Week 10 Sunday brought a possible end to the Cowboys’ and Jets’ playoff hopes, an even more improbable escape for the Chiefs, the Steelers staying hot and foiling more Jayden Daniels late-game magic, the Falcons stumbling in New Orleans, and the Bucs falling short against the 49ers despite some Baker Mayfield heroics.
BAKER & RACHAAD KEEP IT ALIVE 🤯
📺: #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/9tQ4uwNm6s
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 10, 2024
The Athletic NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines and more.
Which teams’ fan base should be more disappointed with their team’s 2024 performance: the Cowboys or the Jets?
Jones: This is a tough one. Both teams had really high expectations, but I always felt like the Jets’ belief that they were Super Bowl contenders was unrealistic. Even with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, they had far too many issues, far too many things that could have gone wrong, and they play in a tough division featuring a legit contender in Buffalo. I didn’t see them going from basement-dweller to leapfrogging the Bills. So, I’m going to go with Dallas. Although I never buy Jerry Jones’ annual Super Bowl-or-Bust motto, the Cowboys were 12-5 last year, and they had reached the playoffs three straight seasons. To completely implode like this has to be pretty gutting for Cowboys fans, and the heavy investments in Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on the eve of the season only make things even more painful. The Cowboys had continuity. They should have been battling Philadelphia and Washington for NFC East supremacy. Instead, this team is just bad, and there’s no relief in sight.
Pompei: They both should be disappointed for different reasons. The Cowboys were coming off a 12-5 season and had reinvested in Prescott and Lamb. They appeared poised to take the next step. The Jets had Rodgers — one of pro football’s greatest quarterbacks — returning after almost an entire season missed. Then they made significant additions, trading for pass rusher Haason Reddick and signing wide receiver Mike Williams and offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson in the offseason, then acquiring Davante Adams a few weeks ago. Many thought they would be one of the most improved teams of the 2024 season, but nothing has gone their way. It’s a coin flip as to which fan bases should be most disappointed.
Nguyen: It’s got to be the Jets. The Cowboys’ offseason should have set the expectation for this team; they didn’t sign any notable free agents and strung out the process of paying Lamb, who missed training camp, and Prescott. Nothing they did in the offseason heightened the expectations for this team. Still, it’s a bit surprising that they’re this bad. As for the Jets, their defense was elite last season. They just needed better play from an offense that was getting Rodgers back and had upgraded the offensive line. Expectations were high. Now, they’ve fired their head coach and have fallen out of the playoff hunt. Their in-season trade for Adams has had little impact on winning and they gave up a third-round pick to get him. What’s worse: They look like they have a hard rebuild ahead of them.
After winning in Washington, the first game of a daunting second-half schedule, do the Pittsburgh Steelers belong in the Super Bowl conversation?
Jones: Getting a hard-fought win against a quality Washington team was big, but it doesn’t carry as much weight as a win over Baltimore next week would. The Steelers are certainly a playoff team, but let’s hold off for another few weeks before we declare them Super Bowl contenders (if they beat Baltimore, then you might be able to sway me). For now, I see the Steelers as good, but need to see more. We know this team has a balanced offense and a tough defense. They seem to have all of the elements necessary to contend. But keep in mind that only three of their seven victories have come against teams with winning records. This second half of the season will tell me a lot about this team — as noted, it’s a brutal stretch for Pittsburgh. But if they emerge from this run (Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Cincinnati, versus Cleveland, at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, versus Kansas City and Cincinnati) largely unscathed and atop the AFC North standings, then I’ll rank them among the Super Bowl contenders.
Nguyen: Let me first say: I was dead wrong about Russell Wilson. I did not think he would be an upgrade over Justin Fields based on what we saw in Denver, but he’s playing to his strengths: making good decisions on boot plays, throwing on the run, and launching moon balls. The Steelers offense is as good as it has been in years. Sunday was a huge win against a very good Washington team but it might have come at a cost. Edge Alex Highsmith hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter. With the Steelers’ edge depth already being tested, if Highsmith misses time, it could significantly affect the defense. T.J. Watt is already seeing a lot of double teams and chips. If opposing offenses can turn their attention completely to Watt, the defense could struggle. The Steelers have two tough games ahead of them, against the Ravens and Bengals, but they will also get to play the Browns twice in four games. Cleveland is getting healthier and has looked better with Jameis Winston at quarterback, but he’s still itching to throw interceptions. If the Steelers can make it out of the next four games 2-2, they’ll be in good shape. If they can beat the Ravens, they’ll be in really good shape. They need to set themselves up the best they can for the final four games, against the Eagles, Ravens again, Chiefs, and Bengals. I think we’ll see them in the playoffs.
Pompei: Here’s what we know about the Steelers: They are tough, resourceful and competitive — as every Mike Tomlin-coached team has been. Here’s what we don’t know: whether they have enough juice to consistently make big plays to win big games down the stretch. They will need to beat some daunting opponents (Baltimore? Philadelphia? Kansas City?) in order to get where they want to go. And whether they can do that depends somewhat on the play of Wilson, who has only started three games after bottoming out in Denver. Given their histories, the Steelers and their new quarterback have earned the benefit of the doubt.
The Chiefs survived again — this time by blocking a would-be game-winning chip-shot field goal against the Broncos. Setting aside how they compare to the rest of the NFL in 2024, how do you feel this year’s edition compares to the Chiefs teams of the past two seasons? Are they better or worse equipped for a Super Bowl run?
Pompei: We can beat up the Chiefs because their offense isn’t as impressive as past versions, but that would be shortsighted. This is a confident team that knows how to win. Good teams, remember, almost always get fortuitous bounces and kind calls. What the Chiefs do better than any team is they don’t beat themselves — in the NFL, that’s a really underrated quality. They also rise up in the moments that change games. There is every reason to believe the Chiefs will get better as the weather gets colder, especially their offense. Reinforcements are on the way. When the season is over, we might be saying this was the best of all the Mahomes-led Kansas City teams.
Jones: I wrote about this a couple weeks ago after their win over San Francisco, and it remains true today as the Chiefs improve to 9-0: The offensive fireworks that we came to expect from Kansas City might be lacking because of the absence of a consistent, field-stretching home run threat. But that doesn’t mean the Chiefs are no longer great. Patrick Mahomes remains as gifted and clutch as ever, and Andy Reid still has all of his unmatched creativity. In place of that explosive passing game is a more physical and consistent rushing attack and a dominant defense. This Chiefs team is more balanced and more well-rounded. In years past, you knew the Chiefs would light up the scoreboard, but you had to hope the porous defense could get a stop or two. Now that GM Brett Veach and Reid have worked to fortify this roster and correct weaknesses, you have a Chiefs team that, while not as prolific, is now more balanced. Another extremely important factor: All of the core players on this team are battle-tested and know what it takes to win. They don’t flinch. They weather storms and get the job done. And so, although the delivery may differ, this Chiefs team is just as equipped to make a Super Bowl run as any of the previous iterations.
Nguyen: The Chiefs have reached a point where it’s hard to judge them based on regular-season performance. At this point of the season last year they looked much worse, yet they ended up winning the Super Bowl. Their secondary isn’t as good as they were last season so the offense has to be better. They’re much more efficient — highest success rate in the league — than they were last season but they haven’t had a game when the offense just takes control. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins raises the ceiling for this offense; as he gets more comfortable I think that unit has a chance to be much better. The Chiefs are 9-0. It’s an ugly 9-0 but they’re setting themselves for home-field, and we’ve seen them flip the switch in the playoffs. As weird as it sounds, even with the ugly wins, I’m more confident in the Chiefs now than I’ve been at midseason the past few years.
We saw a … close battle in Munich between two teams with little short-term hope and quarterbacks on the brink. Keeping in mind the underwhelming QB draft class and lack of free-agent options coming up this offseason, do you expect Daniel Jones, Bryce Young, both quarterbacks, or neither quarterback to be starting (with their current teams or anywhere else) in Week 1 of the 2025 season?
Nguyen: Jones has had a long, long, long leash and even got a nice contract extension to prove that he could be the guy. It’s hard to imagine him getting another chance with the Giants, especially since the team was already flirting with quarterback prospects in this last draft cycle. Young has played a lot better ever since being reinserted into the starting lineup but I think he needs to continue to show improvement for them to commit to him — which is weird to say considering he was just drafted last year but impatience with young quarterbacks seems to be the trend around the league already. If Young starts reverting then I’d imagine the Panthers would have a serious conversation whether they should continue to invest in him.
Jones: Young will be starting for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. The second-year pro just needs time and improved support. He’s showing signs of growth. Maybe not dramatic signs, but he has indeed displayed improvement since returning to the starting lineup. Sunday’s showing (15-for-25 for 125 yards and a touchdown, plus two carries for 30 yards) wasn’t sexy, but he played within himself, made solid decisions, and above all, took care of the football. The Panthers have their first win streak since Week 3 of the 2021 season — insane. The remainder of this Carolina season is all about Young’s development. If he can continue to take these baby steps forward, he will have something to build on for 2025 when, hopefully for his sake, the Panthers will have improved the roster around him so he doesn’t feel like it’s all on him. Now, as far as Jones, who threw two more interceptions and no touchdowns in the loss … we’ve seen enough. It’s not going to get any better. I wouldn’t bet on him starting next year. Yes, a number of teams will need quarterbacks, and it’s true this isn’t a strong draft or free agency class at QB, but I can’t see the Giants sticking with him, or any team desperate enough to acquire Jones with the goal of using him as a starter.
Pompei: The most likely scenario is both QBs will begin the 2025 season with new teams as backups. It might be difficult for the Giants and Panthers to justify bringing the quarterbacks back, but both have enough potential to merit interest, time and resources from new teams. The formula of taking a step back with a new team to take a step forward has worked recently (see Sam Darnold and Mayfield). Young and Jones will be starters again given their abilities and the supply and demand problems at the position. If they end up in beneficial circumstances, they may even make their old teams regret giving up on them.
Revisiting the now-struggling NFC South: Was dropping a road game to a Saints team whose front office has already waved the white flag give you pause when it comes to the Falcons holding off the Bucs in the division?
Jones: This was essentially a trap game for the Falcons. It’s not uncommon for a team with an interim head coach to have a temporary fire lit under it and win a game it shouldn’t have. Then, throw in the fact that this was a divisional game, which can always be a little wonky, and this Falcons loss isn’t all that surprising. Atlanta is still a solid team. They’re not great. They’re not dominant. But they do a lot of things well. They still have a good shot at winning the NFC South. They’re also helped by the fact that the injury-riddled Buccaneers lost their fourth straight game today. If Tampa can get healthy, then we’ll see these two teams battle it out for the divisional title in the final weeks of the regular season.
Nguyen: Luckily for the Falcons, the Bucs also lost a game to a last-second field goal. The Bucs are down two games, were swept by the Falcons and are dealing with a ton of injuries. The Falcons have a bad defense and a quarterback who can’t move. Those issues are going to show up in some games — I wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons beat any team in the league and I wouldn’t be surprised if they dropped a game to any team. Mayfield has been playing well without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin but it hasn’t translated to wins. The Falcons will have three games in a row against teams without losing records and the Bucs will have three games against teams with losing records after their bye week. This should be the most critical stretch for the NFC South.
Pompei: The Falcons are allowed a mulligan. They look like a good team, not a great one (which you could say about almost every midseason contender) — meaning they have to do the little things well every week in order to prevail. Their schedule is reasonably kind down the stretch, and 10 wins are well within reach. With two victories over the Bucs in their back pocket, they are well-positioned to take the division. If they don’t, it will be on them.
(Top photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
