NFL Week 10 best bits: Mac Jones might be the real deal, the Patriots are dangerous and Taylor Heinicke has Tom Brady's number
Week 10 in the NFL concludes with Monday Night Football as the Los Angeles Rams, on the back of signing Odell Beckham Jr., take on the San Francisco 49ers live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Monday 15 November 2021 11:42, UK
Mac Jones curiosity evolves into fascination as the New England Patriots make a statement, Taylor Heinicke out-duels Tom Brady, Justin Jefferson runs riot against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cam Newton announces his return and the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills vent last week's frustration.
We look back on some of the biggest storylines from Sunday's Week 10 action...
WEEK 10 RESULTS
Atlanta Falcons 3-43 Dallas Cowboys
Buffalo Bills 45-17 New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-29 Washington Football Team
Cleveland Browns 7-45 New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints 21-23 Tennessee Titans
Detroit Lions 16-16 Pittsburgh Steelers (OT)
Jacksonville Jaguars 17-23 Indianapolis Colts
Carolina Panthers 34-10 Arizona Cardinals
Minnesota Vikings 27-20 Los Angeles Chargers
Philadelphia Eagles 30-13 Denver Broncos
Seattle Seahawks 0-17 Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs 41-14 Las Vegas Raiders
Baltimore Ravens 10-22 Miami Dolphins
MAC JONES DEALING, PATRIOTS ROLLING
There once was a New England Patriots quarterback whose achievements would embarrass the ridicule directed towards a not-so awe-inspiring NFL Combine photo and queries over the 'skinny' frame and 'lack of strength' detailed in scouting reports. He went on to be drafted No. 199 overall, and has since collected seven Super Bowl rings.
How the Patriots quarterback of the present would relish the same satisfaction, Mac Jones have been greeted by a similar narrative upon his arrival in light of a supposedly swagger-less walk to the stage on Draft night, a similarly not-so shredded photo and question marks over his arm strength. What do you know? The kid can play.
Some called 'game manager', others projected 'Bill Belichick hand-holding' and many opted to prioritise arm strength over accuracy, which arguably remains a quarterback's greatest asset. Maybe there has been some hand-holding on Belichick and Josh McDaniels' part at times in his rookie year, it's only natural, but Jones is beginning to make this offense his own.
He finished Sunday's 45-7 rout of the Browns 19 of 23 passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns, responding to Cleveland's visit to the end zone on the opening drive by launching a 15-play, 83-yard march lasting 9.39 in which Jones went six for six before rounding things off with a three-yard touch-perfect strike to Hunter Henry.
From the back-shoulder fade to Jakobi Meyers for a gain of 26 on third-and-nine, to the perfectly-placed touchdown bullet through two defenders to Kendrick Bourne to ice a 99-yard drive, Jones was clinical, precise and in command, with perfect timing and veteran awareness in the pocket. Did the league make a mistake letting him reach Belichick at No. 15 overall? Stay tuned.
Presenting a good football player, playing good football.
Not to mention a good football team, playing good football. With Sunday's win the Patriots moved to 6-4 on the year to keep the pressure on Buffalo at the top of the AFC East while underlining their growing playoff credentials.
Never mind dismantling a talented Browns side, the entire team racing to rally around Meyers after his first career touchdown catch should tell you all you need to know about what a good place Belichick has this group in.
Rookie defensive tackle Christian Barmore looks like a star in the making, tight end Hunter Henry has sparked into life with seven touchdowns in his last seven games (including two on Sunday), edge rusher Matthew Judon is coasting towards a career year with nine sacks already this season, Kyle Van Noy is playing some of his best football in his second spell with New England, rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson is a bundle of fun out of the backfield, cornerback J.C. Jackson is a ball-hawking freak and the Patriots offensive line is expectedly, exceptionally well-drilled.
Foxboro folk will be feeling good. Their team is dangerous.
STAR PERFORMERS
As far as power moves go, Justin Jefferson flipping the ball to Keenan Allen on the bench after making a catch against the Chargers is up there with the smuggest of the smug. The Vikings wide receiver was sensational, finishing his side's 27-20 victory with nine catches for 143 yards.
The league hasn't quite marvelled at Stefon Diggs as much as it might have expected to through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Bills receiver logging just his second 100-yard game on Sunday as he was let loose for 162 yards and a touchdown from 13 catches against the Jets. One the NFL's finest technicians on his day.
While the Bills vented their frustration following last week's upset loss to the Jaguars, the Cowboys did the same with a 43-3 win over the Falcons behind Dak Prescott, who went 24 of 31 for 296 yards and two touchdowns, both to CeeDee Lamb, to earn himself an early night.
Deatrich Wise Jr. was among the unsung standout performers in New England's demolition of Cleveland as he recorded four tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits as a constant thorn in the Browns offensive line. Safety Kyle Duggar meanwhile had eight tackles and an interception.
Packers running back A.J. Dillon re-pushed his resume should the Packers require him more extensively in the wake of Aaron Jones' injury as he posted two rushing touchdowns and 128 total yards from scrimmage in Green Bay's 17-0 shutout against the Seahawks.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took another step towards quashing misconceptions over his future as a starter in the NFL by throwing 16 of 23 for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception alongside 53 rushing yards in Philadelphia's victory over the Broncos. Rookie receiver DeVonta Smith was on the receiving end of both scoring strikes, including a spectacular leaping grab over former Alabama team-mate Patrick Surtain II.
A day of celebration for the Cam Newton-enthused Panthers saw Christian McCaffrey tear through the Cardinals with 161 total yards from scrimmage, while Haason Reddick continued to prove one of the steals of the offseason with four tackles, 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.
Oh, and a word on that man Patrick Mahomes, who threw for five touchdowns to help the Chiefs beat the Raiders in an emphatic display amid the toughest spell of his young career.
HEINICKE > BRADY
Taylor Heinicke once recalled being greeted by a confused look on the face of Tom Brady as he turned up for a 5am film study session during his days as a practice squad quarterback with the Patriots. Heinicke got the impression the seven-time Super Bowl champion didn't know who he was, nor did he think Brady remembered him when the pair met in the playoffs last season. Now he can't get away from him.
This time last year Heinicke was job-less, studying for his engineering degree at Old Dominion having seen his time with the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks end before even getting the chance to step out on field due to the league's suspension amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In December Ron Rivera and Washington came calling, Heinicke eventually earning his way onto the active roster, largely through necessity, before playing his way to a two-year, $4.75m offseason extension thanks to his headline-snatching performance while starting in the absence of Alex Smith during the Wild Card loss to the Bucs. Think of that game, and you think of Heinicke's heroic dive for the pylon after contorting his body to dip and dive through the pressure.
On Sunday he went 26 of 32 for 256 yards and a touchdown to lead a deflated Washington side to a 29-19 upset victory over the Super Bowl champions, for whom Brady threw two interceptions. There might not be another quarterback in the league who relishes playing No. 12 more.
CAM. IS. BACK.
The NFL is a more fun, entertaining, joyous and all-round better place when Cam Newton is doing Cam Newton things on a football field.
He let the world know he was back on Sunday, quite literally, announcing his return to the fans with cries of 'I'm back!' after running in his first touchdown since re-signing with Carolina earlier this week. At one moment he was crouched in the huddle giving out a pep talk with the undivided attention of the entire team, before crowning the win with an unofficial lap of honour high-fiving every fan he possibly could. It's like he never left. Already this feels like his team again.
For all he has done for the league and football altogether, the fear is he may still not get the recognition he truly warrants. Enjoy having him back on your screens on a Sunday, because Cam Newtons don't come round that often.
0-16-1
Earlier this year Lions head coach Dan Campbell admitted his coffee routine entails starting the day with two 40-oz coffees with two shots of espresso each. His intake may well have since increased.
By now it's impossible not to feel for Detroit, who swerved becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-17 by instead leaving themselves staring at the slightly funnier prospect of going 0-16-1 after playing out a 16-16 tie with the Steelers.
The Lions' season was typified in overtime as they squandered the chance to win the game with 4.03 to play when Ryan Santoso missed his 48-yard field goal. Hang in there, Detroit.
INJURY REPORT
Among the most notable casualties from Sunday night was Washington pass rusher Chase Young, who exited his side's win over the Bucs after suffering a serious non-contact knee injury.
Packers running back Aaron Jones is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL based on initial tests, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, after leaving in the third quarter against the Seahawks.
Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt left in the third quarter of Pittsburgh's draw with the Lions due to hip and knee injuries, with guard Trai Turner having also been forced off with an ankle problem.
Browns defensive back Troy Hill was taken to hospital with a neck injury sustained during a collision with wide receiver Myers in the second half of Cleveland's loss to the Patriots Baker Mayfield later departed with a knee contusion, with head coach Kevin Stefanski noting post-game that he expected the quarterback to be available against Detroit in Week 11.
The Titans lost outside linebacker Bud Dupree to an abdominal injury versus the Saints, for whom running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery left with a finger injury.
Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb picked up a game-ending arm contusion against the Falcons, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert was ruled out against the Broncos having been evaluated for a head injury and the Lions lost running back Jermar Jefferson to an ankle injury against the Steelers.
STAT ATTACK
- Tom Brady threw two interceptions in the first quarter of Tampa's loss to Washington - the first time he has thrown multiple interceptions in the first quarter of a game since Week 16 of the 2012 season against the Jaguars
- The Cowboys' 33-point halftime lead against the Falcons was their largest at half since 1971.
- The Titans are the second team in NFL history to win five successive games against teams that made the previous season's playoffs
- Patrick Mahomes recorded his 30th career game of 300-plus passing yards, breaking a tie with Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner for most in a player's first five seasons in NFL history
- The Cardinals have now lost their last six matchups with the Panthers by a margin of 10-plus points
- DeVonta Smith's first-quarter touchdown catch for the Eagles against the Broncos had a 19.0 per cent completion probability
- Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has the best TD-INT ratio in the NFL this season at 18-2
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