With most of the Week 10 NFL schedule in the books, here are the players and coaches who delivered standout performances:
Joshua Dobbs, QB, Minnesota Vikings: After watching what Dobbs has done the last two games after being traded to the Vikings two weeks ago, it’s difficult to believe he’s been traded twice over the last four months. It’s even more difficult to believe the Tennessee Titans let him walk during free agency without making a serious push to keep him in their building.
On Sunday, Dobbs completed 23-of-34 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 44 yards and another score as he led Minnesota to its fifth straight win. In his two games with the team Dobbs has accounted for 536 total yards and five total touchdowns. He’s also given the Vikings a legitimate starting option at QB in 2024 should they not want to invest lots of money in re-signing Kirk Cousins. Not bad for a quarterback who has been on five different rosters over the last two seasons.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals: For the first time in 11 months, Murray started an NFL game. He looked like he hadn’t missed a beat, throwing for 249 yards and running for another 33 yards and a touchdown while leading the Cardinals to their second win of the year. It was just the second time a Cardinals quarterback has thrown for more than 240 yards in a game this season.
Beyond just the win, Murray also silenced some doubters who questioned if he was ready to play so quickly after having surgery to repair a torn ACL on Jan. 3. He also may have taken the first step in dispelling any speculation that Arizona could target USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye in the 2024 draft. If Murray is healthy, he’s a pretty good QB1 option for the Cardinals.
Houston Texans front office: Once Bryce Young came off the board first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, no one would have thought twice had the Texans taken edge-rusher Will Anderson with the No. 2 overall pick and used their 12th overall pick on Will Levis. But somehow Houston found a way to trade up for the No. 3 pick as well, landing both Anderson and C.J. Stroud – a move that looks like it’s going to land the Texans in the playoffs this season.
Stroud threw for 356 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another in Sunday’s 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals – his fourth game of 300 or more yards this fall and his sixth with two or more touchdowns. He’s having arguably the most impressive rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history and he’s perhaps already a top-10 QB already. On the other side of the field, Anderson led the Texans in pressures, hurries and QB hits heading into Sunday. The Texans have budding offensive and defensive stars to build around with a first-year head coach who clearly has the team heading in the right direction.
Everyone, Cleveland Browns: The Baltimore Ravens looked to be the top team in the NFL heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Browns. But then the fourth quarter happened. The Browns rallied from a 31-17 deficit to a 33-31 win in just 8:57 as they ended the Ravens four-game win streak and became the first team to score more than 24 points against them this year.
Watson led a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and a 12-play, 58-yard drive that ended with the winning field goal sandwiched around a Greg Newsome 34-yard pick-six. Cleveland, which trailed for 59:20 in the contest, also became the fourth team to win a game in which it gave up a touchdown in the first minute and didn’t gain its first lead until the final minute in the Super Bowl era, per ESPN Stats & Info.
San Francisco 49ers defense: In their first game with Chase Young, the 49ers defense made life miserable for Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, who was sacked five times and threw two interceptions in Sunday’s 34-3 San Francisco win. Young recorded half-a-sack and two QB hits while former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa had 1.5 sacks, a tackle for loss, two QB hits, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
The 49ers already had a top-five defense before acquiring Young and now that unit – which boasts a front seven of Young, Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Randy Gregory – is even scarier. Young’s presence opposite of Bosa will likely make it easier for both to get to the quarterback and the 49ers are a team opposing QBs will not want to see in the playoffs.
Dan Campbell, head coach, Detroit Lions: Campbell has the Lions looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Detroit edged out the Los Angeles Chargers in a 41-38 shootout on Sunday. Jared Goff threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, David Montgomery rushed for 116 yards and a score, Jahmyr Gibbs had 77 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and Amon-Ra St. Brown logged 156 yards and a touchdown. The Lions offense looks unstoppable.
In the span of a little over 40 games, Campbell has transformed the Lions from a three-win team to one that’s 7-2 and leading the NFC North with the No. 2 offense and No. 8 defense in the NFL. It just might take 40 or more points to knock Detroit out of the playoffs.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys: Prescott has a touch-and-go relationship with Cowboys fans, but in Sunday’s 49-17 win over the New York Giants, even his harshest of critics would be hard pressed to find much to be mad about. Prescott threw for 404 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in arguably his best game since Week 6 of the 2021 season.
Prescott has thrown for over 300 yards in three straight games with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions and the Cowboys now have the league’s No. 2 scoring offense, No. 4 offense and No. 7 passing offense. Prescott appears to be in a rhythm and he could be hitting his stride down the stretch.
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks: After a revelatory 2022, Smith has looked like an average QB for most of this season. His completion percentage is five points lower and his passer rating is 11 points lower than it was last season, and he’s on pace for 10 fewer touchdown passes than he had last year. But Smith’s 369-yard, two-touchdown performance in Sunday’s 29-26 win over the Washington Commanders just might be the kind of game that gets him back on track.