A Look Back at the NFL's Week 10

Giants Beat Eagles, Brady Quinn Starts, Titans Win, Pats Beat Bills

Nov 9, 2008

Week 10 action in the NFL sees one team remain perfect, one team remain winless, one quarterback start and lose his first game, and several divisional rivalries heat up

New York Defeats Philadelphia in Another Classic NFC East Rivalry Game

This game provided all the action fans have come to expect when these two teams face off. The scoring started early for the Eagles when DeSean Jackson ran a direct snap nine yards for a TD following an INT of an Eli Manning pass on the Giants' first possession. But the Giants marched down the field on their second possession for a TD reception by Plaxico Burress that tied the score. They then jumped out to a 10-point lead before Donovan McNabb was able to lead the Eagles back to within three before halftime, 20-17. The Eagles grabbed the lead again in the second half when Hank Baskett caught a seven-yard TD pass from McNabb, but the Giants snatched it back by scoring 16 unanswered points to push the score to 36-24. On the Eagles' next possession, McNabb brought them within five points on a two-yard TD pass to Kevin Curtis. The Eagles defense then held the Giants on the next sequence and got the ball back with 3:14 left in the game. They were able to get it to their 45-yard line but Brian Westbrook came up short on 3rd-and-3 and 4th-and-1 runs to turnover possession and seal the 36-31 win for the Giants. Westbrook was held to just 26 rushing yards while Brandon Jacobs ran wild on the Eagles, collecting 126 yards and two TDs. McNabb finished 17/36 for 194 yards, three TDs and one INT, while Manning was 17/31 for 191 yards, two TDs and one INT. The Eagles will visit the Giants in Week 14.

Washington and Dallas had Week 10 off. The Cowboys will visit the Redskins next Sunday night.

Quinn Finally Gets His Chance to Start for the Browns and Plays Well in Loss

In Week 9, Cleveland QB Derek Anderson left the field after throwing an interception late in his team's loss to a chorus of cheers from the home crowd. "Bra-dy, Bra-dy," the crowd chanted, letting their desire be known (and not for the first time) that they wanted to see the former Notre Dame star QB Cleveland had drafted in the 2007 NFL draft. Well they got their wish in Week 10 and, despite a 34-30 loss to the Denver Broncos (5-4), witnessed the potential of Brady Quinn as he finished 23-for-35 for 239 yards, two TDs and no INTs. But Broncos QB Jay Cutler spoiled the party for Quinn as he was threw for a career-high 447 yards and three TDs. Cutler finished with a 107.9 QB rating; Quinn's was 104.3. Cleveland (3-6) will face the Buffalo Bills next Monday and Quinn will again get the start.

Tennessee decided to do things a little differently in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears (5-4) to remain undefeated at 9-0. Instead of relying on the running game that has rushed for 16 TDs this season the Titans leaned on the arm of QB Kerry Collins who threw his 6th and 7th TD passes of the season and the first since Week 5 in the 21-14 victory. Collins finished the game 30-for-41 for 289 yards. It was the first game of the season in which he's has passed for over 200 yards. The Titans knew what was in store when facing the NFL's fourth-ranked run defense of the Bears as they amassed a measly 20 yards on the ground.

While Tennessee overcame their shortcomings the hapless Detroit Lions were completely taken advantage of by the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) in a lopsided 34-14 defeat. The loss dropped the Lions to 0-9 on the season, the franchise's worst start to a season since losing their first 12 games in 2001. Jaguars QB David Garrard threw two TD passes while RB Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for a career-high three scores. Jacksonville wanted desperately to avoid losing to the Lions as it was just last week that they were on the losing side of the Cincinnati Bengals' first win of the season.

New England Defeats Buffalo and Stays Atop the AFC East

Last season, no one in the AFC East challenged the Patriots. This season is a little different. Yes, they're missing their number-one weapon in QB Tom Brady, but the teams fighting them for the AFC East title have also improved. In 2007, no other team in the division had a winning record. On Sunday, New England perhaps sent a message to their close company in the division that they still may be tops. Rookie RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 105 yards and a TD while Brady's backup, Matt Cassell, rushed for the other TD score in a 20-10 win over the Bills. The win moved the Patriots to 6-3 and dropped the Bills into second place in the AFC East at 5-4. The New York Jets crushed the St. Louis Rams 47-3 and moved into a first-place tie with the Patriots at 6-3 while the Miami Dolphins edged the Seattle Seahawks 21-19 and are tied with the Bills at 5-4. While the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins are all 2-1 in their divisional match-ups this year, the Bills are 0-3. The Jets and Patriots will meet for the second time this year next Sunday. New England won their Week 2 game 19-10.

Harrington's Headlines from Other Games Around the League

The San Francisco 49ers (2-6) visit the Arizona Cardinals (5-3) in Monday night's game. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 23-13 in Week 1.

The copyright of the article A Look Back at the NFL's Week 10 in National Football League (NFL) is owned by Justin Harrington. Permission to republish A Look Back at the NFL's Week 10 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.