In this series of articles, I will highlight the best NFL games of the week and the local team, the Patriots. In Week 10, the playoff hunt is in full swing, and all teams are in mid-season form. This week showcased many close games, with the kickers coming up big. Here are the highlights.
Ravens vs Bengals
Thursday Night Football games are always a toss-up in the NFL. Teams are coming off a short week of preparation, so you never know what the result will be. You can get a one-sided blowout, a boring low-scoring game, or a thrilling, high-scoring shootout.
That's exactly what we got this past Thursday. In a classic divisional dogfight defined by explosive plays and great quarterbacks, the Baltimore Ravens pulled away with the win.
The Ravens earned their seventh win of the season by overcoming a 14-point deficit in the third quarter. Lamar Jackson added to his MVP campaign with 290 yards and four touchdowns, one of those being the longest passing touchdown of his career to Tylan Wallace (although it only traveled six yards in the air).
Lamar also had a highlight run where he escaped several defenders and tip-toed down the sideline to the one-yard line, which set the Ravens up for a Derrick Henry rushing touchdown. The defense stopped the Bengals from taking the lead with less than a minute left in the third quarter on a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Losing games in this fashion has been a common theme for the Bengals this season. Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, adding his name to the MVP discussions. Two of his touchdown passes came from throws of 67 and 70 yards, both to Ja'Marr Chase. Chase went off for 264 yards and three touchdowns.
Despite all that, the Bengals came up short by one point with their failed two-point conversion. The team elected to try for two points for the potential win instead of a tie with an extra point. The Bengals have an uphill battle towards the playoffs; however, all hope is not lost for them. There is potential for them to make the playoffs if they turn their season around and start winning games from here on out.
Patriots vs Bears
A struggling Patriots defense stepped up big against the spiraling Bears. Throughout the season, the Patriots defense has been heavily scrutinized for their performances. This is a decline from last year when they were ranked ninth in the league. The Patriots have lost multiple players on the defensive side due to injury, trade, and off-field reasons. Ja'Whaun Bentley, Christian Barmore, Matthew Judon, Joshua Uche, and Jabrill Peppers are the most prominent.
Regardless, they held Caleb Williams and the Bears to just three points. They also sacked Williams nine times, which is the second most in franchise history.
Drake Maye earned his first complete NFL win, and the Patriots will look to keep this momentum going into the rest of the season.
The Bears have now lost three straight games with the hardest part of their schedule still to come. They still have their six division games on the schedule and while the Packers, Lions, and Vikings are surging, the Bears are in a freefall. The Bears could not get anything going on offense, only gaining 11 first downs and converting one-third down throughout the whole game. The game that should've been a get-back game is instead a big wake-up call for all the Chicago players and coaches.
Chiefs vs Broncos
The Chiefs blocked a last-minute game-winning Broncos field goal try to stay the lone undefeated team in the NFL.
Leading by two points with only one second on the clock, the Chiefs were looking at their first loss of the season. The Broncos were lined up for a game-winning field goal and it got blocked. Leo Chenal, Chiefs linebacker, was the one to break through the line and layout for the block.
The Chiefs' only touchdown of the day to Travis Kelce was enough to outlast the Broncos in this divisional matchup. The Chiefs will now face the Buffalo Bills next week in what will be one of their toughest matchups of the season. In the seven times that these two teams have faced off in the Mahomes-Allen era, the Chiefs have won four.
The Broncos had an upset, divisional victory in their sights, but the Chiefs pulled out another win. The Broncos came out the gate with a 14-3 lead over the Chiefs. By halftime, it was 14-10. The Chiefs took the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Bo Nix and the Broncos' offense orchestrated a long, clock-draining drive that allowed them to have the last play of the game. That was when the Chiefs blocked what would've been the game-winning field goal. While the Broncos looked promising, they ultimately ended up with a loss.
Lions vs Texans
The NFC North-leading Lions survived the Texans with a resilient last-minute win. The Lions started the game off very slow and could not get much going outside of a touchdown drive ending with Sam Laporta finding the end zone. Jared Goff faced a lot of pressure despite having one of the best offensive lines in football. Goff, who coming into this game only had 53 incompletions on the season, threw five interceptions to the Houston defense.
Their defense held it together in the first half until their offense caught up and started catching fire. Detroit held Houston scoreless in the second half with four punts, two interceptions, and a missed field goal by Ka'imi Fairbairn.
The offense capitalized on this with two touchdowns and two field goals. One of those field goals was a 52-yard game-winner from Jake Bates. The Lions look to keep their seven-game win streak alive against the Jaguars next week.
The Texans came out hot with a 23-7 lead at halftime. The momentum shifted quickly when C.J. Stroud threw an interception on the opening drive of the second half. They looked like they couldn't be stopped in the first half, but their offense stalled in the second half, scoring no points.
This has been a trend for the Texans in the last two weeks, they have struggled to put points on the board in the second half. The Texans were inches away from winning this game (both of Bates' field goals scraped the uprights), but in the end, the Lions came away with the win. Houston is still in a very good place to make a push in the playoffs with a matchup against Dallas next week.
Great job Natalie. Well written.
I love it Natalie Zona! I feel like I know everything now!