By Lucas Camacho
NFL RECAP: WEEK 10
Welcome to Week 10 of the 24-25 NFL season. If you fell asleep during some of the games…you’re not alone…because my dad was one of them. There were a few close calls as the Chiefs nearly saw their perfect season get blown to bits by a surprising divisional rival. The Browns also got the week off to contemplate their future along with the Packers, Seahawks, and DA RAIDERS! I’ll also be giving teams a playoff rank to show you how close (or far) they are to making the playoffs. They will be as follows from best to worst: CHAMPION TIER, PLAYOFF BOUND, LIKELY IN, MAYBE IN, ON THE FRINGE, STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, WISH UPON A STAR, AND OH HELL NAH. Let’s start with the bye teams: Packers (MAYBE IN), Seahawks (WISH UPON A STAR), Browns (OH HELL NAH), Raiders (OH HELL NAH). Now let’s see how the other games did and what ranks I gave the other teams.
DOLPHINS 23 – RAMS 15
A sad sight for the city of Los Angeles, still riding high from the Dodgers’ World Series victory, to see the Rams fall to the lowly Dolphins. To be fair, Matthew Stafford’s 293 passing yards exceeded Tua Tagovailoa’s 207 passing yards, and both of them threw an interception, but Tua got a touchdown pass while Stafford did not. The Rams still haven’t quite dug themselves out of the hole they dug into at the beginning of the season, but hope is not lost yet for the Rams. As for the Dolphins, I’m gonna need to see them perform better against the better teams in the league before I consider them for a legitimate shot at the playoffs. PLAYOFF RANKS: Dolphins (WISH UPON A STAR), Rams (ON THE FRINGE)
TITANS 17 – CHARGERS 27
This being The Hollywood Times, it makes sense you want to read about the LA teams ASAP. Well let me tell you: the Chargers are making a run for the playoffs. The Chargers and other LA teams probably feel that the Dodgers threw down the gauntlet when they won the World Series as to which LA team owns this town. And that showed in the Chargers’ performance against the Titans on Sunday. Justin Herbert continued his amazing playing. He only completed 14 of 18 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, but he also managed 9 rushes for 32 yards and a touchdown. The balanced approach seems to be working for the Chargers, and now we’ll see how they do against other playoff contenders in this second half of the season. As for the Titans, I’m sure the question is simple: will they be able to win another game? Half of their remaining games come against teams much better than them. Their best chance of winning is against the Jaguars…but if they lose…there is not much hope for them. PLAYOFF RANKS: Chargers (LIKELY IN), Titans (OH HELL NAH).
BENGALS 34 – RAVENS 35
There is no better way to start a weekend slate of NFL games than with a divisional dogfight on Thursday Night Football. It was a high stakes game, and I’m grateful my cousin Judy got to watch with me at the end! When the going gets tough and you’re down 21-7 in the third quarter; it is good to have Lamar Jackson around. The reigning MVP led the Ravens to come back and knock off their divisional rivals in a great game. There is no denying that Jackson might just be the best quarterback in the NFL: throwing for 290 yards for 4 touchdowns while rushing it himself for 33 additional yards. Lamar Jackson is running circles around the league, and if he can keep this up…I think the Ravens may finally have their year. As for the Bengals, they’re back on the brink of missing out on the playoffs. It would have been great if they managed to hold the line against the Ravens, but there’s only so long you can keep Lamar Jackson contained. Now things are more difficult for the Bengals going into a very rough part of their schedule. PLAYOFF RANKS: Ravens (CHAMPION TIER), Bengals (ON THE FRINGE)
GIANTS 17 – PANTHERS 20
The big international game this week took place in Germany. The people in Germany thought they were being treated to a big game featuring two teams who were clearly evenly matched. I don’t have the heart to tell those people that it was between two of the worst teams in the league. In this battle of who doesn’t suck as much, the Panthers outlasted the Giants in an overtime thriller. A fumble at the beginning of overtime doomed the Giants and set up the Panthers for a game winning Field Goal. I will admit I was impressed with Chuba Hubbard, who ran for 153 yards and a touchdown. Does this mean that Bryce Young is becoming the superstar that people thought he was last year? Personally…not yet. All he’s done is beat the slumping Saints and Giants. That doesn’t mean much. As for the Giants, all eyes are on the changes they’ll make during the bye week. People have to wonder if this is it for Daniel Jones as the starting quarterback of the Giants. PLAYOFF RANKS: Panthers (OH HELL NAH), Giants (OH HELL NAH).
PATRIOTS 19 – BEARS 3
Wow, not sure how, but the Patriots gave the Bears a pretty good beating. Let me make this clear though, it wasn’t because Drake Maye set the world on fire. Maye only passed for 184 yards and a touchdown plus an interception. I’m still not sold on this kid, and he still has some giant Tom Brady shoes to fill. As for the Bears, I’m not sure what they’re doing, but they are NOT helping Caleb Williams at all. I don’t blame him for his regression. They aren’t doing enough to protect him, his receivers aren’t doing enough to get open, and the offense in general looks broken. This was enough for the Bears front office, who fired their offensive coordinator. PLAYOFF RANKS: Patriots (OH HELL NAH), Bears (WISH UPON A STAR)
BILLS 30 – COLTS 20
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bills managed to put the Colts away…but they sure looked sloppy. Josh Allen definitely didn’t help by throwing no touchdowns and getting picked off twice in spite of throwing it for 280 yards. The Bills had four takeaways against the Colts, but it could have been more. Also, Keon Coleman is now listed as having a wrist injury. They need to fix this and fast. Because as bad as the Chiefs have been playing…the Bills can’t afford to play like this when they roll into town. As for the Colts, it’s soul-searching time. Joe Flacco is not helping the Colts win games, but they clearly don’t think Anthony Richardson is up to the task either. We can’t blame Jonathan Taylor, who has looked mighty good since coming back from his injury earlier this season. I will say the defense hasn’t been nearly as impressive as everyone hoped and thought they would be this season. The Colts need to make a decision now because their playoff dreams are slipping away… PLAYOFF RANKS: Bills (CHAMPION TIER), Colts (ON THE FRINGE)
BRONCOS 14 – CHIEFS 16
Well folks…this don’t come any closer than this. The defending champs barely managed to hold the line and keep their perfect season alive. I’m going to do something unusual and start with the losers, the Broncos. All credit where credit is due; they played as good a game of football as you can without actually winning. They were huge underdogs going up against the defending champs, and they held their own. If they could have held on just a little longer, we would all be losing our minds right now. Bo Nix has my vote for finalist in the Rookie of the Year race, and my respect for throwing 215 yards for 2 touchdowns against a tough defense. Just a few tweaks on offense, and I think the Broncos could be a dark horse moving forward. As for the winners, the Chiefs, boy you lucked out! If not for the blocked field goal at the end, Dolphins fans would be popping the champaign of another year without a perfect team. They should have lost this game, and it amazes me that no one is talking about this! It’s only a matter of time before the Chiefs’ sloppy playing finally catches up to them. PLAYOFF RANKS: Broncos (ON THE FRINGE), Chiefs (PLAYOFF BOUND…would be CHAMPION TIER if they performed better)
FALCONS 17 – SAINTS 20
Time for our first HOLY MOLE HOLES of the article. The Saints finally snapped their losing streak and got the upset over the division rival Falcons. As I mentioned in my last recap, coach Dennis Allen was fired on Monday after digging the Saints into a deep hole. Being 3-7 is still a hole, but it’s not impossible to climb out of…and beating a division rival is a good start to getting themselves out of the pit. It would benefit the new coach to take advantage of the human Swiss-Army knife that is Taysom Hill, who serves as a runner, wide receiver, tight end, and quarterback. This game saw Hill run for 14 yards and catch 2 passes for 36 yards. As for the Falcons, they have to be shaking their heads wondering how their near automatic kicker, Younghoe Koo, missed several kicks this game. Yes, one was blocked, but this was an unusually bad game for him. Look, everyone has a bad game once in a while…but if this starts becoming a regular thing…then the Falcons have problems. PLAYOFF RANKS: Falcons (LIKELY IN), Saints (OH HELL NAH…sorry but it’s gonna take more than one win to climb back into it)
49ERS 23 – BUCCANEERS 20
The Chiefs weren’t the only lucky ones as 49ers Kicker Jake Moody nailed a 44-yard Field Goal to help his team avoid being upset by the Buccaneers. Brock Purdy had an impressive performance throwing for 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. Obviously, it was too much to expect things would immediately turn around when Christian McCaffrey returned, but the 49ers still looked flat even after their bye. They better work things out quick, because the toughest part of their schedule is coming up. As for the Buccaneers, it may be too late to salvage their season after four straight losses. The good news is that Mike Evans is expected to return after the bye week. The bad news is that it’s gonna take a lot more than just having Mike Evans back to pull the Buccaneers back into contention. PLAYOFF RANKS: 49ers (LIKELY IN), Buccaneers (STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED)
STEELERS 28 – COMMANDERS 27
It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t pretty (even though it was fun to watch), but the Steelers managed to take down the upstart Commanders. Who said that coach Mike Tomlin was wrong to switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson? Because I see the old Russell Wilson, especially since he threw for 195 yards and 3 touchdowns (and one interception). This definitely spells bad news for Justin Fields, who was looking for a career renaissance with the Steelers. As for the Commanders, oh so close. It was not the best game for Jayden Daniels, who only threw for 202 yards. You know, that’s not bad for his first subpar performance since the season opener. Still, the Commanders would like to see his MVP caliber stats as opposed to this week’s stats going forward. PLAYOFF RANKS: Steelers (PLAYOFF BOUND), Commanders (LIKELY IN)
VIKINGS 12 – JAGUARS 7
No, this is not a replay of a Dodgers-Padres game, this was an actual football game. The Dodgers, oops sorry, Vikings beat the Padres, drat not again, Jaguars in a battle of defenses. Seriously though, Shoehi Ohtani could have probably outscored BOTH of these teams! The Vikings, my question is…what happened?! You have the best receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson, and you only score 12 points?! On that note to the Jaguars, kudos for actually stopping the only man in the NFL that is known to achieve “Ohtani-like” stats. The quarterbacks for both teams should be blamed as there were a combined 5 interceptions thrown in this game. To the Vikings, your defense bailed you out BIG TIME, and you better find a better way to throw it to Jefferson or the Lions will leave you in the dust. As for the Jaguars, no way this team wins another game with Mac Jones at the helm. There is not consistent rhythm on this team, who can only watch and wonder how to get better next year. PLAYOFF RANKS: Vikings (PLAYOFF BOUND), Jaguars (OH HELL NAH)
EAGLES 34 – COWBOYS 6
It’s a sad state of affairs when the Dallas HOCKEY TEAM scores more on Monday than the Dallas FOOTBALL TEAM! The humiliation continued for the Cowboys by being blown out by one of their most hated rivals, the Eagles. What an amazing performance from AJ Brown, who hauled in 5 catches for 109 yards. Does this mean that the Eagles are ready to compete for the Super Bowl? Hold up there, the Eagles have done well, yes, but a lot of their success has come against teams with a record below .500…we have to see how they do against teams like the Commanders. As for the Cowboys, this literally cannot get any worse. It sucks losing Dak Prescott for the year, but this kind of gameplay is enough to make a grown Cowboys fan cry. I’d hate to rub salt in an open wound, but I’d like to point out that the Cowboys have not won ANY games at home this year. If you count last season’s postseason shock against the Packers, the Cowboys have a five-game losing streak at home. They better hope they beat the Giants and Panthers…or Jerry Jones will have to step in come offseason time. PLAYOFF RANKS: Eagles (PLAYOFF BOUND…nearly at CHAMPION TIER…at least closer than the Chiefs are), Cowboys (OH HELL NAH)
JETS 8 – CARDINALS 31
It’s hard to overlook the Cardinals for this coming postseason, as they’ve been riding a hot hand lately, and that led to a total rout of the Jets. Kyler Murray had a stellar performance, completing 22 of 24 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. Look, the Cardinals have issues, especially at defense, but they have a great shot at making the playoffs with a very easy schedule down the stretch. As for the Jets, it’s been real…it’s been fun…but now we can safely say you’re done. Everyone on the Jets underachieved from top to bottom. Every decision, from firing coach Robert Saleh to trading for Davante Adams, has backfired. I have written some sad obituaries this year (from Donald Sutherland and James Earl Jones to Ken Page and Fernando Valenzuela), and I feel the next one I write will be for the Jets’ 2024 season. PLAYOFF RANKS: Cardinals (MAYBE IN), Jets (WISH UPON A STAR…but only because there are too many teams already in the OH HELL NAH ranking)
LIONS 26 – TEXANS 23
HOLY MOLE HOLES! That was a close shave of a Field Goal for the Lions, who edged out the Texans in a matchup of playoff bound teams. The Lions flipped the script with a stellar second half (although they had a very forgettable first half). Let’s focus on Goff’s good stats, throwing for 240 yards for 2 touchdowns, but we will have to look also at his 5 interceptions (yes, FIVE INTERCEPTIONS). The Lions look to be the team to beat, and there is even a chance to get Aidan Hutchinson back…but only if they make the Super Bowl. As for the Texans, this cannot be how this offense should function. They are becoming a miserable second half team. Here is all of the Texans’ second half possessions: interception, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt and missed field goal. For a team that has the reigning Rookie of the Year in CJ Stroud, this is a complete embarrassment that must be fixed…because the playoffs are right around the corner. PLAYOFF RANKS: Lions (CHAMPION TIER), Texans (PLAYOFF BOUND…their division can still be easily won)
