NFL Week 10 Tuesday Whip-Around: Things are getting real interesting....

I made my midseason playoff predictions just a little over a week ago, and already I'm starting to feel like a fool. This NFL season has become ridiculously unpredictable, with surprises at every turn and injuries shaking up the landscape significantly this week. After their bye and three impressive wins in the opening half of the season, the Indianapolis Colts suffered an utter collapse Sunday against the Rams that might not be easily fixable. The Cincinatti Bengals, once expected to run away with the AFC North, have now limped back to the pack after a loss to the Ravens, and unless Andy Dalton gets hot again there's still a chance this team could lose a grip on this division. As unbelievable as it might seem, the Browns still have a great shot at this division, especially because they face the Bengals this weekend. In the NFC, the way the dominoes will fall are even less murky. Carolina is only one game behind the Saints for the NFC South lead in what may be the most hotly contested division this year. The San Francisco 49ers looked hot after a five game winning streak that almost got them back in the NFC West title picture, but then their passing game regressed to almost non-existence against the Panthers. The NFC North will be in flux until Aaron Rodgers steps back onto the field for the Packers. If they fail to win in his absence, they may be out, but even one victory with Scott Tolizen under center would keep hope well alive. As for the NFC East...I don't even want to talk about the NFC East. That's just been a tire fire of disaster this year. Nothing has been a sure thing so far this season, not even the greatness of Peyton Manning thanks to some possible injuries to his ankles. The Denver Broncos, despite having a historically good offense, are not a lock even in thei rown division, because the Chiefs have a chance to shock the world this week when they travel to Mile High Stadium. Believe it or not, their defense has a shot to bring down the Mile High offense. Besides utter confusion, here's what else we got out of Week 10 in the NFL:

Seahawks 33, Falcons 10

1. The Seahawks' offense came back to life on Sunday, with huge games from both Russel Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, even without top receiver Sidney Rice.
2. Roddy White returned this week to the Falcons' lineup, but he provided almost no impact on the Falcon attack with only 20 yards receiving.
3. Percy Harvin did not end up returning to the Seahawks this game, but it sounds like he was just waiting for this week, when he faces all of his old friends in Minnesota.

Ravens 20, Bengals 17 (OT)

1. Well, after this game the AFC North is wide open, as mentioned before. The loss of Geno Atkins wasn't even the major cause for concern for the Bengals, as they dominated the Ravens'  front.
2. Does either offense know how to function? Both quarterbacks were misfiring all over the field, and neither offensive line got even a semblance of a push up front. The Browns may actually be the most complete team in this division.
3. James Ihedigbo almost went down as the Ravens' version of Rahim Moore with one of the worst defenses of a hail mary in history. He's just lucky his team was able to bail him out in overtime, or he would never be able to walk around Baltimore again.

Lions 21, Bears 19

1. The Lions took control of the NFC North with their first sweep of the Bears since 2007. Now can they not screw this up? These are the Lions after all!
2. Detroit's defensive line wreaked havoc all day, limiting Chicago's running game, including stuffing Matt Forte on a late two point conversion attempt that made up the difference in the score.
3. The big story of the day was how banged up Jay Cutler was in his first game back from a groin injury. Cutler wasn't pulled until the end of the game, and then backup Josh McCown took the team right down the field for a touchdown. Head coach Marc Trestman said later he should have pulled Cutler earlier in hindsight, but that doesn't change the fact that the late decision could end up costing this team the division.

Eagles 27, Packers 13

1. The Eagles' offense did not look sharp most of the day, but they killed the clock late with Lesean McCoy to seal the win.
2. The Eagles are now tied at the top of the awful NFC East, even though they have yet to win a game at home this year. That's impressive. 
3. The Seneca Wallace era ended rather quickly to make way for the era of Scott Tolzien in Green Bay. Tolzien had his moments against the Eagles, but will he be able to be competent for 60 minutes with limited time in practice?

Rams 38, Colts 8

1. Tavon Austin decided to actually do things Sunday! It was well worth the wait!
2. The Rams' defensive line looked like the top tier unit it was expected to be on Sunday, absolutely dominating in this game from start to finish.
3. This could have been a deadly loss for the Colts but luckily for them the only team in the AFC South to win this week was the Jaguars. The Colts need to at least gather themselves in time for Thursday's game against the Titans, because with a win there they can almost ensure themselves an easy path to the division crown.

Giants 24, Raiders 20

1. In his first regular season game in almost a year Andre Brown had 30 carries. The Giants have been pretty desperate for a running back, in case you couldn't already tell.
2. The Giants are no longer last in the NFC East! After three straight wins, there's still a possibility they could actually make themselves relevant.
3. Terrelle Pryor was far from impressive when he had no room to run...Pryor needs significant improvement in his passing abilities to be more than a possible one-year wonder in Oakland.

Steelers 23, Bills 10

1. The Steeler defense played for pride on Sunday after getting crushed by the Patriots last week, improving Dick Lebeau's record against rookie quarterbacks to a whopping 19-2. The man knows how to get inside a young guy's head.
2. The big rumor of the day was that Ben Roethlisberger may want out of Pittsburgh after the year and may look to be traded. The rumor seems logical, but very unlikely. After the game Big Ben denied any truth to said rumors.
3. It was a rough first day back for EJ Manuel, who struggled to function when his run game was taken away with a large deficit.

Jaguars 29, Titans 27

1. The Jaguars really wanted to win this one, and they got it! Congratulations to Gus Bradley on his first win down there in Jacksonville.
2. Well, Chris Johnson went back to being a non-factor on the Titans, gaining only 30 rushing yards and losing a fumble.
3. Jack Locker is now lost for the year after this game, and now the Titans' AFC South title dreams may be lost too.

Panthers 10, 49ers 9

1. The Panthers have now won a game on the road against a solid opponent. They're legit.
2. The Panthers' defense really needs to get more love, as they owned this game from start to finish.
3. The passing troubles for the 49ers are back, as with Vernon Davis out of the game Colin Kaepernick could not move the football through the air.

Cardinals 27, Texans 24

1. The Cardinals are above .500 and 4-1 at home. Don't look now, but things get pretty competitive out in the desert.
2. The defense set the tone early on with a strip sack of Case Keenum that was returned for a touchdown. The Cardinals were able to get pressure all day on the 2nd year passer.
3. Andre Johnson stepped up big again with two touchdowns, but another bad field goal attempt wound up costing this team.

Broncos 28, Chargers 20

1. The Broncos offense was solid again, but the defense really stepped up and played well for interim coach Jack Del Rio, even after being on the field for most of the first quarter.
2. Peyton Manning really is having some protection issues due to injuries on his offense line. If he keeps getting hit this team is in trouble. Deep trouble.
3. The Chargers were successful early on in keeping Peyton off of the field, but this team wasn't able to put up many points in the time they had the ball. A non-aggressive offensive strategy is not a good plan against Peyton Manning.

Saints 49, Cowboys 17

1. The Saints offense was humming Sunday night, tallying an NFL record 40 first downs. Having Marques Colston and Darren Sproles back in the lineup helped plenty.
2. Do you want Rob Ryan back yet Jerry? I'm pretty sure he's a lot happier where he is now.
3. This Dallas defense cannot stop opponents through the air and is now without their best player, Sean Lee, for 3-4 weeks. The NFC East is going to start getting even worse.

Buccaneers 22, Dolphins 19

1. So Donald Penn became the 5th heaviest guy to score an NFL touchdown Monday night. Way to go big guy!
2. The Buccaneers have now joined the ranks of the winning with rookie Mike Glennon's first win as a starting quarterback. Better late than never, right?
3. The Dolphins offensive line issues have played oout off the field recently, but on the field there's a lot of problems too. With two starters out of the game due to the bullying saga, the Dolphins rushed for just two yards on 14 carries. The line also gave up back to back sacks at the end of the game that doomed the Dolphins' chance at a comeback.