4th & Monday: TD celebration with a TV camera, a busted fire alarm and ... Halle Berry?
Jim ReinekingThe Dallas Cowboys might have silenced the noise about their coach Jason Garrett's job security by defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Sunday night. Maybe.
After back-to-back losses, the Cowboys' win keeps the team in the NFC East race, though they still trail the Washington Redskins by two games.
Some might consider the Redskins' division lead a surprise. Not as surprising, however, as the Titans' convincing win over the Patriots on Sunday.
Meanwhile, two inter-conference showdowns between playoff hopefuls wound up being blowouts. The Steelers pounded the Panthers, 52-21, on Thursday night. Then, the Saints battered the Bengals, 51-14.
In Cleveland, Baker Mayfield woke up "feeling really dangerous," and then became the first rookie QB in NFL history to record a passer rating of at least 150 on 20 or more pass attempts in a single game.
Mayfield joined Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Mitchell Trubisky in posting passer ratings better than 145, making Week 10 the first week in league history with that many quarterbacks having a passer ratings at 145 or better in the same week.
Here's 32 things we learned in Week 10 before we dive into the moments you surely can't miss from Sunday's action.
Quick hits: Must-see NFL moments
- Halle Berry had some questions for 'Halle Berry' audible call: As the Rams lined up against the Seahawks, quarterback Jared Goff shouted "Halle Berry" three times to change the play. Later, the real Halle Berry took to Twitter with a question of her own.
- Stop throwing the ball to Brady: We all saw the Patriots throw the ball to Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, and an open Brady had the ball go off his hands. That, apparently, wasn't reason enough for the Patriots to stop throwing to Brady.
- It's A-M-U-K-A-M-A-R-A! It's not like Prince Amukamara is some random dude. He's an eight-year NFL veteran who is in his second season with the Bears. That, somehow, doesn't earn him a nameplate with his last name spelled correctly.
- Tyreek Hill, cameraman: The Chiefs receiver took command of a TV camera after scoring his second touchdown of the day against the Cardinals.
- Sean Payton reportedly destroyed a fire alarm: Fire alarms at Paul Brown Stadium were activated about 15 minutes ahead of the game. The loud sound and timing weren’t ideal for the Saints as they tried to focus in on their pregame routine.
- Bears kicker has weird day: Bears kicker Cody Parkey hit the uprights four times in a single game, and none of those kicks ricocheted fortuitously so as to accumulate points.
- Bears get roasted for tweet: Posting a highlight to Twitter of an ill-advised interception by Prince Amukamara got Bears fans pointing out how it wasn't really that great of a play.
- Redskins troll Bucs on Twitter: Nearly a year after Jameis Winston famously asked his teammates to "eat a 'W,'" the Redskins' Twitter account had the Bucs eating L's.
- Really embarrassing day for the Jets: Not only did the Jets get routed by a Matt Barkley-led Bills team, but the rout featured a Barkley TD pass to his left tackle.
- Trick play backfires on Browns: The Browns tried to run their own version of the "Philly Special," but it did not go quite as well as it did for the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
TOP SHOTS: Best pics from Week 10 | Cheerleaders | Celebrations | Fans
Key story lines from Week 10
- Blueprint to beat Brady, Patriots: Mike Vrabel and several members of the Titans were familiar with what made Tom Brady and Bill Belichick tick after years with the Patriots. That intimate knowledge paid off handsomely for the Titans.
- Are the Titans a team to be feared? With back-to-back high-profile victories over the Cowboys on Monday night and the Patriots on Sunday, the Titans might be poised for another playoff run. Or, could it just be NFL randomness?
- Ex-Patriots RB rips former team: After the Titans pasted the Patriots, 34-10, running back Dion Lewis — who spent three seasons in New England — had some choice words for his former team. "That’s what happens when you go cheap," Lewis said. "You get your (expletive) kicked."
- Is it time for Jets to fire Bowles? The Jets were humiliated at home by the lowly Bills. Todd Bowles is not the head coach to lead the Jets into a new era with Sam Darnold at quarterback.
- Bell not expected to report to Steelers: The wait for Le'Veon Bell to return to action could be extended until 2019. The Steelers do not expect their all-pro running back by Tuesday's deadline, according to multiple reports.
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Week 10 rundown
Cowboys 27, Eagles 20: The Cowboys got a crucial win in Philadelphia, and remained in contention in the NFC East.
Rams 36, Seahawks 31: The Rams now are in a commanding position for a second consecutive NFC West crown.
Packers 31, Dolphins 12: Packers fans clamoring for more carries for Aaron Jones finally got it.
Chargers 20, Raiders 6: That's now six consecutive wins for the NFL's biggest under-the-radar playoff contender.
Titans 34, Patriots 10: For the second time this season, the Patriots were defeated by a Bill Belichick disciple.
Redskins 16, Buccaneers 3: Alex Smith threw for 178 yards. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 406 yards. Somehow, the Buccaneers only scored three points in this loss.
Bills 41, Jets 10: The Jets were humbled at home by a Bills team that's on its fourth different starting quarterback.
Chiefs 26, Cardinals 14: With two touchdown passes against the Cardinals, Patrick Mahomes set a new Chiefs record for touchdown passes in single season, breaking a mark set by Len Dawson in 1964.
Colts 29, Jaguars 26: After three straight wins, the Colts are back in AFC playoff contention.
Browns 28, Falcons 16: Baker Mayfield woke up "feeling really dangerous." The result was an impressive Browns win over a Falcons team that entered Sunday on a three-game win streak.
Saints 51, Bengals 14: For the second time in four days, NFL fans were treated to a 50-burger.
Bears 34, Lions 22: Matt Patricia's first season as Lions coach isn't going as well as was expected.
Steelers 52, Panthers 21 (Thursday): Ben Roethlisberger posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the rout.
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Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
Fantasy owners are constantly searching for the next big thing, but sometimes the best pickups can be players who were tossed aside earlier in the season.
One example is Titans running back Derrick Henry. Although his yardage totals haven't been great, Henry has now scored a touchdown in each of his last three games. He rushed for a season-high 58 yards Sunday and found the end zone twice.
The Seahawks appeared to sour on first-round draft pick Rashaad Penny, but with starting running back Chris Carson inactive, Penny turned a career-high 12 carries into 108 yards and a touchdown.
Bears rookie wideout Anthony Miller showed off his big-play ability, catching five of six targets for 122 yards, including a 45-yard score.
Do we dare put any stock in the Bills offense? If there's a possible diamond in the rough, it's wide receiver Zay Jones — who caught eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Bills are on bye in Week 11 and have no idea who’ll start at quarterback.
MORE: Week 10 takeaways, plus the Broad Shoulders Award
Coming this week
Monday: Week 10 concludes with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the New York Giants (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN). What will Nick Mullens do for an encore to his record-setting NFL debut in Week 9?
Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports' NFL experts update their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 10. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL Fan Power Rankings.
Thursday: The Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of the 2014 NFC Championship Game (8:20 p.m. ET on FOX, NFL Network and Prime Video), to kick off Week 11. Before Thursday's game, make sure to visit USA TODAY Sports to check out our expert picks for every Week 11 game.
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