In a league season characterised by close games, it’s only inevitable that kickers would take centre stage more and more frequently.

There have been 82 games decided by seven-or-fewer points and 72 games decided by six-or-fewer points this season, both the most such games through Week 10 in NFL history.

That said, rarely would you see so many games decided by such tumultuous and crazy interventions by the oft-maligned specialists. On Sunday of Week 10 we saw:

• The Chiefs maintain their perfect start to the season, as Will Lutz’ game winning attempt for the Denver Broncos was blocked.
• Deebo Samuel laid his hands on his teammates, both long snapper Taybor Pepper and kicker Jake Moody after three missed attempts. Moody would dust himself off to hit a game winner from 44.
• The usually reliable Younghoe Koo missed three field goals of his own, including one that was blocked, as the Atlanta Falcons fell to the New Orleans Saints.
• A game tying field goal by Graham Gano to send the New York Giants to overtime in Munich; his peer Eddie Pineiro nailed a game winner for Carolina in the extra period.
• John Parker Romo, on debut, scored all of Minnesota’s points in a 12-7 win over Jacksonville. The Vikings are the first team since 2006 to win a game without scoring a touchdown and having turned the ball over at least three times.

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NFL Week 9 scores

Thursday:
Cincinatti Bengals (4-6) 34 @ Baltimore Ravens (7-3) 35

Sunday:
New York Giants (2-8) 17 @ Carolina Panthers (3-7) 20
New England Patriots (3-7) 19 @ Chicago Bears (4-5) 3
Buffalo Bills (8-2) 30 @ Indianapolis Colts (4-6) 20
Minnesota Vikings (7-2) 12 @ Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) 7
Denver Broncos (5-5) 14 @ Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) 16
Atlanta Falcons (6-4) 17 @ New Orleans Saints (3-7) 20
San Francisco 49ers (5-4) 23 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) 20
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) 28 @ Washington Commanders (7-3) 27
Tennessee Titans (2-7) 17 @ Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) 27
New York Jets (3-7) 6 @ Arizona Cardinals (6-4) 31
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) 34 @ Dallas Cowboys (6-3) 6
Detroit Lions (8-1) 26 @ Houston Texans (6-4) 23

Monday

Miami Dolphins (3-6) 23 @ Los Angeles Rams (4-5) 15

 

Game of the Week: Pittsburgh Steelers 28–27 Washington Commanders

In a week where the best games came early — from the Baltimore-Cincinnati barnburner on Thursday night through San Francisco-Tampa Bay and Atlanta-New Orleans in the afternoon window — the meeting of two red hot franchises took top billing as the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers met at NorthWest Stadium.

Unfortunately for the home side, who were looking to maintain — or even extend — their lead at the top of the NFC, rookie QB Jayden Daniels had an off day, posting his worst stat line since stepping out as the Commanders saviour under center. Daniels, the hero in the Hail Mary win over Chicago and so often the playmaker in Washington wins this season, managed a season-low completion rate of exactly 50 per cent, and the for 202 yards he compiled came without a touchdown. Worse still, the rookie was sacked three times as the Steelers played tough defense that limited the Commanders in every facet and forced punter Tress Way into more action than he has had all season.

Despite that, however, Washington were in the game to the end, with Austin Ekeler claiming a brace of touchdowns on the ground in the absence of running mate Brian Robinson and Daniels still managing to create opportunities either side of half-time that forced Pittsburgh to dig deep — and came close to possibly sealing another Commanders win when TE Zach Ertz was adjudged to have fallen just a yard short of moving the sticks on late fourth quarter drive.

Ironically, Russell Wilson posted a similar completion percentage to his young counterpart, and didn’t throw for over 200 yards, but had the nous and weapons to overcome a 10-point deficit and guide his team to victory. The deciding play, a 32-yard toss to receiver Mike Williams, confirmed the Steelers’ moves at the trade deadline, with the erstwhile New York Jet playing just nine snaps on debut, but being trusted with the go-ahead score. That was one of three touchdown passes for Wilson, who opened his account with score that said as much about George Pickens’ athletic ability as it did about the quarterback.

“Our guys fought. They didn’t blink. And we got contributions in all three phases,” the now 7-2 Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin noted after the game. “We got contributions from old Steelers like Cam (Heyward), who has been around forever. We got contributions from new Steelers like Mike Williams and Preston (Smith), and we’re just appreciative of all parties involved. It’s a good team win. When you’re coming into an environment like this, and you find a way to get it done, not only is it a well-earned victory, but there’s some real growth associated with it.”

With both of Pittsburgh’s major acquisitions playing their part, it underlined how Washington may have missed a trick by not having its newest member, former Saints CB Marshon Lattimore, in uniform.

“This was a hard loss, no doubt about it,” Commanders HC Dan Quinn admitted, as his 7-3 side prepares to face divisional rival Philadelphia on Thursday night. “But the response is what was so important. What I saw last night in the locker room, was guys talking to one another, and they were mad [about how the game panned out]. That’s what I honestly wanted to see, to have them say, ‘How do we make sure that doesn’t happen again?’ Every once in a while, that short week’s not such a bad thing.”

 

MVP of the Week: Kyler Murray

The rap on Kyler Murray, apart from those who question his size, has been his ability or willingness to learn the game to a requisite level. To be a true franchise quarterback it’s not enough to be a supremely gifted athlete, but you must also back it up with a willingness to study and a desire to apply that knowledge on gameday. Mandated study hours and rumoured all night gaming sessions always gave the impression that Murray hadn’t quite figured out that part of the job.

This version of Arizona’s signal caller appears to have it down pat. On Sunday, Murray completed 22-of-24 passes for 266 yards and a score. He compounded the Jets misery by scoring two more touchdowns on the ground. At one point, Murray completed 17 straight passes, a franchise record that demonstrates his growth and improved accuracy. He looks far more comfortable in the pocket, is taking fewer sacks and even when he is rocked — a hit from Quincy Williams in the second quarter sent the diminutive quarterback’s helmet flying — he has the mentality to pick himself off and keep producing. With the Cardinals at 6-4, there’s every chance of a deep playoff run for a roster that boasts serious talent among its skill positions. The only potential issue? The new Call of Duty is out in a few weeks.

Loser — CeeDee Lamb

Let the record show. There are no winners in Dallas. Losing 34-6 to the Eagles, at home? That’s simply unacceptable, regardless of who is playing at quarterback, whether your star edge rusher is coming back from injury or your ageing running back is running late again.

Also, CeeDee Lamb is clearly winning at life. He parlayed an All-Pro season into a life changing contract worth $136m in the offseason. He earned that. But this season has been a nightmare compared to 2023.

Lamb caught six of his 13 targets for just 31 yards; one of those errant attempts was a bizarre miss during the second quarter. The star wideout kept running past the trajectory of the pass, seemingly unable to pick up the ball in the sunlight which often causes issues at AT&T Stadium at this time of year.

Without Dak Prescott under centre, the Cowboys offense is cooked. Cooper Rush, who’d previously led the team well in similar circumstances, was benched for Trey Lance in the third quarter of Sunday’s beatdown. With opposing defenses unafraid of the Cowboys quarterback play, Lamb is picking up scraps. His 11.5 yards per reception so far this season is on track for the lowest of his career, with his depth of target (8.7) also at its nadir. Without a quarterback that can dissect the intermediate levels of the defense, and opposing corners able to play him more aggressively, Lam could be in for a frustrating last half of the 2024 season.

Winners — Detroit Lions fans

The Detroit Lions identity is changing. For years the Motor City’s franchise found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Now, they can overcome five interceptions from Jared Goff to eke out a primetime victory and maintain their position on top of the NFC.

Goff’s play has been up and down this season. A few weeks ago he could do no wrong, stringing together three weeks in a row with a 140+ passer rating. Recently, he’s inefficient, throwing a pick or fumbling on almost 10% of his dropbacks since Week 8.

When you become a serial winner, you can overcome these issues. In the past few weeks, it’s been the tandem of Jamhyr Gibbs and David Montgomery picking up the slack, two timely interceptions of their own and four sacks kept the Texans in check just enough for Goff to mount a fourth quarter comeback. When Goff is feeling it, Detroit are a buzzsaw capable of dissecting any defense in the league. Hopefully for Lions fans, that happens in the postseason.

Loser — Caleb Williams

The Chicago Bears haven’t scored a touchdown on 23 straight possessions. On an offense that boasts this much talent, marshalled by a generational quarterback prospect, that simply isn’t good enough.

What’s going wrong for Williams? Well, in this ignominious loss against the lowly New England Patriots, the first overall pick was sacked nine times. Nine! Williams is currently on track to be the second most sacked quarterback in a single season in the history of the NFL, behind the disastrous rookie campaign of David Carr.

Every facet of the BEars offensive operation is to blame for these struggles. The offensive line is leaky, the much vaunted receiving corps of Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze isn’t getting open, Williams is holding onto the ball too long, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron isn’t scheming up a solution to these problems. If they can’t figure it out, he and his head coach Matt Eberflus will be looking for new jobs in the offseason.

Winner — Justin Herbert

When Jim Harbaugh took the Los Angeles Chargers job, assumptions were made. Hiring Greg Roman meant adopting a hard nosed run-first style that would reduce the attention on Justin Herbert, who had become something of a lightning rod for conflicting football philosophies. For the tape crunchers, Herbert has exhibited elite-level skills and an almost robotic ability to break down defenses; for his naysayers, they point to his inability to produce consistently in the most pressure-filled moments.

Perhaps some of those critics are seeing the potential come to fruition. Herbert has quietly pieced together the most efficient half season of his career, throwing 11 touchdowns against one interception. On Sunday, he demonstrated his athletic ability, consistently beating Titans’ defenders to extend passing plays or race down field on the ground. If Herbert can consistently add this creativity to his game, he might just be able to conjure those clutch moments that have eluded him in years gone by.

Stats of the Week 

• Jalen Hurts is the first NFL quarterback to log ten rushing touchdowns in four different seasons. Philadelphia’s signal caller has achieved this feat in consecutive seasons. 
• Chuba Hubbard rushed for 153 yards against the Giants in Munich. He is just the fourth player to eclipse 150 rushing yards in an International Series Game. 
• Alvin Kamara has surpassed his old backfield mate Mark Ingram for the most rushing yards in New Orleans Saints history. He now has 6,544 rushing yards for the franchise.
• Malik Nabers logged six catches in Germany. His 61 receptions through eight career games ties him with Puka Nacua for the most to start an NFL career.