We’re over halfway through the 2024 NFL season now that Week 9 has wrapped up. It’s felt like the last few weeks have gone by in the blink of an eye, but the good news is that the action should only get better in the home stretch. Divisional races are getting close and the list of true Super Bowl contenders is getting thin. Week 10 is a critical time for teams to either separate themselves in the standings or attempt one last effort to turn the season around, so let’s dive into some of the biggest things that happened in Week 9 before moving into our Week 10 best bets.
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NFL Week 9 Headlines
Week 9 was full of action from start to finish. Starting with the primetime battle between CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers on Thursday Night Football and finishing with perhaps the best edition of Monday Night Football yet, Week 9 was exhilarating. Here are just three of the biggest takeaways from last week.
Saints Lose 7th Straight Game
The return of Derek Carr didn’t go smoothly. Carr returned to the Saints amid a six-game losing streak and it still wasn’t enough to earn a win. The Saints fell to Bryce Young and the Panthers in Carolina which was the final straw for Dennis Allen. The Saints head coach was fired after the game as New Orleans is desperately looking for a way to break their losing streak. It was understandable for the Saints to struggle with Carr out, but now that their star QB is back, is there any excuse for losing to the Panthers? After starting the season 2-0, this is about as bad of a nightmare as it gets for the Saints. Is it time to wave the white flag in New Orleans?
Titans Spoil An Incredible Drake Maye Comeback
Patriots fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about this season. However, Drake Maye has certainly given the fans a lot of hope with the way he’s been playing. The rookie has shown flashes of brilliance in the pocket and his calmness under duress has been extremely impressive. It might be even more impressive that he’s been able to find success with an extremely young and below-average receiving corps.
A good example of that happened in Week 9 when Maye led the Patriots downfield with the clock ticking away, and on the final play of the game, Maye scrambled around the pocket and bought time before finding Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone to send the game to overtime in what was one of the best plays of the season. Sadly, Maye’s comeback was ruined by the Titans in overtime.
Chiefs Remain Undefeated With Overtime Win
Last week’s edition of Monday Night Football featured Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in Kansas City to take on the undefeated Chiefs. It seemed hard to imagine that the Buccaneers could keep up with Kansas City’s offense considering that Tampa Bay was without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, but Mayfield was impressive from the start.
It was a close game from kickoff to the fourth quarter and it came down to Mayfield needing to go nearly the length of the field in two minutes and score a touchdown to tie the game and send it to overtime. Mayfield did just that and leveled the game with just 27 seconds remaining. However, the Chiefs won the toss in overtime and scored a touchdown on their opening possession which kept their hopes of an undefeated season intact.
Week 10 Storylines
Week 10 might be one of the most important weeks of the season. It features the return of some superstars along with international games and divisional rivalries, so here are some of the biggest storylines ahead of Week 10.
The Long-Awaited Season Debut Of Christian Mccaffrey?
Christian McCaffrey was a late scratch in Week 1 and hasn’t appeared since. The superstar running back was reportedly dealing with a calf injury in training camp but the severity of the injury was unknown. His late scratch in Week 1 was concerning, but that was just the start. McCaffrey has been dealing with Achilles tendinitis for several months and even went to see a specialist in Germany for recovery options. Fortunately for the Niners, CMC returned to practice this week and could play in Sunday’s game if practice goes well. Fantasy football owners are rejoicing at the news.
Giants Vs Panthers In Germany For Week 10
International games return in Week 10, but it’s not in Brazil or the United Kingdom this time. The New York Giants and Carolina Panthers will play in Munich, Germany as part of the NFL World Tour. Both teams are 2-7 so the Germans aren’t getting the best game of the week, but a battle between Daniel Jones and Bryce Young is certainly going to be interesting. Make sure you set your alarm clock on Sunday because this game kicks off at 9:30 AM ET.
Nico Collins Returns For Texans On Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football will feature the Detroit Lions in the Lone Star State to take on the Houston Texans. Detroit has become a legitimate Super Bowl contender as they are 7-1 and just traded for Za'Darius Smith to strengthen their defensive line. As for the Texans, it’s been an up-and-down season. Stefon Diggs tore his ACL recently and Nico Collins has been on the IR with a hamstring injury, but he’s expected to be activated ahead of this primetime game. The return of Collins should make things easier on CJ Stroud and Tank Dell and also lighten the load on Joe Mixon. But is it enough to upset the Lions?
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NFL Week 10 best bets
Let’s get into our NFL best bets for the Week 10 slate.
Detroit Lions vs Houston Texans Over 49.5 (-110)
The Lions have arguably the best offense in football. Detroit is averaging over 32 points per game this season and hasn’t scored less than 24 points since September 22. It’s been pretty hard for teams to stop the two-headed monster of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield while also trying to contain Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. Plus, the Texans are expected to activate Collins for the primetime matchup which gives Stroud his favorite target back. With all of these playmakers on the field, this game could soar past 50 points.
Miami Dolphins +2.5 over LA Rams (-110)
Tua Tagovailoa is officially back for the Dolphins and hope has returned to Miami. It was a pretty rough few weeks without Tua, but things are back to normal now. Since returning, Tagovailoa has thrown for 465 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. De’Von Achane has been dangerous on the ground and through the air, and Tyreek Hill is back to making big plays and shredding defenses. I’m expecting Tua and the Dolphins to take advantage of the Rams' weak defense, so I’ll happily take the points with Miami.
