NFL Week 10 Takeaways: C.J. Stroud playing his way into MVP conversation

For the second straight Sunday, Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud found himself with the ball in his hands, less than two minutes on the clock, and the game on the line. And for the second straight Sunday, Stroud marched his team down the field for the game-winning score. 

Call him clutch, call him a game-changer, call him the face of the Houston Texans franchise… might it also be time to call him an MVP candidate? The question that started as a whisper following Houston’s clutch win over Tampa Bay last week will be getting a lot louder in the wake of Sunday’s wild 30-27 win over the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals. 

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With Stroud at the helm, the Texans have gone from a 3-13-1 team in 2022 to a 5-4 club following back-to-back thrilling wins that has Houston playing must-watch football and flirting with a playoff berth. He’s 4-1 against teams above .500, has a TD-to-interception ratio of 15-to-2, and has also proven himself incredibly resilient: last week’s career-high numbers against the Buccaneers came on the heels of his worst game against the Panthers while Sunday’s game-winning drive against Cincinnati came after he threw what could’ve been a game-sealing interception one series prior. 

You can’t win MVP honours without also securing a playoff berth, but with Stroud leading the way that no longer feels like the longshot it was in September. And with the AFC South-leading Jaguars losing their momentum against San Francisco and the Texans holding the league’s fourth-easiest remaining schedule ahead… things could get interesting. 

Only one rookie has ever won NFL MVP honours: Browns running back Jim Brown, who earned the honour in 1957. 

Houston and Cincinnati weren’t the only ones bringing big drama on Sunday. Of the 10 games in the afternoon slate, five concluded with a game-winning field goal made on the final play of the contest. 

Here’s a look at some of the most impactful outcomes from Sunday afternoon. 

The AFC North’s playoff picture is getting messy in the best way

Heading into Week 10, the Baltimore Ravens’ path to the AFC North crown was clearly laid out before them. Sitting atop the toughest division in football at 7-2 with a two-win lead over all three of their divisional foes entering Sunday, Baltimore was eying a season sweep of the Browns on home turf after defeating them 28-3 in Week 4. The way Baltimore’s been playing, it was hard not to also look ahead at their Week 11 matchup — they host the Bengals Thursday night — and set the stage for a second sweep of a second divisional opponent. Those two divisional wins would surely all but officially secure them the crown.

Only, it didn’t work out that way. Instead, the Browns surged back from being down 24-9 in the third quarter, Greg Newsome II’s pick-six bringing Cleveland to within one score before Dustin Hopkins kicked the game-winning field goal. 

Add in a stunning (but equally thrilling) Bengals loss against Houston and a victory over Green Bay for Pittsburgh, and we’ve got a messy masterpiece of a playoff picture in the AFC North. While it’s surely still early to dig too deep into playoff implications, this one is clearly going to go down to the wire… and it’s about to get even more chaotic in Week 11.

Can the Ravens bounce back with a quick-turnaround win over the Bengals to keep their division lead this Thursday? Cincinnati cannot afford to let that happen — with all eight of their remaining games coming against opponents currently sitting above .500, there’s no room for error there. After all this talk about Lamar Jackson’s MVP bid, Joe Burrow’s ice-filled veins, and the Browns’ historically good defence, will it be Pittsburgh that comes out on top? They have the easiest schedule of the four, and while their victories aren’t pretty, they’re finding ways to win with strong defence and fourth-quarter drives. 

NFC, be warned: The 49ers are back (and better than ever?)

Skid? What skid? The San Francisco 49ers limped into their Week 9 bye on the heels of three straight losses and plenty of questions about whether they were worthy of the Super Bowl-sized expectations they rode into the season with. 

On Sunday in Jacksonville, they sprinted onto the field with all the answers, welcoming franchise tackle Trent Williams and star receiver Deebo Samuel back from injury absences and putting on a show with their statement 34-3 win over the Jaguars. 

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Brock Purdy tallied 296 passing yards with three touchdowns and no picks (a relief, after he threw five picks in the 49ers’ three-game losing skid), Christian McCaffrey racked up 142 total yards (though his TD streak ends at 17 and one shy of making history), Samuel scored a rushing TD in his return, and George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk each had a TD, too.

But enough about this dynamic offence. Let’s talk about the defence. For most of this season, the unit struggled to play up to its reputation, the numbers not reflecting the talent of this group — that much has been particularly true when it comes to the pass rush. But that changed with Sunday’s five-sack performance against Jacksonville that also saw the Jaguars give up a pair of fumbles and two picks. Nick Bosa was dominant, posting one sack of his own and sharing another with his old Ohio State teammate and newest 49er, Chase Young. 

San Francisco’s deadline acquisition is already looking like a steal. 

Murray’s return brings big win for Cardinals — and bigger win for Bears

Kyler Murray is back, and he celebrated with a late-game drive to set up the walk-off field goal against the Atlanta Falcons to earn the Arizona Cardinals their second victory of the season. The win means the Cardinals, now 2-8 on the season, no longer hold the last-place position in the standings (and the first overall pick of 2024 that comes with it). That pick now belongs to the Bears, via the 1-8 Carolina Panthers. Chicago, whose own 3-7 record has them sitting fifth last, did themselves a favour by defeating the Panthers Thursday night and now have two wins on the week thanks to Arizona. 

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Even without their best weapon, Vikings are NFL’s hottest team

Josh Dobbs pulled off the magical comeback last Sunday, and in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints — his first start for the Vikings — the deadline acquisition propelled Minnesota to its fifth straight win. That’s the longest active win streak, keeping them within a single win of the Detroit Lions, who edged the L.A. Chargers in a shootout in Sunday’s late window. 

Sunday’s 27-19 win over the Saints saw New Orleans twice attempt a comeback when Jameis Winston, coming in for the injured Derek Carr, threw a pair of incredible touchdown passes. But the Vikings twice stymied the Saints, picking off two other ill-fated pass attempts from the backup. (The Jameis Winston experience is alive and well.)

Justin Jefferson watch is on… 

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