2020 NFL: Week 10

It was hard not to make fun of the Colts for signing Philip Rivers. Especially on the heels of his 2019 season, that saw him throw 20 interceptions and caused his exit from the Chargers.

It was even easier to guffaw when Indy opened the season with a loss to the Jaguars. Following a few wins, he threw two picks without a touchdown pass in an ugly loss to the Browns. He’s washed up, haters like yours truly exclaimed. But then he threw three touchdowns each in wins over the Bengals and Lions. After laying an egg against the Ravens, he threw for 308 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night’s win over the Titans.

Where do we stand? Let’s take a look at the stats: His win in Tennessee was the fourth game he had this season with a rating better than 100. He’s seventh in the league in passing yards, 20th in total QBR, tied for 21st in touchdowns with 11 and tied for 22nd in interceptions with 7.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

So, if we had to sum up Rivers’ season in one word, that would be: Meh.

He can still sling the rock and move the ball down the field. He’s still going to throw interceptions. And he will still be able to pull out big wins on occasions. So, was he worthy of my scorn? Probably not.

Will he reach the Super Bowl? Nah. But he’ll end up in the Hall of Fame one day. Especially since he just passed Dan Marino on the career passing list.

NFL’S TOP 10

1. Chiefs — They’re on their bye week and while I was a little uncomfortable with their latest win over the Panthers being closer than it should have been, I’ll say it for the millionth time: I would pick the Chiefs against any team in the league.

2. Steelers — What a weird team. They’re 27th in the NFL in total yards per game, 22nd in passing yards and 19th in rushing yards. And they just played a disturbingly close game against the Cowboys, who are currently working on their 57th quarterback, to boot. But they’re 8-0, so all is good, right? Right?

3. Saints — Another team I can’t quite figure out. Everyone keeps telling me Drew Brees is done, but I’m having a hard time believing that when he’s third in the league in total QBR, has 17 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions. And they just pantsed Tom Brady’s Buccaneers. That’s enough for me.

4. Bills — Just when I was starting to feel that Buffalo might be on shaky ground, they (in Chris Berman’s voice) circled the wagons! That win over the Seahawks was as impressive as you can get in this league. Kudos.

5. Ravens — Suddenly, Lamar Jackson is surprised that defenses know what plays are coming. Greg Roman’s offense isn’t known for being all that complicated. He just puts his players in the best positions to be successful and is confident that his players can do their jobs better than their opponents. And does Jackson think that opposing defenses don’t watch film? That being said, he probably does have a point. Some misdirection might be in order going forward.

6. Packers — Green Bay is clearly the best team in the NFC North and should the Packers beat the Jaguars this weekend (they will), they have a nice path to the postseason. What happens once they get there is anyone’s guess.

7. Buccaneers — What was that?! I’ve never been more wrong about a game in my entire life. Seriously, was that? It’s one thing to lose to the Saints, but to do so at home in blowout fashion? The NFL really doesn’t make sense. Thank god I don’t place sports bets that often.

8. Seahawks — Tough loss on the road and their defense got exposed again. And Russell Wilson’s guaranteed MVP status (in my eyes) took another hit. Now they have a challenge on their hands against the Rams on the road this week.

9. Colts — Their defense can really get after you and despite my jokes at Rivers’ expense and their usually lackluster running game, they’re a legit playoff threat.

10. Titans — They’re still sitting at 6-3, so they’re bringing up the rear of this week’s rankings. But they’ve now lost three of their past four games and something needs to be done about that defense. You can’t let Philip Rivers (sorry, I can’t let this go) march up and down the field on you like that. 

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Yeah, no: DeAndre Hopkins (h/t to Pro Football Talk) said that wide receivers should get credit for pass interference yards. And while PFT likes the idea, I’m not for it. The rules have been bent far enough toward offenses as it is. And I could make the argument that about 50 percent of pass interference penalties don’t hold up under scrutiny. Sorry, pass on this idea.

Prickly Bill: The Patriots are not a good team. This is the first time since the Tom Brady era began that one can say that. The organization has had a run of success that is unparalleled in the Super Bowl era. And now, the people who have been waiting to take potshots at Bill Belichick over the past 20 years are getting their chance. They say he’s a lousy GM. That he can’t draft. And Belichick isn’t having it.

“I’d say the most important thing to me is winning games. I’m not going to apologize for our record over the last 20 years. I’ve seen a lot worse,” Belichick told the media this week.

Look, at the risk of sounding like a Patriots apologist (gross, I know), we need to give the man a break here. New England hasn’t seen a losing season since 2000.  The team also had a number of players opt out due to COVID-19 concerns. They’re thin at receiver, that’s true. But they’re also clearly retooling for the future and Belichick deserves a grace period. Check back with me in 2022. If they’re still this bad, then we can talk.

Carson hate: I don’t get it. Carson Wentz has more than twice the amount of touchdowns to interceptions over his career. He took an Eagles team that had almost no healthy bodies to the playoffs last season. And yet, Brett Favre criticized him this week. Then, one anonymous NFL coordinator (my favorite kind) had this to say:

“[Wentz] needs to hit rock bottom because his decision making is just atrocious. He doesn’t know when to say when. Everything is trying to extend the play like it’s the last play of the game every play. They have all these coaches, all these analytics guys, but there isn’t anybody holding him accountable. He is not afraid of anybody and he’s not accountable enough and they probably think he is, but the results don’t say that, which is hard.”

First of all, if this was a mafia movie, I’d say that this guy has no b**** saying something like that. If you’re going to bash another team’s quarterback, put your name one your comments like a grownup. Otherwise, shut up and worry about your own team.

And yes, Wentz is probably having his worst season since arriving in the NFL, as he’s thrown 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. And yes, it’s clear that he’s out there pressing a bit, but I don’t really know if he can shoulder all the blame. His offensive line is horrible, he has no weapons to speak of and he’s trying to make plays to keep his team in games. I’m not going to jump all over him for it.

People need to ease off on the rancor.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 10

Eagles at Giants: I’m hoping to see Wentz play well this week, not only to shut his critics up, but also to get Philly back to .500.

Buccaneers at Panthers: Normally, I’d probably say it’s safe to pass on this game, but after Tampa’s stinker in Week 9, I’m really curious to see how they respond. And the Panthers aren’t an easy out.

Broncos at Raiders: Dancin’ Drew Locke visits Sin City. Under normal circumstances, this would be cool. But these are coronavirus times. But hey, it’s always fun seeing that fancy new Las Vegas stadium.

Chargers at Dolphins: The battle of two rookie QB wunderkinds. Miami is lucky they got both L.A. teams at home this season.

Bills at Cardinals: I should have made a bigger deal out of this game earlier, but here we are. These two teams are talented and should put on a show in the desert. Can’t wait.

Seahawks at Rams: The game of the week. Russell Wilson has been sacked a few times by Aaron Donald over his career, but something tells me he’ll have enough to get the victory.

49ers at Saints: Remember when these two teams tore the house down in New Orleans last season? Feels like half a lifetime ago. But keep an eye on this one.

See you next week!