NFL Week 10 Takeaways: The Browns are Super Bowl Contenders; The Texans will win the South and much more

Week 10 Takeaways

1) The Houston Texans will win the AFC South

The Houston Texans are coming into their own over the last two weeks, and yesterday’s win in Cincinnati showed that. QB CJ Stroud was brilliant again, throwing for over 300 yards for the second consecutive week. The defense is improving and getting better every week. Coach Ryans for the Texans completely out-coached Zac Taylor and the Bengals coaching staff as they ran for more than 150 yards and passed for over 300 yards. At this point, I think Stroud is better than Trevor Lawrence, and the Texans seem to get better every week, while the Jaguars, just like Lawrence, are hot and cold.

2) The Bengals are in trouble

Tee Higgins was out, and they lost stud defensive end Trey Hendrickson at the end of the game and where already missing defensive end Sam Hubbard. The Bengals defensive line was destroyed by the Texans’ offensive line, while the Bengals never really attempted to run the ball. Cordell Volson looked like a door swinging open on every play, and the rest of the offensive line was not much better.

The play-calling as always, left a lot to be desired as the Bengals never really opened it up and tried to stretch the field until they got down by thirteen points.

Next, on a short week, they go to Baltimore to face the Ravens, and the Bengals must win that game, or they will be playing for nothing but a wild card the rest of the season.

3) The Cleveland Browns are a Super Bowl contender

The Browns were left for dead in Baltimore, down 24-9, then the Browns took over, winning the game on the gun with a field goal.

The Browns have a top-tier defense and a top-tier offensive line, and even without star running back Nick Chubb, they ran the bell well against the Ravens. If Deshaun Watson gets back to playing like he did in Houston, the Browns will be a dangerous team come playoff time.

Cleveland Browns Top Plays vs. Baltimore Ravens | 2023 Regular Season Week 10

4) The Steelers continue to find ways to win

Mike Tomlin has to be the most under-appreciated coach in all of football. The man wins no matter how much talent is on the roster, and it seems like the less talent he has, the better he coaches. No, I don’t think the Steelers are Super Bowl contenders, but they could slip into the playoffs, and if they do, Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year looks pretty plausible.

5) Kevin O’Connell is a tremendous football coach

Last year, everybody knew the Vikings were nowhere near as good as their 13-win record suggested, so we all assumed a significant fall was coming this season, and early on, it seemed to be happening. Now, all of a sudden, the Vikings are back in playoff contention and are doing it without Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Instead, we get journeyman quarterback Josh Dobbs, who led the Vikings to two straight wins.

6) Time may be running out on Bill Belichick in New England

Yesterday had to be a sad day for Patriots fans as they Patriots were utterly inept on offense Mac Jones is playing scared and looks ready to go down at the first sign of trouble. I know Belichick recently got a contract extension, but it is a mess in New England, not because of Belichick’s coaching but because of his inability to draft quality players.  Belichick’s best hope is to bench Jones permanently and take a shot with Bailey Zappe at quarterback.