Winners and losers from NFL Week 10, plus 10 crazy facts to know from Sunday’s games and Rams-49ers picks

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

We have a lot of ground to cover today, so we’re going to jump right into things. However, before we get started, I would like to hand out one award. The “Donovan McNabb award for not knowing that an NFL game can end in a tie” goes to Najee Harris, who did not know that NFL games could end in a tie. 

“I didn’t even know you could tie in the NFL,” Harris said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “In my mind, I was sitting on the bench saying, ‘I’ve got another quarter to go.’ But someone came to me and said, ‘That’s it.’ I’ve never had a tie in my life before.”

I can’t tie a tie, so I kind of know how he feels. I would say Harris’ comment was the most hilarious thing about Week 10, but Pete Carroll exists. The Seahawks coach threw a random object on the field because he couldn’t find his challenge flag. Also, a Raiders player found a pair of SCISSORS on the field DURING the game. Based on how weird this week has been, I won’t be surprised if a giraffe runs on the field during tonight’s game between the 49ers and Rams. Alright, let’s get to the rundown. 

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1. Today’s show: Week 10 winners and losers, plus full recap

It’s Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 10, and let me just say, it’s probably for the best that you listen. We covered all 12 games from Sunday and we spent most of the podcast trying to figure out who’s a fraud and who’s an actual contender, which you would think would be easy to do after 10 weeks of action, but it actually felt even more difficult than usual. 

One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday’s action and let me just say that the Lions-Steelers tie broke us. Our entire philosophy was turned upside down. For the first time ever, a team was listed as both a winner and a loser, and also, for the first time ever, someone had a tie in their winner’s section. Like Sunday’s slate of games, it was total chaos.

Ryan Wilson

• Winner: Lions. They didn’t win, but they didn’t lose, so it feels like a step in the right direction.
• Loser: Baker Mayfield. The Browns QB is costing himself a lot of money every time he steps on the field. The Browns have to decide if they want to give him a big extension, but they’re going to have a hard time justifying that based on the way he’s played this season. 

Will Brinson

• Winner: Bill Belichick and Cam Newton. Since tying is a theme this week, Brinson decided it was a tie between Belichick and Newton for his winner. Belichick’s team embarrassed the Browns and Newton accounted for two touchdowns in his 2021 debut. The definitely makes them both winners. 
• Loser: Raiders. They had a chance to claim first place in the AFC West with a win over the Chiefs, but instead, they went out and laid a dinosaur-sized egg in a home primetime game. The Raiders’ annual midseason collapse has started. 

John Breech

• Winner: Bengals. The Bengals didn’t even play this weekend but they’re my winner because while they were sitting at home, they picked up some ground on the ENTIRE AFC North because no one in the division won a game in Week 10. The Ravens lost, the Browns lost and the Steelers might as well have lost because that’s what a tie to the Lions feels like. 
• Loser: Lions. Wilson might think they’re a winner this week, but like most things in life, he’s wrong. This team is cursed. The football Gods clearly do not want them to win a game. They’re still winless, but now they have a dumb tie on their record, which might as well be a loss. This could have been a win if their kicker could have hit a 48-yard field goal in overtime, but instead, he got off one of the worst kicks of all-time. 

Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. To listen to today’s episode — and to subscribe to the best daily NFL podcast out there — be sure to click here. You can also WATCH today’s episode on YouTube by clicking here. 

2. Week 10 grades: Washington gets an ‘A’ for shocking Buccaneers

Every week I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the Washington Football Team got an ‘A’ on its report card for embarrassing the Buccaneers.

Here’s a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Washington 29-19 over Tampa Bay (Click here for full recap)

• Buccaneers takeaway: Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Buccaneers their bye was last week, because they decided to take this week off, too. Tom Brady got off to an ice-cold start with an interception on two of Tampa’s first three possessions. Brady’s performance epitomized the day for the Buccaneers: Their offense struggled to move the ball, which was mildly surprising considering that Washington didn’t have Chase Young for half the game. It really wasn’t a good day for anyone wearing pewter: Ryan Succop missed a critical extra point late in the game and the defense surrendered a 10:26 TD drive in the fourth quarter that allowed Washington to seal the win. The Buccaneers have now lost two in a row for just the second time with Brady. Grade: C-
• Washington takeaway: Washington’s defense has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this year, but you wouldn’t know it based on the way they played against the Buccaneers. Even with Young out due to an injury, the Football Team’s defense was able to fluster Brady for the better part of four quarters. The Buccaneers were averaging 423.1 yards per game going into Week 10, but Washington held them to just 273. Offensively, Taylor Heinicke made multiple clutch throws despite facing constant pressure and being sacked five times. Grade: A

Vikings 27-20 over Chargers (Click here for full game stats)

• Vikings takeaway: After going through multiple gut-wrenching losses this season, the Vikings finally held on to win a nail-biter. Mike Zimmer showed he’s willing to gamble and he did that by going for it on fourth-and-2 late in the game instead of kicking a long field goal. If the play had failed, the Chargers would have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie. However, Dalvin Cook ended up converting the first down to ice the game. It was fitting that Cook sealed the win because he had a big day, rushing for 94 yards and a TD. The Chargers spent so much energy trying to slow down Cook that they apparently forgot that Justin Jefferson existed. The receiver ended the game with 143 yards on just nine catches. Defensively, the Vikings flummoxed Justin Herbert, holding the Chargers QB to just 195 yards. It was a huge win for a Minnesota team that has had a tough time coming up with huge wins this year. Grade: B+
• Chargers takeaway: The Chargers’ defense was on the field for more than 36 minutes in this game and it definitely started to show in the second half. Starting midway through the third quarter, the Vikings were able to move the ball at will and that includes Minnesota’s final possession of the game. If the Chargers had been able to get a stop, the L.A. offense would have had a chance to tie things up, but instead, the Chargers let the Minnesota offense walk all over them with a 10-play, 4:36 drive that sealed the win for the Vikings. The defense has been so bad this season that the offense doesn’t really have any margin for error and it’s definitely showing. Herbert threw an interception against the Vikings and L.A. is now 1-4 in games where he throws a pick. The Chargers had a chance to take over sole possession of first place in the AFC West, but they blew their opportunity. Grade: B-

As for the other 20 grades we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here. 

3. Week 10 injuries: Chase Young out for season, Cardinals could be down to third QB

We don’t do an injury roundup every week, but there were so many injuries around the NFL over the weekend that we definitely needed one for today. 

Here’s a look at a list of players who were injured in Week 10: 

• Chase Young likely out for season. Young is like done for the year after injuring his knee against the Buccaneers. The initial diagnosis is that Young tore his ACL, but it won’t be confirmed until he undergoes further testing on Monday. 
• Ryan Fitzpatrick likely won’t be returning this year. The Washington QB hasn’t played since Week 1 and it’s unlikely he’ll be taking any more snaps this year. According to NFL.com, Fitzpatrick’s injured hip is still giving him issues and because of that, the team isn’t expecting to return in to 2021.  
• Aaron Jones likely to miss multiple weeks. The Packers strained his MCL against the Seahawks on Sunday and is expected to miss one to two weeks, according to ESPN.com. With Jones out, that means AJ Dillon will likely be getting most of the carries for the next week or two. Dillon totaled 128 yards in Green Bay’s win over Seattle. 
• T.J. Watt and Joe Haden both dealing with injuries. Watt injured both his knee and hip and is currently considered week-to-week. If he misses any serious time, that would be a crushing loss for the Steelers defense. As for Haden, he’s dealing with a foot injury and is considered day-to-day, which definitely sounds more optimistic than Watt’s “week-to-week” diagnosis. 
• Raiders fullback likely out of season. Alec Ingold injured his knee on Sunday night and the belief is that he’s going to miss the rest of the year with a torn ACL, according to NFL.com.
• Colt McCoy suffers injury. The Cardinals might be down to their third-string QB this week. Not only is Kyler Murray still dealing with an ankle injury, but McCoy had to leave Sunday’s game after suffering a pectoral injury. If both quarterbacks are unavailable in Week 11, that means the Cards will be stuck starting Chris Streveler. 
• Baker Mayfield dealing with another injury. The Browns QB is already having shoulder issues and now, you can add a knee injury to his list of ailments. Mayfield was knocked out of Sunday’s game and right now, it’s unclear if that will impact his availability going forward. 
• Troy Hill taken to hospital. Hill was diagnosed with a cervical neck sprain after suffering an injury during Cleveland’s loss to the Patriots. The Browns cornerback had to be taken to the hospital and wasn’t able to fly home with the team after the loss. However, he is expected to fly back to Cleveland today. 

4. 10 crazy facts from Week 10

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. 

With that in mind, here are eight crazy facts about Week 10: 

• Russell Wilson gets shut out for first time ever. The Seahawks QB has been in the NFL since 2012 and Sunday’s loss to the Packers marked the first time ever that he’s been held to zero points. Before this week, the last time the Seahawks had been shut out came in Week 2 of 2011. 
• Titans make history. The Titans have won six games in a row and the most notable part of that streak is that they’ve now won five straight games against teams that made the playoffs last season (Bills, Chiefs, Colts, Rams, Saints). The Titans are just the second team in NFL history to pull off that feat, joining the 2003 Eagles (That Philadelphia team ended making it to the NFC title game). 
• Tom Brady with the rare double-mistake. The 44-year-old threw two interceptions in the first quarter, marking just the second time in his 21-year career that he’s thrown two picks in the first quarter of a game. The only other instance came back in 2012.  
• Patrick Mahomes ties NFL record. The Chiefs QB threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns, marking the third time in his career that he’s thrown for 400 or more yards and five or more touchdowns, which ties an NFL record. Mahomes did it in just 56 career games, which is notable, because the fastest person to reach this milestone before Mahomes was Joe Montana, who did it in 192 career games. 
• Jakobi Meyers finally scores a touchdown. Meyers caught the first TD of his career during New England’s win over the Browns. The Patriots receiver has been in the NFL since 2019, but somehow had never caught a TD pass. As a matter of fact, he now holds the NFL record for most receiving yards (1,570) before catching a first career touchdown.  
• Bills accomplish a franchise first. The Bills scored four rushing touchdowns against the Jets and the twist here is that they were all scored by a different player, marking the first time in franchise history that four different players scored a rushing TD in a game. 
• Patriots pull off something they never accomplished with Tom Brady. The Patriots scored 45 points against the Browns, meaning they’ve now scored 45 or more points in consecutive homes for the FIRST time in franchise history. Considering Tom Brady played there for 20 years, it’s hard to believe that the Patriots had never done this before. 
• Jets defense is a total nightmare. After giving up 45 points to the Bills on Sunday, the Jets have now surrendered 175 points in their past four games, which is the second-most that any team has ever surrendered in a four-game span since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
• Cowboys offense explodes in first half against Falcons. The Cowboys led Atlanta 36-3 at halftime on Sunday, which is notable for two reasons. For one, it was the most first-half points scored by any team in the NFL this year. Also, it was the Cowboys’ largest halftime lead in any game since 1971. 
• Mark Ingram makes history. The Saints running back finished with 47 yards against the Titans, which isn’t exactly impressive, but it is notable, because it allowed him to pass Deuce McAllister for the most rushing yards in franchise history. Ingram now has 6,124 career rushing yards, which is 28 more than McAllister. 
  
  

5. Monday preview: Prepping you for Rams at 49ers

This is a huge game for both teams. With the Cardinals losing on Sunday, the Rams could be in a tie for first by the end of the night if they can somehow win. As for the 49ers, they’ll be in the thick of the NFC wild-card race if they can somehow pull off the upset here. 

My good buddy Jared Dubin wrote our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here’s how he sees the game playing out:

• Why the 49ers can win: The 49ers have won four straight games against the Rams and that’s because Kyle Shanahan always seems to be one step ahead of Sean McVay when these two teams play. Shanahan has done a good job of confusing the Rams defense the past few times these two teams have played. Since Jimmy Garoppolo will have a full arsenal of weapons with guys like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, it won’t be surprising if the QB has a big night while leading to his team to a possible upset win.  
• Why the Rams can win: The 49ers secondary hasn’t been great this season so this feels like a game where Matthew Stafford could put up huge numbers. The one downside for the Rams is that they’ll be playing without Robert Woods, who’s out for the season after tearing his ACL. With Woods out, it will be interesting to see how much Odell Beckham gets involved in his debut with the team. Basically, if the Rams can move the ball through the air, they should be able to coast to a win.  

You can get a full preview of the game from Dubin by clicking here. The Rams are currently a 3.5-point favorite. 

Dubin’s pick: Rams 33-23 over 49ers.

My pick: Rams 27-24 over 49ers.

If you’re thinking about betting on the game, Tyler Sullivan put together a full gambling preview. 

• ONE PROP TYLER LIKES: George Kittle OVER 56.5 receiving yards (-110): “Kittle looked like his old self last week, logging 101 receiving yards in his first game action since Week 4. While the Rams have a stout defense, Kittle has found success against this group in the past, averaging 92.3 yards per game in his seven career matchups with Los Angeles.”
• ONE PROP I LIKE: Robbie Gould OVER 2.5 extra points (+130): The 49ers kicker is averaging 3.25 extra points per game this season, so getting +130 on this prop is a pretty solid value (To put that in perspective, the same prop for Rams kicker Matt Gay is just -120. A $100 bet on Gay would win $83.33 while a $100 bet on Gould would win $130).  

You can check out Sullivan’s full gambling preview by clicking here.

6. Rapid-fire roundup

It was a busy weekend in the NFL and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you: 

• Jon Gruden files lawsuit against the NFL. The former Raiders coach isn’t happy about losing his job and he’s decided to take it out on the NFL by filing a lawsuit. Gruden’s main accusation is that “Through a malicious and orchestrated campaign, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell sought to destroy” his career and reputation. You can read more details about the situation by clicking here. 
• Cam Newton could start in Week 11. Panthers coach Matt Rhule announced that Newton will get most of the first-team reps this week. Although Rhule didn’t officially name him the starter, things are definitely trending that way. The Panthers are playing Washington on Sunday and they just be happened to be coached by someone Newton’s very familiar with: Ron Rivera. 
• Rams lose Robert Woods for the season. The Rams ended up signing Odell Beckham at the right time, because they lost one of their key receivers over the weekend. Woods injured his knee in practice on Friday and has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, which means he’s done for the year.   
• Julio Jones placed on IR. The Titans won’t have Julio Jones for at least two more games after he was placed on IR due to a hamstring injury. Due to the move, Jones won’t be eligible to play again until Week 14. (Dec. 12) against the Jaguars. 
• Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Huff dies at 87. During his 13-year career, Huff played in six NFL title games and was elected to the Pro Bowl a total of five times. The linebacker played for both the Giants and Washington during his Hall of Fame career.  
• Damon “Snacks” Harrison announces his retirement. After nine NFL seasons, Harrison has decided to call it quits. Harrison started his career with the Jets in 2012 and played with five different teams over the course of his career. He last played in 2020 during a season where he spent time with both the Seahawks and Packers.