NFL Week 10 Reactions: Minnesota stock, Bears have their QB, Mahomes

This past week might have been the best product of NFL action this season. The 2022 season has been odd, to say the least, and there was more of that in week 10, but the football played was actually good. There were still perplexing and bone-headed mistakes, but this weekend was filled with great NFL action.

NFL Week 10 Reactions: Sell your stock on Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings may be 8-1 and are coming off an impressive comeback win over the Bills, but Minnesota is fortunate that they have only lost one game this season. During Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak, the Vikings have overcome five different fourth quarter deficits.

Those include trailing by 10 to Detroit, three points to the Saints in London, one point to Chicago, 10 points at Washington, and 10 points at Buffalo. This trend is not sustainable, and the Vikings cannot continue to depend on pulling a rabbit out of the hat every week.

Not only are the Vikings having to come back on a regular basis, but there are plays within these sequences that are so ridiculous and will not happen again. For instance, Justin Jefferson’s one-handed catch on fourth-and-19 is something that will happen once out of 10 attempts.

It was a desperation heave by Kirk Cousins that had no business being caught. Another play from this past week occurred after the Vikings were stuffed at the one-yard line. Minnesota seemed to run out of impractical avenues to win, but Josh Allen fumbled the snap and the Vikings recovered for a touchdown. Then, after forcing overtime, and driving down the field with no resistance, Allen forced a throw into the endzone, throwing a costly interception.

Unless the Vikings convincingly beat Dallas this week, I will not be sold on this team. Kirk Cousins has a clear ceiling, and he is due for a huge mistake that costs his team a game. That could be coming in the playoffs. Minnesota is a prime candidate to be one-and-done in the playoffs.

NFL Week 10 Reactions: Chicago Bears have their quarterback

Justin Fields has been on a tear the last few weeks, and that continued in week 10 against the Lions. There may be some people who still think this is a fluke, and that is understandable with the opponents the Bears have come across the past month, but Fields is showing that “it factor”.

He may not be playing the quarterback position conventionally, but when he has to make a play with his arm or legs, he ends up making it more times than not. After rushing for 178 yards in week nine against the Dolphins, Fields collected 147 yards with his feet on 13 carries, including a 67-yard touchdown.

The 23-year-old quarterback has definitely shown progression in his game, and things seem to be slowing down a bit for him. Before this recent play, Fields was struggling mightily with throwing the ball, and he is still a work in progress in that area, but he is making plays out of nothing.

It is also important to remember that Fields is doing this with a less-than-supporting cast. Darnell Mooney is very solid, Cole Kmet is solid, the running backs are more than serviceable, and we are still waiting for Chase Claypool to find his footing in this offense, but other than that, there is nothing to write home about.

A reason why I am a huge believer in the Bears next season is of course the development of Fields, but also the fact that Chicago has an incredible opportunity to build a strong roster around their quarterback with the number of resources at their disposal this offseason (Over $100 million in cap space and eight draft picks). Fields still has room to improve as a passer, but he has shown that he is a starting quarterback in this league, and I anticipate him to continue that and take another step forward in 2023.

NFL Week 10 Reactions: Patrick Mahomes is the MVP and best quarterback in the NFL

There is always a conversation about quarterbacks overtaking Patrick Mahomes as the best quarterback in the league, and Josh Allen has been talked about more than anyone this season. Leading up to the season, and for much of the season, Allen has been prematurely crowned as the best signal-caller in the league, but have people forgotten what Mahomes has achieved so far in his early career?

Mahomes is already a league MVP, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, and has hosted four straight AFC Championship games. This does not include all the historical statistical numbers he has posted.

Losing Tyreek Hill seemed to be one of the main reasons why people doubted Mahomes this season, but he is proving that he makes the weapons around him better. Through nine games, Mahomes has 2,936 yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while leading the Chiefs’ offense in averaging 30 points per game, ranking the best in the league.

Mahomes has been so consistent that people are starting to take his production for granted. If he does not post extraordinary statistical numbers, it somehow becomes less impressive. Allen may be the most talented quarterback in the NFL, but I will take Mahomes every day of the week in crucial situations. It is evident that Allen and the Bills crumble when games get tight, and that has happened in the last two weeks.

The Bills with Josh Allen as their quarterback are 13-19 in one-possession games. Meanwhile, Mahomes has a 59.1 winning percentage when trailing by double figures. One quarterback seems to only play with a substantial lead, while the other thrives in adverse situations.

Mahomes has been labeled as a gunslinging quarterback, but do we not realize that he takes incredible care of the football? The 27-year-old quarterback has 35 interceptions through four-and-a-half seasons.

Let’s say Mahomes throws five more interceptions the rest of the season, bringing his career total to 40 – that is an average of eight interceptions per season. It’s not like he is playing conservative either. Mahomes is always looking down the field but has shown the ability to check the ball down when it’s available.

This quarterback discussion is not even a discussion at this point. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league, and right now, is the MVP. Of course, that can change with a lot of football to be played, but I would put my money on Mahomes.