NFL Week 10 contenders: Sunday considers Eagles, Bears, Browns
It’s already Week 10 of the NFL season. If you need help picking players, see why Lorenzo favors the Browns, Bears and Eagles.
The second half of the 2025 NFL regular season began Thursday night in Denver, with the Broncos overcoming an ugly 10-7 loss to the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders. Or so we’re told…maybe we spent most of the time sleeping, or watching a “Superman” marathon on HBO, or some combination thereof.
But you’re here for NFL content and information, not kryptonite. That’s exactly what the football looks like for Denver’s offense. Oops, I got off track again.
Let’s identify the winners and losers from this effort (aside from those of us in charge of analysis).
winner
Broncos’ playoff hopes
The AFC West leaders were already in good form going into the evening. And their situation is improving, with ugly wins counting just as much as beautiful ones. Denver, currently 8-2, is projected to be the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, a half-game behind the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.
Stainless steelless secondary
Denver improved to 2-0 without injured cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the current NFL Defensive Player of the Year, who is still recovering from a chest injury. it doesn’t matter. The Broncos D held the Raiders to 188 yards and added six sacks to his league-leading total (46 yards).
orange crush uniform
The Broncos brought back the 1970s era last season and improved to 4-0. Looks good, plays well? Yeah, but Denver sure is. Saw good. It might be time to take a cue from the New York Jets. Who wouldn’t take a cue from the 2029 Super Bowl champions? – and make the throwback a full-time look. once again.
prime video set
I don’t usually pay much attention to NFL pre- and post-game broadcasts, or streams. But I appreciate the staff of Carissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, and Richard Sherman for not taking themselves too seriously, especially when they’re busy with a game like this. Rather than delving into how bad Denver’s offense was, Fitzpatrick and Whitworth spent much of the postgame show playing Jenga with Amazon tiles.
panter
Las Vegas’ AJ Cole and Denver’s Jeremy Croshaw had 14 punts covering nearly 600 yards in the thin Denver air. As a kid who spent several years in Europe, I can tell you that this is the kind of contest that local NFL Europe fans were obsessed with.
loser
Raiders punter and kicker
For Cole and K Daniel Carlson, it wasn’t a complete commitment to excellence. With about 90 seconds left in the third quarter, Cole had his punt blocked deep in Las Vegas territory. The Broncos, stationed at the Raiders’ own 12-yard line, obviously couldn’t handle the ball, but they were close enough for Will Lutz to make a 32-yard leadoff field goal. Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 4:30 left.
Geno Smith
Battered, bruised, frustrated and on the verge of losing faith in teammate Raheem Mostert, the Raiders quarterback hung on until the end, despite playing with an obvious leg injury late in the game. Smith is currently 2-7 and a starter for his new club.
offensive soccer
It was a windy night in the Mile High City. And the Broncos’ defense is arguably the best in the league, by far the best among elite units. Raiders D? It wasn’t much, but they played inspired ball Thursday…helped by Denver’s reckless offense. Aside from the 17 points, both teams had just 408 total yards, three turnovers, and 22 penalties, many of which were offensive (get it?). The Broncos did not generate a first down until about five minutes left in the second quarter.
bo nicks
The Broncos’ second-year quarterback completed 16 of 28 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also made an impact in the running game, which could not offset his passing performance. Knicks surprisingly played some exciting football as a rookie and led this team to the 2024 postseason. But if the man with the shortest name in NFL history doesn’t shake off a severe sophomore slump and play well in the second half, Denver could be in the 2025 playoffs in very short order.
kansas city chiefs
If they can’t catch up with the Broncos, who continue to expand their lead in KC, their streak of winning the AFC West will be at risk of ending at nine. The Chiefs received a bye in Week 10, and the teams’ next game will be in Denver on November 16th, but even if Patrick Mahomes and co. win, they will still be 1.5 games behind the Broncos. If the season ended today, which it actually doesn’t, the reigning AFC champion Chiefs would not qualify for the playoffs.
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