NFL Week 10 roundtable: Cowboys demise, Christian McCaffrey return, Lions-Texans
Moves were made, players traded and teams remade as the NFL trade deadline passed on Tuesday.
Now the unofficial second half of the season begins with Week 10. We’ll see another matchup of rookie quarterbacks, with the Dallas Cowboys rotating against Cooper Rush (and Jonathan Mingo?) against a great Philadelphia Eagles team, the return of Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, a pair of Super Bowl hopefuls in the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions taking over Sunday night, and more.
Our NFL writers Mike Sando, Jeff Howe and Zak Keefer stop by again, this time to preview Week 10’s storylines.
New England Patriots-Chicago Bears gives us another matchup between two top rookie QBs: Drake Maye and Caleb Williams. Which franchise do you have more confidence in building well around the young QB?
Sando: I’m leaning toward Chicago simply because the Bears have already tried to put some pieces around their young quarterback, albeit with mixed results. New England hasn’t done its best yet. The Patriots have a newer group of team builders without much of a track record, and their organizational restructuring could still come about in the coming years. It remains an interesting question. How great should we feel about the situation in Chicago? I’m not overly optimistic, but I do think Williams can handle more in the long run.
How: Maye is playing better than Williams, so Jerod Mayo and company deserve credit for the plan they executed. However, the Patriots’ new regime remains raw and unproven, and the Bears have improved faster than expected over the past eighteen months. While Matt Eberflus may be in the top spot, you can’t argue with the talent the front office has put together around Williams. Ryan Poles’ most pressing need this offseason is to replenish the offensive line to help Williams become more comfortable in the pocket. The Patriots, on the other hand, still have a massive rebuilding job to do.
Beetle: About thirty years of history tells me not to lean with the Bears here, but the Poles have done an admirable job of setting Williams up for success. My biggest reservations remain with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and perhaps Williams’ inconsistent playing style. Will he get better? For a few weeks I thought so, but that was mainly against lower-level teams. By the end of the season, we’ll get a better idea of where Williams stands and if the Bears are doing this the right way. The Patriots, on the other hand, are far from consistently competitive.
Drake Maye throws while in the grasp of Tennessee Titans safety Mike Brown. Maye may have to produce magic again on Sunday against the Chicago Bears defense. (Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA Today/Imagn Images)
Jerry Jones may think the Cowboys still have a lot to play for, but Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury makes things look bleak in Dallas when a good Eagles team comes to town. What are your thoughts on how the rest of the season will unfold in Dallas?
Sando: Jones will continue to make maximizing the spotlight and winning his top priorities. The team will miss the playoffs and there will be a lot of speculation about a possible coaching change, which will keep the team in the news. If this sounds a bit cynical, it is. I’m at a point where analyzing this franchise can seem repetitive and pointless. What is Jones aiming for here?
How: Since we can rule out the playoffs for the Cowboys, I would like to see Trey Lance get a more in-depth look sooner rather than later. Rush is a good backup who knows the offense and has proven he can keep the Cowboys afloat when the roster is at its best, but that hasn’t been the case this season. If the Cowboys don’t improve their position in the coming weeks without Prescott, give Lance a showcase opportunity.
Beetle: As far as I’m concerned, it’s a fait accompli in Dallas this season. Prescott’s injury will only hasten the outcome that was already there. Even if he were healthy, this team doesn’t have the firepower to make a late-season run. The offense is too one-dimensional and the defense far too inconsistent to hang with the better teams in the NFC: the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, Eagles, 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. This year’s disappointments – and the playoff losses of recent years – are damning indictments of Jones’ stubborn approach. This organization needs a new voice at the top. And that won’t happen anytime soon.
.@DMRussini And @ChaseDaniel I don’t understand the Jonathan Mingo trade.
And neither do NFL personnel.
Listen: pic.twitter.com/mprxi7JCcX
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 8, 2024
The Lions are already playing as the best team in the league. How much does the Za’Darius Smith trade change for Detroit? The Texans are 6-3, but appear far from the contender many thought they would be. Is it time to worry about Houston if it loses this game?
Sando: I’m already worried about Houston based on what we’ve seen in recent weeks. That seems like an odd thing to say about a team with a 6-3 overall record and a 5-1 conference record. Maybe I’m reading too much into that Thursday night performance against the New York Jets, when the offensive line wasn’t competitive and CJ Stroud looked all but beaten. A win over the Lions would improve my view of Houston much more than a loss to Detroit would change the way I already think about the Texans.
How: Stroud’s performances have waned due to the injuries surrounding him, so I would expect him to turn things around upon the return of Nico Collins. Even if the Texans lose on Sunday, they would need to win the next three to enter the bye no worse than 9-4, with a pair of measuring stick games ahead against the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. The Texans find themselves in a new spot as a team expected to win, with opponents showing up with undivided attention each week. That’s a challenge for any young team looking to make the leap from division champions to legitimate playoff threats.
Beetle: The Lions could never replace Aiden Hutchinson, but Smith is a worthy addition and should add some pass-rush punch down the road. Detroit has separated itself quite a bit from the rest of the NFC, and that will be a tough place to play in January. As for the Texans, if any of the other three teams in the AFC South – the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars – were good, I’d say the Texans should be concerned. But all three of them are having a hard time. This is Houston’s division, and with Collins coming back soon, at some point the Texans will right the ship enough to win another AFC South title.
The Jets (at Arizona Cardinals) and New Orleans Saints (vs. Falcons) have fired their head coaches and have interim replacements in Jeff Ulbrich and Darren Rizzi. Who would you target for both jobs in 2025?
Sando: Mike Vrabel strikes me as an interesting second-chance candidate and someone with the personality to give a team an identity. The Jets could use someone who has done this job before. It’s an overwhelming job in that market and with that ownership. I’m less sure about the personality that suits Vrabel in that market. Maybe he’ll be better somewhere in New Orleans or, say, Jacksonville if that job opens up. The Saints must continue to move away from the Sean Payton boom as they establish a new identity, which they need. They need to rethink their leadership structure, which may influence the type of coach they seek.
How: The Jets should have sold out for Ben Johnson, but he has been very selective. I also wonder how he would handle the spotlight in New York. Aside from Johnson, I saw Zac Robinson making sense. This next idea might come off as a New York space suit fart, but Mike McCarthy would make sense to further the all-in approach with Aaron Rodgers. McCarthy won’t have a problem with the New York media either. Vrabel would make sense for the Saints, but I wonder if they want to go the offensive route with someone like Frank Smith or Bobby Slowik.
Beetle: Mike and Jeff stole my picks. The Jets need someone like Vrabel, who won’t give in to the quarterback’s demands — that is, if Rodgers returns in 2025. I could also see Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as a worthy candidate. Since arriving in Baltimore last season, he has done a tremendous job. I wonder what the Saints candidate pool looks like. Johnson will be the first on pretty much everyone’s list, but with the Cowboys’ job likely opening up as well, that could be a factor. Or will New Orleans pull off the ultimate surprise and chase Bill Belichick?
Christian McCaffrey is back (Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The 49ers added defensive lineman Khalil Davis at the deadline. They’re fresh off a bye. Time to believe the 49ers can put it all together?
Sando: The 49ers lack the depth of their best teams, and I think that will ultimately show. They will probably finish 9-8 and have a chance to advance in the playoffs, but I don’t see them returning to the Super Bowl.
How: The staff will improve as long as they curb the injury bug, although recent history suggests that’s a risky proposition. The Niners need to stop giving games away. If they stop beating themselves and keep getting their stars back on the field, they’ll be fine, even if they’re not at the Lions’ level.
Beetle: This team will look different once McCaffrey returns, especially in the red zone where he is one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. But this isn’t the NFC West the 49ers are used to. The Cardinals have quietly improved, the Los Angeles Rams have won three in a row and improved their defense, and the Seattle Seahawks remain strong. I bet the division title will come down to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
(Top photo: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images)
