Top 50 Most Important Things We Learned from the NFL's Week 10

The NFL's Week 10 is almost over, with Monday night's matchup still to be played between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, and Week 10 has been an eventful one with key divisional battles throughout Sunday afternoon.

The biggest game of the day was the New England Patriots completely embarrassing the New York Jets on national television with an impressive 37-16 victory.

Along with that game, the New Orleans Saints knocked off the Atlanta Falcons in overtime, as well as the Baltimore Ravens falling short to the lowly Seattle Seahawks.

So what have we learned from those games and the rest of the games from the NFL's Week 10?

Allow me to kick off your work week with the 50 most important things we have learned from the NFL's Week 10.

The San Diego Chargers Are Free-Falling

Things didn't seem like they could get worse in San Diego, but they did Thursday night, as the Chargers were knocked off by the Oakland Raiders, 24-17.

San Diego has now dropped four in a row and has a dreadful 4-5 record.

Michael Bush Is One of the NFL's Most Underrated Running Backs

Rushing 30 times for 152 yards  and one touchdown along with three receptions for 85 yards—can you get much better than that? I think not.

Michael Bush held his coming-out party Thursday night against the Chargers, as he proved that he's a legitimate No. 1 running back in this league.

Carson Palmer Was Near Perfect in Victory over San Diego

Carson Palmer played a near-perfect game for the Oakland Raiders, as he completed 14 of his 20 passes for 299 yards while throwing two touchdowns and being picked off once.

Palmer did everything he needed to do to lead Oakland to its fifth win.

Norv Turner's Job Is in Jeopardy

Can you really disagree with this? Norv Turner may not be fired anytime soon, but he may be jobless by the end of the season—his team is free-falling.

There is no excuse why the San Diego Chargers should lose four games in a row, as well as post an awful 4-5 record. The Chargers are just too talented.

Philip Rivers Has Been Choking as of Late

Philip Rivers and his San Diego Chargers have not been playing well as of late, as they have lost four games in a row.

Rivers was simply ineffective Thursday against the Oakland Raiders, as he completed only 48.9 percent of his passes for two touchdowns but one interception, as well as being sacked six times.

Rivers needs to step up his game and prove to the NFL that he's an elite quarterback.

San Diego's Offensive Line Is Falling Apart

Not only have the Chargers dropped four in a row, but their offensive line is also falling apart right before their eyes.

Entering Sunday's game, the Chargers already had injuries on the line with Kris Dielman dealing with a concussion, but it all got worse on Thursday.

The team suffered injuries to left tackle Marcus McNeill and right guard Louis Vasquez. From that point on, San Diego's offensive line fell apart, as it gave up six sacks.

There Are No Pass Interferences on Fake Punts

Who would have thought? Pass interference cannot be called on fake punts—and the Oakland Raiders found out the hard way against the Chargers on Thursday night.

Early in the night, Oakland decided to call a fake punt with Shane Lechler throwing a bomb to Jacoby Ford with Quentin Jammer literally holding him the entire way. However, Ed Hochuli got the call right and did not call PI.

Did any of you know that this rule existed?

The Washington Redskins Are Free-Falling

The Washington Redskins played absolutely horridly on Sunday afternoon against the lousy Miami Dolphins. Ultimately, this was a battle between two terrible teams with the Dolphins walking away with a 20-9 victory.

Washington has now lost five straight games and has a 3-6 record after starting off 3-1.

The Miami Dolphins May No Longer Be in the Suck for Luck Sweepstakes

Watch out for the Miami Dolphins—they're white-hot on a two-game winning streak.

The 2-7 Miami Dolphins are still a very bad football team despite winning two games in a row, but they may be winning themselves out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Should they just tank it? Luck could be the long-anticipated replacement for Dan Marino.

The Washington Redskins Find Themselves Sucking for Luck

There is no doubt about it: The Washington Redskins need a quarterback, and if their struggles continue, they may end up with Andrew Luck.

Washington started off with a solid 3-1 start but has now lost five in a row and is now enlisted in the Luck sweepstakes.

Perhaps this is what Mike Shanahan wants—what do you think?

Reggie Bush Finally Produced for the Dolphins

Look out now: Reggie Bush has scored touchdowns in back-to-back football games—who would have thought that?

Bush ran for 47 yards on 14 carries for the Dolphins, as well as scored two touchdowns, and propelled them to a 20-9 victory over the Redskins.

Rex Grossman Is Not the Answer in Washington

With Mike Shanahan turning back to Rex Grossman, he proved that he is not the answer in Washington and is not much better than John Beck.

Grossman played absolutely horridly Sunday afternoon against the Dolphins. No. 8 completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 215 yards—which isn't all that bad—but he was picked off two times and threw no touchdowns.

Time to turn back to Beck?

The Indianapolis Colts Might as Well Engage in Contract Talks with Andrew Luck

I hate to say it, but the Peyton Manning era may be coming to an end in Indianapolis. 

If the Colts are awarded the first overall pick in next year's draft, as they're on pace to lose all 16 games, then they have to draft Andrew Luck—they'll have no choice.

Curtis Painter Is One of the Worst Quarterbacks in the NFL

No matter how much I love Curtis Painter's hair and how it flows, he's still one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.

Painter was so bad in Sunday's loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars that he was pulled in favor of Dan Orlovsky. Painter completed 68.4 percent of his passes but was picked off two times and did absolutely nothing productive.

Blaine Gabbert Is Showing Signs of Improvement

Blaine Gabbert played fairly well for the Jacksonville Jaguars in his team's 17-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

The rookie out of Missouri completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 118 yards while throwing one touchdown and being picked off once.

Gabbert is showing signs of improvement week in and week out.

Maurice Jones-Drew Is the Heart and Soul of the Jacksonville Jaguars

Maurice Jones-Drew won Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts for the Jacksonville Jaguars—he could not be stopped.

Jones-Drew ran for 114 yards on 25 carries as well as scored one touchdown.

The Buffalo Bills Are in Big Trouble

Just a few weeks ago, the Buffalo Bills were an impressive 5-2, but they have now lost two in a row after their embarrassing 44-7 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Bills need to turn things around fast if they want to compete with the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the AFC East.

Tony Romo Can Play at an Elite Level

Tony Romo was near perfect Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, as he threw only three incompletions.

Romo completed 23 of his 26 passes for 270 yards, as well as tossed three touchdowns and no interceptions.

I am sure that all Romo's fantasy owners were very pleased with his performance Sunday afternoon.

Ryan Fitzpatrick Needs to Take Better Care of the Ball If Buffalo Wants to Win

At least Ryan Fitzpatrick got his contract extension, as he was a non-factor in Sunday's loss against the Dallas Cowboys.

Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions and simply needs to take better care of the ball if the Buffalo Bills want to make the playoffs.

The Houston Texans Are for Real

The Houston Texans are a force to be reckoned with after their incredible 37-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Houston now improves to 7-3 and is in complete control in the AFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Are Pretenders

I had high hopes for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers entering 2011, but they have failed tremendously.

With Tampa Bay's recent loss against the Houston Texans, the Bucs are now 4-5 and have a lot of ground to make up to catch the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.

Matt Schaub Was Near Perfect Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matt Schaub may have only thrown the ball 15 times against the Buccaneers, but he did complete 11 of those passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

Schaub was near perfect, as he posted a 154.9 quarterback rating—just 3.4 points short of perfection.

The New Orleans Saints Are the Team to Beat in the NFC South

In a playoff atmosphere game in Atlanta, the New Orleans Saints escaped with a solid 26-23 victory in overtime.

The Saints are now 7-3. while the Falcons fall to 5-4. New Orleans controls its own destiny in the NFC South.

Matt Ryan Needs to Play Better in Order for the Falcons to Make the Playoffs

Matt Ryan played well against the New Orleans Saints, but he did not play well enough to rack up the victory.

Ryan threw one interception while completing only 55.8 percent of his passes. He's going to have to be a whole lot better than that to beat teams like the Saints.

Drew Brees Is a Machine

It's almost like Drew Brees cannot be stopped.

Brees completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns in New Orleans' 26-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints Running Game Is Nonexistent

A total of 41 yards on 16 carries with an average of 2.6 yards per carry is not going to be good enough to win a Super Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints need to improve their running game if they want to make a deep playoff run.

The Steelers Climb Back into the AFC North Race

The Pittsburgh Steelers are back and alive in the AFC North with their solid road victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-17.

The Steelers are now 7-3, while the Bengals fall to 6-3.

Andy Dalton Made Too Many Rookie Mistakes Against Pittsburgh

Andy Dalton has had a magical season to date, as he's played like a seasoned veteran. However, he showed some true rookie colors against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dalton played well against Pittsburgh, as he threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns, but he did throw two costly interceptions.

It will be interesting to see how well Dalton bounces back next week against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Tennessee Titans Aren't Dead Completely

The Tennessee Titans still have a shot in the AFC South after their 30-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The Titans are now 5-4, which is good enough for second place behind the Houston Texans.

Cam Newton Was a Non-Factor Against the Tennessee Titans

Cam Newton has had a stellar rookie season thus far, but Sunday was arguably his worst game of the season.

The Auburn product completed 23 of his 40 passes for 212 yards while being picked off once and running for 55 yards and scoring no touchdowns.

Chris Johnson Finally Showed Up for the Titans

Chris Johnson had his best game of the season against the Carolina Panthers, as he ran for 130 yards and one touchdown. In fact, that was his first touchdown in four games.

Despite his success against the Panthers, CJ2K has been a complete disappointment all season.

The Philadelphia Eagles Are Pretenders

So much for being the "Dream Team"—the Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to beat up on a below-average Arizona Cardinals team, but they lost an embarrassing home game, 21-17.

Philly is now 3-6 on the season and looks to have no real shot at making the playoffs this season—unless it can put together a few winning streaks from here on out.

Michael Vick Was Ineffective Against the Cardinals

You'd think that Michael Vick would have dominated against the Arizona Cardinals—that was obviously not the case Sunday afternoon in Philly.

Vick posted a terrible 32.5 quarterback rating while throwing two interceptions and completing only 47.1 percent of his passes.

Larry Fitzgerald Is All of Arizona's Offensive Firepower

Larry Fitzgerald is the heart and soul of the Arizona Cardinals and showed up in a huge way in Sunday's stunning victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns, with both touchdowns tying the game.

The St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns Are Pathetic

Did this game even happen? I mean, it was a complete snoozefest. 

With that being said, the St. Louis Rams edged the Cleveland Browns 13-12—how pathetic is that?

The Rams are now 2-7, while the Browns fall to 3-6.

Tim Tebow Is a Winner

I know I say this every week, but everyone needs to realize that Tim Tebow is a winner—you cannot take that away from him.

No matter how poorly he throws the ball, Tebow will find a way to win. 

Tebow completed only two of his eight passes but did post a 102.6 quarterback rating, as he threw one touchdown. Tebow also ran for 43 yards on nine carries while punching in one score. 

The Denver Broncos Need to Stick with Tim Tebow

The Denver Broncos have now won two games in a row with Tim Tebow as the quarterback.

Tebow doesn't play that prettily, but he does get the job done, and he wins football games. The Broncos need to stick with Tebow and his magic.

The Kansas City Chiefs Are Extremely Hot and Cold

The Kansas City Chiefs would be a pathetic football team if they hadn't beaten the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders—but they're a rather interesting team.

The Chiefs how now lost two in a row after winning four in a row and starting the season 0-3. 

Are the Chiefs a good team or a bad team? What do you think?

The San Francisco 49ers Are the Second-Best Team in the NFL

After San Francisco's gutsy win over the New York Giants, the 49ers have convinced me that they are the second-best team in the NFL and could even give the Green Bay Packers a run for their money. 

Packers vs. 49ers would be an unbelievable battle: the best offense in the league against the best defense in the league.

Eli Manning Choked Against the 49ers

Eli Manning has been clutch throughout his entire career, but he wasn't clutch enough to beat the San Francisco 49ers.

Manning played well, as he threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, but he was picked off twice and failed to complete a 4th-and-2 with the game on the line. 

Eli and the Giants are now 6-3 after their loss against the 49ers.

The Baltimore Ravens Are Far Too Inconsistent to Be Elite

The Baltimore Ravens are so difficult to read. They have swept the Pittsburgh Steelers but have dropped games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and most recently the Seattle Seahawks. 

Baltimore is now 6-3, while the Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 7-3. It looks like we're going to have a real good race in the AFC North, as the Cincinnati Bengals are still in contention with a 6-3 record.

Marshawn Lynch Continues to Produce for the Seattle Seahawks

For the second straight game, Marshawn Lynch accumulated over 100 yards and put the Seattle Seahawks on his back.

Lynch ran for 109 yards on 32 carries while scoring a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens, as well as reeling in five passes for 58 yards in the team's 22-17 victory.

The Detroit Lions Are Falling Apart

After an impressive 5-0 start to the 2011 season, the Detroit Lions have gone 1-3 over the past four games.

Detroit looked extremely beatable Sunday afternoon against the Chicago Bears, as it was embarrassed 37-13.

The Lions are now 6-3, as the Bears improve to 6-3.

The Chicago Bears Are Clicking and Look to Be a Tough Team

The Chicago Bears have one of the NFL's best defenses as well as one of the league's better offenses. All in all, if they protect Jay Cutler and Matt Forte can run the ball consistently, they are a very tough team to beat.

In their 37-13 victory over the Detroit Lions, the team's defense forced four interceptions from Matthew Stafford. The Bears now improve to 6-3, tying the Lions for second place in the NFC North.

Matthew Stafford Is Not the Same Quarterback He Was a Few Weeks Ago

Matthew Stafford is falling flat on his face—he is not the same quarterback he was a few weeks ago, when the Detroit Lions were undefeated.

In the Lions' most recent loss, Stafford was picked off four times and completed only 53 percent of his passes.

What is going on with the Lions?

The New England Patriots Are the Team to Beat in the AFC

Forget about being the best team in the AFC East—the New England Patriots are now the best team in the AFC with their convincing 37-16 victory over the New York Jets.

New England came into Sunday's game on a two-game losing streak but played near-perfect football, as it forced three turnovers out of the New York Jets.

Tom Brady Is the NFL's Most Clutch Player

Tom Brady faced one of the NFL's most ferocious defenses, but he came up victorious, just like any elite and clutch quarterback ;would.

Brady completed 26 of his 39 passes for 329 yards while tossing three touchdowns. Brady and the Patriots now improve to 6-3 on the season, which is good enough for first place in the AFC East.

Mark Sanchez Is Still Making Rookie Mistakes

Mark Sanchez looked lost against a defense that had several undrafted free agents playing major roles—how pathetic is that?

Sanchez completed only 51.3 percent of his passes while being picked off two times.

The third-year quarterback out of USC is still making rookie mistakes, as he called a timeout right before the Jets scored a touchdown with 1:20 left in the half.

Essentially, Sanchez gave Tom Brady and the Patriots offense more time to work as they scored a touchdown right before the half, giving them a 13-9 lead.

Andre Carter Is a Sack Machine

Andre Carter set a franchise record Sunday night as he recorded 4.5 sacks, and he now has a total of 9.5 sacks on the season.

Carter was signed this past offseason and is proving to be a perfect fit in New England's 4-3 defense, as he's flourishing at 32 years old and is arguably the team's top defensive player.

Opposing offenses need to start recognizing Carter as a legitimate pass-rusher.

The Patriots Now Hold the Tiebreaker with the Jets

With New England's impressive and convincing 37-16 victory over the Jets, the Patriots now have completed the sweep, as they have won the season series with New York.

The Patriots sit alone atop the AFC East at 6-3 and have some insurance, as they now hold the tiebreaker with the Jets.