Breakdowns

11/16/20

2 min min read

Mike T's NFL Week 10 Takeaways

Here are five takeaways from the Week 10 action:

1. ROI for Hopkins and Diggs

With so many top-tier wide receivers available in the 2020 NFL Draft, I must admit I wasn’t sure it was a great idea for the Arizona Cardinals and Buffalo Bills to trade for receivers before the draft. The Cardinals got DeAndre Hopkins and the Bills acquired Stefon Diggs – and both players made incredible plays in a 34-second span at the end of Arizona’s thrilling 32-30 win on Sunday. And it’s worth noting: The teams that acquired Hopkins and Diggs are a combined 13-6. The teams that traded them, the Texans and Vikings, are a combined 5-12.

2. Giant improvement

Coming into their game Sunday in Philly, the Giants ranked 26th in the NFL in third-down defense. In the 27-17 win, they held the Eagles to zero third-down conversions.

3. Saints QB depth chart

For all the ways Sean Payton likes to utilize backup quarterback Taysom Hill, it was telling that it was Jameis Winston who started in the second half of the Saints’ win over San Francisco. Drew Brees was knocked out with a rib injury. Winston was just 6 of 10 passing, but he didn’t turn the ball over. Hill had eight carries in the game, but did not attempt a pass.

4. NFC power rankings

With Brees’ health in question, I now believe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have passed them as the second-best team in the NFC right now. I’ve got the Green Bay Packers at No. 1, followed by the Bucs and then the Saints.

5. Don’t sleep on Detroit

The Detroit Lions almost blew a big lead against Washington on Sunday. It wasn’t a marquee matchup for the week, but Detroit quietly kept its playoff hopes alive when Matt Prater kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. The Lions are 4-5, but don’t forget there are three wild cards in each conference this year. Detroit is very much in contention.


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