Jeff Saturday’s Debut, Tom Brady’s Heat, Vikings Bills

This Thursday night game may not have been the NFL’s best advertisement. Sure, Carolina looked smooth in all-black duds and alternate helmets, but the Panthers’ 25-15 victory over the Falcons wasn’t pretty as Tropical Storm Nicole wreaked havoc on the weather.

What are your thoughts on the Carolina Panthers’ all-black uniforms?

📸 @Panthers pic.twitter.com/8D10UpW9N7

— Athletic (@TheAthletic) November 11, 2022

Mainstay back Donta Foreman had 130 yards and a touchdown on 31 ball carries, but neither team moved the ball much in the air. 1 vs 4 combinations for extra points.

Nonetheless, in a not-so-good NFC South, 4-6 Falcons could be in contention for the division lead at the end of the weekend.

But wait. There’s still more to come in week 10. What about Jeff Saturday’s head coaching debut? Could last week’s Buccaneers comeback victory be a sign that Tom Brady is back to his old self? How will it affect matches? athletic‘s Mike Jones, Mike Sand and Matt Schneidman explain what to watch on Sunday and Monday.

Let’s start with the Indianapolis drama. Frank Reich’s firing wasn’t entirely sudden, but hiring Jeff Saturday to replace him is one of the strangest moves in recent memory. What do you think of Jim Irsay’s decision? How will that help or hurt the Colts for the rest of this season?

Jones: Hiring Jeff Saturday as interim coach is probably one of the most ridiculous decisions I’ve made in my years covering professional sports. The only thing that comes even remotely close to this is for the Nets to hire Steve Nash, who has no coaching experience, to coach a star-studded Brooklyn Nets team. But this is even worse. Because professional football coaching his team is more complicated. Not only has Saturday never coached at the professional or college level, neither he nor the assistant he inherited has ever called a play. Looking for real fun now. Despite whatever shortcomings Frank Reich may have had, he certainly would have given the Colts a better chance to turn things around than this new setup.Basically Irsay is a stick of dynamite to the team and made the tank his mode.

Approach: This is one of the strangest hirings since Jim Irsay’s father named then-GM Joe Thomas interim coach for the 1974 season. Bob Irsay was on the sidelines during the game and ordered then-coach Howard Schnellenberger to change quarterbacks. Schnellenberger refused and was fired immediately after the match. Thomas had never coached at the professional or college level, and had never coached high school baseball players in 25 years. So apples don’t fall far from the tree. Whether Saturday did a good job or not, Irsay seemed arrogant and poorly thought out when explaining his motives. I thought Joe Thomas’ critique was interesting and mostly on point. Irsay mocks coaching by placing Saturday in this role in this way.

Schneidmann: The best part of this fiasco is that he tweeted “The Raiders look horrible” on Saturday about a week before he was hired as the team’s interim head coach. Seriously, hiring one of his pals not only hurt the Colts on the field, but frustrated the players and coaches in the building, especially those who deserved a promotion more than those who had never coached. It seems like an impulsive decision by Irsay. in college or in the NFL.

Four teams will receive byes this week: the Bengals, Patriots, Jets and Ravens. Who do you think has the most chances in the second half of the season?

Jones: I think the Bengals should be feeling pretty good right now. They bounced back from their early struggles, hit . They finally seem to have Joe Mixon on track, and they just need a healthy jammer chase to bring the offense back to full force. Of this group, the Bengals have the fewest questions and look ready to run.

Approach: The order of best shots to second-half success is Ravens, Bengals, Jets, Patriots, in that order, with Baltimore playing the easiest schedule of the rest and other reasons. But when it comes to feeling good, the Jets should feel good knowing they’ve made enough defensive progress to be competitive week after week. It’s a change.

Schneidmann: who was this question should do it If they feel their chances are best in the second half, the answer would be the Ravens. actually Feeling great, I’m going to Jet. They must be brimming with confidence after beating the mighty Bills. My midseason his Coach of the Year, Robert Saleh, from everyone who thought his team stinks, presumably he has a CVS-length receipt. Thanks to Zach Wilson, the Jets ultimately failed to deliver significant results this season, but they’re a fun watch and their defense is solid.

Tom Brady and the NFC South-leading Buccaneers (4-5) face off against Gino Smith and the NFC West-leading Seahawks (6-3) in Munich, Germany on Sunday. Despite their record, the Bucks are small favorites. How do you see the development of this game?

Jones: The Seahawks rank among the most pleasant surprises this season, so this is a tough one and I really like how they are playing now. Taking a lot of the pressure off with Tom Brady is definitely about to pick up momentum. give.

Approach: It was fun to see Brady lead the winning drive last week, but Seattle has a lot more momentum than it does now. Seattle, as a young, fast, hungry team, are having a lot of fun playing right now, so I think they’re winning convincingly.

Schneidmann: The Rams were screwed not only by losing the game, but because of Brady’s spiritedness, bringing Brady back to victory on the final drive last weekend, swearing at the press conference and making a dramatic comeback. We got a taste of what a win would feel like again. The Seahawks think it’s real, but Brady might go to the Heaters after one run last Sunday.

The 7-1 Vikings travel to Buffalo to face the 6-2 Bills and could be the top matchup for Week 10. Losing to the Jets, will Josh his Allen and company get back on track at home or will it be surprising? Any chance for the Minnesota team?

Jones: I think it has a lot to do with Josh Allen’s health.If that elbow has a lingering problem and his throwing motion is somehow impeded, this could pose a problem for Buffalo. you really need to understand how apart from Allen. Bills has to take some of the workload off the quarterback. Minnesota hasn’t been as impressive as its record suggests, but the Vikings have managed to keep up the work. If Allen is healthy, he will rebound with the Bills. If he’s not 100% his, Minnesota may keep this thing going.

Approach: With Allen’s health in question, could we see Case Keenum, the Vikings alum who sidelined him when signing Kirk Cousins, take a hit on the team? , that seems fair after Cousins ​​got his revenge on his former team, Washington. We see Buffalo winning the game either way and von Miller making money.

Schneidmann: Does Minnesota Have a Chance? Did You See It? Kirk Cousins ​​iced out Wasn’t he wearing a shirt while dancing on the team’s plane? Damn it, there’s a chance! And even if Allen was perfectly healthy, that would still be true: One of his best offseason moves was the Packers’ edge rusher Zadarius, who the Vikings were displeased with, added his Smith That’s it. According to TruMedia, among players with 100 or more pass rush snaps, he ranks his first in the NFL in pressure percentage (20.3%), and in the league he ranks 8 1/2. With two sacks he is tied for second.

If you had to pick one surprise for Sunday/Monday, who would it be?

Jones: If Ryan Tannehill is out and the Titans have to face Malik Willis again, I’d go with the Broncos (3-5) to beat Tennessee (5-3).

Approach: I don’t understand why people prefer Tampa Bay over Seattle. I take the Seahawks straight in that game. Offense is my main concern in Seattle, as I saw Jeno Smith put the ball in danger a few times against Arizona. He may need to play a cleaner game this week.

Schneidmann: Part of me would rather say the Packers than the Cowboys because Aaron Rodgers can’t let Mike McCarthy beat him at Lambeau Field. So I couldn’t. Leave Captain High to the needs and the Broncos for his one-dimensional attack on the Titans in Nashville. Hopefully, during goodbye week, someone caught Russell Wilson’s ears and told him to keep throwing balls at Jerry Judy about those horrible subway commercials.

What’s the most interesting story from Week 10 that you haven’t told yet? What are you most looking forward to personally?

Jones: I’m really interested to see how Justin Fields builds on last Sunday’s record performance. However, he made his pass three touchdowns and had no interceptions. He also had an impressive performance, rushing for 178 yards and scoring touchdowns. We’ve seen him really start to find solace. Last year’s 11th pick may be ready to fly.

Approach: Josh McDaniels led the Raiders to Indianapolis and faced the Colts after Frank Reich was fired. If so, taking the elevator can be a hassle. I think Jim Irsay and Mark Davis might also have an interesting conversation.

Schneidmann: I touched on it briefly above, but either way, I’m most excited to see the games I’m about to cover. McCarthy will meet for the first time since the Packers fired him in 2018. Rodgers won’t say it publicly, but losing to his former head coach would only double the pain of dropping another game. can you provide what it looks like?

(Illustration: John Bradford/ athleticPhoto: Julio Aguilar, Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire, David Berding/Getty Images)