NFL Week 10 Sunday review: The Saints break their losing streak, the quarterback plays like the “best player on the planet” in the victory, and the receiver pushes a teammate.

The NFL season’s tenth week was jam-packed with talking points, drama, and several outstanding single performances.

The Carolina Panthers overcame the New York Giants in overtime to start Sunday’s schedule in Germany. There was also late drama as the Dallas Cowboys lost badly at home and the Kansas City Chiefs remained undefeated.

These are the primary plot points from the action on Sunday.

In the historic game, quarterback plays like the “best player on the planet.”

The remarkable performance of their quarterback, Kyler Murray, was a major factor in the Arizona Cardinals’ triumphant afternoon.

As Arizona easily defeated the New York Jets 31-6 at home, Murray, whose play has typified the Cardinals’ inconsistent start to the 2024 season, was incredibly precise and dynamic with his legs.

Although it was the team’s fourth consecutive win to maintain their lead in the NFC West, Murray’s performance as a whole was possibly even more remarkable.
He ran for two additional touchdowns and threw for one as he completed 22 of his 24 passing attempts. The 27-year-old broke the Cardinals’ record of 16 consecutive completions over two games in 2017 by finishing the game with 17 consecutive throws.
With 250 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, Murray also became the first player in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes.

On the other sideline, he easily outperformed four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, and following the win, Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon was quick to commend his quarterback.

Gannon declared, “I believe the quarterback was the world’s best player today.” “So, congratulations to him.”

Midway through the game, Murray was sacked heavily by an unblocked blitzer, sending his helmet flying away, giving the impression that the afternoon may have been quite different. But Murray quickly got back up and was even spotted cracking a joke with his opponents.
Following the event, Murray told reporters, “I told you this is the best I felt.” As I often say with (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing), there is no gray area when it comes to the attention to detail and the game being taken away from you in a system like this.

“I feel pleased since we’re in agreement and this is Year 2 of the system. The game became slower. Since this is obviously my sixth year in the league, I simply try to keep playing well and take things one day at a time.

A defense that has been playing well lately benefited Murray. They have not given up a touchdown in three games at State Farm Stadium and have given up fewer than 10 points for the second straight game after giving up just two field goals against the Jets.

To put that in perspective, the Cardinals had not given up a home touchdown for three consecutive games since 1926, and prior to Week 9, they had given up double digits in 52 consecutive games.

Overall, the Cardinals had an extremely successful afternoon as they maintained their strong previous play.

However, as the Jets dropped to 3-7 and their chances of making the playoffs dwindled, Rodgers described the 25-point loss as “just disappointing.”

As tensions rise, Deebo Samuel shoves a teammate.

Despite their triumph in the final seconds on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be struggling as a team.

With Christian McCaffrey making his first appearance of the season, rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall scoring his first NFL touchdown two months after being shot in the chest, and Jake Moody kicking a game-winning field goal as time ran out, Sunday’s 23–20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have been reason for celebration.

At Raymond James Stadium, Moody missed three field goal attempts, but the game will be remembered for an incident involving the team’s long snapper Taybor Pepper and standout receiver Deebo Samuel.

Near the end of the fourth quarter, with the 49ers ahead by three points, Samuel seemed to get into a furious argument with Pepper and Moody after Moody missed his third try.

Samuel was observed pushing Pepper away after grasping him close to the throat, striking Moody in the helmet in the process. Samuel and Pepper were still arguing as they made their way back to their positions on the sidelines.

Samuel later clarified that he became “out of character a little bit” since he was simply “frustrated” at the time.

He told reporters, “I wasn’t saying anything crazy to him.” He went out there and won the game for us, but at the moment, I was a little frustrated. Since it didn’t bother him, we can put it behind us.

Additionally, he stated that Moody “had a little dog in him” for returning to the field and hitting the game-winning hit.

Moody, for his part, downplayed the event.

The second-year kicker remarked, “It’s an emotional game, and stuff like that happens all the time.” “All that matters is that we won, so you simply move on from it.

“There is no need for an apology. The only thing I’m focused on is making those kicks at the end of the day. I’m not concerned about that kind of thing.

Pepper praised the 24-year-old’s mental toughness for recovering from three failed field goals, echoing Moody’s sentiment.

Pepper stated, “We know what our job is, and he was telling him to lock in.” “We succeeded. Being a specialist is challenging; at times, it’s either feast or famine. Given that Jake is a young, emerging specialist, There isn’t much better than having to stand up and hit a game-winning, nearly 50-yard field goal after missing three consecutive. I’m really pleased with Jake.
Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the 49ers, stated that he will discuss the matter during the return flight to California.

Shanahan remarked, “I don’t think a lot of it is the pressure of people getting shoved with a helmet on or something.” You are only as excellent as your most recent game, your most recent kick, and your most recent throw.

“For (Moody) to put himself in that circumstance and pull through, it was excellent practice. Because they’ve been there before, I believe that gives guys more confidence. However, I’m proud of the final decision he made.

San Francisco, which advances to roughly.500 for the first time since Week 1, had a historic victory.

After sacking the head coach, the Saints snap a seven-game losing streak.

After ten weeks, the New Orleans Saints’ season has been turbulent. They are also back in the winning column after sacking head coach Dennis Allen last week after a losing streak of seven games.

In their first game under interim head coach Darren Rizzi, the Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons, a rival in the NFC South division, 20–17 on Sunday in the Superdome.

They started off fast, scoring 17 points before halftime, including two touchdowns from wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had only joined the team a few weeks prior, to quarterback Derek Carr.

Additionally, New Orleans’ defense came through when it mattered most, with the game at stake, while the offense struggled in the second half due to an off-day for Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo, who missed three field goals.

Tyrann Mathieu stopped a drive with 1:59 left in the fourth quarter after intercepting Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins, and as time ran out, the Falcons were over on downs.

“What an incredible week,” Rizzi remarked after the game. As I just told the players, without the building’s full support, this doesn’t happen—today doesn’t happen. We had a great practice week, and you guys have all commented on the adjustments, which is great, but what about the buy-in, the execution, and the preparation? I just reminded those guys that nothing can replace solid preparation.
Rizzi’s day wasn’t ideal because he was unable to participate in the game’s festivities after his left arm became “completely numb” due to a collision by Saints defensive tackle Payton Turner.

He also discussed how his day as the temporary head coach of the Saints got off to a rough start.

The Superdome is where I descend. He remarked, “I enter the head coach’s locker room, which I have never used before. So here I am, going to the restroom early in the morning. This was the beginning of my day. The toilet was clogged by me. “This is going to be a crappy day,” I think, pun intended.

However, following the Buccaneers’ loss to the 49ers, the Falcons suffered a disheartening loss, dropping to 6-4 even though they were still leading the NFC South division by a two-game cushion.

Complete Sunday scores for Week 10

Home vs. away (bold winners)

Carolina Panthers (3-7) 17-20 OT New York Giants (2-8)

Chicago Bears (4-5) 19-3 New England Patriots (3-7)

Indianapolis Colts (4-6), Buffalo Bills (8-2) 30-20

Vikings of Minnesota (7-2) Jacksonville Jaguars 12–7 (2–8)

Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) 14-16 Denver Broncos (5-5)

Falcons of Atlanta (6-4) New Orleans Saints, 17–20 (3–7)

49ers of San Francisco (5-4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) 23-20

28-27 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) Commanders of Washington (7-3)

Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) 17-27 Tennessee Titans (2-7)

Jets of New York (3-7) 6-31 Cardinals of Arizona (6-4)

Dallas Cowboys (3-6) 34-6 Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)

Lions of Detroit (8-1) 26-23 Texans of Houston (6-4)