Tuesday Takeaways: NFL Week 10 Reactions

Ten weeks of the NFL season have come and gone! Here are a few of my thoughts from the past slate of games. Comment below anything that stood out to you from this weekend!

1. When will the Chiefs black magic end?

They did it again. The Kansas City Chiefs were outplayed for about 59 minutes and 59 seconds this weekend, but still came out victorious. They are such an interesting contender. On one hand they are the two time defending Super Bowl champions and the last undefeated team in the NFL. On the other hand they are barely squeaking out wins against some non-playoff teams, and they simply do not pass the eye test. But we sit here and they are 9-0. Hard to argue against that. It feels like destiny that they will finally lose one of these games. But my fear is that the loss will awaken the offense and Mahomes will start playing like Mahomes again. Regardless of how they may look and how they might be winning games, you cannot really argue that the Chiefs are once again the team to beat.

2. C'mon Caleb!

I have defended Caleb and his disappointing season as hard as I can, but eventually you can't make many more excuses. Yes the offensive line is atrocious. Yes Shane Waldron was atrocious (he was fired an hour before this posted. Cannot believe it took this long). But ultimately Caleb has looked pretty awful as well. He doesn't look composed in the pocket, holds onto the ball way too long, is missing throws, and has not run as much as I thought he would. Strictly through the eye test, he has looked like the fourth best rookie QB to me this season. For someone who was deemed the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck (probably more so than TLaw) this simply is not good enough. Now by no means am I giving up on him. He really has no offensive line and firing Waldron will hopefully spark the offense. He is still 22 years old. He still flashes his insane raw talent sometimes. Give him time. But by no means do I think it is unfair to say he has been quite disappointing.

3. Shane Steichen has dug himself quite a deep hole.

The Indianapolis Colts sparked much debate a few weeks ago when they decided to bench their young QB Anthony Richardson in favor of 39 year old Joe Flacco. This was puzzling to some as everyone knew that AR was a project when he was drafted, and you have to give him time. On the other hand the Colts were 4-4 when they made the decision and were in the Wildcard spot. I will admit I was in favor of the move, as I thought Flacco gave them the best chance to make the playoffs. I will also admit I was badly wrong. It could not have gone more disastrously awry for the Colts these last two weeks. Flacco has had 6 turnovers compared to just two touchdowns and the offense looks bad. Like really bad. Not only does the passing game look stalled, losing the threat of Richardson's legs has made it tougher on Jonathan Taylor. They have lost both games and essentially eliminated themselves from playoff contention. Despite this, Steichen has been stubborn in repeating that Flacco is their guy. They seem to have split the locker room with their QB decision, and the flame is only going to burn hotter if Flacco continues to struggle this badly.

4. We have a second certified Super Bowl contender in the NFC.

I have been on record saying that the Detroit Lions were the only true threat to win the title in the NFC. I am now ready to proclaim the Philadelphia Eagles as a true Super Bowl contender. They are on a five game winning streak and have looked absolutely dominant over this span. They have maybe the best running back in the league playing like it. They have probably the best WR duo in the league. Jalen Hurts has been playing at an extremely high level. The defense has gotten better week to week with players like Zack Baun, Cooper Dejean, and Quinyon Mitchell starting to elevate their play and really making an impact. Looking ahead at their schedule, I see no reason why they cannot have at least 13 wins entering the postseason.

5. Bijan is playing up to the "generational" label he was given entering the league.

Bijan was unanimously considered the best running back prospect to come out of college since Saquon Barkley. By no means did he have a bad rookie year, but he didn't necessarily set the league on fire like a lot of people thought he would. While he did add a ton to the passing game, he failed to reach 1,000 rushing yards and only found the end zone 8 total times. This year he looks closer to the part of best running back prospect. While Falcons (and fantasy owners) are a little frustrated with Tyler Allgeier vulturing touches from Bijan, Bijan has looked like absolute lightning with the ball in his hands lately. Over the last 6 games he is averaging over 5 YPC and has scored 6 times (one receiving touchdown). The Falcons are in prime position to win their division and have home field advantage for at least one playoff game. If Bijan continues to play at a superstar level, the Falcons may be a sneaky team come January.