Week 10 of the NFL season shed more light on two big things. The races for the No. 1 overall draft pick and the Most Valuable Player award became a little more clear.
Let’s take a look at those two as we examine nine things we learned Sunday from Week 10 in the NFL season:
Kirk Cousins for MVP?
When NBC broadcaster Al Michaels first said it, I laughed. But, then, when I thought about what Michaels said — Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins has played so well over the past month that he has entered the conversation for Most Valuable Player — my laughter slowed a bit. Cousins played so inconsistently that teammates publicly criticized him earlier this season. He won’t won MVP. That will go to Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes. But Cousins reached another level of respectability Sunday night as he completed 23 of 32 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in a 28-24 win at Dallas. But Cousins wasn’t even the best player on his team. That would be running back Dalvin Cook, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 86 yards.
Matthew Stafford is severely underrated
The Detroit quarterback frequently gets criticized even though he puts up nice numbers. That’s because he doesn’t win enough big games. But he almost always keeps the Lions competitive. The Lions had a winnable game Sunday against a Chicago offense led by Mitchell Trubisky, who might have been the worst quarterback in the league before throwing three touchdowns Sunday. Stafford missed the game with a back injury — and could miss several more games. Backup Jeff Driskel couldn’t get much going offensively. Stafford looked better than usual even though he didn’t play.
Jameis Winston isn’t done in Tampa Bay
Even though the Buccaneers quarterback was as inconsistent as ever while throwing two interceptions in Sunday’s win against Arizona, he also made some brilliant plays. That’s been the story of his career. Winston’s contract with Tampa Bay runs out at the end of this season, and no final verdict on an extension can be made now or even in the rest of the season. He deserves one more year with coach Bruce Arians, who may be able to coax Winston out of his inconsistency. The logical thing for the Bucs to do is to put the 2020 franchise tag on Winston and hope he turns into a franchise quarterback.
Ryan Tannehill could be the guy in Tennessee
The Titans already have benched quarterback Marcus Mariota. There’s little question he’ll walk away as a free agent after the season. But have the Titans already found their long-term quarterback in Tannehill? He flopped in Miami, but he’s won three of the four games he’s started since Mariota was benched, including Sunday’s victory over Kansas City. The Titans could give Tannehill a contract extension. He may never be a superstar. But this season, he’s been efficient, and that may be good enough for the Titans.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn still isn’t safe
Yes, the Atlanta coach had a big win Sunday at New Orleans. But that was only his second win of the season. That’s not going to be enough to keep Quinn employed in Atlanta. Falcons owner Arthur Blank isn’t the most patient guy, and with quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones in place, the owner believes he should have a playoff team. But despite Sunday’s upset, the Falcons aren’t going to get anywhere near the playoffs.
Pittsburgh’s best personnel move ever
The Steelers have made many great moves through the years, but it’s become obvious the deal they made with the Dolphins to get safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best ever. The Steelers got Fitzpatrick along with Miami’s fourth-round pick in 2020 and a seventh-round pick in 2021. In return the Steelers gave up first- and fifth-round picks in 2020 and a sixth-round choice in 2021, the latter two being conditional. You never want to give up a first-round pick. But Fitzpatrick, who has two seasons and an option year left on his contract, has been worth it. Consider Fitzpatrick another first-round pick by the Steelers. He has five interceptions since joining the Steelers. In Sunday’s win against the Rams, he was dominant. He returned a fumble for a touchdown early and recorded an interception late. Fitzpatrick is a legitimate candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Daniel Jones will be New York’s next great QB
The Jets beat the Giants on Sunday and both teams have young quarterbacks — Sam Darnold for the Jets and rookie Daniel Jones for the Giants. Darnold had an efficient game, throwing for 230 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Darnold is going to be a solid quarterback. But who will be the better New York quarterback in the long run? That would be Jones, who threw for 308 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Darnold already might be as good as he’s going to get. But Jones has a lot more upside.
Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson for MVP?
It’s been a close battle all season, and we have to see how Seattle’s Wilson fares against San Francisco on Monday night. But Baltimore’s Jackson, at least temporarily, moved into the lead in Sunday’s victory against the Bengals. Jackson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another before he was pulled because the Ravens had such a big lead. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 MVP, entered the season as the odds-on favorite to win the award. But it’s getting late in the season, and this is going to come down to Jackson or Wilson.
The Dolphins won’t get the No. 1 overall draft pick
All season long, we’ve heard how Miami is “tanking” (losing on purpose) in order to get the first pick in the draft. Guess what? That’s not going to happen. Miami has one win. The Bengals remain winless after Sunday’s loss to Baltimore. Cincinnati has benched veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. It’s too early to judge replacement Ryan Finley, but the rookie is not a blue chipper. If the Bengals go winless, which is entirely possible, they have to select a quarterback, likely LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
