CNN
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Week 10 of the NFL season was a week packed with drama, buzz, and big solo performances.
Sunday’s game opened with the Carolina Panthers defeating the New York Giants in overtime in Germany, but there was some late-game drama as the Kansas City Chiefs remained undefeated and the Dallas Cowboys suffered a blowout loss at home. .
Here are the main stories from Sunday’s action:
The Arizona Cardinals had a great afternoon, thanks in large part to quarterback Kyler Murray’s historic performance.
Murray epitomized the Cardinals’ rocky start to the 2024 season, displaying extremely accurate and dynamic feet in Arizona’s 31-6 home victory over the New York Jets.
The team now has a fourth straight win and remains in first place in the NFC West, but perhaps more impressive was Murray’s overall performance.
He completed 22 of 24 pass attempts, threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. The 27-year-old finished the game having completed 17 consecutive passes, breaking the Cardinals record of 16 consecutive completions set in two games by Carson Palmer in 2017.
Murray also became the first player in NFL history to complete 85% of his passes with 250 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
He convincingly dominated four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers on the opposing sideline, and Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon immediately praised his quarterback after the win.
“I think the quarterback was the best player on the planet today,” Gannon said. “Then I salute him.”
It looked like a very different afternoon for Murray, when midway through the game he was hit so hard by an unblocked blitzer that his helmet flew off. However, Murray was quick to his feet and was seen exchanging jokes with his opponent soon after.
“I said this is the best feeling,” Murray told reporters afterward. “Obviously, with games being taken away and being put in a system like this, the attention to detail, I always say with (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing), the way he communicates, it’s great. There are no zones.
“We’re on the same page and it’s our second year in the system and it feels great. The pace of the game has slowed down. Obviously it’s our sixth year in the league, so we’re just going to take it one day at a time.” I want to do my best and continue playing well.”
Murray has been helped by a defense that has shined in recent weeks. They allowed just two field goals against the Jets, their second straight game in which they allowed fewer than 10 points, and they haven’t allowed a touchdown in three games at State Farm Stadium.
To put this in perspective, the Cardinals had allowed double-digit scoring in 52 consecutive games prior to Week 9, but the last time a team did not allow a home touchdown in three consecutive games was in 1926. .
Overall, the Cardinals continued their recent run of great form and had an overwhelmingly positive afternoon.
Rodgers, however, said the 25-point loss was “just disappointing” as the Jets fell to 3-7 and their playoff hopes increasingly dwindled.
The San Francisco 49ers pulled out a last-minute win on Sunday, but it appears all is not well within the team.
Sunday’s 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended with Jake Moody kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired, Christian McCaffrey making his first play of the season, and rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall scoring his first NFL goal and celebrating. It was supposed to be an event. The touchdown came two months after he was shot in the chest.
But the game will be remembered as the one between the team’s star receiver Deebo Samuel, long snapper Taber Pepper and Moody, who missed three field goals at Raymond James Stadium. Dew.
Samuel exchanged heated words with Pepper and Moody after Moody missed his third try late in the fourth quarter with the 49ers leading by three points.
Samuel was seen grabbing Pepper near the throat and pushing her away, punching Moody in the helmet. The two continued to argue as Samuel and Pepper returned to their spots on the sideline.
Samuel later explained that he was just “frustrated” in the moment and that it was “a little out of character.”
“I didn’t say anything crazy to him,” he told reporters. “It was a little frustrating at the time, but he went out there and won the game for us. He didn’t care about it, so we ignored it.”
He also added that Moody “had a little dog in his heart” for coming into the match again and punching the winner.
For his part, Moody downplayed the incident.
“This was an emotional game and things like that happen all the time,” the second-year kicker said. “We won just by getting through it, so that’s all that matters.
“I don’t need (an apology). … At the end of the day, I (need) to make the kick, that’s all I’m focused on. I’m not worried about anything like that.”
Pepper echoed Moody’s sentiment and praised the 24-year-old’s mental strength in bouncing back from three missed field goals.
“He was telling us to lock up. We know what our job is,” Pepper said. “We got us. Being a specialist is hard, sometimes there’s feast and sometimes there’s famine. For a young, developing specialist like Jake… three failures in a row… I don’t know how much better than having to go up and hit the winning shot almost 50 yards. I’m so proud of Jake.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he would address the situation on the flight back to California.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of pressure for people to be shoved with their helmets on or something,” Shanahan said. “The only thing that counts is how good the last kick was, how good the last throw was, how good the last game was.
“It was great practice for (Moody) to put himself in that situation and work through it. I think it’s a confidence booster for a guy to have been there before. But I I’m proud that he finally did it.”
The win was an important win for San Francisco, which improved to around .500 for the first time since Week 1.
It’s been a wild 10 weeks for the New Orleans Saints. And last week, they finally got back in the win column after losing seven straight and firing head coach Dennis Allen.
The Saints defeated the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons 20-17 on Sunday at the Superdome in their first game under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
They got off to a quick start, including two touchdown passes from quarterback Derek Carr to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had just signed with the team a few weeks ago, before halftime. He scored 17 points.
And while the offense stalled in the second half, Falcons kicker Yonghoe Koo benefited from an off day as he missed three field goals, while New Orleans’ defense struggled in the really important moments when the game was on the line. Reinforced.
In the fourth quarter, Tyrann Mathews intercepted Atlanta QB Kirk Cousins, stopping a drive with 1:59 remaining, and the Falcons were on downs as time expired.
“It’s been an unbelievable week,” Rizzi said after the game. “As I said earlier to the players, this doesn’t happen without full buy-in from the building, and it won’t happen today. , execution, preparation, I told them there’s no substitute for good preparation. And we had a very good week of practice.”
It wasn’t a perfect day for Rizzi, who was unable to participate in the postgame celebration after his left arm became “completely paralyzed” after being hit by Saints defensive tackle Peyton Turner.
He also talked about how his day as interim head coach of the Saints started in less than ideal fashion.
“I get to the Superdome. I go to the head coach’s locker room, which I’ve never used before,” he said. “So I go to the bathroom early in the morning. That’s how my day started. I clogged the toilet. I said, ‘This is going to be a bad day.’ -I’m just kidding.”
On the other hand, the Falcons had a disappointing 6-4 record after the Buccaneers’ loss to the 49ers, despite holding the lead in the NFC South by two games.
Away vs Home (winners in bold)
New York Giants (2-8) 17-20 OT Carolina Panthers (3-7)
New England Patriots (3-7) 19-3 Chicago Bears (4-5)
Buffalo Bills (8-2) 30-20 Indianapolis Colts (4-6)
Minnesota Vikings (7-2) 12-7 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
Denver Broncos (5-5) 14-16 Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
Atlanta Falcons (6-4) 17-20 New Orleans Saints (3-7)
San Francisco 49ers (5-4) 23-20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) 28-27 Washington Commanders (7-3)
Tennessee Titans (2-7) 17-27 Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
New York Jets (3-7) 6-31 Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) 34-6 Dallas Cowboys (3-6)
Detroit Lions (8-1) 26-23 Houston Texans (6-4)
