The second half of the NFL season has kicked off, and week ten included some nail biters. Matthew Stafford rallied the Lions to yet another late fourth quarter victory, this time over Miami. San Francisco and New Orleans went to overtime where the 49ers ultimately prevailed. Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers once again did things few quarterbacks can even dream of doing. Tony Romo returned to action and owned the Jaguars in London. Mark Sanchez may have revived his career in Philly beginning with Monday night’s demolition of Carolina. Then there’s the feel good story of the Browns seizing control of first place in the AFC North. It was certainly a week full of thrills (primetime games excluded).
So without further delay, I present the best from Week 10.
NFL Week 10 Awards
Best quarterback: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers)
Shocker, huh? For the third consecutive week, we’ve had a quarterback throw six touchdown passes in a game. For the first time, that quarterback is not Ben Roethlisberger.
Aaron Rodgers flat out embarrassed the Chicago Bears defense, putting up 315 yards and six touchdowns, IN THE FIRST HALF. He set a record for most 70+ yard touchdown passes, and as to be expected from Rodgers, he lived up to the eye test.
I’ve stated this numerous times on my Twitter account: no one in the NFL has a better deep ball throw than Aaron Rodgers. To be a good deep ball thrower, you need the smarts, and Rodgers has the brains to deliver the big time throws. He finished with a 99.8 QBR and a 145.8 rating.
Rodgers is currently the second best quarterback of 2014 (I’d take Peyton over him for now), but one thing’s for certain, Hans and Franz deserve a ton of credit for the 55-14 win.
Honorable Mentions: Tony Romo, Peyton Manning, Michael Vick, Matt Ryan
Best running back: Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks)
Again, shocker. Remember how everyone said Marshawn Lynch was going to decline in 2014? He looks better than ever, as it turns out. The Seahawks put up 350 yards of rushing (that’s not a misprint), and Beast Mode put up 140 of them for four touchdowns.
Yes, FOUR touchdowns. As for the eye test, this was the standard Marshawn Lynch show, as he was quick on his feet, broke tackles with relative ease, and made a mockery of the Giants defense with 6.7 yards per carry. This was without inflation as well, as his longest carry was 22 yards. The Seahawks ended up winning 38-17.
Needless to say, Marshawn Lynch is a workhorse, and continues to be one of the best running backs in the business.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Forsett, DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram, Jamaal Charles
Best wide receiver: Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys)
In his first five years in the NFL, Dez Bryant has been a treat to watch. His athleticism and skill set has been outdone by only a few other receivers in the NFL, and on Sunday against the Jaguars, continued to prove that.
Bryant was dynamic, being able to spread out while providing a great use for yards after catch, and with Tony Romo back from injury, returns to top form. He caught six passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns, and 26.3 yards per carry, helping guide the Cowboys to a 31-17 victory.
Honorable Mentions: Jordy Nelson, Jordan Matthews, Mike Evans, Julio Jones
Best tight end: Jimmy Graham (New Orleans Saints)
We haven’t heard a lot from Jimmy Graham this season, but better late than never.
With Drew Brees at the helm, Graham helped spark a comeback at home against the 49ers, catching ten passes for 76 yards, two touchdowns, and a NEAR HAIL MARY ATTEMPT THAT WAS OFFSET BY OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE. The Saints ultimately lost in overtime 27-24 to the 49ers.
Nevertheless, Graham was clearly the best tight end of Week Ten. Sure, that’s probably because Rob Gronkowski had a bye week, but come on, it’s Rob Gronkowski.
Honorable Mentions: Julius Thomas, Jared Cook, Brent Celek, Greg Olsen
Defensive Player of the Week: Connor Barwin (Philadelphia Eagles)
With J.J. Watt on a bye week, who else should we give the defender of the week award to?
Connor Barwin for one.
Barwin was nothing short of fantastic on Monday Night, destroying the Panthers offensive line (which is already offensive in and of itself), and making a mockery of Cam Newton, getting 3.5 sacks, six tackles, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits, helping Philly secure a 45-21 blowout victory.
Barwin has been one of the undisputed leaders for a surprisingly good Philly defense. Fly Eagles Fly.
Best Kicker: Phil Dawson (San Francisco 49ers)
Underrated his entire career with the Cleveland Browns, Phil Dawson has been exceptional as a kicker, and on Sunday provided in the clutch when it mattered most, hitting a 45-yard field goal to save the 49ers season and send the game at New Orleans into overtime. In the extra period, he hit the most awkward looking game winning field goal ever (look at that zig zag), as his 35-yarder won the game for San Francisco.
It’s about time Dawson’s got the respect he’s deserved.
Biggest Upset: San Francisco 49ers
You know you’ve got an upset when you give the Saints their first home loss under Sean Payton and Drew Brees since 2010.
I’ve already talked about this game a bit in this article already, so I’ll make this brief.
The passing game was a mess for both teams. Brees turned the ball over three times (including a fumble in overtime from Ahmad Brooks, who gets his revenge on Brees after taking a terrible penalty for hitting him last year). Kaepernick only turned it over once, but completed 14 of his 32 passes on the day. That’s a 43% completion percentage.
Thankfully for the 49ers, Kaepernick saved his best throw for last, firing a prayer on fourth and 10 late in the fourth quarter to a wide-open Michael Crabtree. The coverage in the secondary was awful, but Kap’s throw was still incredible considering the pressure he escaped in the pocket.
The 49ers later won the game in overtime, saving their season. Amazingly, New Orleans still leads the NFC South at 4-5.
Best Team: Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers, believe it or not, wasn’t the only force in the Packers’ 55-14 victory over the rival Bears.
As well as a terrific day from Rodgers, the Packers defense feasted on Jay Cutler and the Chicago offense, getting 74 tackles, four sacks, eight tackles for loss, ten deflected passes, six quarterback hits, three takeaways, and a pick six.
It was a blowout victory for the cheeseheads, and while it helps that the Bears offense laid an egg and the defense had a historical collapse, it was another impressive showing from Green Bay.
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