s returned either a punt or a kick for the Vikings this year, meaning their impressive league-wide rankings are entirely the work of their micro machine return man.

Everybody knows the Packers will have their hands full with Brian Flores, and Kirk Cousins may be enough to bolster their offense to at least some level of respectability. But if the Packers don’t take care of business on special teams, the Vikings could end up tilting the balance in that phase of the game. And in what’s expected to be a close game, any little bit could make a difference.

Fortunately, special teams have never been a game-altering problem for the Packers in the past, right? Right?

The Green Bay Packers have officially ruled out four players on Friday: running back Josh Jacobs (finger), edge defender Micah Parsons (knee/illness-PUP), center Sean Rhyan (ankle) and tight end Josh Whyle. Of those three players, only Jacobs played against the New England Patriots last week, and he did not finish the game. Yesterday, head coach Matt LaFleur stated that Jacobs had yet to have surgery on his fractured ring finger, but that it would be coming in the near future.

The Packers used the doubtful status, which they rarely use, on linebacker Zaire Franklin, who has been out for multiple weeks with a shin fracture. He was a non-participant throughout the week’s practices.

The questionable players going into Sunday’s action are: running back Chris Brooks (ankle-IR), safety Javon Bullard (ankle/knee), offensive lineman Travis Glover (knee), safety Xavier McKinney (foot), receiver Skyy Moore (ankle-IR), edge defender Lukas Van Ness (back) and guard Kevin Zeitler (ankle/triceps).

In total, 9 of the active roster’s 53 players were given game statuses for this week’s action against the Minnesota Vikings, leaving just 44 fully healthy players on the roster. Considering that teams need 48 players to suit up for game days, that’s a bit problematic.

My guess? The questionable players are more likely than not to play on Sunday, just because the Packers are going to need bodies — and their injured reserve designations are quickly evaporating. Already, Green Bay has used four of their eight allotted return designations this season — with the practice windows now open for Brooks and Moore. And that’s with Jacob Monk, Jonathan Ford and Warren Brinson having the potential to return this season — along with some potential moves, like Jacobs going on IR, coming down the line.

The Packers already were able to withstand not having Rhyan, Whyle and Franklin on the roster in recent weeks, and Jacobs will likely be replaced by MarShawn Lloyd — who missed last week’s action — on the game-day roster.

As long as the questionable players are ready to go, Green Bay shouldn’t need to shake things up too much. If they aren’t, though, their reinforcements are thin right now, and we’ll probably get a heads-up on who won’t be able to play by way of the team’s Saturday practice squad elevations.

The Carolina Panthers front office is busy throughout the season with transactions, roster moves, and injury updates. Here’s what’s happening at Mint Street this week.

Injuries

For once, the Panthers got some good news on the injury front heading into their Week 10 showdown against the New Orleans Saints.

Offensive lineman Brady Christensen nearly returned from injury last week, but was held out to ensure he was fully ready to go. Hopefully this is the week the versatile player can help plug one of the many, many holes on the Panthers offensive line. He’s currently listed as questionable for Sunday.

Speaking of the Panthers offensive line, guard Damien Lewis was a full participant in practice on both Wednesday and Friday, though he was limited on Thursday. The incumbent starter has missed the Panthers last two games. He looks good to go Sunday.

The Panthers have three additional questionable players this week in outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, cornerback Will Lee, and wide receiver Xavier Legette. Carolina could definitely use all three of them, at least situationally.

Both cornerback Mike Jackson and running back Jonathon Brooks are doubtful, while linebacker Bobby Okereke is out.

Transactions

Signed LB Claudin Cherelus to the practice squad

The Panthers have brought back linebacker Claudin Cherelus to the practice squad after waiving him back in September with an injury designation. This is Cherelus’s fourth season in Carolina after beginning his NFL career with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent back in 2023. He has appeared in 35 games for the Panthers with six starts, registering 61 tackles.

Released WR David Moore then signed to the practice squad

Since joining the Carolina Panthers in 2024, wide receiver David Moore has been a fixture on the roster more for his veteran stability than his actual on-field productivity. This past week the Panthers waived him then re-signed him to the practice squad, just in case the wide receiver room suffers any more injuries. This year Moore has appeared in six games with one reception 27 yards. He has also returned four punts and eight kickoffs this year.

Signed DT Cam Horsley to the practice squad

Cam Horsley joined the Tennessee Titans last year as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Boston College. To his credit, he made the 53-man roster and appeared in one game, playing 14 defensive snaps without recording any stats. Horsley is a diamond in the rough the Panthers will look to polish to provide some additional depth along the defensive interior.

Placed WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette on practice squad-injured

Ihmir Smith-Marsette is a bit of a blast from the past for Panthers fans. He joined the Panthers in 2023, which was his third NFL season at the time. He saw the field, too, appearing in all 17 games that year as Carolina’s primary punt returner who also had 11 kick returns. Back in 2023 he also contributed eight receptions for 51 yards and eight carries for 74 more yards. He left Carolina for the New York Jets in 2024, then didn’t appear in any games in 2025. The Panthers added him to the practice squad back in September 2026, and now he has an injury designation.

It’s time for the Arrowhead Pride staff to put their opinions to the test. Before the Kansas City Chiefs travel to face the Atlanta Falcons, our writers predicted the final score and result.

Atlanta has been an unpredictable team both looking dominant in their trio of wins while struggling in most of their six losses. FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists the Chiefs as 3.5-point home favorites.

The Falcons also have the misfortune of not coming off of a European game into their bye week. The Falcons lost 34-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain on Sunday. They also sent starting safety Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.

We also want to know your score prediction! Vote in the poll on The Feed and share your score prediction!

Jared Sapp (@TrumanChief)

I do worry about the Falcons’ pass rush, even if their defense’s other two levels were underwhelming even before trading Bates. With the league’s two best running backs facing off, I expect a run heavy day that should lead to a fast moving game.

Look for the Chiefs’ pass rush to build on their second half against Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix. This will be a game where Atlanta looks game for a couple of drives before the Chiefs overwhelm in route to a victory. The run game will lead to limited possessions for both sides to keep the scoring from getting out of hand.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 17

Caleb James (@CJScoobs)

The Chiefs and Falcons are on opposite ends of the competitive spectrum in the NFL, and this week’s game should show that. The Falcons traded away veteran safety Jessie Bates to the contending Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Chiefs traded for wide receiver Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite a talented core of offensive playmakers, including Bijan Robinson and Drake London, the Falcons are only 3-6, largely because their defense allows over 340 yards per game.

The Falcons are -8 in the turnover-takeaway category, 30th in the NFL, while the Chiefs are tied for 9th at +4. If they can force turnovers, they will be in good shape to win the game.

I don’t think Downs will play more than 20 snaps this week, but I would expect the Chiefs to design a few routes for him to get his feet wet in the offense.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 13

Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels)

I’ve got the Chiefs winning this one. Josh Downs makes his debut, and I like Mahomes having another guy who can get open underneath, especially now that Atlanta traded away Jessie Bates. The Falcons also traded their starting center, Ryan Neuzil, so I expect Chris Jones to make life real uncomfortable up the middle.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 20

Maurice Elston (@MrMauriceElston)

What impressed me most about the Chiefs’ 35–12 win over the Jets was how they finished. Kansas City has a habit of letting teams it should beat hang around, and the Jets were within two points at halftime. The Chiefs outscored them 21–0 from there. Kenneth Walker III looked like the player we saw during the 5–0 start, finishing with 143 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. To keep Walker rolling, the Chiefs need their receivers to win against man coverage. Seattle and Denver showed what happens when defenses can load the box and trust their corners to hold up one-on-one: the run slows down, and play-action loses its bite. If the receivers make Atlanta pay for that approach, Walker will have more room to run and Patrick Mahomes can get back to attacking off play-action.

Against Atlanta, the key is slowing down Bijan Robinson. That’s the operative phrase: slow him down. He’s coming off 100 rushing yards and another 47 through the air, so Kansas City has to account for him even when he doesn’t get the handoff. Drake London demands attention, and Kyle Pitts can still cause problems for the Chiefs’ linebackers and safeties even in a quiet season. But if Kansas City’s run defense keeps Robinson from taking over, Sack Nation can build on its five-sack performance by moving Michael Penix Jr. off his spot and forcing him past his first read. I like the Chiefs’ chances when Atlanta has to win that way.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 17

Matt Stagner (@stagdsp)

Your Kansas City Chiefs head to Atlanta as big favorites against the 2-6 Falcons. Yes, they’ve lost 4 of their last 5, but this is a dangerous opponent.  They’ve got the league’s best RB and a streaky young QB– it’s an offense that can get out to an early lead and make things uncomfortable. But, as always,  this game will come down to how the Chiefs execute. From the pass protection to the receivers and the short-yardage offense, this team has questions, but they’re more than capable. Ideally, they start strong with Walker and Johnson– if the run game gets going,  the Chiefs are hard to beat.

Chiefs 33, Falcons 21

Dakota Watson (@D_Watson56)

The Chiefs enter this game after righting some of their wrongs last week against the Jets, although still with major question marks for a team intent on making a Super Bowl run. The Falcons, meanwhile, are on a two game losing skid after their upset win over the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers. I never quite know what to make of the Falcons. They’re a team with some of the best offensive weapons in the entire NFL, yet they can’t ever seem to put it all together.

Since Jonathan Taylor in week 2, Bijan Robinson will be the best running back the Chiefs have faced all season. The Chiefs have been great defending the run in 2026, and I think they will be able to contain Robinson, but he will still get his yards. Defensively, the Chiefs should also be able to continue the positive momentum they established last week in pressuring the quarterback and leading to mistakes by the Falcons’ offense.

I’m excited to see what the Chiefs’ offense has in store for new wide receiver Josh Downs. I’m keeping my expectations in check, however, as it always seems like the Chiefs onboard their wide receivers slowly. I expect Downs to play 35-50% of the team’s snaps, but they will still be able to generate enough offense to take home the win.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 17 

Rocky Magana (@RockyMagana)

The Atlanta Falcons only show up for primetime games; they are garbage during noon kickoffs. Despite having multiple weapons on offense, namely running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London, they can never seem to put it all together in the daytime.

On the other hand, the Chiefs are coming off one of their best performances of the season, when the pass rush finally woke up and bullied a terrible team in the New York Jets. At the end of the day, I would expect the Chiefs offense to continue rolling while they ramp up new acquisition wide receiver Josh Downs.

Chiefs 31, Atlanta 17

Nate Christensen

Atlanta has been a surprisingly competitive team since quarterback Michael Penix Jr. came back. The Falcons have one of the dynamic duos of weapons in running back Bijan Robinson and Drake London. That alongside a decent offensive line has given the Falcons a shot to win any game. Their defense has been surprisingly competent, but after trading Jessie Bates, that will probably fall off.

I expect Atlanta to have some nice drives against the Chiefs, but the game will play out similarly to the Jets game. At some point, the Chiefs pressure will get to a pocket-bound Penix and Atlanta won’t be able to catch up offensively. Chiefs pull away in the second half.

Chiefs 28, Falcons 17

Ron Kopp Jr. (@RonOnChiefs)

If the Falcons hadn’t traded away two starters this week, this would feel much more like a spot where the Chiefs could slip up. Still, noon kickoffs have seemed to come with slow starts for Kansas City this year, and this Falcons team still has a reason to fight to stay tied for first place in the NFC South.

However, Atlanta has had more letdowns than triumphs this year, including a couple of weeks ago when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran for 342 yards as a team and didn’t need a pass to win.

This game should be a comfortable win for Kansas City because of its offense, leaning on the ground game once again to stay in rhtyhm and open up the middle of the field for passes.

Chiefs 27, Falcons 17

2026 Standings

All nine panelists predicted the Chiefs to win by more than ten points. Ron (38-20) and Matt (28-13) had the most accurate Week 9 predictions with only 16 total points of error.

Our readers were less optimistic about how Kansas City would perform. Only 50.6% of our readers anticipated a comfortable Chiefs victory, while 37.2% expected Mahomes and Company to narrowly come out on top. 12.2% of respondents expected the Jets to win.

*To calculate a prediction’s points of error, the differences between the prediction and the actual score in point spread, home team score, and away team score are added together. For example, a prediction calls for a 17-10 Chiefs win. They end up winning 16-10, so there were two points of error: the point spread was off by one point, the Kansas City score missed by one point, and the opponent’s score was predicted correctly. But if the Chiefs lose the game 17-10, there were 28 points of error in the prediction: the point spread was off by 14 (the difference between +7 and -7), and both scores were off by 7.

Nine games into 2026, the Green Bay Packers’ defense has 19 takeaways: 13 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries. Last season, they had 14 in 17 games. Sunday’s 45-27 win in Foxborough made it six straight games with multiple takeaways. Green Bay took the ball away four times and turned those turnovers into 21 points.

What stands out is that it isn’t coming from blitzing. Against New England, Green Bay never rushed more than four, and all three interceptions came with Drake Maye in a clean pocket. The Packers are winning after the snap, with disguise, rotation and safeties who read the quarterback.

The safeties set the tone

Safeties Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams have nine takeaways between them, almost half the team’s total.

McKinney leads the team with five interceptions, including two-pick games against Chicago and New England. On Sunday, he picked off Maye’s first pass of the game and returned it to the New England 14. Later he read Maye’s eyes from a deep-quarter alignment and drove on a backside dig.

Williams has three interceptions and a fumble recovery. His pick against the Patriots came off a Brandon Cisse deflection on a deep shot, with Williams rotating over the top while McKinney was used as a rusher.

Everyone’s getting in on it

Nine different defenders have a takeaway. Six of them have an interception. Isaiah McDuffie had the best all-around day in Week 9. He stepped up when Ty’Ron Hopper left with a chest injury and became the first Packer since 2000 with multiple tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in one game. His strip-and-recover of Rhamondre Stevenson in the third quarter ended any thought of a Patriots comeback.

McDuffie also has two forced fumbles. Javon Bullard, Zaire Franklin, Devonte Wyatt and Anthony Campbell have one each.

Doing it shorthanded

Green Bay has done this without its biggest name. The defense has played all nine games without All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. It has also lost linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin, and three defensive tackles, to injured reserve. A defense that can’t count on pressure has had to take the ball away with coverage instead. So far it has worked: the Packers are 6-3 and have won five of their last six.

Takeaway rates swing a lot from year to year, and some regression should be expected. Still, a defense whose turnovers come from disguise and safety play has a sturdier base than one living on tipped balls.

The San Francisco 49ers are hitting the road for a storied rivalry game against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, as they look to improve to 8-1 after a blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

San Francisco entered the week as 1.5-point underdogs, but the lines have shifted drastically, with the 49ers now being 3.5-point favorites ahead of game day. The Cowboys do have several players injured, including cornerback Joey Porter Jr., but it looks like they’ll have star receiver George Pickens back after he started the week with two limited practices.

Meanwhile, San Francisco could be without Deommodore Lenoir, Mike Evans, and Renardo Green, as the trio did not practice at all on Wednesday or Thursday. Evans was expected to miss another week, but losing both cornerbacks is a big deal, especially against a Cowboys offense looking to throw the ball.

So, it’s not a surprise that the game total is sky-high at 55.5 points, with oddsmakers expecting fireworks from both offenses.

San Francisco did re-sign cornerback Jack Jones to the practice squad this week after releasing him a few weeks ago. While Jones had some positive moments this season, he had really struggled before getting cut by the 49ers, and it wasn’t clear that he was going to return. But with the injuries, he could be called upon to play quickly.

“I don’t think there’s ever an understanding he’s coming back,” Morris said of re-signing Jones. “This league is, we know this league, we’ve all been in it long enough, covered it long enough, done whatever, but I do think Jack Jones handled himself the right way. He was accountable to the things that he did wrong. I was accountable to the things that I could help him out to do better, so when he left, he left on great terms. When you leave a place on great terms, you always have an opportunity to come back when something presents itself.

“So last week, an opportunity presented itself and I think him coming back with a different vibe about himself and a different perspective gives him the best chance. I think that’s the only way you can handle failure and the only way to get improvement is to have a little bit of failure. I look forward to what he can do and how he can help us if it’s possible and got a lot of confidence in what he was able to do before that too as well.”

Well, Jones will have to handle that failure quickly, as he gets a very tough matchup this weekend going up against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The 49ers defense has graded out well by a number of metrics this season, but they are now banged up in the secondary with Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green’s statuses in question.

That’s why this matchup against the Cowboys could be a tougher one than expected for the 49ers. And it gets tougher from here, as the 49ers play the Vikings, Seahawks, Giants, and Rams over their next four games. This five-game stretch will tell us a lot about San Francisco, which remains the top contender to make the Super Bowl from the NFC.

Starting that stretch off with a win would be huge, but that means some players from the secondary, be it Jones or Nate Hobbs or even Ephesians Prysock, will have to step up on Sunday.

It has been a busy few weeks of Steelers wide receiver discourse. There have been trade rumors about Josh Downs, Brian Thomas Jr., and Calvin Ridley. There’s been talk about when Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. can return off of injured reserve. And hey, did you know Brandon Aiyuk is set to be available soon?

But amid all the rumors, the Steelers can’t seem to stop talking about one potential addition to the room: Max Hurleman, who is currently on practice squad injured reserve.

“I mean, how do you not love Max (Hurleman)?” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday. “As a new coach, new coaching staff, you come in here every day doing everything right. GPS (data), (he) burned it up. I mean, the guy has an incredible workload capacity, work ethic.”

McCarthy said it was unfortunate that Hurleman was injured early in the season, with the receiver landing on practice squad injured reserve on Sept. 19 with what Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly recently described as an “undisclosed but suspected leg injury.”

“I felt that (Hurleman) truly performed to a level that he deserved a 53-man roster spot,” McCarthy said. “So, it’ll be great to get him back and get him back into the fold.”

It appears Hurleman could be getting close to a return. On Wednesday, quarterback Aaron Rodgers mentioned the wide receiver when asked about the Steelers getting healthier at the position.

“We’ve obviously raised up a couple of our P-Squad guys who are talented. Still would love to get some
opportunities for Max (Hurleman) at some point whenever he comes off,“ Rodgers told the media. ”We have Marquez (Valdes-Scantling), who hasn’t been brought up yet, so we have a lot of options. But I’m hopeful that we’ll get (Michael Pittman Jr.) and Roman (Wilson) back sooner rather than later.“

Also on Wednesday, McCarthy brought up Hurleman in the same breath as Pittman and Wilson. “We’ve got a group that I’m excited to continue to work with,” the Steelers coach said.

Steelers WR1 DK Metcalf also seems excited for the return of Hurleman, coining the nickname “White Chocolate” for the second-year receiver.

“White Chocolate gonna get y’all some plays, especially when he’s out there on the field, so I’m looking forward to him making his debut,” Metcalf told the media on Thursday. “(Hurleman) has been making plays since his rookie year last year, so definitely looking forward to him being out there.”

Hurleman has yet to play in an NFL regular season game.

“It’s very humbling whenever your name gets brought up,” Hurleman said, per Kaboly. “I’ve been working my tail off every day to come back. To get the recognition, that means a lot, but obviously, there’s a ton of work to do. Haven’t played a game yet, but it’s awesome to hear they trust me and see me as an option.”

Hurleman initially joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2025. He finished his college career in South Bend after four years at Colgate, entering the NFL with experience at running back, wide receiver, cornerback and returner. He’s largely settled into a wide receiver role with the Steelers, where he’s made some highlight plays in recent preseasons.

The 5’11, 200-pound receiver still hasn’t been activated off of practice squad injured reserve, but it appears that the Steelers have some plans for Hurleman once he returns.

Greetings, Falcoholics! Thursday is here as the Atlanta Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs both held their second practices of the week. Heading into Friday, the Falcons have a few injuries that we need to keep an eye on as the team prepares to face one of the best teams in the league this year.

Let’s take a look at the injury reports!

Falcons injury report

Full

• DE Za’Darius Smith (rest)

Limited

• LB Kendal Daniels (Achilles)

• DT Gervon Dexter Sr. (illness)

• DE Cam Thomas (groin)

• LB Josh Woods (ankle)

• DE James Pearce Jr. (back)

Did Not Practice

• WR Zachariah Branch (hamstring)

• LB Divine Deablo (forearm)

• RT Jawaan Taylor (rest)

Chiefs injury report

Full

• LB Jeff Bassa (hand)

• CB Mansoor Delane (shoulder)

• QB Justin Fields (neck)

• S Jaden Hicks (shoulder)

• TE Travis Kelce (ankle)

• QB Patrick Mahomes (knee, right elbow)

• WR Rashee Rice (knee)

• WR Xavier Worthy (hamstring)

Limited

• RB Jaydn Ott (hamstring)

• DT Omarr Norman-Lott (knee)

Did Not Practice

• OL Jaylon Moore (ankle)

• DL Peter Woods (neck)

Looking at the Falcons first, two players were absent on Thursday due to injuries: receiver Zachariah Branch who has a hamstring injury and linebacker Divine Deablo who is dealing with an injured forearm. Hopefully both are able to log a practice on Friday and suit up this weekend.

The good news is that the Falcons finally have a Bye Week in Week 11, so the entire time will get some time to rest and recover from their injuries.

The Chiefs look like they’re getting healthy, especially after the injury scare quarterback Patrick Mahomes had in Week 9, where it appeared like he suffered a devastating elbow injury—but was soon able to return to action.

Each practice day this season, the Kansas City Chiefs release an official injury report ahead of the next game. In Week 10, the Chiefs play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

Here is the Chiefs’ final official injury report of the week, courtesy of the team’s official website:

Chiefs

• Running back Kenneth Walker (groin) is questionable after missing Friday’s practice suddenly; head coach Andy Reid told local media that he came into the facilities with a tight groin on Friday morning.
• Rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane (shoulder) is questionable despite being a full participant in practice all week; he has missed the last two games.
• Rookie defensive tackle Peter Woods (neck) has been ruled out; he hasn’t practiced or played since exiting the Week 8 game against the Denver Broncos with a neck injury.
• Starting right tackle Jaylon Moore (ankle) has been ruled out; he didn’t practice at all after leaving the Week 9 game in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
• Second-year defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (knee) was ruled out; he will need to be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to the active roster next week in order to play this season.
• Rookie running back Jaydn Ott (hamstring) is questionable after being added to Thursday’s injury report as a limited participant; he was signed to the 53-man roster after running back Brashard Smith was put on the Reserve/Injured list a few weeks ago.

The following players were full participants in practice all week and have no game status:

• Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (hamstring)
• Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (knee / right elbow)
• Wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee)
• Tight end Travis Kelce (ankle)
• Safety Jaden Hicks (shoulder)
• Quarterback Justin Fields (neck)
• Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (hand)

Falcons

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (illness) is listed as questionable after being a limited participant in Thursday’s and Friday’s practices. He has played 57% of the defensive snaps for Atlanta this season and has four tackles for loss, five quarterback hits. 1.5 sacks and a pass batted down.

Linebacker Divine Deable (forearm) is doubtful after he did not practice on Thursday or Friday. The team’s starting linebacker has already missed two games this season due to an arm injury. He has 30 tackles, one for loss, two quarterback hits and a pass defended this year.

Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. (back) is questionable after missing Wednesday’s practice. The former first-round pick made his season debut last week and played 15 snaps.

Rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch (hamstring) has been ruled out. Branch leads Atlanta in punt returns (8) and kick returns (14) with a long of 61 yards on a kickoff return. As a role player on offense, he has 10 catches for 64 yards this season.

Linebacker Josh Woods (ankle) is questionable after missing the first practice of the week and being limited on Thursday. This year, Woods has 15 tackles and one tackle for loss while playing 91 total snaps on defense.

Post-NFL trade deadline, four teams on bye weeks, and the push for the fantasy playoffs is upon us.

Let's look at 10 players who are widely available and who you can stream in Week 10 if your lineup is in need of help.

(Streamers are players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo leagues.)

After logging two limited practices to open the week and a full practice in Friday's walkthrough, defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is listed as questionable to play on Sunday night. Earlier in the week, the Steelers opened up Harmon's 21-day practice window, meaning he does not necessarily have to come back this week despite participating in practice throughout the week.

The young defensive lineman is the only name with a game designation on the Steelers' Friday injury report. This means that the likes of Ben Skowronek, DeShon Elliott, Brandin Echols, and Donieko Slaughter are all good to go for the most important game of the season thus far.

Getting Harmon back on the field would be a huge boost to what has already been a strong Steelers defense in a high stakes matchup against the Bengals. The last time these two teams met, it was Harmon who clinched the game for the Steelers with a strip sack of Joe Burrow.

The Steelers will still be without wide receivers Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr., who remain on injured reserve.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!

• Steelers reporter doesn't expect Derrick Harmon to return against Bengals

• 2027 NFL Draft: Prospects to watch for the Steelers

• Steelers mid-season awards: Rookie of the Year

• The Steelers made zero trades – and that's completely fine

• Ben Skowronek, Derrick Harmon return to Steelers practice

For the second time ever, "The Bachelor" is going to be an active NFL player.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman has been named the new star for Season 30 of ABC's reality dating franchise. The 27-year-old admitted during an appearance on "Good Morning America" it was the previous NFL player to serve as "Bachelor" who helped convince him to hand out roses to 30 women seeking a romantic relationship on national television.

Jesse Palmer, who was named the host of "The Bachelor" in 2021, was a member of the New York Giants when he starred on the show. Palmer ended the season in a relationship with winner Jessica Bowlin, but they split a month after the May 2004 finale.

"He kind of gave me the insight, what it is, what it's not," Hartman said of Palmer. "I’m excited but also very nervous."

Palmer appeared in eight NFL games during his career, though none came after his stint as "The Bachelor." Hartman has mainly been on Washington's practice squad during his three NFL seasons.

Here's a closer look at Hartman's Commanders contract, how NFL practice squads work and his NFL career to date.

It’s Week 10 0f the NFL season and most rosters are battered … and then there are the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders are in line to have most of their 53 player son their roster healthy and available to play Sunday when they open the Fernando Mendoza era by hosting the Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT.

Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak said rookie right guard Trey Zuhn has cleared the concussion protocol and he will start Sunday. Zuhn had to leave the Week 9 loss at San Francisco. He practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday. However, he was a full go Friday.

The third-round pick will be making his third straight start.

Kubiak said defensive tackle Thomas Booker and wide receiver Dont’e Thornton are both questionable. There are both reserve players.

The Raiders have had a major injury advantage in virtually every game this season and that will continue Sunday. The Seahawks will be without starting quarterback Sam Darnold as backup Drew Lock will play. Standout left guard Quenton Nelson and left tackle Charles Cross are out as well as standout defensive tackle Leonard Williams.

Kubiak also sad the Raiders are considering adding a third quarterback to the roster behind Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell..

The Green Bay Packers defense generated three interceptions with sound coverage and defense in Week 9. None came with pressure on the quarterback. In fact, all three of the New England Patriots’ quarterback Drake Maye’s interceptions against Green Bay came from a clean pocket. The Packers never sent more than four rushers and never blitzed, yet Maye still threw three balls to a defender who was already waiting for them. What ties the picks together is what happened after the snap.

Each time, a Green Bay safety ended up somewhere Maye didn’t expect, and Maye threw to the picture he had before the snap. On the first, the single-high safety didn’t bite on play action.

On the second, Evan Williams was rotating over the top of what looked like one-on-one coverage. On the third, a deep-quarter safety read Maye’s eyes and drove on the dig. Together, the three throws cost New England about 12.4 EPA, and two of them set up Packers touchdowns.

The first interception came on Maye’s first pass of the game, on 2nd and 9 from the New England 26 with 14:32 left in the first quarter. Xavier McKinney picked it off at the 50 and returned it 36 yards to the NE 14, and Jordan Love scrambled in for a touchdown two plays later.

At minus 5.90 EPA, it was the costliest of New England’s three interceptions. Green Bay was in a drop-8 Cover 3, rushing three with seven in the box. Before the snap, McKinney was the lone deep defender in the middle, about 12 yards off the ball, so the middle of the field was closed. New England ran play action from under center with a deep post and a deep crosser.

That combination is built to stress the post safety. If he carries the post, the crosser opens underneath him, and if he jumps the crosser, the post is open behind him. McKinney never took the fake. He kept his depth and stayed square in the middle third through Maye’s drop, so the play action never created the conflict it was designed to.

With eight defenders in coverage, the underneath zones were full, and neither deep route had an easy window. Maye’s eyes and shoulders stayed locked on the deep middle, McKinney read him the whole way, and when Maye threw the crosser 24 yards downfield, McKinney broke downhill and caught it in stride around the 50.

Play action against drop-8 Cover 3 only works if the post safety bites. McKinney didn’t, so the ball went straight to the defender the concept was meant to beat. With only three rushers and a clean pocket, Maye had time to come off the deep routes and check the ball down. Charting graded it interception-worthy, with a CPOE of minus 42.

The second interception came on 1st and 10 from the New England 40 with 12:54 left in the second quarter. Maye took a deep shot down the left sideline to Kyle Williams, 37 air yards, and Brandon Cisse batted it into the air for Evan Williams to catch at the Green Bay 23. It was the only one of the three the Packers didn’t score off, since they went three-and-out, and it cost minus 2.82 EPA.

Green Bay ran a WASP quads pressure with McKinney as the fourth rusher, rotating the coverage behind him. WASP usually puts a linebacker in as the 4th rusher while dropping a defensive end. On this play, McKinney is aligned more like that inside linebacker, so he’s the one tasked with adding to the rush.

New England lined up in a shotgun 3×1, with a dagger concept to the trips side and Kyle Williams isolated as the X to the boundary.

Dagger uses a clear-out seam from the inside receiver and a deep dig from the outside receiver into the space the seam vacates. Before the snap, the shell looked two-high, and McKinney gave no clear sign he was coming. At the snap, he rushed, and Evan Williams rotated toward the boundary and got depth over the top of the single-receiver side.

Instead of working the dagger to the trips side, Maye took the backside shot. Cisse was in phase on the go route and Williams was closing from above, so the ball landed between them. Cisse got a hand on it at the sideline, and Williams, already overhead, caught the tip. The backside go is usually a decision made before the snap: one-on-one to the X with no safety help is a throw you take.

Here, though, the safety help only appeared after the snap as Williams rotated over. With a safety rushing, there were also fewer defenders underneath, so the dagger dig and the vacated middle were the coverage’s weak spots. The Packers defense made it a contested catch because Maye put too much air under it when it should have been more on a line out to the sideline. Instead, he threw a 50/50 ball into a rotating safety.

The third interception came on 2nd and 7 from the Green Bay 44 with 5:47 left in the second quarter. Maye threw a backside dig to tight end Eli Raridon and McKinney undercut it at the Green Bay 29 and returned it for 2 yards. Christian Watson’s 43-yard catch and a Kaleb Johnson touchdown run followed, making it 24-7, and the play cost minus 3.68 EPA.

Green Bay was in Cover 4 “trix,” a quarters variation where the weak safety reads the inside receiver from the #3 in trips. The Packers rushed four with no blitz and six in the box, and both safeties sat 12 to 15 yards deep before the snap, with McKinney on the side the ball went to. At the snap, McKinney opened to his deep quarter, but with no vertical threat from any inside receiver, he was free to read the quarterback.

Maye finished his drop looking to the front side, then came back to the backside dig, with his head and shoulders turned before the ball came out. McKinney read the turn and drove downhill and inside, from deep-quarter depth to the spot where the dig would be caught, before Maye released it.

The throw was on time, but McKinney jumped into the throwing lane and caught it in front of Raridon at the 29. In quarters, a safety whose inside receiver doesn’t go vertical can become a robber on in-breaking routes. Throwing a dig that late at that safety without a vertical route to hold him is exactly the throw the coverage is built to take away.

Takeaways

On these interceptions, the Packers only rushed three, four and four, and didn’t get any pressure on Maye, who had time and threw every one of these picks from a clean pocket. Each pick came after the snap, when a Packers safety ended up somewhere Maye didn’t expect.

McKinney stayed in the middle instead of biting on play action, Evan Williams rotated over the top of a one-on-one that wasn’t, and McKinney turned a deep-quarter alignment into a robber on the dig. That’s Jonathan Gannon’s defense in a nutshell: show one picture, play another, and trust the safeties to beat the quarterback to the spot.

With Micah Parsons out and the injury list growing, Green Bay can’t count on getting home with four. It doesn’t have to when McKinney and Williams are this far ahead of the quarterback. Every passer left on the schedule will see the same disguises on film, and recognizing them on tape is a lot easier than beating them on Sunday.

There are eight games in the books — with nine more to go. The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 season reaches its midpoint in Week 10. Because the team’s bye came so early in Week 5, we have decided to move our annual awards to midseason.

Nine members of the Arrowhead Pride writing staff each had one vote for our seven midseason awards, so nine votes will be tallied for each award.

So far, we’ve awarded:

Most Improved Player: DB Chris Roland-Wallace

Top Defensive Rookie: CB Mansoor Delane

Protector of the Year: RG Trey Smith

Top Offensive Rookie: LT Kahlil Benson

In this post, we’ll reveal the top special teams player:

P Matt Araiza

VOTING: Matt Araiza (8), James Winchester (1)

On some NFL squads, special teams could feel like an afterthought. In Kansas City, a strong tradition of explosive kick and punt returns has changed the team’s fortunes. The Chiefs have also boasted some of the best kickers and punters in the league over the past 30 years– along with some of the most painful missed field goals in NFL history. 

Expectations are always high for the third phase in KC, as evidenced by the influence and stature of special teams coordinator Dave Toub. It’s certainly been an up-and-down season (or two, or three) for Uncle Dave’s group, making this a challenging operation to evaluate– or even understand. They’ve got a struggling kicker, a controversial kicker on the practice squad, and have a number of costly penalties seemingly every week. 

We could choose a special teams player of the year in 2026 via process of elimination. 

• Returner Nikko Remigio has been released
• Nobody has stood out as a star on coverage ( they’ve been fine)
• James Winchester is a solid long snapper (but it’s hard to judge his impact on a game)
• And the kicker is – Harrison Butker.  

That really only leaves two viable options: Emmett Johnson– who has just started to come on as a kick returner OR punter Matt Araiza, who is statistically among the league leaders at his position this year.

Through eight games, Araiza has punted 25 times for 1,270 yards, averaging 50.8 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season is a 69-yard boot, and he’s placed 12 punts inside the 20-yard line.

His  AFC Special Teams Player of the Week performance came in the Week 4 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Araiza punted five times, and all five landed inside the 20-yard line– most impressive was the one downed at the Raiders’ 1-yard line by Xavier Nwankpa and Emmett Johnson. But Araiza’s fake punt on the first drive of the game, converting on a 4th and 4 from their own 35, is the play that we’ll all remember (even if the offense did nothing with it, turning it over on downs at the 50). 

The punter formerly known as “punt god” was known for highlight reel bombs in college. But, Araiza has apparently worked hard to be a complete player at his position. He’s improved his touch and directional kicking, resulting in a career-best yards-per-punt average thus far. 

Is Araiza the Chiefs’ most valuable special teams player through the first half of the season? Let us know in the comments.

Every week, you'll need help making those tough fantasy football lineup decisions. Luckily for you, the team at Yahoo has everything you need to prep for the week with updated rankings for Half-PPR and Full-PPR formats, as well as plenty of analysis via articles, video and audio. Below you'll find a complete set of links to help you with all your fantasy football needs for the week.

Week 10 Rankings

Rankings from each Yahoo Fantasy analyst

• Justin Boone

• Matt Harmon

• Scott Pianowski

• Joel Smyth

• Hayden Winks

• The Hub: All our rankings, all in one place

Consensus Half-PPR Rankings

• QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | D/ST | Kickers

Consensus Full-PPR Rankings

• RB | WR | TE | FLEX

Boone's Half-PPR Rankings

• QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | D/ST | Kickers

Boone's Full-PPR Rankings

• RB | WR | TE | FLEX

Trade Value Charts

• QB | RB | WR | TE

More rankings and analysis from Hayden Winks

Analyst Hayden Winks shares his Blueprint for the top running backs and wide receivers for Week 10, breaking down each player's outlook. He also provides an overview of the onesie positions.

• Top-51 Running Backs

• Top-65 Wide Receivers

• Onesie Rankings (QB/TE/DST/K)

• 4 things that stood out on film from Week 9

• 5 players we're higher on, 5 we're lower on for Week 10

🧐 Week 10 Strategy

• Week 10 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Lineup advice from Justin Boone

• Roundtable: Our analysts share their bold prediction for the week

• Traffic Report: Green, yellow, red light lineup options

• Here's what to do about these 5 polarizing players this week

• Week 10 Matchups to Exploit: Players in great spots

• Allen: What lack of moves at deadline means for these 3 teams

• Week 10 Fades: 6 players to consider benching

• Harmon: Biggest fantasy surprises at the halfway point of 2026

• Week 10 Sleepers: Scott Pianowski's underrated plays off the waiver wire

• Boone's Trade Tips: Keep candle burning for Zay Flowers

• Garvin: Evaluating rookie class for fantasy at the midway point of 2026

• Pianowski hands out midseason fantasy awards for 2026

• Week 10 Stock Report: Top risers and fallers off the latest action

• Pianowski: Revisiting mistakes made from drafts at midseason

• Flex Fit: Joel Smyth provides help to managers with tough lineup calls

• Allen: Bold fantasy predictions for second half of the season

• Week 10 Panic Meter: Players we're concerned about moving forward

• Pianowski: 10 most common players on eliminated Death League teams

• Overlooked Stats: Joel Smyth goes over 10 key stats from Week 9

Trade Deadline Analysis

• Fantasy Fallout: Impact of Kirk Cousins heading back to Minnesota

• Taylor stays, Downs and Allen go: Fallout for Colts, Chiefs and 49ers

Resources

• Injury tracker: Monitoring status updates for Week 10

• What to do with these RB2s and depth backs in Week 10

• Waiver Wire: Pickups to make at each position for Week 10

• Target Trends: Injuries, trades creating chaos going into Week 10

• Streamers: Defense | Kickers

🎧 Listen

Fantasy Forecast

• 6 biggest fantasy questions we want answered in Week 10

• Week 9 People's Panic Meter: Are the Rams cooked without Puka?

• Midseason Review: Surprises, disappointments and lessons learned

• NFL trade deadline reactions + 8 data points to note

• Yahoo Fantasy Football Expert League Recap for Week 9

The Josh and Hayden Show

• Week 9 Recap: Breaking down each game for fantasy

• Week 10 Waiver Wire: Upgrade your lineup for the playoff push

• 32 Teams. 32 Facts: Everything you need to know to dominate Week 10

• Week 10 Rankings: Going over top-38 running backs

• Week 10 Rankings: Going over top-47 wide receivers

Subscribe to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Be sure to also subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Football with Josh & Hayden on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.

▶️ Watch

The Josh and Hayden Show

• The Price is Wrong: Seahawks RB has a Charbonnet problem

• Can Jaguars' offense keep C-Rod relevant this week against Titans?

• Is Chuba in a 'fantasy eruption' spot going up against Saints?

• Can Bijan beat the projections, Chiefs' stout defense?

• Stroud has made the leap into elite fantasy QB territory

• Here's why Jalen Coker's value has taken a big step back

• Will Downs' arrival in K.C. take away from Rashee Rice?

• Is Corum a must-start against Arizona with WR injuries mounting?

The Fantasy Forecast

• FLEX appeal: Is Kiner a strong play with injuries in NE backfield?

• Can Higbee have impact for Rams with WR injuries aplenty?

• Is there any fantasy hope left for Quinshon Judkins?

• Can Estimé provide solid fantasy value again in Week 10?

• Is there too much risk rolling Keenan Allen out there following trade?

• Why Mendoza starting could unlock Jeanty for fantasy

• Analysis: Are pocket passers back in the NFL?

• Can Carnell Tate overcome daunting matchup against Jaguars?

The Week 10 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers is an opportunity for the Dallas Cowboys to prove they are a better team than the way they have played through the first half of the 2026 NFL season. With the way things have played out thus far, and due to the fact the NFC East division is completely wide-open, Dallas can once again really get into the playoff chase.

It seems far-fetched to believe the Cowboys can still turn things around so much, but that’s exactly what’s at stake in Week 10. If they can upset the San Francisco 49ers, arguably one of the best teams in the league this year, they could potentially rewrite their season. To do so though the need to make some impact, game-changing plays.

Offense – WR Ryan Flournoy

Ryan Flournoy may not have led the Cowboys in receiving yards last week against the Indianapolis Colts, but he did make arguably the most impactful play of the game. With 97 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, QB Dak Prescott heaved the ball downfield hooking up with No. 19, who made a one-handed grab with All-Pro CB Sauce Gardener draped all over him. That reception was pivotal in Dallas regaining the lead.

Like last week, we fully expect No. 19 to make a big impact in the Week 10 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. With George Pickens limited all week with a hamstring injury, he’ll likely be a gametime decision. Even if he does end up playing he probably won’t be at 100%. That should give Flournoy ample opportunity to make plays, especially considering the 49ers will focus the majority of their attention on limiting CeeDee Lamb’s production.

Defense – DB Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs is looking to repeat the success he had last week against the Indianapolis Colts in this Week 10 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Last week was arguably the best game of his young career. He not only recorded his second QB sack of the season, but also end up sealing the victory for the Cowboys with a game-clinching interception. There’s good reason to believe he can be just as impactful in back-to-back weeks.

The 49ers are one of the best offensive units the Cowboys defense has faced up to this point this season. Dallas hasn’t had to matchup with a group of talented playmakers thus far this season like they will Sunday afternoon against San Francisco. Due to his versatility to play all over the field, No. 13 should be in the mix of things throughout the ballgame. He’ll need to be just as impactful as last week, if not more so, to give Dallas a chance.

Who is your biggest impact player for this week?

The post-mortem on a game the New York Giants should have won but didn’t is never fun. Let’s see what we can learn from the Pro Football Focus grades and advanced stats about who played well and who didn’t. Before looking at the offense and defense, let’s note that PFF gave Jordan Stout his lowest grade of the season because of that 12-yard shank in the fourth quarter that gave the Commanders decent field position to start their winning drive, and of course Dominic Zvada got a low grade for his field goal miss from 32 yards out (though not as low as the first Washington and the Houston games in which he had multiple misses). That’s part of the story, but there was blame to go around on the offense and defense. And let’s not forget the coaching. In the old days we used to speak of a “prevent defense” that tried to hold a lead by playing soft coverage that stopped big plays. Well, last night John Harbaugh played what might be called a “prevent offense,” being scared off field goal attempts and punting in Commanders’ territory after Zvada’a early miss and trying to wind down the clock with running plays and quarterback keepers instead of calling easy pitch-and-catch plays to keep the ball out of Jayden Daniels’ hands.

PFF grades: Offense

PFF did not give a single elite (80 or higher) grade to anyone on the offense last night (part of that was due to the weather conditions, Washington only had one elite-graded offensive player themselves, Ben Sinnott). J.J. McCarthy received an overall very good offense grade, more because of his running (three scrambles for 29 yards) than his passing. However, his passing grade was brought down by his final offensive play, an interception deep downfield on which he was blitzed and on which Malik Nabers did not make much of an effort to help him out. Overall, J.J. handled the pressure well, doing about as well as when he was kept clean:

J.J. was blitzed on 45% of dropbacks: 2 of his 3 turnover-worthy plays came on blitzes, but 2 of his 3 big-time throws also came on blitzes. Overall, with 293 yards, a pretty good performance.

Of note is the performance of the offensive line. Even though McCarthy was pressured on 35% of his dropbacks, the OL performed pretty well overall. Jon Runyan and Sisi Mauigoa had great pass-blocking games, Runyan having a clean stat line and Mauigoa only giving up one hurry. The run block grades weren’t as good but not terrible either. Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor both graded very good in pass coverage with 2 hurries charged to AT and one QB hit to Eluemunor. Bryan Hudson graded below average in pass blocking with 2 hurries and just barely below average in run blocking. Patrick Ricard had his best game as a Giant, especially in run blocking. Cam Skattebo fell just below the Very Good category with his 18 rushes for 78 yards; maybe he was graded down a bit for eating before the game and throwing up on the sideline 🙂

None of the receivers graded as high as Very Good, though Malachi Fields and Isaiah Likely came close. The reason Likely didn’t grade higher despite his 9 of 11, 127 yard, 1 TD performance was because of his fumble; PFF grades turnovers very severely. Malik Nabers only had 44 yards on 5 catches in 7 targets, but his very low grade reflects his fumble which cost the Giants a scoring opportunity.

PFF grades: Defense

The defense was a different story. There was one excellent defensive performance last night – the defense was not the main reason the Giants lost the game. Ar’Darius Washington has seen his playing time increase the past three weeks, and last night he graded an outstanding 89.9 overall, 91.4 in coverage. Washington was targeted 6 times and gave up 3 completions for a total of only 11 yards and a 16.7 passer rating. He made back-to-back great plays, a pass reception stop and then an interception, with the game on the line and the Commanders in scoring position. His only blemish was 3 missed tackles, but he did have 5 tackles and 2 assists.

The rest of the secondary did not perform as well. Deonte Banks received a barely below average coverage and overall defense grade; if he turns his head and tries to play the ball on the deep pass to Treylon Burks with less than two minutes left in the game, there’s no flag and the Giants may end up winning the game. Jevon Holland had the big interception, but he also gave up a TD and 40 yards total on pass plays. Dru Phillips graded 53.5 overall and 48.8 in coverage primarily because he gave up the game-losing TD to Stefon Diggs, but he also missed two tackles. Greg Newsome also graded below average, giving up 22 yards on 2 receptions in 3 targets and missing a tackle. Jason Pinnock graded low as well before leaving the game; he missed 2 tackles and graded low in coverage, primarily because he was covering on the Daniels TD pass to Ben Sinnott.

The Giants’ most high profile defensive players (with Brian Burns out for the season) are now Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese. Both were graded Very Good overall by PFF. Reese did nothing in the pass rush last night, but he did have 7 tackles and 5 assists, three of them stops, with no missed tackles. He also gave up four completions in four targets in pass coverage, but they only went for 21 yards total with only 9 YAC, warranting a Very Good coverage grade. Carter is the more difficult evaluation. He continues to be unable to get to the QB for sacks, but he did have a QB hit and 2 hurries plus 2 tackles and an assist, resulting in a Very Good overall defense grade. Micah McFadden had a QB hurry and 9 tackles plus an assist, but he only graded average overall because he surrendered 4 catches and 55 yards on pass defense.

The rest of the defensive line was a bunch of mediocre to poor performances. Kayvon Thibodeaux only had one QB hurry and graded fairly low on run defense despite 7 tackles and an assist, suggesting that he was just blocked out of some running plays. D.J. Reader had his worst game as a Giant, with only 1 hurry and 1 tackle. Shelby Harris got his first sack and had a hurry and 2 tackles, 2 assists. Bobby Jamison-Travis continues to get snaps but had only a tackle and an assist, but that was better than Darius Alexander, who only had one tackle.

Advanced stats

The Giants’ defense overall can be summed up as: Not bad, but not great either. Here is an overall ranking of NFL defenses in a number of categories:

Overall, the Giants rank No. 12 in the NFL in points per game given up. That sounds pretty good, although you would have to say that other than the Rams, they haven’t played any of the NFL’s powerhouse offenses. They are below average in sacks, slightly below average in takeaways, and among the league’s worst in tackles for loss. It could be a lot worse, but they don’t scare anyone either. Speaking of scaring, note that the Jaguars, next week’s opponent, are No. 2 in the league in points per game allowed despite not scoring high in any individual category, unlike the No. 1 Vikings, who rank highest in sacks. Somehow the Jags are keeping teams out of the end zone in most of their games. They have the second best red zone D in the NFL, while the Giants’ red zone D is near the bottom:

That matters, because as I have noted, John Harbaugh and his offensive coordinator Matt Nagy have mostly been very conservative in their play calling and fourth down decisions. That’s quantified below by Kevin Cole of Unexpected Points:

According to the plot above, the Giants go for it on 4th down only about 1 in 3 times when the situation indicates at least a one point win probability added by going for it, one of the lowest rates in the NFL. Here’s a related stat about the same philosophy:

At this time it seems appropriate to remind ourselves of the wisdom of Herm Edwards (even though he said this in a different context):

Related to this, here are the NFL rankings for the three-and-out offense rates just over the last three weeks, conveniently coinciding with the J.J. McCarthy as Giants starter era:

Perhaps related to this, here are the checkdown rates for NFL QBs for the past 4 weeks:

So is McCarthy a gunslinger who eschews taking the easy few yards in favor of taking a shot downfield? That might be one way to interpret the deep pass to Nabers that was intercepted on the Giants’ last drive, but the question is whether the Nagy offense is giving him an easy answer underneath and J.J. is ignoring or not seeing it vs. giving him no answer at all. On the Nabers INT the pressure up the middle came quickly, but Malachi Fields was right there for McCarthy to throw shallow to and pick up a few yards with plenty of time left for a few more plays:

All that said, in a matchup of one of the league’s most highly regarded young QBs against a QB drafted 8 spots lower and jettisoned for a 5th round pick, the performances of Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy weren’t all that different last night, and where they were, the difference mostly favored McCarthy:

Daniels had a higher completion rate (69.7% to 63.9%), but J.J.’s CPOE was near zero while Daniels’ was -2.1%. McCarthy’s ddep throw rate was 11.1% vs. Daniels’ 3.0%. The two had almost identical times to throw (2.59 vs. 2.55 s), but McCarthy was pressured 38.5% of the time to Daniels’ 20.5%. McCarthy threw into tight windows 11.1% of the time vs. Daniels’ 6.1%.

The bottom line is that no one questions Jayden Daniels’ ability and status as one of the NFL’s best young QBs. McCarthy has traveled a more difficult road. To what extent that is his own fault vs. that of the team that drafted him is a matter for discussion and difficult to ascertain from the outside. But nothing he has shown as a Giant suggests that he cannot be a productive QB at the NFL level. It didn’t work out for him last night, but he gave the Giants a chance to win.

As I tend to do every week, I found myself talking about the Green Bay Packers a lot this week. Some of that was just muttering to myself in the hallway of my house, but sometimes I was talking to real, live people and sometimes those conversationswererecorded. One question that keeps coming up has been this: is the Packers offense sustainable?

On its face, the answer is “probably not.” We’re coming off a performance where Jordan Love had fire shooting from his hands: completing 79.3% of his passes for 372 yards and 3 TDs. He posted that 79.2% completion rate while bombing: 27.6% of his attempts were 20+ yards down the field (his highest rate of the season).

The question of sustainability revolves around Jordan Love (“can he keep this up”), but it’s really more about the run game. Can an offense continue to be successful into the playoffs with a high pass rate and a bad running game?

No matter where you look, the run game metrics are bad. They’re dead-last in EPA per Play at -0.26 (per NFL Pro). They’re dead last in DVOA at -32.6% (per FTN). They’re 31st in Yards Per Attempt at 3.0 (per Pro Football Reference). Pick your favorite football analytics site and they’re going to be right near the bottom in rushing on every single one of them.

In looking at the overall team, I believe it’s sustainable. On top of being an aggressive attacker down the field, Love has become a very good operator in the quick game, and the Packers have the offensive pieces to make that work. Whether that’s working an old favorite like Slant/Flat or hitting some of those quick outs he has become so fond of, it’s an area of his game that has seen a ton of improvement over the years. If they need to supplement the lack of a run game with a quick pass game – and take enough deep shots to keep defenses from sitting on the underneath routes – that feels like it could work. Combine that with a defense that has been playing extremely well (2nd most turnovers, 5th in DVOA, 9th in EPA per Play) and that feels like a recipe for sustainability. But is it really?

I dug into some numbers to see if that’s something that we’ve seen before. Have we seen a team this bad at running the ball find success? I had to define success, so I determined that any team that made the playoffs could be assumed to have some sort of sustained success. So I grabbed every team that made the playoffs from 1999-2025 and looked at a handful of their metrics during the regular season to see if this is something that has happened. If you’re asking “why 1999”, the answer is because that’s the furthest back the data I am using for this goes back.

The main metrics I looked at were Pass Rate, EPA and Success Rate.

Here’s where the Packers sit. For these numbers, I’m only looking at games after Week 3, since the offensive line was non-functional for the first few weeks. Is that cheating? Maybe! But it felt like the best thing to do, and I’m making the rules here.

We’re going to lock that Packers line so we can keep it in mind, then look at some other teams that may fit the bill. If there is a * next to a team name, it means that team was in the Super Bowl that season.

First up: Pass Rate.

These are the highest pass rate teams in our group. As you can see, a pass rate of 61.1% isn’t crazy given some of these other teams. It’s still relatively high – a pass rate of 61.1% would rank 97th highest out of 336 teams – but it’s not some crazy outlier. Among these teams, the Packers’ EPA per Pass far exceeds the other teams, but their running game is worse than all of them except for the 2022 Bucs. Their Passing Success is better than everyone except the 2021 Bucs and the 2011 Lions, but their running game is worse than all of them in terms of success.

That led me to look at Rush Success Rate. Where does the rushing success rate from this year’s Packers team stack up against our sample?

The Packers would still be a bit of an outlier – their 36.3% rush success would be the 22nd worst success rate among our 336 teams – but it has been done. The one that jumps out (because of course it does) is the 2007 Packers. I’m not alone in believing that, if they hadn’t lost to the Giants, they would have won the Super Bowl that year. For this year’s Packers to be significantly better in EPA per Pass – and slightly better in Rush Success Rate – is pretty surprising. That team also had a slightly higher Pass Rate than this year’s Packers, as well. That 2007 team had a better Pass Success Rate, so they were better at moving the chains, but this team is better at generating points. If you want to point to a volatility point, something like that would be it. A high EPA per Play but low Success Rate could suggest that a team is punching a bit above their weight.

We could do this all day, but we’ll end with this. I wanted to see what teams had a Rushing EPA worse than this year’s Packers:

Those are all the teams with a worse Rush EPA than this year’s Packers. A few of those teams (2022 Bucs, 1999 Lions, 2014 Colts) had a higher pass rate, but most of them were more run-heavy than this year’s Packers, despite having worse results while doing so.

Of these teams, the Packers outpaced all of them in EPA per Pass and Pass Success Rate. They have a better overall Success Rate than all but 2 of these teams (2022 Bucs, 2014 Colts).

We’ll stop here, or we’ll be here all day. There’s more that can be combed through, but I think we have a pretty good idea of where this Packers team stands. Let’s close by revisiting our question:

Question: Is this Packers offense sustainable?

Answer: History tells us that it is, but it’s also a fairly narrow path to walk. Teams with this makeup have been “sustainable” enough to make the playoffs numerous times, but it’s not the norm.

Albums listened to: Blondshell – Violins; Leem of Earth – See; Remi Wolf – Mud

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have to wait another week to get defensive lineman Derrick Harmon back on the field.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan that he does not anticipate Harmon making his return to action on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I don’t think so,” Fittipaldo said when asked if Harmon would play. “He’s a young guy, and (the Steelers) usually like to have their young guys get at least one full practice in before they play.”

Fittipaldo added that Friday’s practice, where Harmon was eventually reported as a full participant, was a walkthrough and not the best indicator of the defensive lineman’s availability.

Harmon has been limited in the Steelers’ last two practices since his 21-day return window from injured reserve was open.

Harmon has been sidelined with a foot injury since Week 4, leaving Pittsburgh without one of its young defensive linemen. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 5 and has missed the team’s last four contests.

With Cincinnati bringing one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses into Sunday’s matchup, Pittsburgh could certainly use the added depth and talent along its defensive line. However, based on Fittipaldo’s expectation, the Steelers may have to make do without Harmon for at least another week.

The Minnesota Vikings have built a truly special defense. They’re extremely disruptive and not particularly interested in letting opposing quarterbacks get comfortable. Mastermind DC Brian Flores has taken the concept of an aggressive defense to a new level, blitzing on 75.3% of defensive plays this season. The idea is to create confusion, force errors, and keep down-and-distances unfavorable for offenses. And to date, it’s working.

So why hasn’t anyone done this before? Well, because with aggression comes opportunities. There will be some opportunities on Sunday. Can Green Bay’s offense capitalize? I think so. Here’s how:

To make Minnesota pay for sending extra defenders, Jordan Love needs to get the ball out of his hands quickly. While Love has a reputation this year for the long-developing big play, he actually has the shortest time to throw in the NFL this season (2.60 seconds). If you watched Buffalo’s win over the Vikings on Monday Night Football, you’ll have noticed that Josh Allen threw 16 passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Of those, 15 were completions, and the Bills gutted out a 23-6 win.

The Packers also need the Vikings to at least somewhat respect its running game. That’s easier said than done, though the Packers did finally break 100 cumulative rushing yards against the Patriots last week. While Minnesota’s defense is bordering on generational, they rank 18th in rushing yards allowed. They’ve surrendered at least 134 rushing yards in each of their last three games. Even modest gains on early downs can help avoid the long-yardage situations where Flores’ is most aggressive.

Most importantly, the Packers need to win the turnover battle. Their Week 1 loss to Minnesota was actually extremely competitive for three quarters before a late strip-sack and interception helped the Vikings pull away (I will not complain about refs, I will not complain about refs, I will not com…). While not great, Green Bay’s offensive line is much better now than it was then, particularly at pass blocking. And hopefully playing at Lambeau should make communication much, much easier. That dang horn, man. 

I haven’t even mentioned Cousins and the Vikings offense, because I do think the real key to this game is Jordan Love and company overcoming Brian Flores. The Packers don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Their offense works. They just need to stay balanced and focused, and recognize the pressure so they can turn it against the Vikings. 

The Vikings are thriving on chaos
No defensive coordinator has ever blitzed as much as Brian Flores, and he’ll blitz Jordan Love with even greater frequency on Sunday. Here are the keys for the Packers.

Packers’ offense vs. Vikings’ defense: What’s different from Week 1?
“It’s never easy going against this defense,” QB Jordan Love says

Packers slot CB Javon Bullard plans to play through injury vs. Vikings
Cornerback Javon Bullard missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to knee and ankle injuries, but said he’s planning to play on Sunday.

Matt LaFleur praises Jordan Love as MVP-worthy
Love’s success this year goes beyond raw talent. His head coach explains why.

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As the midseason mark approaches, we’re seeing some of the top award races in the NFL start to take shape, and the San Francisco 49ers definitely have a few worthy players in a couple of different spots.

Of course, there’s Brock Purdy, who was the MVP frontrunner a few weeks ago and remains playing at a high level, while leading a 7-1 49ers team. San Francisco also has a number of other stars who continue to be among the NFL’s best, which is why the team has regularly sent several players to the Pro Bowl every year.

But which 49ers are excelling at the top of their position to be a potential All-Pro in 2026? At the midseason mark, let’s take a look at who could be in some of the award races and who could earn an All-Pro this year.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell compiled his midseason awards, which followed his quarter-season awards a few weeks back. Back then, Purdy was his No. 1 candidate for MVP. Now, he’s still in the mix, but at No. 2.

“As a positive play machine,  Purdy was my MVP pick after four games, having thrown one interception while taking zero sacks through one month,” Barnwell wrote. “That’s no longer the case, with Purdy throwing four picks and taking eight sacks over the ensuing four games, including San Francisco’s first and only loss of the season at Atlanta. A bad  Purdy interception with 2:42 to go and a chance to take the lead sealed it for the Falcons.

“Of course, Purdy is still running the league’s lowest sack rate at 3.3%. And in terms of creating good plays, he leads the league in QBR and EPA per dropback. He’s also No. 1 in success rate as a passer. And though  Allen understandably gets plenty of attention as the league’s most significant running quarterback,  Purdy isn’t far behind. He has been a valuable short-yardage option this season, with his 23 first downs as a runner ranking second behind Allen. He’s third in rushing EPA behind Allen and Drake Maye.

“Purdy’s numbers often get discounted by virtue of his offensive infrastructure, which is stocked with playmakers and operated by Kyle Shanahan. Though the 49ers have still had George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey on the field all season, and Mike Evans in the lineup for most of the season, Purdy deserves more of the credit for being the guy driving the offense. More than a third of his pass attempts have gone to players such as Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, and Demarcus Robinson, and Purdy has made them look good in the process. Evans looked revitalized after a down season (amid injuries) in Tampa Bay in 2025. [Trevor] Lawrence and Purdy would both be legitimate MVP picks. I just lean ever so slightly toward the guy in Cincinnati being the best in football.”

Joe Burrow’s numbers have been ridiculous this year, and the Bengals are winning. So it makes sense that he’s the MVP favorite midway through the season. But a couple of years after being on the MVP ballot, Purdy has a legitimate shot at being an All-Pro this year.

Christian McCaffrey will always be an All-Pro candidate, especially with the all-purpose spot, but it would be hard for him to earn the All-Pro honor at running back with the years Jahmyr Gibbs and Kenneth Walker are having. Those are the two Barnwell put on his midseason ballot.

However, Barnwell does have George Kittle as a first-team All-Pro at tight end, with Trey McBride coming in second. Kittle remains the best all-around tight end in football, as he does so much as a blocker. However, it feels like a part of this is because Brock Bowers was hurt for a few games earlier in the season, and with how statistics play into things, that might change by the end of the year.

Still, Kittle is firmly in that top three this year and could very well earn another All-Pro honor.

Trent Williams has looked like the best lineman in football this year, which is incredible at age 38. He was Barnwell’s pick for Protector of the Year at the quarter-season mark and now at the midway point of the season as well. He’s a clear contender for an All-Pro honor this year.

An underrated name at guard is Dominick Puni, who is quietly enjoying a very strong third season. He’s the second-best player on one of the top offensive lines in the NFL, and has continued to ascend as one of the best right guards in the NFL. He wasn’t on Barnwell’s ballot, but with four guard spots on the All-Pro list, he could very well earn some votes this season.

On the defensive side, Fred Warner is a true contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Barnwell had him second behind Will Anderson, who is having a monster season for the Houston Texans. It’s incredible considering he’s coming off a major injury.

“I mentioned the five forced fumbles earlier, which is something we aren’t supposed to see from off-ball linebackers. Those are the biggest plays Warner has made, but the future Hall of Famer has just been spectacularly efficient on a down-to-down basis,” Barnwell wrote. “He has made tackles on 20% of running plays, the second-best rate among starting linebackers.

“And then, of course, there’s no better linebacker in pass coverage in the league. Warner does a better job of taking away potential throws than any other linebacker, both by reading what quarterbacks are hoping to do and by running with potential receivers in coverage. His play somehow has not slipped after he dislocated his ankle a year ago. The 49ers are the league’s second-best defense by QBR against play-action throws to the middle, where teams are trying to move linebackers and throw behind them for big gains. Warner is the reason those throws aren’t working.”

Warner is a clear All-Pro candidate and remains the best linebacker in football.

Those are all the main candidates for the 49ers, but they could realistically have six All-Pro players this season, with some fighting for bigger awards as well. Brock Purdy is in the MVP race. Trent Williams is in the Protector of the Year race. Kyle Shanahan could win Coach of the Year. Fred Warner or George Kittle could be Comeback Player of the Year after coming back from injury. And Warner could win Defensive Player of the Year.

There’s been a lot of impressive performances for the 49ers this season.

I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve been waiting for Sunday for a while. I appreciate what Kirk Cousins was able to do for the Las Vegas Raiders over the last nine weeks, but it’s Fernando Mendoza’s time now! It took a little longer than expected, but we finally get to see Mendoza make his first regular-season start for the Raiders in the Week 10 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. And of course, our Silver and Black Pride Pick’em Competition is heating up, too!

Odds below are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change.

Raiders vs. Seahawks

• Spread: SEA -6.5
• O/U: 40.5
• SEA ML: -290
• LV ML: +235

Holder’s picks:LV +6.5, Under 40.5, SEA ML

For context, the line moved after the Cousins trade, as the opening odds had the Seahawks as a field goal favorite. That’s fair seeing as it’s a rookie quarterback making his first start, and Seattle’s head coach, Mike Macdonald, has a great track record against first-year passers. It also doesn’t help that the Seahawks have arguably the best defense in the NFL, so I’m not going to bet on Mendoza getting his first win in his first start.

However, the reigning Champs are beaten up right now, especially on offense, where backup quarterback Drew Lock is expected to start. Plus, they’ve struggled to run the ball this season, so this could be an opportunity for the Raiders’ defense to have a “get right” game and at least keep it close. Granted, I’m sure people in Seattle are looking at Las Vegas’ run defense and making similar statements about the Seahawks’ rushing attack…

Pick’em Competition

Moving on to S&BP’s Pick’em competition, below is a look at how our writers finished last week.

• Bill Williamson 77-43-1 (64%)
• Ray Aspuria 85-50-1 (63%)
• Matt Holder 79-56-1 (59%)

Week 9 had a lot of chalky results, so just about everyone did pretty well. For example, Bill and I tied for second among the writers at 13-2. Meanwhile, Ray took advantage by going 14-1 to pick up a game on us. Granted, Bill still holds a narrow lead over Ray. As for me, I had the much-needed strong performance to avoid the embarrassment of falling below .500, but it wasn’t strong enough to make much of a difference in the standings.

Community Standings

1. TV Raider 93-42

t-2. radrntn 92-43

t-2. Running With the Night 92-43

t-2. Mooniac 92-43

t-5. D-town Raider 91-44

t-5. Sin City Saviors 91-44

t-5. Roosky Raiders 91-44

t-5. AElizalde87 91-44

t-9. Freddy B Good 89-46

t-9. Edgaredm08 89-46

t-9. Chattanooga Benny 89-46

Week 9 Top Pickers

• Freddy B Good 15-0
• Hoosier hank 15-0
• D-town Raider 15-0
• radrntn 15-0

Sure, last weekend was chalky. However, perfect picks are perfect picks, and we had four people bat 1.000 in Week 9! That’s impressive, as is 25 community members getting 14 games correct! We certainly have some ball knowers over here. As for the standings, TV Raider came down a bit, with three people within one pick and four more two games behind. We’re halfway through the regular season, and it’s still very much anyone’s game.

Best of luck with your picks this weekend!

The New York Giants lost a close home game to the Washington Commanders, 24-21. New York’s defense forced two interceptions in the fourth quarter — with a four-point lead— but the Giants’ offense went three-and-out on both drives, resulting in an opportunistic Washington score that secured the win for the Commanders.

John Harbaugh used the apt word “disappointing” to describe the loss. New York was on the precipice of a commanding lead in the NFC East, but Washington now owns the tiebreaker between the two teams, even though New York leads the standings by two games. Losing home games in the division is tough, and something that’s very familiar to Giants fans, unfortunately.

Still, the Giants do lead the division and have a tough stretch of opponents remaining on their schedule. They have two home games against the Jaguars and the 49ers in the next three weeks (a game against the Colts in between), as well as a trip out to Seattle. This season is FAR from over, but a win against Washington would have been a welcome, comfortable result. Here are five plays that led to the loss.

Play(s) 1: Three-play sequence

This was a three-play sequence in the fourth quarter where EACH side of the football failed miserably. Firstly, the defense shouldn’t bear much blame for this loss; they forced two interceptions and a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter. It’s the offense that couldn’t pick up a yard and was stopped multiple times on third down when it mattered most, but I digress back to my point…

The third-and-3 quarterback sweep where Sonny Styles tackled J.J. McCarthy for a loss of two was the first of this terrible sequence:

Ar’Darius Washington intercepted Daniels with 2:19 left on the clock; 29 seconds later, the Giants are punting after three offensive plays for the second consecutive drive after an interception. I don’t like the call at all, but the failed third-down conversion attempt was made much worse by a rare terrible moment from punter Jordan Stout.

Stout punted the football 12 YARDs from Washington’s 41-yard line to their 29 — an inexcusable mistake. New York couldn’t consider a 58-yard field goal attempt from Dominic Zvada, who missed a 33-yarder on New York’s second drive, so special teams’ unreliability compounded the problem, and this punt gave Washington solid field position.

The third play, though, WAS on the defense. Tae Banks committed a defensive pass interference against Treylon Burks, which gave Washington the ball at the New York 38-yard line with a minute and a half to go in the 21-17 Giants’ game. Two plays later, the game was 24-21, Washington.

Play 2: Stefon Diggs

The Giants forced a third-and-4 with just over a minute left in the game, and New York rushed seven, initially, dropping two defensive linemen off a half-second after the snap. Jaydon Daniels threw it right past the Giants’ defensive lineman to Stefon Diggs (3), who had inside leverage against Dru Phillips (22). Phillips fell and took out Tae Banks (2), allowing Diggs to walk into the end zone. The Giants capitulated the lead after several fourth-quarter plays that gave them opportunities to seal the victory. New York received the football back, though…

Play 3: Game-sealing interception

Washington ran Cover-0 on this third-and-10 with 33 seconds left in the game. J.J. McCarthy (18) had to heave the ball under pressure, taking a big hit in the process. New York was attempting to hit Malik Nabers (1) on the slot fade against Amik Robertson (2). Isaiah Likely (9) ran a quick curl and Malachi Fields (88) stayed on the line of scrimmage, which — in theory — would have given the Giants a true one-on-one matchup with Nabers against Robertson, but Rasual Douglas (29) had something else planned.

Douglas played off Fields with an inside turn, looking through the No.2 and No. 3 receivers (inner receivers, Nabers and Likely). Robertson read McCarthy and carried Nabers vertical, giving Robertson support on the outside. The ball was underthrown and thrown with a high trajectory, which allowed Douglas to squeeze Nabers’ slot vertical; in doing so, he undercut the route and intercepted the pass.

Washington made a wise play by having Douglas play at depth and leverage to read Nabers’ route and help his teammate on the vertical, despite being assigned to Fields. It’s also something the Giants can learn from. Washington knew this from tape study, since New York runs the same slot-fade with the outside receiver staying put on the line of scrimmage.

Play 4: Dominic Zvada continues to struggle

The Giants had two solid offensive drives to start the game. On their first drive, New York punted from the Washington 42-yard line after taking a delay of game on a fourth-and-7 from the 37-yard line. They played the game of field position and did not attempt a 54-yard field goal. The Giants then got Zvada into a position to hit a 33-yard field goal, and the rookie kicker missed it wide left. It’s just inexcusable.

TWO solid Giants’ drives yield ZERO points because of the kicker, with one ending in the 33-yard miss above. John Harbaugh provided confidence to the media when discussing Zvada after the game, but these missed kicks by Giants’ kickers are an all-too-familiar occurrence that is now persisting with the undrafted rookie kicker out of Michigan.

Play(s) 5: End of first half

The Giants ended their first half by surrendering a nine-play, 67-yard drive that ended in this 1-yard touchdown catch by Ben Sinnott:

All three of Washington’s touchdowns were on third down for Washington: the Ben Sinnott and Stefon Diggs’ ones above, and the 31-yarder to Antonio Williams. The one to Sinnott, though, was in the final seconds of the first half. The Giants’ defense surrendered the drive, and Washington bled the clock perfectly to not provide the Giants an opportunity to drive down the field for points. It was excellently handled by Washington.

BONUS

An unfortunate bonus play makes the cut here. New York scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half after the Giants’ defense responded to the end of the first half with a three-and-out that lost 15 yards—wow! Unfortunately, Washington had an answer with a third-and-1 31-yard strike to Antonio Williams. that gave Washington a 17-14 lead.

New York, though, drove the football down the field on a five-play, 53-yard drive, with a big 16-yard catch to Malachi Fields on a second-and-seven. McCarthy then completed a pass to Nabers for three-yards on a second-and-12 at the Washington 19-yard line, and Nabers allowed the ball to get punched out of his grasp.

It was a red zone trip that ended in a turnover. Luckily the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out, but New York’s offense punted the football — yet again — from Washington’s territory.

The Jets recently signed former Colts offensive lineman Blake Freeland to their active roster from the Bengals’ practice squad. Today, we break him down in detail.

The 25-year old Freeland is listed at 6’7” and 302 pounds and was a fourth round pick out of BYU in 2023. He has started nine games in his career, all of which were for the Colts in his rookie year.

Background

Freeland was a three-star high school recruit but headed to BYU with zero experience of playing on the offensive line having been a quarterback for two years before moving to tight end and defensive end as a senior. He also played basketball and represented his school in shot put and javelin throwing.

On his arrival at BYU, Freeland converted to offensive tackle but didn’t see the field until the middle of his freshman season. However, he ended up starting the last seven games and held up reasonably well, as he only allowed one sack.

He didn’t begin his sophomore year as a starter, but ended up making a total of eight starts in 2020, during which he showed promise by not allowing a sack all year.

In 2021 and 2022, Freeland started all 26 games and was twice named to Phil Steele’s all-Independent Conference first team. He was also a third team AP all-American in 2022.

Heading into the 2023 pre-draft process, Freeland was being touted as a possible day two pick. However, his rawness was exposed during Senior Bowl week. Even so, he managed to stablize his stock with good workouts at the combine and his pro day.

The Colts eventually drafted Freeland in the fourth round and he started off his rookie year on the bench. He soon made his first start due to a week four injury, and by the end of the year had started nine games.

In 2024, he failed to earn a starting role and spent the first half of the season as a healthy scratch. He played in the last eight games, although he only played 23 offensive snaps, 22 of which were in the season finale.

In year three, a serious leg injury during preseason forced Freeland to spend the entire year on injured reserve and then he faced an uphill battle to make the team out of training camp this summer.

After being released in final cuts following preseason, Freeland signed to Cincinnati’s practice squad before being poached by the Jets last month following Max Mitchell’s concussion.

Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Freeland brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.

Measurables/Athleticism

Freeland is extremely tall, with excellent length, but was not strong enough when he entered the league so has no doubt been trying to add weight and is almost certainly heavier than his listed weight of 302. He managed 25 bench press reps at his pro day.

The rest of his workout numbers are impressive as he ran the 40-yard dash in under five seconds at the combine, then broke the combine record for offensive linemen with a 37-inch vertical jump. His broad jump of 120 inches was also impressive.

Having posted underwhelming agility numbers at the combine, Freeland did those drills again at his pro day and improved them dramatically.

Usage

Freeland has extensive experience of playing at both tackle positions. He started two seasons of each in college and has played both during his preseason appearances. At the NFL level, his first two starts were on the left but the other seven were on the right.

He would not be suitable for an interior role and has never played there at any level.

Pass Blocking

Freeland only allowed two sacks in his entire college career, with a low pressure rate. However, BYU’s system operates with a lot of screens and RPO’s so he didn’t play as many true pass sets as you’d like to see from an incoming prospect.

Not surprisingly, he struggled during his nine starts as a rookie, giving up four sacks.

Talented NFL level players were always going to be able to exploit his lack of experience, and it didn’t help his confidence that he faced Aaron Donald in his first NFL start.

Despite his athletic numbers, Freeland can sometimes be slow to get into his stance and susceptible to being beaten by speed rushers around the edge.

However, his biggest concern is his anchor. He can really struggle to repel bull rushers and speed-to-power moves.

Run Blocking

Freeland’s run blocking grades according to Pro Football Focus were very good when he was in college, but he was less consistent at the NFL level. The 2023 season when Freeland played extensively for the Colts was Jonathan Taylor’s least productive of his career and he only had one 100-yard game which came on a day when Freeland didn’t play.

Once again, play strength is an issue here, as he will get stood up on the edge and allow his man to fight off his block in the trenches.

He does give a good effort though, and his athletic ability means he can get out in space to good effect.

Short Yardage

Freeland had some decent moments on short yardage plays, even though he’s not much of a drive blocker. It may suit him that effort is arguably more important than technique in such situations.

Screen Blocking

Freeland obviously has the athleticism to get out in front of a screen and, as noted, it was something BYU did regularly when he was there.

Here’s a play where he was at right tackle. On this one, rather than leaking out, he has an initial responsibility to prevent the upfield rush but then finds someone to block so the play doesn’t get bottled up.

Footwork/Technique

Considering his speed and agility numbers, it is disappointing to see that Freeland is sometimes stiff and mechanical in his movements.

One other obvious area that needs work is his hand placement. He can be slow to get his hands up and defensive players will take advantage of this.

His other big issue is pad level. This was always going to be an issue for someone as tall as him and he can tend to play with a narrow base so is often overpowered.

Penalties

Freeland had seven penalties in seven games as a freshman but improved his on-field discipline over the course of his college career with just nine penalties in the last three seasons.

At the NFL level, he’s been flagged six times. Four of these were false starts and two were for illegal man downfield. He has zero holding penalties.

Special Teams

Freeland’s only role on special teams in college was as a blocker on the placekicking unit and that has been the case in the NFL too. He has had no issues or penalties within this role.

Instincts/Intelligence

Freeland displayed good patience on stunts as a college player, and has shown he can handle those at the NFL level too.

However, it’s in those one-on-one battles – especially as a pass rusher – where his lack of experience can be detrimental as he can be slow to react to or anticipate counters.

Attitude

Freeland is a player who is known for his toughness and a relentless work ethic. He also has good leadership traits, having been a three-time high school captain – he played two years as a quarterback, remember – and also a captain at BYU.

Injuries

To miss your entire third season having entered the NFL as someone who was considered a raw developmental prospect is rough luck and Freeland’s fractured leg in 2025 has obviously hurt his career.

Prior to this, injuries weren’t an issue as he played in 44 games in his college career despite being a healthy scratch for the first seven weeks.

Scheme Fit

As noted, BYU’s scheme used a lot of screens and RPO’s and, as such, probably wasn’t ideal preparation for entering the NFL. However, Freeland has since had four camps with the Colts and spent a couple of months in Cincinnati this year.

Although current Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich left the Colts in 2022 and Freeland was drafted by them the following season, there would presumably have been some overlap between his scheme and that of the incoming offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, given that most of the key personnel was the same, so the Jets should have some concepts he’s familiar with.

He was a teammate of current Jets cornerback Mory Bamba at BYU and his fellow practice squad members Jimmy Morrissey and Samuel Womack with the Colts.

Conclusions

The Jets picked up Freeland after Mitchell’s concussion forced him to go on injured reserve. This meant that they only had three healthy tackles on their active roster, causing them to have to elevate Brant Banks from the practice squad a few times.

Once Freeland is up to speed, he’ll likely be active on gameday and could eventually challenge Chukwuma Okorafor to be the swing tackle, given how unimpressive Okorafor has been seen leaving the Steelers. One of them might need to be cut when Mitchell can return, though.

Jets fans will, of course, hope that Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu remain healthy, in which case Freeland wouldn’t get a chance to play. However, he could still be brought back as a project player next year.

We are roughly halfway through the season, and it’s time to update our QB rankings once again. I thought this season was going to be a fascinating season to rank quarterbacks because I felt that the back half of the top 10 was wildly in flux. I felt that the top 5 was pretty well established, and with Father Time catching up to Matthew Stafford, there’s even a spot in the top 5 up for grabs.

But the biggest news is that we have knocked the King from the top spot. Patrick Mahomes has always been first on this list over the last two seasons, but it’s time to acknowledge a fact: Josh Allen is now the best QB in the NFL.

Here’s a list of the updated rankings, and as a reminder, these rankings are my opinion based on how the QB is playing this year, but also looking at their full body of work. Justin Herbert is not one of the top 30 QBs this season in isolation, but it’s tough to rank him that low based on his previous seasons of success.

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (2, 2)

The King is dead. Mahomes is still great, but he doesn’t impact the game as Allen does, and Allen has been at this level for the last couple of years. It’s time to make the switch up top.

2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (1, 1)

I think many of us keep wondering if we are ever going to get back to that peak Mahomes 2018 to 2022 version. He seems to be gone, but the 2023-2026 version is still very, very good.

3. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (5, 4)

Burrow is headed towards his first MVP, and it’s one he absolutely deserves. Elite play without question.

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (4, 3)

In 2024, Lamar had 45 touchdowns and 4 INTs. That wasn’t that long ago, but the injuries have slowed him down significantly the last two seasons. If Lamar has another injury-riddled season next year, he may start tumbling in 2027.

5. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (15, 9)

Brock Purdy has earned this spot with his play, but I also don’t think he’s truly a top 5 QB at the NFL level. Top 10? Yes. But I don’t think Purdy is in this tier, and there are guys biting at his heels that could easily jump him before the 2026 rankings are finalized in January.

6. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (11, 10)

Caleb’s play from week one and his three-game stretch returning from injury was better than anyone else’s in the league. But 4 INTs, even if it’s a blip, certainly has to be considered, and between that and the injury, it keeps Caleb out of the top 5 (for now).

7. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (13, 11)

I’ve been fairly critical of Love, but it’s hard to argue with what he is doing with a suspect offensive line and no running game. The Packers have the best deep-ball passing attack in the league, and it’s not particularly close.

8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (14, 12)

After what Lawrence has done in the back half of last season and the first half of this season with Liam Coen, he has cemented Lawrence as a top-10 QB; now it’s time to see how far he can climb.

9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys (7, 6)

Dak has led a maddeningly inconsistent and underperforming offense. He’s still an excellent player, but he’s most accurately considered a borderline top-10 QB, and that’s where he’s sitting midway through the season.

10. Matthew Stafford, LA Rams (3, 5)

Stafford’s season has been fine, but it has vibes quite similar to Tom Brady’s final season in Tampa. The numbers are down across the board. They’re still good, but not MVP-level like last year, and you have to wonder if this might be Father Time knocking at the door.

11. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (10, 7)

There may be nobody better operating from a clean pocket than Goff. Unfortunately, there are many QBs that operate far better under pressure. If Goff ever managed chaos well, he could climb as high as the top 5, but at this point in his career, that’s probably not happening.

12. Drake Maye, New England Patriots (9, 14)

Patriots fans will probably see this ranking and be annoyed, but until Maye starts performing at a much better level against better teams, for me, it’s going to be hard to push him into those elite spots on the rankings.

13. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans (19, 18)

He’s playing the best football since his rookie season, and he’s leading a Texans team that we thought would be carried by their defense. If the Texans make the playoffs, it’s going to be behind Stroud’s right arm.

14. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (17, 16)

Daniels still shows flashes of who he was as a rookie, but a messy offense, injuries, and really poor decisions late in games are keeping Daniels down. He’s going to need to string together a solid couple of months of football while staying healthy if he ever wants to get out of this middle group.

15. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (18, 19)

I still don’t trust Nix, but maybe I should start. When the game is on the line, Nix makes the plays; he just doesn’t do it for the first 50 to 55 minutes of the game. If Nix starts putting together a more complete game on a consistent basis, he can surge towards the top 10.

16. Justin Herbert, LA Chargers (6, 8)

Herbert entered the season with a chance to finally break into the top 5 with a big season; instead, he’s playing at a level that makes him the worst starting QB in the NFL. Tough to drop him all the way down with his history of regular season success, but he’s playing at a level that nobody can consider him one of the league’s top 10 QBs until he proves otherwise.

17. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (8, 13)

Darnold is another guy who had a chance to start changing the narrative around his name after two great seasons and a Super Bowl championship, but he has struggled this year and arguably looked worse than his backup, Drew Lock. If Seattle is going to get back into the playoff hunt, Darnold needs to return to form.

18. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (12, 15)

It’s tough to have Hurts much higher than this point when the Eagles are clearly stocking up to potentially replace him. Hurts being out for the year with blood clots is awful for him, but based on where Hurts was prior to the issue, the writing does seem to be on the wall here in Philly.

19. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (22, 17)

Young had really started stringing together some good games where you had to potentially consider him being in the top half of the league’s QBs, but in the last three games, he has 5 TDs, 4 INTs, has completed less than 60% of his passes, and a Y/A of 6.1. He’s reminded us who he is as a QB.

20. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (23, 21)

Shough had a brutal game against the Vikings but has been pretty darn good in all his other games. He needs to start leading the Saints to some wins (which he could) down the stretch to start pushing his way out of the 20s.

21. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (31, 23)

Cousins has done a nice job winding the clock back and playing some pretty darn good football. He doesn’t have a high ceiling in Minnesota, but he does have a much higher one than their other QBs, and he helps this Vikings team tremendously.

22. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers (24, 24)

Rodgers isn’t playing as well as some are hyping him up to be, but he’s playing a lot better than most thought he could. He’s quite limited at this point, but he can still deliver the football when he needs to.

23. Jaxson Dart, NY Giants (20, 22)

Dart awaits his chance next year to show that he’s ready to leap an NFL QB.

24. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (16, 20)

Baker is certainly showing signs of slipping. He’s 31, has been dealing with injuries, and doesn’t look like the guy Tampa has had the last three years. The Baker extension that he signed in September may age like warm milk for Tampa.

25. Michael Penix, Atlanta Falcons (36, 27)

I think the question for this point with Penix is whether he is truly a low-end QB1, or a high-end QB2. He’s the best QB on Atlanta’s roster, but that QB room doesn’t exactly have Joe Montana and Steve Young in it.

26. Geno Smith, New York Jets (32, 28)

Geno is playing much better this year in New York than he did last year in Vegas, but he’s still quite limited and not going to be anything more than a bridge QB for whatever team he’s with.

27. Jacoby Brissett, Baltimore Ravens (29, 25)

Brissett lost his job in Arizona and is now going to try and keep the Ravens afloat while they hope Lamar can get back in December. Brissett has shown he’s an excellent QB2 but really shouldn’t be starting anywhere, and I’m curious if this is who Penix ends up becoming.

28. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (41, 26)

Watson continues to play better than what many thought he was capable of at this point in his career, but it’s also safe to say that Cleveland is winning despite Watson, not because of him. Cleveland needs to find something better at QB; if they do, Monken could really take off in Cleveland.

29. Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers (28, 29)

Jones is the best QB2 in the NFL. He hasn’t needed to play this year, but when he had to fill in for Purdy last year, he ran Shanahan’s system fantastically. It’ll be curious if Jones gets a chance somewhere to be a starter again in the next couple of years.

30. Jameis Winston, NY Giants (44, 31)

This is probably a little too high for Jameis, but when pressed into duty, he’s been giving the Giants a lot more good than bad. It’ll be curious what the Giants do next year. His contract is guaranteed, but they’ll have JJ McCarthy and Jaxson Dart as well.

31. Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (25, 35)

The Titans offense isn’t exactly a juggernaut, but they have a pretty good offensive line, Tony Pollard, Carnell Tate, and a couple of other decent weapons. It’s definitely getting to the point where the Titans have to wonder if Ward was the right call at QB. He just isn’t taking that next step.

32. Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings (27, 33)

Murray was a better option for Minnesota than Carson Wentz or JJ McCarthy, but there’s a reason they went out and got Kirk Cousins. The team wasn’t going anywhere with Murray as their QB1.

33. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks (49, 36)

Lock has really played well, all things considered, for Seattle this year. He’s won all 3 games that he’s had to play; meanwhile, Darnold is 2-4 when he’s under center. Lock has established himself as one of the top 5 QB2s in the league.

34. Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins (26, 37)

It made plenty of sense for the Dolphins to give Willis a shot, but he’s not the answer at QB. The Dolphins are going to have a top-5 pick (maybe first overall), and they’ll need to look long and hard at the QBs available.

35. Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts (21, 30)

He has officially turned back into a pumpkin. The Giants gave Jones a big contract, and it blew up in their face. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And that’s why Chris Ballard doesn’t have a job.

36. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (30, 38)

Burrow has been as good as anyone in the league, but he does have a tendency to get injured, and having a capable backup like Flacco is a great spot for Cincinnati if he’s called upon.

37. Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders (38, 39)

It’s time to see what Mendoza can do and have an actual idea of where he should actually be ranked on this list.

38. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens (42, 34)

Another very capable QB2 who unfortunately has joined Lamar Jackson on IR. It would have been interesting to see how Huntley would look in extended time.

39. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders (33, 40)

Mariota has settled nicely into his role as QB2. With a guy like Daniels who can easily get banged up, like the Bengals, Mariota is a nice guy to fall back on.

40. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns (35, 42)

Sanders definitely looked better than Watson did in his opportunity. It’ll be curious to see if Monken makes the switch in the next couple of weeks to see if Sanders can spark the Browns, who have lost two straight and 3 of their last 5.

41. Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings (39, 32)

Wentz’s performance on Monday Night Football was one of the worst by a QB we’ve ever seen. He’s lucky he’s still this high on the list.

42. JJ McCarthy, NY Giants (50, NR)

McCarthy has certainly looked better in New York than he did in Minnesota, but we need to slow down on the praise. His overall numbers still aren’t great, and he threw a crippling interception to end Thursday Night Football. He still isn’t showing that he’s a starting-caliber QB.

43. Jalon Daniels, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NR, 41)

Daniels has played better this season than Mayfield; not sure if that’s praise for a UDFA rookie QB or criticism for a veteran QB who just got handed a second extension from Tampa. Either way, he remains a really nice story this season.

44. Gardner Minshew, Arizona Cardinals (NR, NR)

Minshew probably should have been in the top 50 despite not really playing because he is exactly what you need out of your QB2. He had a nice moment in Arizona, but his season is over due to injury.

45. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints (37, 43)

Rattler keeps slipping further and further down the list because there are just QB2s getting opportunities and showing some skills. Rattler hasn’t played and has fallen 8 spots so far this season, but that’s the way the ole cookie crumbles.

46. Davis Mills, Houston Texans (40, 44)

Remember when Davis Mills hit the game-winning touchdown for Lovie Smith and that gave the Bears the first pick in the 2023 draft, which led to the Bryce Young trade, which led to the Bears drafting Caleb Williams? Good times.

47. Case Keenum, Chicago Bears (NR, 45)

Keenum still rides on the list thanks to his performance against the Eagles this year. It’s still one of the feel-good stories of the year.

48. Tyrod Taylor, Green Bay Packers (45, 48)

I still think Taylor is a solid QB2 even if he hasn’t seen the field for the Packers.

49. Tyson Bagent, Chicago Bears (46, 49)

Bagent is still clinging to his top 50 spot on the list, but it won’t take much to bump him off with guys like Justin Fields tumbling off the list completely; Bagent could easily be next.

50. Mitch Trubisky, Tennessee Titans (48, 50)

I would suspect Mitch is actually a better QB than Cam Ward is at this moment, but the Titans need to see if Ward can become their guy, so Mitch continues to hold the clipboard and be a veteran presence in the QB room.

This week marks the second Deshaun Watson revenge game of the series. Of course, one could be excused if they aren’t quite sure who wants the revenge more. More importantly, both the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns are in the playoff hunt in the AFC. Naturally, the Browns are in slightly better shape, but neither can afford a loss at this point. We caught up with Chris Pokorny of Dawgs by Nature to see what we could figure out about the Browns before Sunday’s game.

Battle Red Blog: The Browns have been better this season under their new coaching staff. What have they been doing differently than the old Stefanski regime? Is this something that is sustainable throughout the season?

Chris Pokorny: Although it hasn’t worked as blissfully the past couple weeks, I always harp on the fact that this new coaching staff seems willing to make a lot more adjustments than the old coaching staff. I thought Kevin Stefasnki was really effective when he had an offensive line that could dominate games with a zone-blocking running scheme, and that was complemented by an aggressive Jim Schwartz defense. But over time, when the linemen were injured and past their prime, there were no adjustments to re-invent the offense; and on defense, Schwartz stuck with the same approach, even if a team ‘figured out’ out to combat it. Under Todd Monken, at least on defense, you get the feeling that there is a different gameplan and ability to make adjustments each week. On offense, Monken has been more willing to fully embrace all of his young players with boatloads of playing time. It’s been fun to see the Browns be competitive, but it’s also concerning that they haven’t had at least one game — despite an ‘easy’ schedule — in which they’ve been able to control the game with a decisive victory.

BRB: The Browns appear poised to go back to Deshaun Watson after trying Shadeur Sanders. How do the two quarterbacks differ and do you think Watson gives the Browns a better chance to win?

CP: When you look at his stats in last week’s game against the Saints, it looked like Shedeur Sanders did great. But if you look at things from a strategic gameplan perspective, needing to make reads, being faced with that key third- or fourth-down situation earlier in a game, Sanders still appears way to slow to process things at the NFL level. Where he succeeded was later in the game, when it was do-or-die, and the ‘gameplan’ almost goes out the window because he’s chucking it deep as he takes big hits. It worked, and honestly, that has been his strength throughout his NFL starts. It’s exciting, and I think it shows he can make the big throws at this level, but it’s also not something that is sustainable. He needs to mix that in with a much higher degree of competency on the scripted plays throughout a game, and he’s not there yet. Deshaun Watson was poor at that since signing with the Browns too, looking very skittish, but this year he’s been tremendously better at that.

3) The Browns have been a team in transition the last few seasons. Who are some new faces this year that will have a dramatic impact on the game on Sunday?

They are no secret, but rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion lead their class in receiving yards. I can only imagine how good these guys can be when they have an upper-tier quarterback throwing their way, they are an exciting duo for fans to look forward to for years to come. On defense, I wish I could call out Jared Verse’s name as the replacement to Myles Garrett, but Verse has been a huge disappointment, ranking near the bottom of the league in metrics. I’d say that linebacker Quincy Williams, who came over from the Jets, has had a nice impact on the defense, with a few games where he borders on looking like an elite-level player (but that’s not a week-in, week-out thing).

BRB: The AFC North is usually one of the more competitive divisions in the NFL. Who do you see winning the division this season? Which team in the division do Browns fans enjoy beating the most?

CP: A few weeks ago, I would have thought the Browns had a solid shot since they were 2-0 in the division, had a 5-2 record, and the Ravens were beat up at quarterback. But the Steelers have shown a greater degree of consistency that I didn’t anticipate, and even though I think the Bengals’ defense has been overrated, Joe Burrow is playing at a high level, so there’s no reason to think those teams will fade. I think the Steelers’ running game being so good will allow them to win the division, along with their defense picking up the intensity. The Browns and Bengals should be contending for a wildcard spot along with the Patriots (and maybe the Texans if they gain steam). Regarding which team Browns fans enjoy beating the most in the division, I’d say it’s still the Steelers. We were so looking forward to ending our 22-game road losing streak in Cleveland a few weeks ago, but Pittsburgh blew us out there again.

BRB: The Texans are favored by 4.5 points according to Fanduel. How do you see the game going? Are there any prop bets you feel comfortable recommending?

CP: Especially with the Browns finally in contention at midseason for once, I’m really trying to stay optimistic with my picks each week, so keep that in mind here. The Browns have played a lot of close games, and are 3-0 at home, so this four-game home stretch that they are beginning is vital for them to stay in the playoff race. The Browns’ pass defense has remained a strong suit, but offensively, they still have some consistency issues, with too many dry stretches of scoring. Of all the games the Browns have played this season, this is the one where I feel like I have no idea what to expect. C.J. Stroud seems to be playing at an unexpectedly high level, but the Browns’ pass defense has been solid. Will Houston commit to the run, which Cleveland hasn’t been able to stop for weeks? And while Houston’s defense has struggled compared to my expectations, the talent seems to still be there, so do they get back on track against their former quarterback who takes a lot of sacks? I’ll take the Browns to win 24-21. As for prop bets, I’ll say RB Dylan Sampson over 21.5 yards receiving is a good one. He’s hit that mark in all three weeks that he’s been back from injury.

We want to thank Chris for taking the time to answer our questions about the Browns. They are certainly one of the more interesting teams in the NFL so far on the season. We want to wish Chris and the Browns the best of luck for the remainder of the season. As per usual, we hope that luck begins on Monday morning.

The Kansas City Chiefs got back on track last week with a convincing 35-12 victory over the New York Jets. Now, they will try to build on that performance when they travel to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

Kansas City enters the matchup at 6-2, while Atlanta has fallen to 3-6 after consecutive losses. However, the Falcons remain within striking distance in the NFC South and possess one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players in running back Bijan Robinson.

Here are three Kingdom Keys to a Chiefs victory.

Offensive key: Make Atlanta respect the wide receivers

Atlanta’s defense has struggled to stop the run recently, allowing a league-high 190 rushing yards per game over its last three contests. That makes Kenneth Walker III an obvious focal point for Kansas City after he produced 143 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against the Jets.

It also means the Falcons should enter the game determined to make someone other than Walker beat them.

The Chiefs’ wide receivers must provide that answer.

During Kansas City’s 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, its wide receivers combined for only six receptions and 39 yards. The Seahawks crowded the line of scrimmage, slowed Walker and trusted their defensive backs to win their individual matchups.

The production improved against the Denver Broncos with Rashee Rice’s return; the group combined for 13 receptions, 90 yards, and one touchdown. Last week against New York, Rice, Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals combined for 13 catches and 115 yards. It was another step forward, but much of the production came after the catch rather than from consistently winning downfield.

That is where Kansas City’s newest addition could help. The Chiefs acquired wide receiver Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts before the trade deadline. Downs arrives as a target who can create separation and find openings in zone coverage.

Downs should not be expected to master the entire offense in a few days, but the Chiefs can give him a defined package of plays. More importantly, Rice, Worthy and the rest of the receiving corps must win when Atlanta commits extra defenders to the run.

The goal should be at least 150 combined receiving yards from Kansas City’s wide receivers in a performance that should be able to take advantage of the attention on Walker.

Defensive key: Contain Bijan Robinson and force third-and-long

There is no mystery surrounding Atlanta’s offensive plan: get the football in Robinson’s hands.

Robinson has rushed for a league-leading 880 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He has also caught 31 passes for 250 yards, giving him 1,130 yards from scrimmage through nine games. Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, he produced 147 scrimmage yards on 25 touches.

With backup Brian Robinson Jr. on the Reserve/Injured list, the Falcons could lean even more on Bijan Robinson. He is not only their primary runner but also a dangerous receiving option who can create mismatches against linebackers.

Kansas City’s defense is equipped for the challenge. The Chiefs have allowed 780 rushing yards through eight games — 97.5 yards per contest — and only 3.6 yards per carry. They have also surrendered just two runs of 20 or more yards.

The defensive line must control the line of scrimmage without creating cutback lanes, while the linebackers must tackle cleanly in space. Robinson is too talented to expect Kansas City to eliminate him entirely, but the Chiefs cannot allow him to consistently create manageable third downs.

Atlanta has converted only 37 of its 106 third-down opportunities, a 34.9% rate. If Kansas City can limit Robinson on early downs and force Michael Penix Jr. into third-and-long, Steve Spagnuolo can turn loose the pass rush that recorded five sacks against the Jets.

Keeping Robinson below 100 yards from scrimmage would put the Falcons’ offense in an uncomfortable position and force Penix to carry the game.

X-factor: Harrison Butker must make his kicks

This week’s X-factor is simple: Harrison Butker must deliver.

Butker has converted only 12 of his 19 field-goal attempts this season, a career-low rate of 63.2%. He is just 2-for-8 from at least 50 yards and has missed a field goal in four consecutive games. Over that four-game stretch, he has made only five of his 10 attempts.

The Chiefs overcame his missed 51-yard attempt against the Jets because they controlled the second half. They cannot assume they will have the same margin for error on the road against Atlanta.

Head coach Andy Reid has made it clear that Butker remains Kansas City’s kicker. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub has also expressed confidence in the veteran, saying the goal is to get one perfect game and begin building a streak from there.

That streak needs to begin Sunday.

Kansas City does not need Butker to rescue the offense with repeated attempts from beyond 50 yards. It does need him to convert the manageable opportunities he receives. In a road game that could remain close into the fourth quarter, leaving three or four points on the field could change the outcome.

The bottom line

The Chiefs should be able to run the football against an Atlanta defense that has struggled in recent weeks, but the Falcons will likely load the box and force Kansas City’s wide receivers to prove they can win. Rice, Worthy and the newly acquired Downs must make Atlanta pay for committing extra defenders to Walker.

Defensively, Kansas City must contain Robinson on early downs and force Penix to operate in obvious passing situations. On special teams, Butker needs a clean performance that begins rebuilding his confidence.

If the Chiefs accomplish those three things, they should leave Atlanta with their second consecutive victory and remain firmly in the AFC West race

Next week is Week 11 of the NFL season, aka byemageddon. The six teams on bye are the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.

Those are some heavy hitters in the fantasy world, so let's plan ahead.

Cam Ward, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward has a really tough matchup this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense, so I doubt anyone is starting him in fantasy football. However, he flashed some serious upside against the Bengals with 26.26 fantasy points, and most importantly, they play the Dallas Cowboys next week. Dallas allows the fourth-most (19.1) fantasy points to quarterbacks, which makes Ward a viable streamer next week.

Kenny Gainwell, Running back, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gainwell has posted 10+ PPR fantasy points in back-to-back games, which is pretty darn solid for a player who's a clear backup running back. Next week, the Bucs are up against the Detroit Lions, where the lookahead game total is up at 47.5 points. Gainwell has flashed some nice pass-catching upside, which could be beneficial in a back-and-forth, higher-scoring game against the Lions.