NFL Week 10 Ups & Downs

3 up-

Titans

The beat down was in full force on Sunday in Nashville. The hometown Titans absolutely dismantled the Packers, and it wasn't even as close as the score indicates. Up by as much as 21, the Titans never looked back. We knew the Packers were not among the best in the league this season, as they are usually accustomed to, but this beat down confirms that fact. The Titans look to be on the rise. The team is hot and in a weak AFC South. Mariota is ballin' out, Delanie Walker is one of the league's premier tight ends, and Demarco Murray looks like his old self. This was a huge confidence boost for a team right in the middle of a full-scale rebuild. Conclusion: the arrow is pointing up. Up next, a huge divisional matchup against the Colts.

Jared Goff

9-6 was the final score of a game in the national football league, 9...to...6. Look, a win is a win, but Keenum continued his poor play and the main beneficiary is turning out to be Goff. The rookie has sat quietly behind Keenum and watched Keenum do exactly what he does best- pretend to be a starter. Now, it's Goff time. Lights, camera, action, kid. Let's see what you can do. In a big market like LA, winning, and soon, would be great. If Goff struggles however, don't expect fans to be patient. Coming out of college I thought that he was overrated. He has the physical appearance down, big talk, and cannon for an arm, but I do think he had great receivers in Cal that masked his deficiencies. I think he will be a decent starter in this league, but the next Manning? No. He has had some time now to develop this year behind Keenum, so I expect a sharp beginning.

Tony Romo

I will be the first tell you that I hate the Cowboys with a fiery passion. Why? Because the bandwagon for the Cowboys is large, Jerry Jones exists, and they are generally talked about way too much. It wasn't a surprise to me to wake up and see another video about the Cowboys, but this one was different. Romo called a press conference to, in a sense, concede the position to Dak Prescott (if you haven't watched the video, go watch it). Romo spoke from the heart and his basic message was something you can't help but admire. He talked about how he is a team-first type of guy, how he hates not being able to get out there and compete, but he also sees that Dak deserves the starting spot. Wow, give me 52 guys like that on my team. I love seeing a guy who is mature enough to understand the "team first" concept. He is mature enough to realize that even though the injury is out of his control, the way Dak played while he was hurt earned him the spot for keeps. Tony, I salute you, and although I still dislike the Cowboys, I honestly have become an underground Romo fan after one press conference. Where he ends up playing next year is yet to be seen, but I will be following him and wishing him the best. Bravo Tony, Bravo.

3 down- Carolina Panthers' playoff hopes

Being up 17-3 until the 4th quarter in most worlds, equals a win. But on Sunday, the Panthers squandered that lead to the Chiefs and lost 20-17. That's one of those losses that absolutely breaks the will of a team. The Panthers fall to 3-6 with that loss and basically have no choice but to win out to even have a remote shot at the playoffs. The team has struggled with injuries this year, but something else seems to be wrong with them. I've said before that this team resembles Cam's personality. The up and down nature of what we see in the press conferences is the same up and down that you see from the team. Rough year after being in the super bowl only a couple months ago.

Vikings

What happened? A few weeks ago we were talking playoffs, now they have lost four straight and are a half game behind the Lions for the division lead. The loss of Norv Turner seems to be hurting the team greatly. The defense has fallen off as well. Bradford is starting to look like, well, Sam Bradford. One of the biggest things though, seems to be the loss of the rushing attack. Jerrick McKinnon has missed some time leaving Matt Asiata as the number one back. The Lions are getting hot and the Vikings are not. The Vikings have the Cardinals next week, which is essentially a must win. Lose that however, and the game against the Lions on Thanksgiving could be the deciding factor in the division. A team that has a good defense is a lot better when they run the ball and control clock. The Vikings have to get back to that.

Cutler

On November 9th (The Wednesday before Sunday's game in Tampa), reporters asked Cutler for his thoughts on Jameis Winston's play "Honestly, I haven't watched him one time" was his response. Nice. You're an NFL quarterback scheduled to play the Buccaneers on Sunday and you "Haven't seen him one time." I guess we don't have to wonder why you throw so many picks either then, or why you lose so much, or.... anyways 36-10 (7 of those coming on a ridiculously lucky hail mary) explains a lot. Not sure what Cutler's constant attitude is about, but he's bad at football. His general demeanor is that of someone who doesn't care about his team, his teammates, nor the sport he's been so blessed to play. How long does he have left in the league? John Fox is a no-nonsense type of coach, so I'm not sure why Cutler is even playing. Do they go with Hoyer next year? Tank and draft a QB? There are a lot of questions for this Bears team, but one thing is for sure- Cutler is a bum.