Another week, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 10 has been chock-full of drama, from the Kansas City Chiefs staying unbeaten on a walk-off field goal block to the Russell Wilson-led Pittsburgh Steelers edging the Washington Commanders to stay atop the AFC North.
Here are some of Sunday’s biggest winners and losers:
Winner: Nick Sirianni and Vic Fangio
The former avoided any headlining blunders while leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a dominant win over the rival Dallas Cowboys, overseeing another splashy day from Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Co. His new defensive coordinator Fangio, meanwhile, completely suffocated the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys offense, coming up with five takeaways and surrendering not a single touchdown. The Birds appear to be back.
Loser: The Cowboys’ season
Dallas, for all intents and purposes, may have lost its remaining hopes for a 2024 run when quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a likely season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9. But Sunday was like a real nail in the coffin, with the rival Eagles rolling all over Mike Zimmer’s defense despite an uneven start, and neither Cooper Rush nor Trey Lance inspiring confidence as Prescott’s emergency fill-ins.
Winner: Andy Reid’s coaching staff
The Chiefs coach isn’t getting typically elite passing production from Patrick Mahomes. Half his top skill weapons arrived off the street during the season. And yet his defensive and special teams staffers are overseeing near-flawless results in crunch time, as evidenced by a walk-off block of a 35-yard Wil Lutz field goal, which would’ve enabled the Denver Broncos to hand the Chiefs their first loss of the year.
The Minnesota Vikings won their second straight on Sunday, but for a while, it looked as if Kevin O’Connell’s offense would fail to generate anything worthwhile against a porous Jacksonville Jaguars secondary. Darnold, in particular, followed up a two-pick Week 9 outing with an even worse three-interception showing, forcing too many throws. He’s got to settle down for them to survive.
Winner: Mike Tomlin’s Coach of the Year chances
Beating the New York Giants and New York Jets was one thing. Going toe-to-toe with the red-hot Commanders, then edging Jayden Daniels and Co. on the road, is another. Tomlin was clearly right to bet on Russell Wilson, whose downfield boldness once again paid off as he hit both George Pickens and Mike Williams for key scores. And his signature Steelers defense got the job done to offset turnovers.
Loser: The Bears’ QB development plan (again)
Blame it on Caleb Williams. Or Shane Waldron. Or the banged-up line. Or Matt Eberflus. The whole offensive operation is out of sync, and the worst part is, Chicago’s gone through this same dilemma over and over, from Mitchell Trubisky to Justin Fields to, now, their latest top pick. It’s no wonder Eberflus had to acknowledge calls for his job following the Bears’ ugly 19-3 loss to the lowly New England Patriots.
Rarely used with the Buffalo Bills to start the season, the ex-Kansas City Chiefs speedster wasted no time emerging as a deep-ball outlet for Derek Carr in New Orleans, hauling in multiple bombs and scores in just his second game with the Saints. Not only did his presence bring unexpected life to a team fresh off an in-season coaching change, but helped his NFC South squad upset the Atlanta Falcons.
Loser: Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll
It’s not as if New York Giants brass didn’t know Daniel Jones was a flawed quarterback going into 2024. In fact, Daboll and Schoen openly sought to replace the signal-caller during the offseason. And yet, more than halfway through 2024, offensively lifeless at 2-8 following an overtime loss to the lowly Carolina Panthers, they remain saddled with the former first-rounder, and no clear solutions are in sight.
