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A number of teams will look a little different as the second half of the season gets underway this week. After a busy trade deadline, several players have landed on new teams, meaning Week 10 will be full of debuts from Josh Downs on the Chiefs; to Jordan Davis, Davon Godchaux and Jessie Bates III with the Jaguars; to Kirk Cousins reuniting with the Vikings.
After a week of change, here is the biggest question for every NFL game in Week 10.
After scoring 10 points in the first 16 minutes of the game, the Commanders’ offense hit a snag in their 20–13 loss to the Rams. They have been an inconsistent unit as they adjust to a new offensive scheme under first-time play-caller David Blough. While Jayden Daniels is a top young quarterback and playing well, that hasn’t been enough to carry the offense amid injuries to Laremy Tunsil and Terry McLaurin, and as they adjust to a new scheme.
Daniels was candid about the adjustment to a new offense. “I think we’re far ahead of where we were in OTAs. We’re still growing, learning, going through things,” he said Tuesday. “He’s a first-time coordinator, so he has growing pains that he’s going through. It’s not going to be perfect as much as you want it to be, but we’re still continuing to stick to the process and really just going from there.”
The Commanders did have one of their better offensive performances when they faced the Giants earlier this season, rushing for 202 yards—including two long scrambles for touchdowns by Daniels—and scoring 27 points in the infamous tie. If the Commanders can generate that kind of rushing performance again, they could be in for a good night.
With both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson slated to be out, the Patriots will be turning to Corey Kiner in the running game. Kiner has seen a larger workload for the Patriots in recent weeks. He has 50 carries for 244 yards and a touchdown on the season, and has totaled 15 carries for 93 yards (6.2 yards per carry) over his past two games. The Lions’ defense has been pretty good against the run defense, allowing 94.1 yards per game (eighth) and ranking 17th in EPA per rush allowed (-0.08).
The Saints had their best rushing game of the season against the Browns, rushing for 160 yards as new signing Audric Estimé led the team with 72 yards, the most yards in a single game by a Saints rusher this season. They did have the benefit of playing a Browns defense that has struggled against the run this season, but they will now face a Panthers defense that has not been great against the run either. Carolina ranks 28th in rushing yards allowed per game (133.4), giving New Orleans another chance to get its run game going.
Both the Dolphins and Colts sustained major losses to their roster on the day of the trade deadline. For the Colts, they traded away receivers Keenan Allen and Josh Downs. With Alec Pierce still injured, they are slated to take the field with Laquon Treadwell, Anthony Gould and Ashton Dulin as their top three receivers. The room is so thin that even Colts legend and receivers coach Reggie Wayne posted on social media, “Welp ... Might be time to dust off the old Reeboks ... Has the player-Coach thing ever happened before?”
Welp... Might be time to dust off the old Reeboks.... 🤷🏾♂️ Has the player-Coach thing ever happened before? pic.twitter.com/i0CWCrPLAI
— Reggie Wayne (@ReggieWayne_17) November 10, 2026
For the Dolphins, the losses were because of injury, not trades. Miami would be an obvious candidate to pull off an upset, except that starting quarterback Malik Willis was placed on injured reserve, meaning second-year quarterback Kyle McCord is currently slated to make his first NFL start. On top of the Willis injury, the Dolphins also lost one of their top players as Zach Sieler sustained a season-ending injury.
The Browns have lost their past two games, in part because of their struggles in run defense. This week, they will face a Texans team that doesn’t have a great run game but does feature a red-hot quarterback in C.J. Stroud. Stroud, who has played well for much of the year, is fresh off a 384-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Chargers. The Browns’ defense has been good in the passing game this season, ranking sixth in passing yards allowed per game (201) and 11th in EPA per pass (-0.08), offering a tougher matchup for Stroud.
The Vikings made a move for a quarterback before the deadline, acquiring Kirk Cousins from the Raiders. Now, Cousins will be tasked with getting an offense that’s been out of sync since 2024 back on track. So far this season, the Vikings’ offense ranks 31st in yards (266.8) and passing yards (160.8), and 27th in points per game (18.3). Cousins has been productive this year, ranking fifth in passing yards (2,340) and second in touchdowns (20), but Sunday will show whether he can spark the Vikings’ offense right away. The Vikings don’t need an incredible performance from their quarterback, but someone who can get the ball to Justin Jefferson and put up enough points to support their stellar defense.
All eyes will be on the Jaguars’ new trade additions this weekend in Tennessee when Jessie Bates III, Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis make their debuts for Jacksonville. No team was bolder at the deadline than the Jaguars, who gave up a first-, two second- and a sixth-round pick for all three players on Monday to fill their remaining holes and improve their title odds. It could take a bit of time for all three players to adjust to a new defensive scheme under Anthony Campanile, but if any can make a splash the way Jeffery Simmons did in his first start for the Bears, it will make the Jaguars’ moves look even better after the deadline.
The Jets have not been great at defending tight ends this season. A tight end has led the Jets’ opponent in receiving yards in each of their past three games (Travis Kelce, Brock Bowers and Greg Dulcich), and that could mean a big game is in store for Dalton Kincaid and/or Dawson Knox. Kincaid had a hot start to the season by recording 225 yards over their first two games, but his production has cooled since. Sunday is a prime opportunity for him to put together a big game again.
The Chiefs finally made a splash at receiver by trading for Josh Downs. Like with the Jaguars’ new additions, it could take Downs time to acclimate to a new offense and team. Still, the expectations will be high for Downs as the Chiefs have severely needed help at receiver. If he can make a few catches and show an early connection with Patrick Mahomes against a Falcons’ defense that is 20th in passing yards allowed (228 per game), it will create plenty of excitement within Chiefs Kingdom.
With the Raiders trading Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, Fernando Mendoza is now slated to make his first NFL start. He gets the pleasure of making that start against the Seahawks, who boast arguably the league’s best defense. Mendoza briefly appeared in the Raiders’ blowout loss to the Patriots, completing six-of-eight passes for 48 yards, but Sunday will mark his first significant NFL action.
“His most important piece of production is his ability to throw a football accurately and make good decisions, and I’ve really seen those two things jump out,” coach Klint Kubiak said of Mendoza after naming him the starter. “Our expectation for him is to lead the offense.”
Kubiak and GM John Spytek made it clear that Mendoza’s preparation helped allow them to make the decision to trade Cousins, but he still is likely to face some bumps in his first action as he takes on Seattle.
Mendoza isn’t the only rookie making his first start. So is Carson Beck, the Cardinals’ third-round pick and the third quarterback taken in the 2026 draft. Beck has been thrust into the starting lineup amid an injury to Gardner Minshew II, and will now start against the Rams. Like Mendoza, he has a daunting matchup ahead. The Rams’ defense is not as good as the Seahawks’ D, but he will be starting against Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald. Though Garrett just returned from a knee injury, he immediately returned to form by sacking Jayden Daniels three times and forcing a fumble last Sunday. If the Cardinals can’t protect, it could be tough sledding for Beck in his first game.
Nick Bosa’s return from injury and reunion with DeForest Buckner last week was exciting for the 49ers, but did not result in immediate improvements to the pass rush unit. San Francisco failed to sack Kirk Cousins, and has not recorded a sack in either of the past two sacks. After not adding another edge rusher before the trade deadline, the 49ers will need more from their current group when it comes to getting after the quarterback. The Cowboys’ offensive line has done a solid job protecting Dak Prescott, allowing just 14 sacks this season, the eighth-fewest in the league.
When the Steelers and Bengals faced off in late September, both offenses had a good day statistically as Pittsburgh won 30–27. Joe Burrow and Aaron Rodgers each threw three touchdown passes as both teams’ playmakers went off. Jaylen Warren averaged 7.5 yards per carry while running for 127 yards and both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins had 90-plus receiving yards and a touchdown. The Steelers ultimately came away with the win after forcing a sack fumble on Burrow as he tried to lead a game-winning drive.
Since then, the Steelers’ defense has clamped down, holding their last three opponents to fewer than 20 points. Meanwhile, Burrow has been hotter than ever, accounting for 18 total touchdowns over his past four games. Burrow has the chance to bolster his MVP case with a prime-time win to take the AFC North lead, while the Steelers’ defense can prove they are truly legit by stopping a top offense.
The Ravens traded for Jacoby Brissett after losing Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley due to injury. Brissett will be an upgrade over the inexperienced rookie Joe Fagnano, but the question will be how good the Ravens’ offense can be with him at the helm. Can he help the Ravens win enough games to stay in the playoff hunt if Jackson comes back? The Ravens’ offense was not consistent with Huntley, failing to score in the second half in losses to the Browns and Bengals. Brissett is a solid bridge quarterback, but was unable to lead the Cardinals to many wins as they averaged 21.9 points per game under his lead.
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