NFL Week 10 storylines: Colts bounce back? Ravens breakout? Plus, Eagles-Packers showdown

The Athletic has live coverage of Falcons vs. Colts from Berlin.

The second half of the NFL regular season kicks off this weekend.

With nine weeks of action and the trade deadline in the books, the 32 teams now gear up for a stretch run that offers little margin for error.

Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North, who both stand alone as the only squads in their division with winning records, every other divisional leader holds only a slim edge over rivals in hot pursuit. And in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams both own 6-2 records and the San Francisco 49ers trail at 6-3.

Grab your popcorn. The final two months of the regular season will likely feature all kinds of scratching, pecking and scrapping for divisional leads and postseason berths.

Here are five of the most compelling storylines on tap for Week 10.

Indianapolis’ response

The NFL takes its show abroad once again as the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons meet in Berlin on Sunday morning.

One of the hottest teams in the league during the first half of the season, the Colts were sent reeling last week by the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s defense bottled up running back Jonathan Taylor and sacked quarterback Daniel Jones five times while forcing him into three interceptions and two fumbles. Now, the Colts will try to get back on track against the 3-5 Falcons. Can Atlanta’s defense, which ranks among the top half of teams in both sacks and quarterback rating, similarly harass Jones?

The Colts’ secondary will look a little different after Tuesday’s trade that landed All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. The former New York Jets star should help bolster an Indianapolis secondary that allows 244.8 passing yards per game (seventh most), but does have 10 interceptions (third most). This should make for another stiff challenge for Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The second-year pro has done a good job of taking care of the ball (only three interceptions), but he has just eight touchdown passes, and the Falcons average 17.9 points per game. Leaning on do-everything running back Bijan Robinson would make a lot of sense, except the Colts hold teams to just 87 rushing yards per game (fourth fewest) and have surrendered only six rushing touchdowns in nine games. (Falcons at Colts, 9:30 a.m. ET, Sunday, NFL Network)

Baltimore breakout?

After a tumultuous 1-5 start, the Baltimore Ravens have shown signs of life: back-to-back wins for the first time all season, improved health (to quarterback Lamar Jackson and others) and growth on defense. Is that momentum mounting? The Ravens this week will visit the Minnesota Vikings, who also just got their starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, back from injury last week and dealt the NFC North rival Detroit Lions a blow.

Jackson and the Ravens have some familiarity with the philosophies of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Four years ago, when Flores coached the Miami Dolphins, he sent pressure early and often, blitzing the quarterback on 30 of his 50 dropbacks, sacking him four times in a 22-10 Miami victory while leaving Jackson with a sprained ankle that forced him out of the following contest. In the four seasons since, Jackson has continued to develop and now ranks among one of the best passers in the league when blitzed, so it’ll be interesting to see what strategy Flores utilizes this week. Minnesota’s defense has struggled against the run this season, yielding 122.3 yards per game. In addition to Jackson, Minnesota must account for Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who has averaged 104 yards in his last three outings, including a 119-yard performance last week against Miami and a 122-yard day against the Rams three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Ravens’ defense seems to be finding its rhythm after struggling for much of the season. After allowing an average of 35.4 points through the first five games of the season, Baltimore has held its last three opponents to a combined 39 points while racking up five takeaways after managing just two forced turnovers in the first five weeks of the season. Will Baltimore manage to thwart a Vikings rushing attack that gashed the Lions for 142 yards, cause McCarthy to assume a heavier load than Minnesota’s coaches would like and force the first-year starter into youthful mistakes? (Ravens at Vikings, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox)

Streaking Patriots vs. resilient Bucs

Who says rebuilds take a long time? Mike Vrabel has breathed life into the New England Patriots, guiding them to a 7-2 start while riding a six-game winning streak despite fielding a roster that still has its fair share of deficiencies. The Patriots boast a defense that ranks first against the run (just 75.4 yards per contest and 3.6 yards per carry) and ranks among the top 10 in takeaways (11). Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Drake Maye finds himself among the leading early MVP candidates while ranking fifth in the league in passing yards (2,285) and tied for third in touchdown passes (17) while throwing only four interceptions.

This could make for an intriguing shootout between Maye and Baker Mayfield, who is playing the best ball of his career and has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers off to a 6-2 start despite rampant injuries along his offensive line and wide receiving unit.

Mayfield put his teammates on notice, reminding them that now, with half the season and their Week 9 bye behind them, the “real football” begins. Tampa’s players hope to buck the trend that has seen them sluggishly return from their bye weeks, losing each of the last two years. It’ll take an effective day from Mayfield, who once again is without veteran receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and might have a pieced-together backfield as well, to go along with a strong outing from Tampa’s defense. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles is masterful at finding ways to pressure young quarterbacks. The Bucs rank fifth in the NFL in blitz and pressure rates. But Maye doesn’t hesitate to break the pocket and scramble towards daylight when things break down. For the Bucs to be successful, they will have to contain Maye and force him into third-and-long situations. (Patriots at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS)

NFC West clashes

It’s rivalry week in the NFC West — one of the most hotly-contested divisions in the league. The 49ers welcome the Rams, and the Seahawks host the Arizona Cardinals.

It’s the second meeting of the season for the Rams and Niners. The last time around (Week 5), the short-handed 49ers edged the Rams 26-23 in overtime. While Kyle Shanahan’s team continues to battle the injury bug, the coach and his staff keep finding ways to win games as backups have assumed vital roles and have delivered. It looks like another start for Mac Jones at quarterback as Brock Purdy continues to nurse a debilitating turf toe injury. In seven starts, Jones has completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 1,832 yards and 10 touchdowns. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey has helped shoulder the load by delivering 596 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a league-high 168 carries, and 61 receptions for 626 yards and four touchdown catches. The last time around, the Rams held McCaffrey to 57 rushing yards on 22 carries; however, he also had 82 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches.

The Rams will have to find a way to neutralize McCaffrey, and they’ll need more out of their own rushing attack after managing just 78 ground yards in their last meeting with San Francisco. Sean McVay’s squad will also have to do a better job of finishing. In Week 5, Matthew Stafford passed for 389 yards and three touchdowns, but the Rams converted on only four of 10 third downs, and after taking a 17-7 lead into halftime, managed only nine points in the final two quarters and overtime.

Meanwhile, up north, the 6-2 Seahawks are coming off an authoritative victory over the Washington Commanders last week and will try to extend their win streak to four games and hang onto their spot atop the division. The Cardinals followed up their 2-0 start to the season with five straight losses, but those losses have come by an average margin of 2.4 points. Last week, the Cardinals stunned the Cowboys 27-17 in Dallas despite the continued absence of Kyler Murray. Jacoby Brissett is the unquestioned starter with Murray now on injured reserve. The well-traveled veteran passed for 261 yards and two touchdowns last week and will try to carry that performance over into this game and help his team exact revenge on the Seahawks for the 23-20 defeat suffered in Week 4. (Rams at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox; Cardinals at Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS)

Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde NFC powers

Two of the most well-rounded, yet perplexing teams of the NFC face off as the Eagles visit the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

Both have the potential to win the conference and contend for a Super Bowl. Both, however, have exhibited inconsistencies while at times playing down to the level of the competition and losing games they should have dominated.

The Eagles look to build some momentum as they return from their bye week. After weeks of offensive ups and downs, they finally put together a well-rounded, impressive outing in their pre-bye victory over the New York Giants. But such outings (four touchdown passes from Jalen Hurts, 150 rushing yards from Saquon Barkley) have been few and far between this season.

Defensively, the Eagles will return from their break with a bit of a different look after adding pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and defensive backs Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter at the trade deadline, while also welcoming outside linebacker Nolan Smith back from injury and defensive end Brandon Graham back from retirement.

Meanwhile, the Packers look to rebound from an embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers at home last week. Just one week prior, the Packers looked like a Super Bowl team when they bullied the Steelers on the road, but then last week, they turned the ball over twice, scored just one touchdown on five trips inside the red zone and went 2-for-3 on field goals. Defensively, the Packers did hold Bryce Young to just 102 passing yards and an interception, but they had no answer for running back Rico Dowdle, who rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns and helped position his team for a 49-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

Which Packers team shows up this week? Which Eagles offense takes the field?

Both teams should approach this game with a sense of urgency, because a victory here could go a long way toward securing coveted seeding and home-field advantage in the playoffs. (Eagles at Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN).

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