WINNERS
Brock Purdy
Before the Week 9 bye, it’s probably fair to say that Brock Purdy was in the biggest slump of his career. San Francisco had lost three straight games for the first time in his tenure, and questions were starting to come from the national media about his ability to run the offence without a full arsenal of superstars available. In Week 10, both Purdy and the 49ers certainly answered the bell and bounced back. San Francisco’s young signal caller went 19/26 for 296 yards and three touchdowns. The game was out of hand early, and when the final whistle came, they had beaten Jacksonville by a score of 34-3. As long as San Fran stays healthy, Brock Purdy can be all this team needs to go on a deep postseason run.
Kyler Murray
After a torn ACL kept him off the field for almost a year, it would have been understandable if Kyler Murray’s first game back was a little underwhelming. On a 1-8 team, the expectations weren’t incredibly high. Murray, however, was determined to prove he’s still got it. The Cardinals QB went a modest 19/32 for 249 yards and one interception but led Arizona down the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired. The highlight of the drive was his 13-yard scramble on 3rd and 10. I think people forgot how good Kyler can be, and with him back in the lineup, the Cardinals won’t be nearly as easy to beat. It’s always nice to see a guy come back from such a difficult injury and rehab process.
Jason Myers
Jason Myers’ game winning kick was one of the biggest moments of the season so far for Seattle, but if he hadn’t been so good earlier in the game, he may never have been able to win it for them in the first place. In the Week 10 tilt against Washington, Myers was a perfect 5/5 on his field goals and accounted for all nine of Seattle’s first half points. Geno Smith and the offence did get rolling in the second half, but without Myers doing his thing, the afternoon could have gone a lot differently. It’s sometimes tough to highlight the kickers in the NFL, but Jason Myers’ efforts in Seattle should not go unnoticed. Over the past two seasons, no one has made more field goals than Myers.
LOSERS
Trevor Lawrence
Is Trevor Lawrence a franchise quarterback? Sometimes, he absolutely looks like one. Other times, he looks like anything but one. In Week 10, it was unfortunately the latter, as he completed 17 passes on 29 attempts for less than 200 yards and two interceptions Jacksonville’s 34-3 loss. Everyone outside of Christian Kirk was basically invisible on offence, and for a team with such high hopes for the season, this was certainly a reality check. Of course, San Francisco does have one of the best defenses in the league, but Lawrence is a former first overall pick who’s now in his third NFL season. At this point, games like these just can’t happen if he wants to be viewed as an upper echelon quarterback.
Mac Jones
Things are going from bad to worse in New England, and Mac Jones’ days as starting quarterback may be numbered. In the team’s 10-6 loss to the Colts, Jones simply couldn’t get anything going, and when he finally was able to drive the ball down the field, he threw a terrible interception that basically sealed the game. The Patriots were able to get the ball back, but it was backup Bailey Zappe who took the field instead of Jones. Clearly, New England is not confident with Jones at quarterback, and with a high draft pick most likely coming up, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a new QB suiting up for the Pats next season.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen has never been the best at protecting the football, but things are starting to get a little scary for the Buffalo quarterback right now. Allen has thrown a pick in six straight games and has eleven on the season, which puts him on pace to beat his previous season high of 15. Unlike years before, though, the team is losing games as well. After their 24-22 home defeat in Week 10 to Denver, the Bills are 5-5 and out of a playoff spot. For a team that hasn’t missed the playoffs in four years, it’s certainly been an alarming start. If Allen can’t get it together, more tough days in Buffalo may be ahead.
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