NFL Week 10: Top 10 Things Nobody Expected

With just the Packers and the Vikings to come on Monday night, Week 10 has already thrown up some great matches and even greater surprises so far. That's football and that's why we love it.

If you missed anything, or are simply still blown away by what happened so far, check out these 10 things that nobody predicted would happen this week.

10. Carolina Gets Whipped by Tennessee

FINAL SCORE: Tennessee 30, Carolina 3

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers came into this home game ranked fifth in offense and first in plays of 20-plus yards, and back at home, many expected the Panthers to be too strong for the Titans in this one—especially after their tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last week.

Tennessee was conceding 110.6 yards per game, which was solid, but didn't look like being solid enough compared with Carolina's numbers of nearly 130 rushing yards per game.

Instead, the Tennessee defense sacked Cam Newton five times, while Chris Johnson rushed for 130 yards and gave the Titans a blowout, but well-deserved, 27-point victory.

9. Dallas Wins and Wins Well

FINAL SCORE: Dallas 44, Buffalo 7

This game is a funny one because while many expected Dallas to win, a Buffalo side that was embarrassed against the New York Jets loomed as an ominous threat. The Bills were averaging 27 points per game and the defense looked set against Tony Romo, who can easily throw a game.

Instead, Romo turned his first four possessions into touchdown drives and finished with 270 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs—completing at a franchise record 88.5 percent. DeMarco Murray also rushed for 135 yards and Dallas finished up winning the game by 37—its highest margin of victory in more than 10 years.

8. Arizona Topples the 'Dream Team'

FINAL SCORE: Arizona 21, Philadelphia 17

The Cardinals defense was never meant to stand up to the onslaught that was supposedly coming their way in Philly. The Eagles went into the game with 262.1 passing yards and 172.2 rushing yards per game against a defense allowing 272 passing yards and 132.4 rushing yards.

Philly was supposed to dominate them—especially after last week's upset loss to Chicago—and when Kevin Kolb was ruled out for Arizona, they didn't stand a chance.

However, stand-in QB John Skelton threw for 315 yards and 3 TDs and led his side to a most incredible victory. Larry Fitzgerald was his phenomenal self with two especially incredible catches as he finished with two TDs and a total of 146 yards. 

Michael Vick was limited to 128 yards and 0 TDs, and both he and LeSean McCoy struggled against an inspired defense. Arizona wins by 4 and pretty much all but rules out Philadelphia's chances of making the playoffs.

7. Seattle

FINAL SCORE: Seattle 22, Baltimore 17

After the dramatic, courageous, inspiration, heart-stopping, insert-adjective-here win over rivals Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, which completed a sweep of the series, Baltimore was expected to finish the job comfortably at home against a struggling Seattle side.

Losses to Tennessee and Jacksonville were reasons to doubt the Ravens, but they appeared to have shaken that voodoo and were switched-on in their charge to the playoffs.

Obviously not.

While Tarvaris Jackson didn't throw for a TD, he was solid in completing 17-27 for 217 yards and led his team to great field position a number of times—allowing the Seahawks to kick a franchise-record 5 field goals from the boot of Steven Hauschka.

Surprisingly and definitely costly, Flacco attempted 52 passes, while the dynamic Ray Rice only ran the ball 5 times. Yep. 5 times.

In contrast, Marshawn Lynch ran 32 times for 109 yards as Seattle ran out five-point winners in the end.

6. The Bears Thump the Lions

FINAL SCORE: Chicago 37, Detroit 13

Jay Cutler was expected to become another tackling practice session for Detroit, as the Lions' defense was expected to cause havoc for a Chicago side still pumped from its win over the Eagles last week.

The explosive offense of the Lions, with their 29.9 points per game and 120.9 rushing yards, was assumed by all to show up and make this a close contest.

Instead, the Chicago Bears picked off Matthew Stafford four times as they went on their way to a big victory. Charles Tillman and Major Wright both returned interceptions for touchdowns as Stafford doubled his entire season total of INTs in this single game.

Whether Detroit would win was hotly debated before the contest, but all assumed they would turn up on both sides of the field—and to be honest, they turned up on neither. Matt Forte was quiet for his usual standards, and Cutler only had 19 throws for the game, but the Lions were too poor in this game to even come close in the end as Chicago ran out 24-point winners.

5. Carson Palmer Has a Big Night

FINAL SCORE: Oakland 24, San Diego 17

After Palmer through 3 INTs in his first post-trade game, even against the San Diego defense, he was expected to struggle.

Instead, Palmer completed 14 of 20 for 300 yards, and alongside the 157 yards that Michael Bush put up, led the Raiders to a huge upset win over the Chargers, who now sit 4-5 and look in danger of not making the playoffs.

4. Frank Gore Gets Shut Down, Limps Off, but the 49ers Still Win

FINAL SCORE: San Francisco 27, New York Giants 20

Frank Gore had been one of the many stories of the year coming out of San Francisco. Before this game, he had rushed for over 100 yards in five consecutive games—a franchise record. Against the New York Giants, whose run defense has been solid this season, Gore was expected to continue his winning ways.

Not so.

For the first time in 70 career games, Gore didn't get a single rushing yard in the first half before limping off and watching most of the second half from the sidelines. Even more surprising was that San Francisco, behind the brilliance of Alex Smith, denied the Giants another come-from-behind-victory, batting down the potential game-winning pass in the final seconds to seal the victory.

The 49ers win by 7 and move on to 8-1 for the season, but the injury to Gore is one of grave importance for the weeks ahead.

3. Tebow Completes a Pass

FINAL SCORE: Denver 17, Kansas City 10

Noted runner, not-so-noted-quality-quarterback Tim Tebow once again had the hope of Denver somehow resting on his shoulders, and against the Chiefs defense, looked set to shine again.

Yet most of Tebow's "shining" has been done with his rushing, as he went for over 100 yards last week, and as a passer Tebow has had, well, one or two struggles.

He completed a pass at 6:38 of the third quarter in week 9. That was his final completion of that game, and it took him until the 3:58 mark of the third quarter in this game with a 12-yard completion to Willis. Tebow went on to complete...wait for it...one more pass, which was a 56-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker.

I'm not a Tebow-hater; he just isn't good enough to play in the NFL as a passing quarterback. Somehow though, the Broncos went on to win by 7, and Tebow is 3-1 as a starter.

2. Ray Rice Throws a Touchdown Pass

FINAL SCORE: Seattle 22, Baltimore 17

Ray Rice, noted runner of the football, had up until this game, rushed for an average of 102 yards per game. He causes havoc for defenses with his strength, speed and agility.

He's not really a noted quarterback though. Down by 10 to the Seahawks and looking at the upset of the week, Rice receives the handoff and rather than running (which he is paid to do), he lobs the ball over the top to Ed Dickson for the first of his two touchdown catches.

Frustrating for Rice and for the Baltimore Ravens, they somehow managed to still lose to Seattle. Still a nice throw though.

1. Every Team in the NFC West Wins

Every team in the NFC West won this week. Just revel in that for a minute. This is the division that caused chaos in football circles last year as the Seattle Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to qualify for the playoffs with a losing record.

This division sucked. Like bad. Really, really bad.

And apart from the San Francisco 49ers, the division this year is not a whole lot better as the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks all have a bigger number in the loss column than they do in the win column.

Yet, on the 13th of November 2011, in Week 10, the NFC West won.

The San Francisco 49ers won a thriller against the New York Giants. The Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals pulled stunning upset victories over the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. And when the St. Louis Rams ran out 1-point winners over Cleveland, the NFC West were all winners this week.

Here's the twist—it's the first time that every team in the NFC West has won since the divisions were realigned in 2002. In fact, the last time every NFC West / NFC Western team won was when San Francisco, New Orleans, Atlanta and then-Los Angeles Rams won in Week 1 of 1987. 1987!!

That means that it is the first time the entire NFC West has won in 247 weeks. And it's these things—which nobody can predict—that makes us all love football so much.