10 takeaways from NFL Week 10

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines the significance of them moving forward.

Jonathan Taylor is a bad dude Michael Hickey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With Derrick Henry likely out until the postseason (or close to it), the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor keeps making his case as the NFL's best active running back.

Taylor finished with 116 yards on 21 carries in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars - exactly enough rushing yards to pull even with Henry for the league's lead with 937. Yes, Henry has played two fewer games, but Taylor has done most of his damage in the last month by rushing for 100 or more yards in four of his last five contests. He also now has a rushing touchdown in seven consecutive games.

The Colts have a terrific offensive line, but Taylor's not just blasting through open holes. He leads the league in rushing yards over expected (275) and RYOE per attempt (1.75). He entered Week 10 leading the league in breakaway yards (334) and was third behind Henry and Nick Chubb in yards after contact (508), according to PFF.

Get a load of Taylor's 4-yard TD run, which had a scoring probability at the handoff of just 13%, according to Next Gen Stats:

Jonathan Taylor already has 93 yards on 10 carries and this score. pic.twitter.com/LRSQTZNaIZ

- Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 14, 2021

Taylor's production is taking some pressure off of quarterback Carson Wentz, who has just three interceptions and three lost fumbles in his new digs. The Colts, coincidentally, have won four of five to pull within a game of the final playoff spot in a crowded AFC field, but they've yet to beat a team with a winning record. They face the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Buccaneers in the next two weeks.

Here come the Patriots

The New England Patriots smoked the Cleveland Browns to win their fifth in a row, and what they've demonstrated of late is how well-balanced they are on offense, defense, and special teams.

Mac Jones was efficient again, and though Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have largely kept his training wheels on during his rookie season, Jones was also effective against the Browns when taking some downfield shots: 6-for-7 for 103 yards and a touchdown on throws of 10-plus air yards. He jammed a TD pass to Kendrick Bourne between two defenders. The Pats also pounded out 184 yards on the ground, with rookie fourth-round pick Rhamondre Stevenson piling up 75 of his 100 rushing yards after contact while running between the tackles on 17 of his 20 carries.

Defensively, the Pats harassed Baker Mayfield before eventually knocking him out with an injury, finishing with five sacks and 10 QB hits. Punter Jake Bailey's lone punt went for 66 yards and landed inside the 20. The Pats came into Week 10 ranked 10th in special teams DVOA.

Between Matthew Judon, Hunter Henry, and Bourne, Belichick's offseason spending spree is starting to pay off. And it certainly looks like he's found his QB in Jones.

The Mike White era is officially over Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Mike White's historic run as the best New York Jets quarterback since Joe Namath has ended. It was fun while it lasted.

OK, fine, the thrilling White era lasted for exactly one game and one series, but Broadway Mike's four-interception performance in a blowout home loss to the Bills at least settled the premature question of what the Jets might do with him once Zach Wilson is healthy, which really was a discussion topic in and around New York for the last week and a half. It looks like we have the answer.

Cowboys, Bills are going to be fine

The Dallas Cowboys and Bills both suffered embarrassing losses in Week 9. It's pretty safe to say both of those defeats were simply speed bumps for two excellent teams in an otherwise long season.

Both Dallas and Buffalo turned in respectively dominant performances against inferior opponents on Sunday, with the Cowboys destroying the Atlanta Falcons and the Bills reminding the rest of the world who the Jets really are.

Most encouraging for Dallas and Buffalo was the play of their quarterbacks. Dak Prescott barely seemed to break a sweat while posting a fantastic EPA/dropback of 0.81, while Josh Allen had a ridiculous 17.4 yards per completion.

Both teams needed these level-sets, too. Dallas is at the Kansas City Chiefs next week while the Bills host the Colts. They both then play on Thanksgiving, with the Cowboys hosting the Las Vegas Raiders and the Bills playing at the New Orleans Saints just before the first of their two meetings with the Patriots, who are still right on their heels in the AFC East.

Chiefs seem to be OK, too Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

So much for Kansas City's struggles. After all the fretting about whether Patrick Mahomes has been figured out, the Chiefs went into Vegas and steamrolled the Raiders. Mahomes threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns and got running back Darrel Williams (nine catches, 101 receiving yards) involved as a complement to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, and oh, hey, look at that: Kansas City is back in first place in the AFC West.

Lions refuse to lose but still can't get a win

Both the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers got what they deserved by playing to a tie. It genuinely seemed as if neither team wanted to actually win.

The Steelers, with Mason Rudolph playing in place of Ben Roethlisberger, did everything they could to gift-wrap this one for Detroit, but the Lions - bless their hearts - did their best to avoid losing while still failing to earn a victory.

Detroit has played hard and lost a bunch of heartbreakers this season. When might they get a win? Maybe on Thanksgiving at home against the Chicago Bears? Maybe at the Falcons in Week 16? The Lions accomplished something here and can take comfort in not being the first NFL team to go 0-17. But 0-16-1 is still in play.

Have the Eagles found the right formula? Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images Sport / Getty

In their last three games, the Philadelphia Eagles have leaned more into running the ball after basically not doing so during their first seven outings. They also won for the second time in three weeks, this time in a surprisingly easy romp on the road at the Denver Broncos, who remain completely impossible to understand.

It's only three games, yes, but check this out:

Small sample, but over the last three weeks, the No. 1 offense in the NFL in terms of EPA per drive is the...

Philadelphia Eagles

EPA from @TruMediaSports.

- Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) November 15, 2021

During three-game stretch, Eagles offense is:

1st in points per drive (3.23)

1st in TDs per drive (34.6%)

2nd in offensive PPG (28.0)

- Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) November 15, 2021

Bear in mind that every time it seems easy to know what most teams in the NFL are capable of, everything changes within a week or two. But the Eagles right now are just one game off the playoff pace in the NFC. Make of that what you will.

Titans hang on again without Henry, Julio

Sure, it helped that the Tennessee Titans faced Trevor Siemian, and their offense again took advantage of short fields and a silly roughing-the-passer penalty that wiped out an interception to score both of its touchdowns.

But all that really matters is the Titans survived to notch another win - their sixth in a row - in what initially looked like an especially treacherous stretch on their schedule. And this latest victory came without both Henry and Julio Jones.

Tennessee has now beaten the Bills, Chiefs, Colts, Los Angeles Rams, and Saints in succession, and they still have a 1.5 game lead over Buffalo for the best record in the AFC - with that win in hand.

It gets a bit easier from here. The first of the Titans' two matchups with the hapless Houston Texans comes next week, and Tennessee plays just two teams with winning records (Patriots and Steelers, both on the road) the rest of the way.

Cam returns, but ... Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Cam Newton made his mark in his first game back with the Carolina Panthers by rushing and throwing for a touchdown in a blowout win at the depleted Arizona Cardinals. But there are caveats.

Newton didn't start - P.J. Walker did instead - and he was used only situationally, particularly in the red zone. His two scoring plays actually happened on his first two snaps of the season, and both came in the red zone after the Panthers got the ball because of a fumble and a turnover on downs.

All told, Newton completed just three of four passes for eight yards and a TD and rushed for just 14 yards and a TD on three carries. But it was ... something.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, looked about as lost as can be during their second straight game without QB Kyler Murray and wideout DeAndre Hopkins. That raises two questions: How in the world did Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers lose 31-17 at home to the Murray-less and Hopkins-less Cardinals just last week, and what does that say about Shanahan's prowess as a head coach?

Wilson struggles in return

Things didn't go well in Russell Wilson's return. The Seattle Seahawks were shut out by the Green Bay Packers, the first time they've been blanked in Wilson's NFL career.

The day began with a doozy of a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport about Wilson's 19-hour rehab routine to rush himself back from a broken finger on his throwing hand. It's admirable Wilson was able to come back after missing just three games, but his performance - 20 of 40 for 161 yards, two interceptions, three sacks - and bandage on his finger suggests that maybe he wasn't quite ready.

Dom Cosentino is a senior features writer at theScore.

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