NFL Week 10 takeaways: Saints, Steelers tighten division holds

2:03 pm | November 11, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

5:55 PM ET

The Saint and Steelers cruised to big wins to lengthen their division leads, the Titans made a statement with a win against the Patriots, the Bears locked up another NFC North victory and the Redskins survived an ugly win over the Buccaneers.

All that and more in Week 10’s biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

Mike Vrabel and the Titans dominated the Patriots in all phases, and they are finding their groove on offense at just the right time with Marcus Mariota effectively spreading the ball around. Corey Davis‘ seven receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown are a sign that he is trending in the right direction, and Tennessee’s defense can build on allowing only 10 points. The Titans now get set for consecutive divisional games against the Colts and the Texans. — Turron Davenport

The Patriots, who were completely dominated by the Titans, are a battered bunch after starting left tackle Trent Brown (back), top receiver Julian Edelman (ankle) and tight end Dwayne Allen (knee) were knocked out of the game in the second half. While Edelman doesn’t look like a long-term concern — he returned to the sideline late after retreating to the locker room — the team looked tired in and in need of a break. So the bye comes at the right time, but at 7-3 and chasing the 9-1 Chiefs, hopes for the AFC’s top seed were damaged. — Mike Reiss

Tom Brady speaks to reporters after the Patriots are defeated by the Titans 34-10.

The Saints just keep gaining more and more steam every week during their eight-game win streak. The Saints came out roaring Sunday against the Bengals with five touchdowns in the first half and points on every possession until they took a knee to end the game. Now they get two more intense home games against the Eagles and Falcons over the next 11 days. — Mike Triplett

The Bengals simply can’t compete with the best teams in the NFL, and the gap is glaringly obvious after blowout losses to the Chiefs and Saints. The Bengals have to be considering a change at defensive coordinator after they became the first team to give up 500 yards in three consecutive games. Injured starters aren’t an excuse, as the defense just looks completely inept right now. The Bengals might have better luck against the struggling Ravens next week. — Katherine Terrell

A suddenly potent pass rush gives the Chiefs another reason for optimism for the season’s final six games and into the postseason. With Dee Ford, a healthy Justin Houston and productive interior rushers in Chris Jones and Allen Bailey, the Chiefs had five sacks of Arizona’s Josh Rosen on Sunday and now have 31 this season. Jones has at least one sack in each of the last six games. An improved pass rush will be vital on Monday Night Football, when the Chiefs take on the Rams in Mexico City. — Adam Teicher

David Johnson had 183 yards from scrimmage, including 98 rushing yards, and the Cardinals’ defense sacked Patrick Mahomes a season-high five times and held him to a season-low 249 passing yards. Seeing improvement in those areas could be the spark Arizona needs next Sunday against the Raiders. — Josh Weinfuss

It sounds simple, but it hasn’t been easy for the Colts: Protect Andrew Luck and there’s a decent chance they’ll win the game. Luck has gone four consecutive games without being sacked, the longest streak by any starting QB in a season since Eli Manning in 2010 (five straight games), according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Colts are 3-1 in those games. Can the Colts extend the streak next week against the Titans, who were all over Tom Brady in their stunning win over the Patriots? — Mike Wells

Injuries, inconsistent QB play, lack of playmakers on offense, and a suddenly leaky defense have put the Jaguars at risk of not making the playoffs. At 3-6, including 0-3 in the AFC South, Jacksonville will have to play near perfect to have any shot at the postseason. The biggest task the coaching staff faces in the next few weeks is making sure the players don’t check out. The talk in the locker room was that won’t happen, but a five-game losing streak has left them reeling. — Mike DiRocco

Blake Bortles still has hopes for the Jaguars season but knows time is running out.

Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns (148.6 quarterback rating) in Chicago’s NFC North victory over Detroit. The Bears defense is always tough – especially with pass rusher Khalil Mack back on the field – but Trubisky raises Chicago’s playoff chances to a whole new level when he plays like he did against the Lions. And he’ll need to be at his best next week when the Bears host the second-place Vikings on Sunday Night Football. — Jeff Dickerson

That’s three consecutive double-digit losses for the Lions, each looking worse than the last. The offense struggled to move the ball until the score was out of hand, and the defense couldn’t stop Trubisky (the Bears scored touchdowns on their first four drives). Had kicker Cody Parkey not missed two extra points and two field goals, Chicago could have reached 40 points. With games against the Panthers, the Bears again and then the Rams over the next three weeks, it won’t get any easier for Detroit until the middle of December. — Michael Rothstein

The Browns can feel good about themselves as they enter the bye week with their most impressive win since 2015. No blocked field goals needed. No overtime. No crazy plays. Just sound play on all sides of the ball, especially from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has completed 69 percent of his passes with a rating of 104.6 in his last four games. — Pat McManamon

Brown’s rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield throws three touchdowns to three different receivers in a 28-16 win over the Falcons.

The Falcons don’t play with enough consistency to be considered a playoff-caliber team, despite still being in the NFC hunt. Their effort against the Browns, which included a mere 16 points while giving up 427 yards and 28 points, showed that a three-game winning streak leading into Sunday was somewhat fluky. What Falcons team will everyone see next week at home against Dallas? Who knows. — Vaughn McClure

The Redskins managed to win despite playing without three starters on their offensive line and missing a starting corner. They have plenty of issues: Their offense does not scare anyone, the run game might suffer behind a makeshift line and their defense has holes. But the Redskins do play with a tough mindset. That’s something they’ll need to lean on in the final seven weeks because even at 6-3, it’s going to get tough for them the next three weeks against Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia. — John Keim

The Bucs managed to gain 501 yards of offense against the Redskins in a loss that drops them to 3-6. Dirk Koetter said he didn’t really have answers for his team. “When you get beat like that, I didn’t have a great message [for them],” Koetter said. There could be changes coming at the quarterback and kicker positions. Koetter said he’d consider starting Jameis Winston next week against the Giants after Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions and fumbled. Chandler Catanzaro missed kicks of 30 and 48 yards. — Jenna Laine

Matt Barkley provided the Bills with their best quarterback performance of the season in a road win over the Jets. After the game, coach Sean McDermott did not commit to a starter when the Bills return from their bye week against the Jaguars on Nov. 25. Turning back to Josh Allen would be most consistent with the Bills’ goal this season of developing their young players, especially considering their 3-7 record offers little to gain toward the postseason by playing Barkley. — Mike Rodak

Will coach Todd Bowles get fired this week during the bye? Historically, the organization hasn’t made in-season changes, but a coaching move seems inevitable. The Jets (3-7) have dropped four straight — and they’re getting worse, not better. There’s no logical successor on the staff, so ownership may opt to ride it out with Bowles. — Rich Cimini

Jamal Adams defends his head coach Todd Bowles after the Jets’ 41-10 loss to the Bills.

If Ben Roethlisberger keeps delivering with quick decision-making behind a high-level offensive line, the Steelers might have their best chance at a Super Bowl since the early Mike Tomlin years. The offense looked comfortable, efficient, even possessed in the win over Carolina. And the defensive pass rush is only improving. The Steelers have two consecutive road games on deck, but with New England’s loss to the Titans, they are in position for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. — Jeremy Fowler

The Panthers were embarrassed in all phases on Thursday night. They were exposed on the offensive line as Pittsburgh was willing to commit an extra rusher to pressure Cam Newton. Defensively, the lack of a pass rush exposed the secondary, although Roethlisberger did play one of his best games ever. As coach Ron Rivera said, “This s— happens.” The Panthers now travel to Detroit to face the Lions, who are also coming off an embarrassing loss to the Bears. — David Newton