NFL Week 10 Recap: Browns Shock Ravens, Lions and Texans Win Thrillers

In the “what have you done for me lately” nature of the NFL, we doubted that this Sunday’s slate of games would approach the entertainment value of Week 9. 

Week 10 more than held its own.

Sunday produced multiple instant classics, including a remarkable AFC North clash in Baltimore. In another thriller, Texans Rookie sensation C.J. Stroud stood toe to toe the Bengals’ Joe Burrow. In Jacksonville, the 49ers started the game in fifth gear and pretty much stayed there. The surging Cowboys continued to feast on Big Apple teams. And the Minnesota Vikings looked to maintain their unlikely roll, and ride perhaps the best storyline to come along this season.

Off we go to Week 10 of the NFL season. First stop — Germany.

Indianapolis 10, New England 6

In the only thing less entertaining to German fans than spending a Sunday Oktoberfest in Boston, this game had little spark or scoring after each team mounted points-producing drives on their opening possessions. 

The Patriots scored first on a 37-yard field goal by Chad Ryland. The Colts took their opening drive 75 yards on 14 plays with RB Jonathan Taylor banging it over from one yard out.

From then on, nothing much to speak of — well that’s not entirely true: The Patriots moved the ball well enough, totaling 21 first downs and 340 total yards. But then Mac Jones started hanging around with turnovers again. 

Jones committed just one miscue but it was punishing. Midway through the fourth, Colts safety Julian Blackmon picked off a Jones pass intended for TE Mike Gesiki at the 1-yard line, effectively ending Jones’ day. An exasperated Belichick turned to backup Bailey Zappe, but he too threw an interception later in the fourth. Though Rhamondre Stevenson ran the ball fairly well (88 yards), the Pats' offensive line still gave up five sacks.

Indy has to feel fortunate for coming away with a win in which they scored but 10 points. The Colts did not run the ball effectively. Taylor picked up 69 of the team’s 70 yards rushing, but his running back partner Zack Moss, who came in third in the NFL in rushing, carried the ball just one time for two yards. A curious usage rate to be sure. QB Gardner Minshew did not play particularly well; his saving grace may be that he kept the turnovers down to just one. 

Indianapolis even its record and draws a game closer to AFC South-leading Jacksonville, who was about to be annihilated across the pond.

San Francisco 34, Jacksonville 3

The 49ers defense returned to its hell-raising self, and San Francisco roared out of the gate to blast host Jacksonville and end its three-game losing streak. QB Brock Purdy finished 19-of-26 for 296 yards, and threw touchdown passes to three different receivers, including an impressive season-long scoring toss of 66 yards to George Kittle. The star tight end finished with 116 receiving yards on just three catches.

On defense, the pairing of newcomer Chase Young with fellow Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa paid immediate dividends. The two came together on a sack of Jags QB Jacob Lawrence in the second quarter, with Bosa stripping the ball from Lawrence on the way to the ground. The turnover was one of three collected by 49ers defense. During the team's three-game skid, the unit managed just four turnovers total. 

Lawrence was harried most of the day and played his worst game of the season. The much-criticized 49ers defensive line, reinforced by Young’s arrival, sacked Lawrence five times, with Bosa and Javon Hargrave each recording one and a half sacks.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars defense, which led the league in generating turnovers, produced none. The 49ers offense found their running game (144 yards), which set up their play-action passing game and gave Purdy time to throw. 

The only “blemish” on San Francisco’s victory was that star RB Christian McCaffrey failed to score a TD, ending his NFL record-tying streak consecutive games with at least one score at 17. We are guessing that CMC, who still churned out 95 yards rushing and 142 all-purpose yards, is happy to trade sole possession of some NFL history for a much-needed and thoroughly satisfying road win. 

Cleveland 33, Baltimore 31

Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal, his fourth field goal of the game, with no time left on the clock to punctuate a tremendous Browns comeback and a shocking loss for Baltimore (7-3). 

Given the stakes between two division rivals, this tussle packed in the most drama of any Week 10 game. 

It did not start out that way. After Kyle Hamilton deflected a pick-six to himself on the second play of the game, and rookie Keaton Mitchell burst 39 yards for a score, it looked like another M&T bank runaway for the Ravens. Down 14-0, then 17-3, then by as many as 15 points, the Browns chipped away until, in the fourth quarter, they scored 14 points in a span of 41 seconds. Cleveland’s heralded defense was again the key: safety Greg Newsome II — reportedly a game-time decision with an injury — picked off a Lamar Jackson pass deflected by Cleveland’s Ogbo Okoronkwo and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to pull within a single point. 

Hopkins, who made four field goals on the day, missed the ensuing extra point that would have tied the game. But the Browns defense forced a Baltimore punt, and Deshaun Watson drove his offense 58 yards to set up Hopkins’ game-winner. Overlooked in that final drive was a great play by Browns offensive tackle Wyatt Teller, who dove on top of a Watson fumble to retain possession for Cleveland. 

Playing against the top two defenses in the NFL, neither Watson nor Lamar Jackson stuffed the stat sheet. Key to Cleveland staying close was the running game, led by Jerome Ford’s 117 yards on 17 carries. WR Amari Cooper had 98 yards on six catches and Elijah Moore caught Watson’s lone TD pass in the fourth quarter, moments before Newsome’s game-changing INT return. For the Ravens, Odell Beckham Jr. made one of his biggest plays since joining Baltimore, grabbing Jackson’s only TD throw, a 40-yard score. 

Cleveland (6-3) moves to within a game of the Ravens in the AFC North. Baltimore lost not only a game off their lead but perhaps the aura of invincibility the team established at home in recent wins.

Houston 30, Cincinnati 27

Houston placekicker Matt Ammendola connected on 38-yard field goal with time running out to win a thriller on the road for the Texans.

Houston QB C.J. Stroud continues to astound. In besting maybe the hottest team and quarterback in the NFL, the standout rookie QB passed for 356 yards, threw for one touchdown and ran for another. His TD pass went to fellow rookie Tank Dell, a six-yard strike that tied the game, 7-7. Stroud’s eight-yard run up the middle early in the fourth quarter gave Houston a 10-point lead. 

Joe Burrow and the Bengals stormed back to tie the game at 27 all, but Stroud drove the offense drove 55 yards, with receiver Noah Brown catching a Stroud 22-yard pass with 15 seconds remaining and breaking tackles to set up Ammendola’s game-winner, his third field goal of day. For the second week in a row, Brown came through with an enormous performance: seven catches, 172 yards (24.6 average). The other major star for the Texans, RB Devin Singletary, ground out 150 yards on a whopping 30 carries and touchdown run.

Burrow also had a big yardage day (347) and threw two TDs, one a 66-yard bomb to his favorite target Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with six catches and 124 yards receiving. The Bengals QB also threw two interceptions, both in the fourth quarter with the Bengals trailing 27-17, but Houston did not capitalize on either to build its lead. 

A crushing loss for the Bengals (5-4), who missed an opportunity to close within a game of first-place Baltimore in the AFC North. For Houston…we are wondering if the “C” in “C.J.” stands for Cinderella. 

Pittsburgh 23, Green Bay 19

Pittsburgh safety Damontae Kazee intercepted a Jordan Love pass at the Steelers’ 2-yard line with two seconds remaining to shut down the Packers’ final threat and preserve the four-point win. Kazee’s theft was second consecutive Green Bay drive shut down by an interception. The first came when Steelers’ safety Keanu Neal intercepted Love off a deflection by veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson with 3:20 left. 

Love did his best to lead Green Bay (3-6) back into the game, throwing for 289 yards and two TDs. But the two interceptions were killers. 

In a game featuring two notoriously slow starting offenses, both squads took their respective opening drives for touchdowns. For Pittsburgh (6-3), it was the second straight game in which scored a TD on their first drive. In fact, they scored TDs on their first two drives and led 17-7 midway through the second quarter. 

A 35-yard scoring strike from QB Jordan Love to rookie Jayden Reed brought Green Bay to within 17-13 at the half. 

Aside from the Love interceptions, the difference in the game was Pittsburgh’s ability able to move the ball on the ground. Struggling to find a consistent running game all year, the Steelers busted out today, rushing for a season-high 205 yards. Jaylen Warren rushed for 101 yards and scored Pittsburgh’s second TD on a 16-yard bolt. Success running the ball offset a mediocre day by QB Kenny Pickett (126 yards) and receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, who were kept in check by a smothering Packers secondary.

Minnesota 27, New Orleans 19

Josh Dobbs threw for one touchdown and ran for another and the Vikings’ defense held off a furious late Saints rally to lock down Minnesota’s fifth straight win.

Dobbs, in his second game with Minnesota, threw for 268 yards. But as he did in his Vikings debut in Week 9, the quarterback dazzled viewers and frustrated defenders with his legs. On his seven-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Dobbs spun out of a collapsing pocket, broke containment and outran New Orleans defensive backs into the end zone to make it 17-3 Minnesota. On the day, Dobbs ran for 44 yards rushing. 

It did not look like things were going to get better for a New Orleans offense that couldn’t twhen, down 27-3 midway through through the third quarter, starting QB Derek Carr was shaken up after taking a vicious hit from two Vikings defenders. Jameis Winston (13-of-25, 122 yards) replaced him and threw touchdown passes to A.T. Perry and Chris Olave and, respectively. The TD pass to Olave brought the Saints to within a single possession.

With less than five minutes remaining, New Orleans had two chances to tie the game but both possessions ended with Winston interceptions deep in Vikings territory.

The Vikings find themselves two games behind Detroit but now are in the thick of the wild-card chase. Imagine telling a Minnesota fan when the Vikes were 1-4 that their team would reel off five straight wins without Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins…they would have thought you lost your mind. 

Tampa Bay 20, Tennessee 6

Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns and the Bucs’ defense frustrated Tennessee QB Will Levis as Tampa pulls into a tie for NFC South lead. 

RB Rachaad White got the Bucs in a gear when took a Mayfield screen pass 43 yards to give Tampa a 7-3 lead midway through the second quarter.

Mayfield, who finished 18-of-29 for 278 yards, threw his second TD of the day to Mike Evans, who fought through tacklers on his way to a 19-yard score near the end of the third. The TD put the Bucs up, 17-3. Evans had a monster day with six catches and 143 receiving yards. 

From that point onward, Tennessee (3-6) abandoned Derrick Henry and the running game. For the game, the Titans’ offense could manage just two Nick Folk field goals. Brilliant in his four-touchdown debut in Week 8, Levis came back to earth. He completed less than 50 percent of his 39 passes, as the Tampa D held the rookie to 3.9 yards per pass play, intercepted him once (Antoine Winfield, Jr.), and sacked him four times. The defense also held Henry to 24 yards on 11 carries.

With the Saints losing, the Bucs (4-5) pull within one-half game of first place in the NFC South. 

Detroit 41, Los Angeles Chargers 38

What looked to be a potential barnburner almost set nearby crops ablaze. Lions’ placekicker Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired to lift Detroit (7-2) and keep the Lions within a game of idle Philadelphia for the NFC’s best record.

The game was filled with offensive fireworks throughout, but the two offenses really put on mesmerizing show in the fourth. And the biggest plays came on fourth down. 

On 4th and goal from the 2-yard line, Chargers QB Justin Herbert hit Quentin Johnson for the rookie reciever’s first NFL touchdown to tie the game 31-31 early in the fourth. Detroit responded with quarterback Jared Goff, executing a splendid play-action fake, finding tight end Brock Wright for 25 yards to culminate a seven-play 75-yard drive. But with over seven minutes left, back came Los Angeles. On 4th-and-1, Herbert threw a 38-yard TD to Keenan Allen, who weaved his way into the end zone with 3:34 left.

Detroit’s game-winning drive started with a 40-yard catch and run by WR Kalif Raymond. With 1:47 left, and at the Chargers’ 26-yard line, the Lions converted a 4th-and-2, and then run down the clock before Patterson’s game-winner. 

All told, the two teams posted 954 yards of total offense. Both quarterbacks were terrific. Facing star edge rushers for both teams, neither offensive line gave up a sack. Goff threw for 333 yards and two scores. Herbert threw 323 yards and four touchdowns, two them to Keenan Allen, as the veteran wideout continued his brilliant 2023, catching 11 passes for 175 yards. Running back David Montgomery returned to the Lions' lineup and rushed for 116 yards, 75 of them coming on a late second-quarter TD run.  

Detroit maintains its two-game cushion over the Vikings in the NFC North. For the Chargers (4-5)…another brutal late-game loss that drops them farther behind in the AFC wild-card race.

Seattle 29, Washington 26

Jason Meyers kicked a 43-yard field goal with no time remaining to keep Seattle (6-3) in first place in the NFC West. Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith drove his team 50 yards to set up Meyers’ kick, making two critical throws to receiver D.K. Metcalf of 17 and 25 yards. 

The Seattle drive came shortly after Washington quarterback Sam Howell tied the game in dramatic fashion, connecting with WR Dyami Brown for a 35-yard score. It was Brown’s first NFL touchdown.

An important game for both teams and a tightly contested battle throughout, neither team enjoyed a lead bigger than a single possession. And, despite the 91 combined passes they threw, neither Howell nor Smith were intercepted. 

The Commanders (4-6) opened the scoring when QB Howell stepped up against pressure and flipped a short pass to RB Brian Robinson, who ran untouched along the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown. Howell posted his third strong performance in a row, throwing for 312 yards, with Robinson’s catch and run the first of three Howell touchdown passes. Robinson led the team both in receiving yards (116) and rushing (38) as the Commanders again struggled to get their running attack going.

Howell’s counterpart for Seattle, Smith, had a huge day himself, throwing for 367 yards and two scores, the most electrifying being the 64-yard catch and run by Kenneth Walker II, which gave Seattle its first lead, 16-12, early in the second half. Walker also chipped in with 64 yards rushing.

The tough loss damages for the time being the Commanders’ hopes for a wild card. Seattle remains tied with victorious San Francisco, with a Thanksgiving night matchup between the two teams looming. 

Dallas 49, New York Giants 17

The Cowboys (6-3) finished up its series with the Giants (2-8) in convincing fashion. The combined score of the two games? 89-17.

The eye-popping lopsidedness speaks as much to the Giants’ ineptitude as it does to Dallas’ lethality. The New York offense finished with 171 total yards, but even that number was padded by a 75-yard drive late in the game. New York tried to run the ball with Saquon Barkely (66 yards) but the huge early deficit — Dallas led 28-0 at the half — limited his impact.

Giants QB Tommy DeVito could have been Danny DeVito for all that he and 86 passing yards accomplished — though Dallas’ defense and New York’s underwhelming offensive line accounted for much of the young quarterback’s struggles. Dallas sacked DeVito five times and forced him into an interception. 

His counterpart, Dak Prescott, accounted for five TDs on the day, four throwing and one rushing. He distributed his touchdown passes to four different receivers, including to CeeDee Lamb, who continued his scorching midseason roll with another 11 catches and 151 yards receiving. In each of his last three games, Lamb racked up double digits in receptions and 150+ receiving yards. 

Prescott’s numbers over those same three games are nearly as striking: 1,082 yards and 11 touchdown passes. Dallas’ recovery from the blowout loss to the 49ers in Week 5 coincided with Prescott and Lamb magnetizing their connection.

Dallas stays within striking distance of the idle Eagles for the NFC East lead. As for the Giants, there is one positive contribution they make to New York faithful: “Thank God for the Giants,” Jets fans can heard muttering.