NFL Overreactions Week 10
Sports Seriously’s Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the wildest games in NFL Week 10.
Sports Seriously
The Philadelphia Eagles are flying away with first place in the NFC East following a 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders.
It wasn’t pretty, but Philadelphia got the job done to improve to 8-2 on the season. The Commanders dropped to 7-4 and theirs dreams of becoming division champions are beginning to fade. Thursday night didn’t look like a battle for first place, but rather an ode to the days of the “NFC Least.”
Saquon Barkley continued to shine, rushing for 146 yards and posting two touchdowns while falling inches short of a third. If it wasn’t clear by now, the Eagles will go as Barkley goes. The playoff push is on, but these Eagles will need to clean it up if they want to make some noise in January … and February.
The upstart Commanders couldn’t get anything going on Thursday night, but were able to mostly measure up against a far better opponent. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the Commanders are on the fast track to success in an area where everything moves at a snail’s pace.
Here’s a look at how the action unfolded on Thursday night:
Zane Gonzalez doesn’t have the magic foot as it’s easily recovered by Dallas Goedert. The curtain is now closed and the Eagles will run out the clock to hold onto first place in the NFC East.
The curtains are almost closed, but not entirely. Ertz finds the end zone against his former team and collects the two-point conversion for the Octopus to cut the Eagles’ lead to eight. With just 28 seconds to go, Washington will need to recover an onside kick to have a chance. Eagles 26, Commanders 18.
That was quick. Barkley gets his second touchdown in the last 20 seconds with a 39-yard run. It’s curtains for Washington. Eagles 26, Commanders 10.
The wheels are completely off for the Commanders now, as Daniels tosses an interception to Blankenship. Philly can chew the clock and relax the rest of the way.
Saquon Barkley might’ve just put this one on ice. He rushes in from 23 yard out to put Philly up 19-10 with just 4:58 to go. Dallas Goedert had the big 31-yard catch on this drive (though he nearly fumbled and was saved by fellow tight end Grant Calcaterra). After Washington’s failed fourth-down try, it’ll take a big effort to have a chance in this one. Eagles 19, Commanders 10.
Faced with the opportunity to take the lead, Washington elected to roll the dice and go for it on fourth down. The play is blown up in the backfield, with Jayden Daniels running out of room on the sidelines.
The Eagles have finally broken through. Jalen Hurts finds pay dirt with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The patented “Brotherly Shove,” or “Tush Push,” gets the job done once again. That moment of jubilation is short-lived, however. Jake Elliott continues his night to forget by pulling the extra point wide left. These things typically come back to haunt teams, so Washington might be feeling good now despite being down. Eagles 12, Commanders 10.
Another fast-paced quarter comes to an end with really no changes. The Commanders are still nursing a four-point lead, while the Eagles’ offense continues to be nothing but empty calories.
If the Eagles were a car, they’d be getting checked out by the mechanic. Philly just can’t stop stalling out, this time wasting a 74-yard drive to settle for three from Jake Elliott. The kicker is money from inside 50, knocking through this 31-yard try. Saquon Barkley’s catch-and-run for 43 yards will be merely a blip on the highlight reel, but nothing good truly came out of it. Commanders 10, Eagles 6.
Washington scores on its opening drive of the second half, finishing it off with a 45-yard field goal from Gonzalez. Commanders 10, Eagles 3.
A tough first half for the Philadelphia Eagles ended with a major injury scare.
Despite controlling the time of possession and nearly running double the amount of plays, the Eagles trailed the Washington Commanders 7-3 at halftime. But the images at the end of the half were even more alarming.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts was seen in the blue medical tent, presumably with the independent neurologist.
Thankfully for the Eagles, he jogged off the field at halftime and was cleared to return after a concussion evaluation.
The teams traded punts for a majority of the second quarter, before the Eagles decided to put their foot on the gas. NFL fans can appreciate the work of Tress Way and Braden Mann, but it’s unlikely fans are paying for Prime Video to watch a punter duel.
Either way, Philly is finally on the board courtesy of a Jake Elliott field goal. He knocks it through from 21 yards out to avoid the boos that would’ve rained down from the Philly faithful if he’d missed a third kick in the first half. The Eagles got the ball all the way to the Washington 3-yard line before failing to punch it in. Commanders 7, Eagles 3
Elliott has been a good kicker for the Eagles, even knocking through a couple of 60 yarders in his career. However, distance isn’t his forte this season. Elliott has attempted four field goals from 50 yards or longer this season, missing all of them. That will make life difficult for this Philly offense, knowing it can’t trust its kicker to come through from long range. Elliott, like a basketball player, needs to see one go through before getting his mojo back.
It’s becoming a theme, but the Eagles weren’t able to capitalize on great field position. Jake Elliott missed again, this time from 51 yards out. Philly tried some razzle-dazzle, but that was sniffed out by Frankie Luvu, who dropped Jalen Hurts for a big loss. Now Washington gets a chance at having good field position, looking to extend its lead.
The Eagles controlled the time of possession and ran twice as many plays as the Commanders, but have nothing to show for it after one. They trail 7-0, but have the ball at the Washington 41-yard line when play resumes.
Washington’s first drive lasted a minute and ended with a quick punt. Washington’s second drive lasted two minutes and ended with a touchdown. Brian Robinson Jr. finished it off with a 1-yard run to get the Commanders on the board. The running backs did the damage on this drive. Austin Ekeler’s 34-yard catch-and-run set it up and Robinson’s 18-yard carry got the Commanders down to the goal line.
Washington leads 7-0.
A fantastic season for the star running back continues, as Barkley gets over the 1,000 rushing yard mark on an 8-yard carry to start the drive. He came up short in 2023 after posting 1,312 yards in 2022. Barkley has dealt with plenty of injuries, and inept offenses, during his career, but is back to star status in Philadelphia.
Barkley’s next challenge is to get back to 2,000 scrimmage yards, something he hasn’t done since his rookie year in 2018. With seven more games to go, there’s a real chance he’s able to get there once again.
Washington caught a break on the Jake Elliott miss, but was unable to do anything with its good fortune. A quick three-and-out took only about a minute off the clock before allowing Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to go back to work.
Philly’s opening drive got off to a promising start, with the big play being an A.J. Brown 32-yard catch-and-run. The drive quickly stalled after a penalty, forcing the Eagles to settle for three. However, Jake Elliott pushed his kick wide left on the 44-yard try. No score through five minutes.
We’re just over a minute into tonight’s festivities and we have our first injury of the night: Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson. He was rolled up on and limped off the field after a Saquon Barkley run. Tyler Steen is in to replace him for the time being.
Eagles vs. Commanders start time
- Date: Thursday, November 14, 2024
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Eagles and Commanders game will kick off Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season with “Thursday Night Football” at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Eagles vs. Commanders TV Channel
- Live stream: Amazon Prime Video
- TV channel: Fox Ch. 29 (Philadelphia market) | Fox Ch. 5 (Washington D.C market)
“Thursday Night Football” will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Watch “Thursday Night Football” with a Prime Video subscription
Eagles vs. Commanders picks, predictions
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 11 “TNF” matchup between the Eagles and Commanders will shape up:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Eagles 27, Commanders 21
- Tyler Dragon: Eagles, 26 Commanders 20
- Richard Morin: Commanders 26. Eagles 23
- Jordan Mendoza: Commanders 30, Eagles 27
The Eagles are favorites to defeat the Commanders, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024, including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
- Spread: Eagles (-3.5)
- Moneyline: Eagles (-185); Commanders (+150)
- Over/under: 49
Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with Thursday Night Football odds and Monday Night Football odds.
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FEELING LUCKY? Here are the best parlay bets and odds for NFL games this week
The Eagles enter the Week 11 “TNF” showdown in first place in the NFC East. They sit ahead of the Commanders. With a win, Washington would leap to the top of the division.
- Eagles 7-2
- Commanders 7-3
- Cowboys 3-6
- Giants 2-8
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It’s going to be a cloudy night in Philadelphia, with a high of 46 degrees at kickoff and a low of 43 degrees at midnight. According to the Weather Channel, winds will max out at 8 mph while chances of precipitation are at 20% for the entire game.
These NFC East rivals have met 178 times, including one playoff matchup. Washington leads the matchup all-time with an 89-84-5 record. However, the Eagles have dominated this matchup in recent history with Philadelphia winning 11 of the last 14 meetings.
Here’s how the first round of the 2025 NFL draft stacks up entering Week 11:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
- New York Giants (2-8)
- Tennessee Titans (2-7)
- Cleveland Browns (2-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
- New England Patriots (3-7)
- New Orleans Saints (3-7)
- New York Jets (3-7)
- Carolina Panthers (3-7)
- Miami Dolphins (3-6)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (4-6)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
- Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
- Chicago Bears (4-5)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
- Denver Broncos (5-5)
- Houston Texans (6-4)
- Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
- Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
- Green Bay Packers (6-3)
- Washington Commanders (7-3)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
- Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)
- Buffalo Bills (8-2)
- Detroit Lions (8-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for Prime Video, with Kaylee Hartung (sideline) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) providing additional coverage.
The Prime Video pregame, halftime and postgame shows feature Charissa Thompson as host, as well as former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth as analysts.
Taylor Rooks is the feature reporter for Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage. Albert Breer provides reports and analysis.
Andrew Marchand, formerly of the New York Post, initially reported that Michaels’ contract would be for three years and “north of $30 million,” but that number may have gone up. About one week after that first report, in March 2022, Marchand shared that the Amazon deal would be “in the Joe Buck neighborhood.” Buck signed a five-year, $75 million deal ($15 million annually) with ESPN earlier that same month.
Who are the highest paid NFL players at each position?
We have a complete list at every position:
The NFL’s top 18 players in average annual salary are all quarterbacks, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott became the league’s highest-paid player earlier this year, agreeing to a four-year, $240 million deal. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the first non-quarterback on the highest-paid list after striking a four-year, $140 million contract extension this offseason.
Complete list of the league’s highest-paid players
Just four players in the 2024 NFL player pool surpass 40 years old: Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis, Rams kicker Matt Prater and Titans kicker Nick Folk.
Only Rodgers will turn 41 during the season, with a birthday coming the first week in December.
Here’s the full list of the top 11 oldest players in football:
- QB Aaron Rodgers, Jets: 40 years old (Dec. 2, 1983)
- TE Marcedes Lewis, Bears: 40 years old (May 19, 1984)
- K Matt Prater, Rams: 40 years old (Aug. 10, 1984)
- K Nick Folk, Titans: 40 years old (Nov. 5, 1984)
- QB Joe Flacco, Colts: 39 years old (Jan. 16, 1985)
- C/LS J.J. Jansen, Panthers: 38 years old (Jan. 20, 1986)
- C/LS Jon Weeks, Texans: 38 years old (Feb. 17, 1986)
- P Thomas Morstead, Jets: 38 years old (March 8, 1986)
- C/LS Morgan Cox, Titans: 38 years old (April 26, 1986)
- QB Josh Johnson, Ravens: 38 years old (May 15, 1986)
- DL Calais Campbell, Dolphins: 38 years old (September 1, 1986)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six. Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.
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