The Week 10 slate has enough divisional heat to make things interesting, and this one comes with a few swings that would qualify as real stunners. After a rough Week 9, the focus shifts to rematches, overtime possibilities, and one team trying to finally get off the mat.
Start with Washington and New York, because these two already gave us one of the stranger finishes of the season. Back in Week 5, the Commanders and Giants played to a 27-27 overtime tie after Washington’s clock management turned messy late.
Since then, Dan Quinn’s team has won only once, while the Giants sit alone atop the NFC East with a winning record. New York’s defense has been one of the league’s best, ranking fifth in fewest total yards allowed per game, and John Harbaugh’s club has not lost a division game at 2-0-1.
This time, the prediction is that the rematch goes the distance again, and the Giants come out on top in the fifth quarter.
The Dolphins-Colts matchup brings a different kind of twist: a quarterback change. Miami’s Malik Willis has put up uneven numbers, completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,396 yards and six touchdowns while throwing three interceptions.
He has also lost three of his five fumbles and taken 24 sacks, though he’s added value on the ground with 232 rushing yards and three scores, making him the team’s second-leading rusher. Now he’s on injured reserve with a groin issue, which opens the door for Kyle McCord to make his first NFL start.
That debut comes against an Indianapolis team that has dropped five straight and just shipped wide receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen on Tuesday. The call here is that the Colts’ run defense gets exposed and Miami takes advantage.
Then there’s the Chargers, who are desperate for anything that resembles a breakthrough. Los Angeles is still winless at 0-8, the NFL’s only team without a victory, and the start is its worst since 2000, when the franchise was in San Diego and opened 0-11.
On Monday night, Jim Harbaugh will be back in the mix against Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, who spent the previous two seasons as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator. The prediction is a revenge win for Los Angeles, a result that would qualify as the most surprising of the week.
In Other News...
Jim Harbaugh Just Turned A Failed Chargers Trade Into AFC West Drama
A quiet roster move turned into a little AFC West theater when the Chargers tried to send linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver for a fourth- and fifth-round draft pick. The deal had been lined up, but the Broncos backed away after reviewing Henleys medical report and then asked for lesser draft compensation, a change Los Angeles was not willing to accept.
Jim Harbaugh did not hide his frustration with how it unfolded, making the failed trade a public point of irritation for a Chargers team that would have preferred the matter stay behind closed doors. Instead, the episode added another layer to a division rivalry that already has enough edge, with one side believing terms were agreed to and the other deciding the price no longer fit. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Fans Have Every Reason To Question Joe Hortiz Today
The Chargers entered the trade deadline with a clear chance to start reshaping a roster that has gone nowhere this season, and for a moment it looked like they had at least one move lined up. A deal to send Daiyan Henley to the Broncos for future draft picks was agreed to before it was ultimately canceled, leaving Los Angeles without even that small step toward stockpiling assets.
What followed only sharpened the scrutiny on Joe Hortiz. With the team still winless and in obvious need of a reset, the Chargers made no other significant moves at the deadline, a passivity that has fueled criticism of how the front office handled the day. For a fan base looking for signs of a real rebuild, the silence was almost as loud as the canceled trade. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers LB Daiyan Henley Trade Collapse Leaves One Big Question
The Broncos proposed trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley has fallen apart, leaving a notable ripple in a division that already knows each other too well. The deal had been set to send mid-round draft picks to Los Angeles, but it was still waiting on Henleys physical after he went through the exam at Denvers facility.
With the move off the table, Denver will move ahead with its current linebacker group of Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. For the Chargers, the collapse leaves one big question hanging over the situation, because a transaction that looked close enough to announce never made it across the finish line. [Read more 🡒]