Who needs to bounce back in NFL Week Ten?

Week 10 is here and last week provided some memorable moments and performances. It also proved to be a stumbling block for many and this gives us a wide range of candidates for the bounce back. 

1. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle got a good old fashioned beat down when they faced the Ravens. Dominated from start to finish and the Ravens pretty much said you are good but we are levels above you. Seattle still has a 5-3 record, but that defeat has some weight to it.

They have a chance to recover quickly when they play the Commanders but if they are to win that game, they need to rediscover some form. Smith didn’t look great, they couldn’t run the ball and the defense couldn’t live with Lamar and his weapons. Seahawks gave up first place in their division and they will have to work hard to regain it. 

2. Atlanta Falcons

The Vikings pulled off a miraculous victory over the Falcons, led by Dobbs who had arrived about five minutes before kick off. The Falcons have had a pretty stellar defense all season but they couldn’t contain the Vikings, who had some big names missing and that is very concerning.

Atlanta also need to get Bijan Robinson more involved, he has shown glimpses of his talent, but the past few weeks have seen him less involved for one reason or another. At 4 -5 the Falcons certainly aren’t out of it. However, when teams aren’t at their full capacity they need to win, so that loss hurts more than others potentially. Week 10 brings a match up with Arizona and the likely return of Kyler Murray.

If the Falcons don’t win this one then they aren’t doing anything going forward this season. 

3. Miami Dolphins

Miami have lost three games now to teams with winning records and they missed another opportunity to silence the doubts around them winning big games. The other two losses were to the Eagles and the Bills who both convincingly beat Miami. This loss to the Chiefs was different though, Miami shot themselves in the foot all game long.

They started poorly and they finished poorly. When they watch the film back, they will be kicking themselves because this was a game they could have won. They have a bye week now, but I had to include them. If they make the playoffs they will need to have learned so much from these losses. They are capable of going far, however if you lose, you want to be beaten by the better team – you can live with that. But if you lose because of how you played, that is much tougher to live with. 

4. Bryce Young

The 1st overall pick from this year’s draft is having a tough rookie campaign so far. The Panthers still have a long way to go in their rebuilding process so I do feel for Young and the situation he finds himself in. The Colts added to the stress that he will be feeling and they were waiting to take full advantage of each mistake he made.

Young now faces the Bears on Thursday Night Football which is a winnable game. He must be aware too of the noise starting up on whether or not the Panthers may have made a mistake drafting him first overall. This is a great opportunity in the spotlight to go and display why he was the number one pick. I really want to see him have a solid night and a clean game. His future is very bright in the league. 

5. New York Giants

The Raiders, under new HC Pierce, bulldozed their way past the Giants to add to the miserable season they are having. Things don’t get any easier, as this week they play the Cowboys. They also have the added pain of losing Daniel Jones for the rest of the season. Jones was given a tasty contract but his play has been well short of the standard too and looks like money not well spent, though that’s a conversation for another day.

I don’t think there is any chance of the Giants beating the Cowboys, but can they at least make Dallas work for the win? Can they show some fighting spirit, because as of late their performances have been abysmal. Sadly just now, the fans need to grin and bear it, hoping that maybe next season there will be some improvement. That doesn’t make this one any easier to bear. 

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Week 10 let’s have you. The games keep getting bigger and bigger. The stakes are getting higher and the margin for error is getting smaller and smaller. Hopefully some of the above can bounce back this week.