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#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

15 key questions for NFL Week 10

Week 10 got off to a rough start with a Thursday night game that featured a number of brutal injuries, most notably a torn Achilles that will cost Richard Sherman the remainder of the 2017 season. All of the injuries we have seen to key players this season have been sickening, and hopefully the trend doesn’t continue as we head into the weekend games.

With the 2017 season more than half over, some teams are getting close to “must-win” territory. That makes for plenty of good storylines across the league, and here are some of the most important questions to ask as Week 10 continues:

1. Can Brock Osweiler keep his job another week?

Osweiler got the start for the Broncos against the Eagles last week, and it went about as well as everyone expected it to. The veteran quarterback completed 19-of-38 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a blowout loss. Things won’t get much easier for Osweiler on Sunday against the Patriots, and there’s a good chance that game will be his last opportunity to prove he deserves the starting job. If Osweiler struggles again, Paxton Lynch should be ready to go in Week 11.

2. How bad have things gotten in the Giants’ locker room?

Two anonymous Giants players ripped Ben McAdoo earlier in the week, with one saying a lot of players in the locker room have quit on the head coach and another criticizing McAdoo’s practice schedule and disciplinarian leadership style. McAdoo later fired back at the players and said his door is always open, but there’s no question things are getting worse by the week for the G-Men.

At 1-7, the Giants have nothing to play for but pride. They’re traveling to San Francisco on Sunday to take on the 0-9 49ers, and losing to a team like that could result in a total implosion in New York.

3. Will the Browns and/or 49ers get their first win?

Speaking of the 49ers, they’re one of only two teams in the NFL without a win in 2017. The Browns are the other. San Francisco has a better chance to win at home against the Giants, but the Lions need to stay focused and not get caught looking ahead to their divisional matchup against the Bears. We’re getting to the point in the season where teams without a win might start trying a little harder as the potential for a 0-16 season becomes more of a reality. Can the Browns or 49ers use that to their advantage? It’s only a matter of time before one team finds its way into the win column.

4. Who will the Cowboys lean on to run the football?

The ongoing war between Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL appears to be over, and the Cowboys are going to be without the star running back for the next six games. With Zeke out, Dallas is likely going to take a “hot hand” approach with Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden and Rod Smith. McFadden rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2015 with the Cowboys, but he has not recorded a carry this season. Morris, who has turned just 14 carries into 116 yards this year, seems like the best bet to carry the majority of the load. Although, Smith looked impressive while rushing for 61 yards on eight carries in a win over the 49ers last month.

Dallas still has the best offensive line in football, so they should be able to run the ball even without Elliott. Having one of the three aforementioned backs step up would be a huge help.

5. Can the Saints prove they’re a real playoff team?

The Saints are the hottest team in football, having won six games in a row heading into a tough game on Sunday at Buffalo. While the Bills aren’t exactly a Super Bowl contender, they tend to play tough at home. New Orleans, historically, struggles mightily on the road. That’s why Sunday’s game will be a big test.

If the Saints are a legitimate playoff team that can contend for the NFC title, they are going to have to prove they can beat quality teams on the road. Scoring 30 points at home against the Bucs isn’t all that impressive. Doing it at Buffalo would be another story.

6. Are the Texans finished without Deshaun Watson?

Losing Watson was devastating for the Texans, who looked like the favorite to win the AFC South and nearly beat the Seahawks on the road the last time the rookie took the field. In Week 9, Houston was forced to turn to Tom Savage. The result was a 20-14 loss to a Colts team that is not very good and doesn’t have Andrew Luck. Savage completed just 19 passes on 44 attempts for 219 yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t horrendous, but he was nowhere near as effective as Watson had been. It could be a long second half of the season in Houston.

7. Are the Packers destined to fall out of the playoff race?

Packers fans are holding out hope that Aaron Rodgers can return later in the season, but the team won’t need its star quarterback if it falls out of the playoff race. Since Rodgers went down, Green Bay has lost three straight games — two of them within the division. On Sunday, they travel to face the Bears. If Chicago beats the Packers, both teams would be 4-5. Brett Hundley has thrown just one touchdown pass and four interceptions in two-plus games since taking over for Rodgers. It’s tough to envision Green Bay staying in the playoff race under the current circumstances.

8. Can the Lions avoid a major letdown at home?

With the Packers and Bears facing each other and the Vikings traveling to Washington, D.C., for a tough game against the Redskins, the 4-4 Lions have a great chance to pull within a game of first place in the NFC North. The only thing they have to avoid is losing to the 0-8 Browns at home. While that sounds like an easy task, Cleveland has to be at least somewhat motivated to avoid an 0-16 season. Detroit could also be looking ahead to important games against the Bears and Vikings. Matthew Stafford and company had better not look too far.

9. Which team will take control in the AFC South?

With the Texans sitting at 3-5 and having lost Deshaun Watson for the season, the AFC South may be a battle between the Jaguars and Titans. No one could have predicted that is where we’d be at entering Week 10 of the season. Tennessee will search for its fourth consecutive win on Sunday, and there’s no reason they can’t get it against the reeling Bengals. The Jaguars — winners of two straight — are hosting a Chargers team that will have to travel across the country, which is never an easy task. Both teams could be looking at 6-3 after Sunday, and they will likely be battling it out for the AFC South crown down the stretch.

10. How will Leonard Fournette respond after being benched?

The Jaguars were able to come away with a win over the Bengals last week despite not having Leonard Fournette, who was benched for reportedly missing a team photo and treatment. Fournette has been as good as advertised this season, rushing for 596 yards and six touchdowns in only six games. Jacksonville needs Fournette in order to continue winning games and have a chance at winning the AFC South, but the rookie has to prove he can stay focused. It will be interesting to see if he runs with a little extra motivation against the Chargers on Sunday.

11. Are the Steelers or Patriots the team to beat in the AFC?

The Steelers and Pats are both coming off a bye, and both teams are leading their respective divisions with 6-2 records. New England travels to Denver in Week 10 to take on the Broncos, while Pittsburgh has an easier task on the road against the Colts.

With their defense showing signs of improvement in recent weeks, the Patriots should be able to create problems for Brock Osweiler. Unless the Steelers or Pats slip up in the coming weeks, their Week 15 matchup against one another could very well determine who gets home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As New England showed us with a dominating win over the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game last season, home field advantage can be the difference between winning and losing in the postseason.

12. How will the Bucs survive without Jameis Winston?

Winston is expected to miss at least two games after he was once again pulled in Week 9 because of his lingering shoulder injury. The quarterback visited with Dr. James Andrews this week for what he called “standard protocol,” but that is not a great sign. The Bucs have little chance of making the playoffs with their 2-6 record, and things could get ugly without Winston.

Veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick has played well while filling in for Winston this season, but no one would be surprised if that doesn’t last. The Bucs’ season feels like it is on the verge of crumbling, if it hasn’t already.

13. Is Terrelle Pryor officially a forgotten man in Washington?

Pryor was one of Washington’s biggest offseason acquisitions, and he gambled on himself by signing a one-year deal when other teams were willing to offer a multi-year contract. Thus far, it looks like that gamble was a losing one.

Pryor has just 20 receptions in eight games this season, and he and Kirk Cousins clearly are not on the same page. Josh Doctson appears to have surpassed Pryor on the depth chart, and the second-year receiver’s role should only grow going forward. With Pryor playing under a one-year deal, the Redskins have little motivation to force the issue with him. He may find his face on a milk carton in the coming weeks.

14. Is the AFC West a one-horse race?

The AFC West was once considered the toughest division in football, and there’s still a chance it could live up to that reputation down the stretch. However, the Raiders have been largely disappointing and the Broncos are still a mess at the quarterback position. The Chargers have shown some signs of life, but they are too inconsistent to be considered a playoff contender. That leaves us with only the Chiefs.

Kansas City and Oakland are both on byes in Week 10, and the Chargers have a tough road game against the Jaguars while the Broncos host the Patriots. If both Los Angeles and Denver lose, the Chiefs will have a two-game lead over Oakland and a three-game lead over everyone else. That type of deficit is tough to overcome, and Andy Reid’s team clearly looks like the best in the division. There’s no reason to expect that to change going forward.

15. Does Case Keenum ever plan on giving up his starting job?

The Vikings are somehow 6-2 and hold a two-game lead in the NFC North despite Sam Bradford missing several games with a knee injury and Teddy Bridgewater still working his way back. While Bridgewater has been practicing in full and could be ready to play in Week 11, Case Keenum has given Mike Zimmer no reason to make a change at quarterback.

Minnesota has won four straight games with Keenum under center, and the veteran is protecting the ball well enough to put his team in good positions. It’s hard to bench a quarterback when the team is winning, and the Vikings don’t want to rush Bridgewater back anyway. If Keenum continues to play well, he could conceivably remain the starter for the rest of 2017.

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