Biggest Stories and Best Highlights from NFL Week 10

The second half of the NFL season kicked off Thursday night, as the Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals, 22-16, in a battle between two teams fighting to stay in the playoff race.

Early Sunday, notable headlines included the New Orleans Saints blowing out the Buffalo Bills, 47-10, and the Green Bay Packers going to Soldier Field and beating the NFC North-rival Chicago Bears, 23-16, without Aaron Rodgers.

In Sunday afternoon's late slot, the 5-4 Dallas Cowboys were without running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is serving the first game of a suspension that will last through a Week 15 tilt with the Oakland Raiders. It showed in their offense, as they lost 27-7 to the Atlanta Falcons.

The 7-2 Los Angeles Rams proved they're a force to be reckoned with, putting up 33 points on the Houston Texans. Los Angeles came into Week 10 scoring 32.9 points per game (first in the NFL) after managing just 14.0 last year (worst in the NFL).

Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers finally got their first win of the season as they defeated the New York Giants, 31-21. 

Here's a look at the biggest stories and best highlights in Week 10.

Quick Recaps

The New Orleans Saints won their seventh straight game by rushing for 298 yards and six touchdowns in a 47-10 blowout of the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York. Running back Mark Ingram accounted for 131 yards and three touchdowns.

The Cleveland Browns took an early 10-0 lead and were tied at 24 in the fourth quarter with the host Detroit Lions, but quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed two touchdown passes in the final period to help his team to a 38-24 win.

Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray scored three touchdowns—including the game-winner with 36 seconds left—as he led his team to a 24-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict was ejected from the game after making contact with an official. 

Despite losing running backs Aaron Jones and Ty Montgomery to injuries, the Green Bay Packers beat the host Chicago Bears 23-16. Packers wide receiver Davante Adams caught five passes for 90 yards, including a 19-yard score.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snapped their five-game losing streak with an ugly 15-10 win over the New York Jets. Patrick Murray made three field goals—including a 49-yarder—for the Bucs.

An unexpected shootout occurred outside the nation's capitol, as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 38-30 thanks to 304 yards and four touchdowns from quarterback Case Keenum. Wide receiver Adam Thielen caught eight Keenum passes for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell hit a 33-yard field goal as time expired to help his team avoid a major upset against the Indianapolis Colts with a 20-17 victory.

In a valiant upset attempt, the Los Angeles Chargers took the Jacksonville Jaguars to overtime but lost 20-17 on Josh Lambo's 30-yard field goal.

Injury Report

Wide receiver Will Fuller V of the Houston Texans headed to the locker room with a rib injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams. Fuller came out after a huge hit from Lamarcus Joyner. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported he is out for the game. 

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman left the game against the Dallas Cowboys in the first half with a concussion after a hit from Anthony Hitchens. He was ruled out, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.

New Orleans Saints backup running back Daniel Lasco was taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a hit to the head on a special teams tackle against the Buffalo Bills. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com noted Lasco waved as he left the field.

The Saints provided an update at halftime:

Two Green Bay Packers running backs suffered injuries and had to be removed from their game with the Chicago Bears.

In the first quarter, Aaron Jones was carted off the field with a knee injury, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The Packers announced Jones would not return.

One quarter later, Ty Montgomery left the game with a rib injury, per Demovsky.

Plays of the Day

San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard, who once again started over Jimmy Garoppolo, connected with Marquise Goodwin for an 83-yard touchdown in the first half against the New York Giants:

The Los Angeles Rams got a huge boost in the third quarter from wideout Robert Woods, who took a pass from Jared Goff almost the entire length of the field (94 yards) for a touchdown:

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Corey Grant scored on a fake punt, scampering 56 yards for a touchdown versus the Los Angeles Chargers:

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green hauled in a 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andy Dalton:

Blowouts and Upsets

After a slow start, the Los Angeles Rams put the Houston Texans away handily Sunday afternoon.

On the strength of quarterback Jared Goff's arm, the Rams put up 33 points to Houston's seven to improve to 7-2 on the season. Houston struggled to keep pace after losing wideout Will Fuller V to a rib injury.

The New Orleans Saints destroyed the Buffalo Bills 47-10 early Sunday.

The New Orleans offense has proved it's capable of putting up points this season, averaging 27.6 points per game heading into Week 10, including outings of 34 (Week 3 against Carolina) and 52 (Week 6 against Detroit) points.

However, no one expected that kind of production out of the Saints on Sunday, as their opponent, the Buffalo Bills, owned one of the league's best scoring defenses (18.6 points allowed per game).

Even more shocking was the fact Saints quarterback Drew Brees didn't pass for a single touchdown in the win. Rather, running back Mark Ingram went off for three rushing scores, and Brees and rookies Alvin Kamara and Trey Edmunds added one apiece.

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers snapped a three-game losing streak that commenced when they lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone Oct. 15. The Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 23-16 in Chicago. The Bears entered the matchup favored to win for the first time in nine years' worth of contests with their archrival, per NBC Chicago.

Broken Records and Career Days

Multiple teams around the league either set new franchise records Sunday or saw players produce their own career highs. 

The New Orleans Saints set a franchise record with six rushing touchdowns, three of them courtesy of Mark Ingram:

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Rams quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Robert Woods helped each other to career days. 

Goff threw for a career-high 355 passing yards and also added three touchdowns in the Rams' 33-7 win over the Texans. 

Woods was on the receiving end of two of those scores and racked up a career-high 171 receiving yards to boot. 

On the other side of the ball, Green Bay Packers linebacker Nick Perry enjoyed pressuring Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, setting a new personal best with three sacks. 

Teddy Bridgewater Makes Emotional Return

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was active Sunday for the first time since January 2016. He worked his way back from a severe, non-contact knee injury he suffered in training camp in August 2016.

Bridgewater suffered a dislocated knee and a torn anterior cruciate ligament, injuries that jeopardized the his NFL career.

In October 2016, ESPN's Adam Schefter shared a report on NFL Countdown from a doctor who laid out just how serious the injury was.

"If he didn't make it back, it wouldn't surprise me. This is a bad injury, about the worst knee injury a player can have," the doctor said, per Schefter (via CBS Sports).

The quarterback was clearly emotional upon his return to the sideline Sunday, wiping away tears as he sat among his teammates:

The 7-2 Vikings are in first place in the NFC North.

Still To Come

The New England Patriots will travel to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football in a rematch of the 2015 AFC Championship Game. The Pats are 6-2 and vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, while the 3-5 Broncos are in the midst of a four-game losing streak.