The Ravens, perhaps mercifully, are not playing on Sunday in Week 10. Flock Nation will be free to enjoy the NFL’s full slate without spending most of their afternoon having the series of heart attacks that accompany watching this team.
(On the flip side, the entire NFL audience will be subject to Baltimore’s second straight primetime matchup, this time with Jacoby Brissett under center against the winless Chargers. You win some, you lose some.)
Unlike some of the league’s international games this
year, including the Ravens’ thrilling win in Rio, this morning’s matchup in Munich between the Patriots and the Lions was effectively over before halftime. Detroit took a commanding 21-3 lead with Tommy DeVito replacing an injured Drake Maye.
This afternoon presents a number of intriguing faceoffs with major playoff implications, including several between division rivals. Of course, availability will be limited by the NFL’s broadcast map, which can be found in full at 506sports.com:
Here’s what I’ll be watching from the Sunday slate. Let us know your top Week 10 games in the comments section below!
Top 1:00 p.m. matchup: Minnesota Vikings (6-2) @ Green Bay Packers (6-3)
Kirko Chainz is back in Minnesota, who have long been my sleeper pick to make a deep playoff run even amid their quarterback issues. With Cousins back in the fold after a solid start to the year in Las Vegas and Brian Flores’ defense demolishing opposing offenses, the Vikings could round into one of the league’s most complete teams.
Cousins’ Vikings (re)debut will take place against a Packers defense that quietly ranks 11th in yards and points allowed this year despite season-ending injuries to Edgerrin Cooper and Javon Hargave. Micah Parsons is still working his way back from last year’s ACL tear, too, so the unit should get a major boost down the stretch. Green Bay has a massive run/pass disparity on the offensive side of the ball with the league’s worst rushing game dragging down Jordan Love’s explosive aerial attack. He threw for 353 yards against the Vikings in Week 1, the most of any opposing passer this year, but committed two turnovers that contributed to a 39-24 loss.
This should be a fascinating rematch with major NFC North implications. Bring the popcorn.
Other intriguing 1:00 p.m. games:
- Houston Texans (3-5) @ Cleveland Browns (5-4): This single matchup won’t sway Baltimore’s odds to qualify for the postseason right now, but it could be crucial for tiebreakers at the end of the regular season.
- Carolina Panthers (3-5) @ New Orleans Saints (3-5): The NFC South is once again competing to be the least-bad team in the division. So far, everyone is losing. Tune in for what will probably be some ugly football.
