The 10 biggest takeaways from NFL week 10: Saints drop a stinker and Lamar Jackson steals the stage

Well that was fun. NFL week 10 gave us enormous upsets, some outrageous plays and another Lamar Jackson masterclass on Sunday, with a blockbuster divisional clash between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers still to come on Monday night.

The AFC playoff race blew even more open with the Indianapolis Colts' shock defeat to the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers' fourth straight win, while the New Orleans Saints dropped the ball over in the NFC and the Green Bay Packers got back on the right track with a gritty win in the snow.

Here are the 10 biggest takeaways from the weekend's action...

Chiefs mistakes cost them again

The Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans played the game of the day, but not many people predicted this result. Ryan Tannehill - brilliant on the day - led the Tennessee offense on a 61-yard touchdown drive with just over a minute remaining, connecting with Adam Humphries for a 23-yard score to make it 35-32. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker had a chance to take the game to overtime, but his field goal attempt was blocked by a flying Joshua Kalu, and the Titans held on to keep their AFC Wildcard dreams alive at 5-5.

Patrick Mahomes returned for KC after a two-game injury layoff, and was every bit his excellent self. The highlight was a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman which he literally unfurled in mid-air. And yet, despite finishing with 446 yards and three TD passes, Mahomes was outshone by Tannehill. The former Dolphin cemented his job as Tennessee's QB1 by completing 13 of 19 for 181 yards, two touchdowns and a 131.9 passer rating. He looked confident - like a man deserving of his position - on that final Titans drive, and it now seems beyond any doubt that Marcus Mariota will be searching for a new home this offseason.

Tannehill was aided by the day's best rushing performance, courtesy of Derrick Henry. Henry carried 23 times for 181 yards and two scores. These kind of games are too rare for the former Heisman winner, who can be devastating when he gets on a roll. He's the archetypal Titan - extremely talented but frustratingly inconsistent.

Talking of frustrating, the Chiefs will come away from this one deeply annoyed at a series of mistakes which saw them drop to their fourth defeat in six games. These errors are going to cost them a bye in the AFC, and don't stand them in good stead if they have any hops of avenging last year's disappointment and taking out the New England Patriots in January.

Saints lay giant egg

Show me someone who picked the 1-7 Atlanta Falcons to beat the 7-1 New Orleans Saints and I'll show you a liar. In a bizarre game the Falcons' previously non-existent pass rush sacked Drew Brees six times, and a defense which had been haemorrhaging points held the Saints' destructive offense to just nine - and no touchdowns. Brees never managed to get the New Orleans offense moving and Alvin Kamara was a total non-factor as they slumped to a 26-9 defeat which doesn't help either team. It leaves the Saints a little more vulnerable in the NFC playoff race and only serves to move the Falcons down the draft board, but may go some way to helping Dan Quinn keep his job - even if only for a few more weeks.

The Atlanta offense was not anything special, but they were frequently helped by sloppy Saints penalties, including three which gave up first downs on the Falcons' first touchdown drive in the second quarter. They leaned heavily on the run game and found it effective in grinding down New Orleans' defense. A nonsensical Matt Ryan pick gave the Saints a chance to stage a dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter, but they were not able to muster a single point in an atypically limp showing. Sean Payton will welcome next week's bye before they look to bounce back against the Panthers in week 12.

Kirk Cousins wins in prime time

Before the Dallas Cowboys' meeting with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football all the talk was about which would break first - the Cowboys' fragility against teams with teams with winning records or Kirk Cousins' shocking history in prime time games. Those who stayed up until the early hours of Monday morning saw Cousins answer his critics.

The Vikings QB threw two touchdown passes - plus a further two-point conversion - to Kyle Rudolph as the Vikings jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Dallas roared back, thanks to one of Dak Prescott's (28 of 46, 397 yards, three TD, One INT) strongest days of the year, but their offensive play caller Kellen Moore made poor decisions when Big D had the chance to win it late on, and the Vikes survived. Moore kept trying to feed Ezekiel Elliott on the final drive, despite their success to that point being built on Prescott's arm, and paid the price.

Cousins completed 23 of 32 for 220 yards and those two TD tosses to Rudolph, with Dalvin Cook his favourite target. Cook outplayed Elliott (20 carries, 47 yards) by racking up just shy of 200 yards from scrimmage, but two Dallas receivers (Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup) went over 100 yards receiving, and had a touchdown apiece. It is strange they were not called upon when it mattered most.

At 7-3, Minnesota are now strongly places in the NFC Wildcard race and still stand a chance of pipping Green Bay in the North. The Cowboys lost ground to the Eagles in the East in what should be a photo finish.

Lamar Jackson is the 2018 draft class' QB1

Lamar Jackson registered his second perfect 158.3 passer rating of the season as he torched the Cincinnati Bengals' sorry defense for four total touchdowns on the way to a 49-13 demolition. Jackson was accurate through the air, completing 15 of his 17 passes for 223 yards and three scores, and added 65 yards from seven carries on the ground. One of those was a stunning 47-yard touchdown run on which he made Cincy's defenders looks very silly. He took two out in one fell swoop with a devastating spin move, before waltzing into the end zone. Jackson was the fifth quarterback off the board in last year's draft, but right now there is no doubt he is the best of the bunch, and he's right in the MVP race through 10 weeks.

Another play for the highlight reel was one the Ravens have dubbed "the Heisman package". Jackson, Mark Ingram and Robert Griffin III - all former Heisman Trophy winners - lined up together in the backfield. Jackson faked the toss to Ingram before flipping the ball to Griffin, who went up the sideline for a first down.

Griffin eventually replaced Jackson at QB in the blowout, otherwise the stats - and the scoreline - could have been even more impressive. The 0-9 Bengals are hurtling rapidly towards the No 1 overall pick in the draft. It's hard to see where a win comes from right now.

Packers run game takes off

The Carolina Panthers had no answer for the Green Bay Packers' run game, as Aaron Jones went for 93 yards and three touchdowns at an average of 7.2 yards per carry and the Packers held on by a matter of inches for a 24-16 victory at a snowy Lambeau Field. Jones is now tied with Christian McCaffrey for the most touchdowns in the league this season, with 14, and he was propped up by Jamaal Williams, who added 63 yards from 13 carries.

The Panthers almost stole the game late, but McCaffrey was stopped just short of the goal line as time expired. Kyle Allen (28 of 43, 307 yards, one TD) moved the ball well throughout, and was especially impressive in the fourth quarter, but also made some costly mistakes. He fumbled a snap which the Packers recovered and turned into a touchdown in the first half, and threw an ugly pick in the end zone.

On the other side Aaron Rodgers (17 of 29, 233 yards) didn't have a touchdown, but was clean in difficult conditions and made a number of long conversions on third down to keep the Carolina defense on the field. At 8-2 Green Bay currently hold the No 2 seed in the NFC. They face the No 1 - the San Francisco 49ers - in two weeks in what could be a preview of January's NFC Championship game.

Don't write off the Steelers yet

A few weeks ago the Pittsburgh Steelers were 1-4, and forced to start a man named Devlin Hodges at quarterback. Their season looked over. Now they've won four straight, are back over .500, and have a genuine chance of sneaking into the playoffs. Their defense was top drawer once again as they held the Los Angeles Rams to 12 points, with Minkah Fitzpatrick the undoubted star. Fitzpatrick has been exceptional since the Steelers gave up a first-round pick to take him from the Dolphins, and had two more takeaways - one a fumble recovery he took to the end zone - on Sunday. He has completely changed the face of Pittsburgh's defense and deserves to be in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year.

The Rams looked dull on offense - something we never thought we'd say after all the invention and trickery that defined their 2018 season. Sean McVay seems short of ideas and inspiration, and needs to go back to the drawing board sharpish, or he won't be playing meaningful football past December.

Mason Rudolph had one of his better days for Pittsburgh, completing 22 of 38 for 242 yards and a score - to James Washington. Jared Goff was troublesome on the other side, throwing two picks. Punter Jonny Hecker added another on a bizarrely-called fake punt which defined LA's difficult evening.

Jets come back in New York thriller

The New York Giants and Jets had a combined three wins coming into Sunday's game - it has not been a happy season in the Big Apple - but they put on one of the most exciting games of the year at MetLife Stadium, with Sam Danrold coming out on top over Daniel Jones. Jones will feel more than a little hard done by - he completed 26 of his 40 passes for 308 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and still found himself on the losing side. He forged a great connection with Darius Slayton, who caught 10 passes foe 121 yards and two scores, and Golden Tate also took two trips to the end zone, but in the end it was a defensive touchdown that proved the difference.

Jamal Adams literally tore the ball from Jones' hands on one of the plays of the entire day, and took it all the way home for the TD. Adams was outstanding all day, finishing with nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two QB hits - not bad for a guy who's unhappy with his team after they tried to trade him away at the deadline.

Darnold finished 19 of 30 for 230 yards and a touchdown and was solid if not spectacular. The Jets against struggled to find their run game, with Le'Veon Bell managing just 34 yards from 18 carries. Their only saving grace is the Giants had the same problem. Saquon Barkley was eerily quiet, with just a single yard from his 13 carries, and five receptions for 30.

Colts leave AFC Wildcard race wide open

The Dolphins are getting quite good at accidentally winning games, and a lot of that should be credited to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is in danger of playing himself out of a job (in a good way) in Miami's tank operation. Fitzmagic rushed for a score as the Dolphins beat the Colts 16-12 in Indianapolis, a result which will leave a sour taste in Colts fans' mouths for weeks to come. This should have been a gimme, a perfect opportunity to take a step forward in the AFC Wildard race. Instead Indy now find themselves on the outside looking in, with teams like the Raiders and Steelers looking stronger, and with more favourable schedules down the stretch.

The Colts missed Jacoby Brissett. Big time. Brian Hoyer threw three interception in his absence, and without TY Hilton had very little to work with in the receiving game. If Brissett can't get back on the field soon Indianapolis could see their postseason hopes rapidly crumble to dust.

Mitchell Trubisky can still show flashes

Mitchell Trubisky started the game horribly, but finally sparked the Chicago Bears' offense from its season-long slumber to guide them to a lifesaving win over the Jeff Driskell-quarterbacked Detroit Lions. Trubisky (16 of 23, 173 yards) had three touchdown passes and linked well with Allen Robinson, making the most of a Lions defense which struggled to crate any kind of pressure.

You suspect the result would have been different if Matthew Stafford was not missing his first game since 2017 with a back fracture. Driskell (27 of 46, 269 yards, one TD, one INT) was not a disaster, but the Lions offense - which has been surprisingly fun this year - lost the vast majority of that juju, save for a beautiful long touchdown strike to Kenny Golladay in the fourth quarter. Detroit need Stafford back immediately if they are to make a late dash for the postseason - Driskell isn't good enough to overcome a defense which can't get out of its own way. Even with their QB1 January football is probably too big a stretch in a crowded NFC.

Browns overcome red zone woes

The Cleveland Browns were nothing short of dreadful in the red zone against the Buffalo Bills, yet still came away with a deeply needed 19-16 victory, after Baker Mayfield led a game-winning touchdown drive in perhaps his best performance of the season. Earlier in the game Cleveland had failed with eight straight plays from inside the two-yard line, leaving with zero points after going for it on fourth down, then failed three more times and settled for a field goal on their next visit. But in the end Mayfield (26 of 38, 238, two touchdowns) found Rashard Higgins in the end zone, and Steven Hauschka missed a long field goal which could have won it for Buffalo.

The Bills may be 6-3, but their record masks over a number if deficiencies. All of those six wins have been against very bad teams, and the run defense in particular is a big issue that will hurt them against even a half decent offense. Nick Chubb averaged just shy of six yards per carry 116-yard display, and probably should have been used more.

Buffalo's schedule means they still have an excellent chance of making the playoffs, but they look the definition of a one-and-done outfit.