NFL Week 10 grades: Commanders earn ‘A+’ for shocking undefeated Eagles; Tom Brady’s Buccaneers get an ‘A-‘ – CBSSports.com
The Buccaneers might want to see if they can get all of their games moved to Germany.
With the team in an offensive rut, the trip to Munich seemed to fix nearly everything as Tampa Bay held off Seattle 21-16 in what was the NFL‘s first regular-season game ever played in Germany.
After struggling for most of the past seven weeks, the Buccaneers finally caught fire on the offensive side of the ball: They had their longest run of the season (29 yards), their longest touchdown play of the season (31 yards) and Tom Brady actually looked like Tom Brady.
Although Brady did throw an interception late in the game, he was on point on nearly every other throw as he completed 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, marking just the second time this year he’s thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game.
Brady’s first TD pass was a big one: On a third-and-10 in the second quarter, the Buccaneers were staring at the possibility of a field goal attempt, but then Brady found Julio Jones for a 31-yard TD.
JULIOOOOOO 🔥
📺: #SEAvsTB on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/M32DOwdJzl pic.twitter.com/8J75bTxWzu
— NFL (@NFL)
That touchdown gave the Buccaneers an early 7-0 lead and they never looked back. If you’re wondering how bad Tampa Bay’s offense had been this season, just consider this: Jones’ score was the longest touchdown of the year for the Bucs. Before that play, the Buccaneers’ longest TD came from just 28 yards out. Jones finished with three catches for 53 yards on a day where three different receivers went over the 50-yard mark.
If you want a taste of how accurate Brady was, here’s a 25-yard pass he through to Cade Otton in the third quarter.
.@TomBrady‘s putting on a show for Germany.
📺: #SEAvsTB on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/M32DOwdJzl pic.twitter.com/1vme5y80uc
— NFL (@NFL)
Although Brady was huge, he wasn’t the only reason why Tampa Bay’s offense was so effective. The Buccaneers’ rushing attack finally showed up and it helped Tampa Bay control the game.
Going into Week 10, the Bucs were on pace to be the worst rushing team in NFL history with an average of just 60.7 yards per game through the first nine weeks. In Germany, they had more than 2.5 times that total with a season-high 161 yards.
Rachaad White, who hadn’t rushed for more than 27 yards in any game this season, shocked everyone with a 105-yard performance. The rookie even had one of the most electrifying plays of the game when he stiff-armed Quandre Diggs out of the stadium on a 29-yard run, which was the longest running play of the season for the Buccaneers.
White also iced the game with 34 rushing yards on Tampa Bay’s game-sealing drive.
The Buccaneers haven’t looked like one of the top teams in the NFC through the first 10 weeks, but they still have Brady and they still have a talented roster. With their win over the NFC West’s first-place team, the Buccaneers are proving they could be a dangerous team down the stretch. In 2020, the Bucs had five losses heading into their bye before eventually winning the Super Bowl and with Sunday’s win in Germany moving them to 5-5, that’s exactly where they are heading into this year’s bye.
Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 10. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Panthers‘ win over the Falcons that was played Thursday, be sure to click here.
Washington 32-21 over Philadelphia
| A+ | |
| The Commanders pulled off a shocker in Philadelphia and they did it by playing nearly perfectly in every phase of the game. Washington held the ball for more than 40 minutes, which kept the Eagles’ high-powered offense off the field. The Commanders were able to control the clock thanks to a rushing attack that carried the ball 49 times, which was Washington’s highest total since 2002. Brian Robinson (79 yards) and Antonio Gibson (44 yards) were the perfect one-two punch and they consistently came up with big runs when Washington needed them. Terry McLaurin also came up with several clutch catches on a night where he caught eight passes for 128 yards. Defensively, the Commanders came up with two big fumble recoveries in the fourth quarter that helped Washington seal the win. Even the kicking game came up big as Joey Slye hit four clutch field goals (32, 44, 55, 58). The Commanders’ bruising rushing attack and stingy defense led Washington to the win and time will tell if they showed the rest of the NFL how to beat the Eagles. The most important thing for the Commanders is that this win puts them firmly in the NFC playoff race. | |
| C- | |
| The Eagles’ undefeated season finally came to an end and they only have themselves to blame for the loss. Although the Eagles struggled early in the game, they had three different possessions in the fourth quarter where they could have taken the lead, but those ended with a fumble, a fumble and a punt. The Eagles turned the ball over four times overall, which is almost impossible to believe when you consider that they only had three turnovers through the first nine weeks of the season. Philadelphia’s time of possession was just 19:31, which was the team’s lowest since 2015. The Eagles are now 0-15 in franchise history when they possess the ball for less than 20 minutes. One reason the time of possession was so low is because the defense couldn’t get the Commanders off the field on third down (Washington converted 12 of 21 times on third down.) The Eagles are still one of the best teams in the NFC, but this loss proves that they’re not invincible. | |
Commanders-Eagles grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tampa Bay 21-16 over Seattle in Germany
| B- | |
| This game kicked off at 6:30 a.m. ET on the body clocks for Seattle’s players and they definitely played like that early on. The Seahawks ended up sleep-walking through most of the first half. Not only did they punt on all five of their possessions, but they scored zero points and totaled just 57 yards in the game’s first two quarters. By the time they woke up in the second half, it was too little, too late. The Seahawks were almost able to rally thanks to two interceptions from the defense, but an ugly fumble by Geno Smith at Tampa Bay’s 9-yard line late in the third quarter killed any chances of a comeback. The good news for the Seahawks is that they’ll now have a bye to figure out what went wrong in Germany. | |
| A- | |
| As good as the Buccaneers were on offense in this game, their defense might have been better. Not only did the Bucs absolutely shut down Seattle’s rushing attack — holding the Seahawks to just 39 yards on the ground — but they smothered Geno Smith, sacking him three times. The Buccaneers defense was at its best on third down, limited the Seahawks to just one conversion on nine attempts. The defense did struggle some in the second half, but it also came up with a huge fumble recovery in the third quarter that shut down a Seahawks drive that had reached Tampa Bay’s 9-yard line. | |
Seahawks-Buccaneers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 33-30 over Buffalo (OT)
| A- | |
| The Vikings (8-1) pulled off one of the most shocking wins of the NFL season and it was almost all thanks to Justin Jefferson and Patrick Peterson. The receiver came up with big catch after big catch after big catch on a day where he caught 10 passes for 193 yards and a TD. One of his receptions came on a fourth-and-18 and it very well might end up going down as the best catch by any player this year (You can see the play here). As for Peterson, he picked off Josh Allen twice, including an interception in overtime that won the game for the Vikings. Going into this game, the Vikings didn’t really have a statement win on the season, but they definitely made a statement on Sunday and that statement is that this team is a Super Bowl contender. | |
| B- | |
| Josh Allen is probably going to feel sick when he watches film of this game. The Bills (6-3) were leading 27-10 with less than two minutes left to play in the third quarter, but that lead slowly melted away due to mistakes by Allen. The Bills QB turned the ball over three times in the final 11 minutes and the biggest one came on a fumbled snap at the 1-yard line with just 41 seconds left to play that allowed Minnesota to take a 30-27 lead. Allen also threw two interceptions after the Bills had driven inside of Minnesota’s 20-yard line, including a pick in OT that cost the Bills the game. The good news for the Bills is that Allen looked healthy after dealing with an elbow issue all week. The bad news is that they’ve now lost two straight games, which has caused them to drop all the way down to the sixth seed in the AFC. | |
Vikings-Bills grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Detroit 31-30 over Chicago
| B+ | |
| This team has shown some grit under Dan Campbell, and now, that grit is finally translating to wins. The Lions (3-6) looked to be left for dead in a game where they were trailing 24-10 with 11 minutes to play, but the offense and defense both came up big to help Detroit get the shocking win. Jeff Okudah had a pick-six that tied things up and then Jared Goff engineered a 91-yard TD drive in the final five minutes to get Detroit the win. Amon-Ra St. Brown played a big part in the Lions’ success with 10 catches for 119 yards. This win marked the Lions’ first victory on the road since 2019 and if they can win on the road, Cambell might have finally convinced them that they can beat anyone, anywhere at any time. | |
| B- | |
| Justin Fields was nearly perfect in this game, but he did make one big mistake and that came on a pick-six in the fourth quarter that allowed the Lions to tie the game up at 24 with just 10:29 left to play. Besides that, Fields had a field day: Not only did the Bears QB throw two TD passes, but he also rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears (3-7) didn’t win, but the good news is that it appears that they finally found the franchise quarterback that they’ve spent decades looking for. | |
Lions-Bears grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Kansas City 27-17 over Jacksonville
Jaguars-Chiefs grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Miami 39-17 over Cleveland
| D- | |
| The Browns scored the first touchdown of this game, but then everything fell apart after that for them. After the score, the Browns ended the first half with a lost fumble, a failed fourth down and a punt. By the time the offense started moving the ball in the second half, the Browns were already trailing 24-7 and there was no way they were coming back from that. The Browns simply had no answers for a high-powered Dolphins offense that put up nearly 500 yards. At 3-6 and with games against the Bills and Buccaneers coming up, the Browns are going to have to pull off an upset or two in the next two weeks if they want any chance at being relevant when Deshaun Watson returns. | |
| A | |
| For the past two weeks, the Dolphins (7-3) have been forced to win shootouts because the defense has been struggling, but that wasn’t the case this week. The defense absolutely shut down Nick Chubb while sacking Jacoby Brissett three times. The unit also came up with three big fourth-down stops while also forcing a huge turnover in the first quarter after the Browns had driven inside Miami’s 35-yard line. If the defense catches up to the offense, the Dolphins could become the team to beat in a suddenly wide-open AFC East. Speaking of the offense, it continues to be on fire. The Dolphins have now scored 30 points or more in three straight games for the first time since 2009. | |
Browns-Dolphins grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
N.Y. Giants 24-16 over Houston
Texans-Giants grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Pittsburgh 20-10 over New Orleans
Saints-Steelers grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 17-10 over Denver
Broncos-Titans grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Indianapolis 25-20 over Las Vegas
Colts-Raiders grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Green Bay 31-28 over Dallas (OT)
Cowboys-Packers grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Arizona 27-17 over L.A. Rams
| B+ | |
| All things considered, the offense actually played pretty well. DeAndre Hopkins had nearly 100 yards despite playing against Jalen Ramsey and despite the fact that he had a backup QB (Colt McCoy) throwing him passes. With Kyler Murray out, the Cardinals also needed a big performance from their defense and they got that from a unit that recorded three sacks while also forcing two turnovers. This is a big win for the struggling Cardinals (4-6). | |
| C- | |
| The Rams have struggled all season and this week was no different. They had backup John Wolford in for Matthew Stafford who was out with a concussion and the lack of experience was clear. With Wolford running the show, the Rams (3-6) could barely move the ball and when you add in the fact that Cooper Kupp got injured, it was a hopeless day for a Rams team that now feels like it’s in the middle of a hopeless season. | |
Cardinals-Rams grades by Shanna McCarriston (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let her know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 22-16 over L.A. Chargers
| C+ | |
| The Chargers (5-4) went into this game banged up on both sides of the ball and their lack of depth definitely showed, especially in the second half. Offensively, the Chargers had a disastrous second half where they scored zero points while putting up 52 total yards. When the Chargers are healthy, they have a lot of talent, but they’re not healthy right now and because of that, it’s hard for them to beat good teams like the 49ers and things won’t get any easier next week when they face the Chiefs. | |
| B | |
| The 49ers (5-4) got off to a slow start, but once the second half started, everything seemed to click for San Francisco. Jimmy Garoppolo kept the Chargers guessing by completing 19 passes to seven different receivers. Garoppolo also had a rushing TD on a QB sneak late in the first half. Defensively, the 49ers kept the pressure on Justin Herbert, making it nearly impossible for the Chargers QB to make any big plays. The 49ers defense was so dominating in the second half that they held the Chargers to just 52 yards. When the 49ers are playing their best, they’re nearly impossible to beat and they were at the top of their game in the second half. | |
Chargers-49ers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
This content was originally published here.
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