The 5 Best NFL Week 10 Matchups to Watch
What are the five biggest NFL Week 10 matchups on Sunday? We can’t watch every game of the weekend, but these are five games you should watch in Week 10. All of these games are exciting matchups, and all five have major playoff implications. The winners could put themselves in a position to win their division, or even just strengthen their playoff position. We still have eight weeks left of the season, but every game is important.
New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET
Football starts early on Sunday with the New England Patriots taking on the Detroit Lions in Germany at 9:30 AM ET. The Patriots are coming off one of their worst defensive performances of the season and will be facing a top-tier offense in the Lions.
This Week 10 game is going to be really important for the Patriots to try to reestablish some momentum. They still have a shot at the seventh seed in the AFC but can’t afford to lose many more games. Realistically, they have to win at least two of their games against the Lions, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Broncos. The Lions have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, and the Patriots could be getting AJ Brown back from injury, which could be huge for their chances.
For the Lions, this game would keep them near the top of the very tightly contested NFC North. All four teams in the division sit at least three games above 500, and a loss now would make winning the division difficult. Their offense didn’t have its best day in Miami in Week 9, and theoretically will have a tougher time vs. New England.
The biggest battle within the game is the Lions’ pass-rush vs. the injury-ravaged Patriots’ offensive line. Drake Maye has struggled under pressure at times this year and needs to avoid dumb mistakes. His turnover problems have cost the Patriots in several games this year.
The Patriots are good overseas and have some home-field advantage in Germany through their former offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer. If both teams play up to their potential, this will be a very tightly contested matchup. Either of these teams has what it takes to win a Super Bowl on paper, but needs to focus up for the second half of the season.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The Vikings are coming off a loss to the Bills, but just traded for quarterback Kirk Cousins to bolster this offense. They’ve been playing on an elite level on defense, but have struggled to score points on offense. Cousins has history in Minnesota and with these receivers and should slot right back in.
The Green Bay Packers are coming off their best game of the season and have a lot of momentum on offense. Their run game is still a problem and will not be getting any better against this top-ranked Minnesota defense. I think that the Vikings have what it takes to slow down the Packers, but Jordan Love has shown that he’s playing at an MVP level.
The combination of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden creates matchup problems in the Vikings’ secondary, but Love is going to have to deal with extreme pressure from the Vikings’ blitz. The Packers rank 28th according to PFF in terms of offensive line rankings, and are going to have their hands full with the Vikings’ historic 70% blitz rate.
This game obviously also has a massive potential impact on the NFC North and how their standings are going to shake out. The Vikings had the early lead in the division but have fumbled a couple of games. I think the addition of Cousins could make all the difference for this offense. He put up historic numbers in his time with Minnesota, and more specifically with wide receiver Justin Jefferson. The game offers both teams a chance to separate themselves in the NFC North.
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The second of the 1 p.m. ET to watch in Week 10 is between the two worst teams on this list, but has massive playoff implications in the NFC South. These teams are both 3-5, but are somehow tied for the lead in the worst division in football. Not only is this Week 10 matchup for the division lead, but it also has the signs of being a very fun offensive battle.
The Carolina Panthers have been struggling as of late, and Bryce Young has not shown that he can play with consistency over a whole season. Carolina has looked good against the bad teams and has struggled against the better teams in the league. Similarly, the Saints have shown signs of being a competent football team, but have also struggled to be consistent.
Both these teams possess explosive offenses and porous defenses. That combination adds up for this to be a potential shootout-style game. The Panthers possess the more well-rounded offense and have shown the ability to balance a strong run game and elite-level passing. Carolina has dropped three straight games and needs to turn their momentum around if they want a chance at the playoffs.
The Saints, on the other hand, are coming off a big win in overtime against the Browns, but need to show they can both run and pass the ball more reliably. Honestly, both these teams would probably get bounced in the first round of the playoffs, but this game is shaping up to be an exciting offensive showing and potentially very important in the NFC South title race.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
This isn’t an important divisional battle like some of the other Week 10 games on this list, but it’s a great matchup between two of the NFL’s most successful franchises. If you saw this game on the schedule in the 1980s, it would be the most exciting of the week, but this could either be close or potentially not at all.
The San Francisco 49ers are arguably the best team in football and statistically have the most balanced team in the NFL. They come into this Week 10 matchup at 7-1 and are sitting atop the NFC standings. Quarterback Brock Purdy leads the most efficient offense in the NFL and is firmly in the MVP conversation.
On the flip side, the Cowboys sit at 4-5 and have not looked like a balanced football team this year. Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense are as prolific as ever, but as usual the Dallas defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. They possess one of the best passing games in the NFL, but recently have looked a little too one-dimensional.
On paper, the 49ers should be able to handle the Cowboys with ease, but Dallas understands that their season is on the line. They’re already a couple of games behind the New York Giants, and a loss might put them too far back to compete for the division. I don’t know if that will be enough for them to upset the top-ranked 49ers, but it could give them a little more motivation to win this one.
These two teams have a long history of memorable postseason matchups, and it remains to be seen if this one will go down in the history books as well. If the 49ers get up early, they’ll be able to control the clock and grind out the Cowboys.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Sunday, 8:20 PM ET
Man, the scriptwriters cooked with this game, and this is the perfect Sunday Night Football matchup for Week 10. The earlier showdown between these two teams ended in a three-point victory for the Pittsburgh Steelers, after a costly fumble by quarterback Joe Burrow late in the 4th quarter.
The Bengals’ offense has exploded over the past month and has put up over 30 points in each of their games. Burrow is an MVP candidate and is connecting with JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins at a level we haven’t seen since their Super Bowl run in 2022. The physical Steelers defense is going to have its hands full containing the Bengals.
Pittsburgh is coming off their bye and will be well rested and prepared for the game. The Steelers’ run game has led them to their 6-2 record, and they’ll need to establish a lead to control the ball on the ground. They win games through physical play and will try to break Cincinnati’s ability to operate a cohesive offense. Jaylen Warren is an X-Factor on offense for the Steelers and could break the game open.
This should be an exciting back-and-forth game between two teams who are contending for the lead in the AFC North and the AFC in general. The winner of this game would put themselves in the position to control their own playoff destiny. Everyone is expecting a very, very intense game between two franchises with a lot of history and a lot of bad blood. If Pittsburgh can control the clock, they have a good shot. Cincinnati will be looking to turn this into a shootout, college-style game.
The Last Word
There are obviously many other important matchups to be played this weekend, but these five blend playoff impact with an overall exciting game script. If fans had to pick three out of these five to watch closely in Week 10, they’d probably choose the Vikings versus Packers, 49ers versus Cowboys, and the Sunday night game between the Steelers and the Bengals.
Main Image: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
