Week 10 in the NFL officially marks the beginning of the second half of the season, and it’s also where we finally have a decent idea of who the true Super Bowl contenders are to watch in each conference.
As luck would have it, the Week 10 slate gives us two matchups between NFC contenders in measuring stick games for all four clubs.
Here’s more on the two biggest matchups of the week, as well as some other key storylines to keep an eye on:
Rams head to San Francisco with something to prove
Take a look at the NFL Power Rankings this week, and in most of them, you’d find the Los Angeles Rams somewhere in the top three, if not the No. 1 spot.
And with the way Matthew Stafford is playing right now, it’s hard to argue against their spot at the top.
In his 17th NFL season, Stafford leads the league with 21 passing touchdowns in eight games. In his past five games, the 37-year-old pivot has 1,408 yards, 16 TDs and zero interceptions, which has vaulted him right into the thick of the MVP conversation.
But it’s not just Stafford, as the Rams’ defence has been doing its part, too. Over a three-game win streak, the Rams have allowed just 20 points total.
Their last loss? A shocking overtime upset in Week 5 against their very opponent this weekend — the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers have defied the odds all season. Devestated by injuries, head coach Kyle Shanahan has done a masterful job to keep his team not just afloat, but at 6-3, right in the race for a division title.
Especially when you consider the 49ers are already 3-0 in NFC West division games, and have a chance to move to 4-0 on Sunday and take a real stranglehold on the in-division tiebreakers down the road.
And just like they did when they stunned the Rams in Week 5, they’ll once again lean on backup QB Mac Jones as Brock Purdy still appears a week away from returning to game action.
But unlike in Week 5, this time San Francisco will be without the heart of its defence in linebacker Fred Warner, who is out for the season with an ankle injury.
Conventional wisdom would say that this might be the week when the injuries finally catch up to the 49ers, especially with the roll the Rams are on right now.
However, when these two teams play, nothing is a given.
Per ESPN research, the 49ers’ 26-23 OT win in Week 5 was the eighth game, including playoffs, between Shanahan and Rams head coach Sean McVay that has been decided by three points or less. That’s the third most for any coaching matchup in NFL history.
In other words, expect a tight one on Sunday.
Packers looking to quiet the noise against Eagles
It’s not often you have a division leader this late in the season that could be described as “desperate for a win.” But for the Green Bay Packers, that’s exactly the case.
At 5-2-1, the Packers are atop the NFC North, but have all three teams in their division breathing down their neck.
They are also coming off a disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, in which they lost star TE Tucker Kraft for the season with an ACL injury.
Kraft was the Packers’ most important offensive player outside of QB Jordan Love this season, as he led the team in both receiving yards (489) and touchdowns (6).
It’s a huge void to fill, especially on Monday against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of last season’s wild-card round.
And unlike the Packers, the Eagles are only getting more dangerous.
Philadelphia made three trades ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline to bolster its defence, most notably bringing in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from Miami.
It’s a tall task for the Packers, but if they truly want to be considered a Super Bowl contender this season, they have to show they’re up for it.
Otherwise, the panic level in Green Bay is going to reach new highs this season.
Sauce’s Colts debut goes international
While it doesn’t usually bring the excitement as the trade deadline in other leagues, there were some notable moves at the NFL’s on Tuesday.
None bigger than the Indianapolis Colts showing that they’re all in this season by acquiring star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets.
It’s a dramatic change in circumstances for Gardner, who goes from competing for the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft to competing for the No. 1 seed in the AFC with the 7-2 Colts.
And he gets to make his debut on the international stage, as the Colts kick Sunday’s action off bright and early with a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin.
It’s a perfect matchup to see how exactly the Colts plan to deploy Gardner moving forward, as Drake London is the clear top option for the Falcons’ passing game.
Will London have a Gardner shadow all game, or will the Colts use their new weapon in a different capacity?
Either way, it’s an exciting time to be a Colts fan.
Game to watch: New England Patriots (7-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2) — Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The New England Patriots are absolutely one of the shocking stories of the first half of the season.
Second-year QB Drake Maye is playing at an MVP level, and his team is in the AFC East driver’s seat 10 weeks into the season.
But without taking anything away from the Patriots, their schedule hasn’t exactly been a gauntlet up to this point.
After an impressive Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills, the Patriots rattled off another four wins against the Saints, Titans, Browns and Falcons. That’s four wins against teams with a combined record of 7-27.
But Week 10 brings an intriguing test for these upstart Patriots, as they head on the road to take on Baker Mayfield and the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If the Patriots come out on top in this one, there should be zero questions left about whether they can really compete for a championship this season.
Forrest’s favourites (Season record: 14-10 — All odds courtesy of BetMGM):
Cardinals @ Seahawks — Pick: Cardinals +7: The Cardinals look much better with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. In a division game, take the points and ride with Brissett and the Cardinals.
Ravens @ Vikings — Pick: Ravens -4: Don’t look now, but the Ravens look primed for a second-half run with a healthy Lamar Jackson. Look for them to make a statement against the Vikings.
Eagles @ Packers — Pick: Eagles +1: As mentioned earlier, there is a lot working against the Packers in this one. So take the defending Super Bowl champs to win on the road.
Full Week 10 Schedule (All times ET)
WEEK 10
Thursday, Nov. 6
Denver 10, Las Vegas 7
Sunday, Nov. 9
Atlanta vs. Indianapolis in Berlin, 9:30 a.m.
Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m.
New England at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at NY Jets, 1 p.m.
NY Giants at Chicago, 1 p.m.
New Orleans at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Arizona at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
LA Rams at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.
Detroit at Washington, 4:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh at LA Chargers, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 10
Philadelphia at Green Bay, 8:15 p.m.
BYES: Cincinnati, Dallas, Kansas City, Tennessee
