What We Learned in N.F.L. Week 10

Nov 11, 2019 · 19 comments
CL (Paris)
I watched four games yesterday and none of them disappointed me. Great week in the NFL. Go Pack Go.
walt amses (north calais vermont)
I don’t watch the NFL much anymore. Bad enough that they manage to cram 12 minutes of actual football into a three and a half hour time slot, but we’re all astute enough these days to know what we’re seeing is a slow motion human sacrifice. Almost all of the young, healthy athletes on the field will one day be debilitated in some way by the game they love. The profit centric league boasts about their concussion protocol, ignoring the data indicating that sub-concussive contact - which occurs on every NFL play - is just as dangerous to the future of player’s brains. The league lied for years about the impact of head injuries on the players before being sued and embarrassed over their duplicity and greed. The changes they’ve made are a step in the right direction but wholly inadequate. Repeated blows to the head - in other words football - are directly linked to traumatic brain injuries; maladaptive and aggressive off-field behaviors; and eventually CTE. Until this massive issue begins to threaten the NFL’s massive profits, One sure bet you can make is that this is either going nowhere or moving far too slowly to make a difference for today’s stars.
susan (nyc)
The Packers won and we got to see football played in the snow. It was an awesome game. Go Pack!!!
Norman (Menlo Park, CA)
The African-American QB has finally emerged in numbers. The game is being changed.
BKLYNJ (Union County)
" ... the Dolphins ... have the best record in the A.F.C. East over the last two weeks." Funniest clause one will see in a Sports section all year. Thank you.
terry brady (new jersey)
It is blasphemy when Tom Brady is not mentioned ten times in a NFL story. What gives? Does Mr. Benjamin Hoffman remember GOAT? I'd suggest that Benjamin is not a real football writer because he dropped his notepad in his inkwell.
Not That Kind (Florida)
Lamar Jackson is an unbelievable quarterback!!
lion2019 (Illinois)
I'm a Packer fan but I think the two teams to watch are Seattle and the Ravens. Their QBs are simply exceptional and playing at a level above the rest.
JRicoC (Columbus, OH)
Kyler Murray's "streak" was meaningless, or at least overblown. His pass plays have rarely been designed to travel more than 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. I would really be surprised if Kliff Kingsbury did not look to replace Murray within a year or two. I know that would mean three "Franchise QBs" in a 3-4 year stretch, but it's probably a better option ...
WZ (LA)
@JRicoC The key word is "designed". Kingsbury thinks he has a generational talent in Murray and doesn't want him ruined by failure. Moreover, most NFL passes don't travel more than 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage; that is what the West Coast Offense was/is all about, and it is why Tom Brady's average yards per pass attempt has only been above 8 yards/attempt in a couple of years in his entire career -- and never above 9 yards/attempt.
Dale Neuschwander (St. Joseph MN)
The Cowboys handed the win to the Vikings? 28 points and a stingy run defense by Minnesota might have had a hand in the win.
Thucydides (Columbia, SC)
Thank you God for the birthday present: My favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. Snow. A one-inch victory. It doesn't get any better. (For those of you who are wondering why this South Carolina boy isn't a fan of the Panthers, let me refer you to the Panthers choice of jersey colors - NORTH Carolina blue. And the fact that we in SOUTH Carolina gave special tax breaks for their upstate practice field, didn't help either.)
Marge Keller (Midwest)
@Thucydides The only thing that would top a Green Bay Packer victory would be if they won this year's Super Bowl! Happy birthday!!!!
Marge Keller (Midwest)
@Thucydides Happy Birthday! Apparently various NFL owners and members either don't care or don't know a thing about American history. Glad to know that us cheeseheads were able to bring a smile to your face, especially on your birthday.
steve (usa)
@Thucydides - As a former resident of Green Bay, WI and a current resident of South Carolina - I am happy to see the Packers win yesterday, although that game probably raised my blood pressure and may have taken years off my life :). Regardless Go Pack Go.
Marge Keller (Midwest)
It's been awhile since there was a Packer nail-bitter, but those final two minutes proved to be just that. I almost felt bad for the Panthers, especially McCaffrey, at the end because even with penalties against Green Bay and the ball getting to goal line, they were unable to score that mandatory TD. I don't think "Packer toughness at home" had anything to do with them winning this game. It was more like the Panthers had slip slidded away their opportunities in the end where it was needed most.
Southrules (Cornball)
@Marge Keller Penalties against Green Bay? The Packers and Rogers get more aid from refs than even Tom Brady. Key play of game was one of the worst calls I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Rogers, getting sacked in endzone, chucks ball nowhere. Should have been intentional grounding, safety. Then they compound it by calling a non-exisyent "roughing" against d lineman who contorted his body to the side NOT to land on Rogers. Horrible. NFL consistently pushes the story of Packers {and Dallas} greatness. Gimme a break. As much as I despise the Pats, at least they really are good.
Tim (London, UK)
@Southrules Every team has calls go for them and against them in every game. That unnecessary roughness against Carolina was a bad call, but so was the offensive pass interference against Green Bay just ten minutes earlier. It happens.
Marge Keller (Midwest)
@Southrules We're not really going down that unfair penalty road are we? Every team has had their share of opportunistic calls and detrimental calls by the refs. I always thought the Saints were robbed of their playoff victory against the Rams last year, but that's the way it goes. Aaron Rogers IS great. So is Tom Brady. As long as they continue to lead their team into the win column with their teammates, they didn't get there nor continue to stay there simply because the refs called in consistently in their favor. C'mon. It's football. It's a game. It's suppose to be fun and enjoyable, even when the ball doesn't always bounce the way one would hope or want.