Weather caused problems across the league in Week 10, with passing games severely disrupted, and rain causing trouble for offenses and defenses alike. That has to be factored in when thinking of some of Sunday’s results — the Texans-Browns game, in particular, was just plain ugly. But professional football players don’t make excuses, and we won’t make them for them, because there were some bad weeks across the league.
Here are five big disappointments from Week 10 action.
Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks
Wilson’s MVP candidacy looked to be back on track, but this stinker undid a lot of the progress. Wilson threw for only 248 yards and turned the ball over three times against the Rams, who did an excellent job on Seattle’s receivers and forced Wilson into mistakes. The mistakes have been uncommon this year, but MVP voters would have wanted to see Wilson do better against a quality defense to prove his credentials. Wilson will be fine, but this game may mark the end of his serious MVP hopes.
Carolina Panthers’ defense
The Panthers had the misfortunate of facing a fired-up Tom Brady coming off a bad game. That was already a bad sign, but they absolutely did not respond. Brady picked the Carolina defense apart for three touchdowns and 341 yards. Worse, the team seemed utterly unprepared to stop the run; Ronald Jones’ 98-yard touchdown was simply a major defensive lapse. The gameplanning could also be blamed here: apparently, their matchups were bad enough that the Buccaneers saw Jones’ touchdown run coming.
Houston Texans’ offense
Blame it on the weather, but this was still an inept performance from Houston’s offense. Deshaun Watson had just 71 yards at halftime, and the only reason he ended up with a fairly respectable statline is because the team had to open things up a bit late to try to get back into the game. The Texans gained 90 yards on the ground, but the run game wasn’t consistent enough to compensate for the inability to pass, either. This was just ugly to watch.
New Orleans Saints’ passing game
Drew Brees didn’t look right even before he left with his rib issue. Jameis Winston only threw 10 passes, completing six of them for 63 yards. This was a reminder that San Francisco’s defense remains nothing to sneeze at, but it’s also an indicator that sometimes the Saints aren’t as explosive as they should be. They won by two touchdowns and look fine going forward, but the Saints won’t want to miss Brees for long.
Philadelphia Eagles’ defense
The Eagles’ linebackers, in particular, leave a lot to be desired these days. They made the Giants look like an elite rushing team, as New York put up 151 yards between Wayne Gallman, Daniel Jones, and Alfred Morris. All three of the Giants’ touchdowns came on the ground as well. The Eagles remain firmly in the NFC East race, but games like this will give them a lot to worry about. The offense is struggling, but the defense has to step up.
Photo: Larry Maurer/Flickr via cc-by-sa 2.0
