Charles Langston:Lions find way to win, Bears in tough spot: Best (and worst) from NFL Week 10

This is USA TODAY Sports' NFL newsletter,Charles Langston 4th and Monday. If this newsletter isn't already getting conveniently sent to your inbox, click here to subscribe.

NFL Week 10 is (almost) in the books. It's been a wild one so far!

➤ Three and out (your Week 10 must-reads):

• 32 things we learned: Who will challenge for NFC throne?
• Winners and losers: Lions find way to win; blow up the Cowboys
• Your updated playoff picture through Sunday's games

➤ Game of the day: Detroit Lions 26, Houston Texans 23 — We're 2-for-2 for wildly exciting primetime games this week ... no pressure Dolphins-Rams. This one came with an unexpected twist. Jared Goff was having a career year – so much so he was in the MVP conversation entering Week 10 – but had one of his worst games on "Sunday Night Football." Goff threw five picks, but the Lions overcame those mistakes to pull off a comeback not seen since 1970.

➤ Dud of the day: Minnesota Vikings 12, Jacksonville Jaguars 7 — This game was just 🤢. Vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold looked more like "seeing ghosts" Sam Darnold, throwing three interceptions, the Vikings didn't score a single touchdown, but still managed to prevail on the road. The Jaguars are bad, and in the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

➤ How about the ...!

• Arizona Cardinals: After Sunday's embarrassment of the embarrassing Jets, the Cardinals have won four in a row. This team enters its bye as a surprising first-place team in the NFC West.
• New Orleans Saints: Fire a head coach and get a "W." Congrats to interim head coach Darren Rizzi, whose debut win put an end to a brutal seven-game losing streak.
• Philadelphia Eagles: If you're into some good old-fashioned Cowboys schadenfreude, the Eagles really pulled through for you.

➤ What's up with the ...?

• Chicago Bears: Would not be surprised at all to wake up Monday morning to a "Bears fire Matt Eberflus" USA TODAY Sports alert.
• Jacksonville Jaguars: Ditto for Doug Pederson, whose Jaguars had a costly mental error late in Sunday's loss.
• New York Giants: There's probably some distress over job security for both quarterback Daniel Jones and head coach Brian Daboll.

➤ Alt uniform of the week: Baltimore Ravens — On a week with no throwbacks, we settle for "Purple Rising." It's the Ravens' first-ever alternate helmet. Kinda would like to see a return to the team's original uniforms, but that probably won't happen for ... reasons. Elsewhere, the Jaguars debuted "Shell White" (which was fine) and the Texans debuted "Battle Red" (which was meh).

📸: Alternate and throwback uniforms of 2024 NFL season

📸: Best of NFL Week 10

NFL Week 10 key storylines

• 32 things we learned: NFL Week 10's results indicate that the NFC playoff battle could be fascinating. But which teams are the top threats for the conference title?
• Winners and losers: The Cowboys have resisted wholesale changes for some time, but a season that's spiraling out of control should prompt a significant shift in Dallas.
• Jerry Jones lashes out at question about sun's glare at AT&T Stadium: This might be the most hilarious development in Week 10. Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb advocated for utilizing curtains to block the sun at AT&T Stadium. Team owner Jerry Jones immediately shot down the idea.
• Will Steelers' uneven offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch? The Steelers' offense sputtered for much of Sunday, but touchdowns to George Pickens and Mike Williams saved the day. Can Pittsburgh keep it going?

📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games

NFL Week 10 results

• Detroit Lions 26, Houston Texans 23: Jared Goff threw a career-high five interceptions, but the Lions still managed to rally for a dramatic win. The good vibes continue in Detroit.
• Arizona Cardinals 31, New York Jets 6: The Cardinals steamrolled the Jets. Maybe it's time for Aaron Rodgers to find another dark retreat somewhere.
• Philadelphia Eagles 34, Dallas Cowboys 6: We've reached the "complain about the sun's glare" portion of the Cowboys' spiraling 2024 season.
• Los Angeles Chargers 27, Tennessee Titans 17: Jim Harbaugh has a new nickname for Justin Herbert. It's "Beast," as in "Beast Herbert."
• New England Patriots 19, Chicago Bears 3: The hyped-up matchup between the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams, and the No. 3 pick, Drake Maye, never really materialized as the Bears continued to struggle with Williams getting sacked a season-high nine times. It might be time for the Bears to confront some uncomfortable truths, as we seem to be rapidly approaching time to panic about Williams' development under this current coaching staff.
• Buffalo Bills 30, Indianapolis Colts 20: The Bills overcame an uncharacteristically sloppy performance from Josh Allen to push past the pesky Colts.
• Kansas City Chiefs 16, Denver Broncos 14: A blocked field goal in the final seconds kept the Chiefs' perfect record intact.
• New Orleans Saints 20, Atlanta Falcons 17: Interim head coach Darren Rizzi was a winner in his debut as the Saints snapped a seven-game losing streak.
• San Francisco 49ers 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20: Jake Moody shook off missing three field goal attempts to boot the game-winning kick in the final seconds as the defending NFC champion 49ers have won consecutive games for the first time this season.
• Minnesota Vikings 12, Jacksonville Jaguars 7: The Vikings overcame three interceptions from vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold and not scoring a single touchdown to get an ugly win over the hapless Jaguars.
• Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Washington Commanders 27: Russell Wilson and newcomer Mike Williams hooked up for the winning score in this thriller between first-place teams.
• Carolina Panthers 20, New York Giants 17 (OT) (in Munich, Germany): The American football fans in Germany were witness to a potential battle for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
• Baltimore Ravens 35, Cincinnati Bengals 34 (Thursday): This one got wild, as big plays decided this AFC North showdown that did not disappoint. 

📅: Complete 2024 NFL schedule

Coming up this week 🗓️

➤ Monday: Week 10 concludes with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Miami Dolphins at SoFi Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Dolphins have won 12 of 14 all-time matchups against the Rams, including 11 of the last 12.

➤ Tuesday: USA TODAY Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 10.

➤ Thursday: Week 11 kicks off with a massive NFC East matchup between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on "Thursday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 11 game.

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