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The NFL enters Week 10 with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants, accompanied by newly released midseason award votes, playoff computer projections, and roster updates from CBS Sports.
Midseason Award Favorites and Playoff Computer Projections
A panel of 15 CBS Sports writers voted on midseason awards based on performances through the first nine weeks of the regular season. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow emerged as the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player, securing 11 votes. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence finished second with two votes, while Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy each received one vote.
In other midseason award categories, Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba captured the top spot for Offensive Player of the Year with six votes. Cleveland Browns receiver Denzel Boston led the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting with seven votes. New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh received seven votes to lead the Coach of the Year category.
Alongside the award voting, analytics expert Stephen Oh simulated the remainder of the regular season to project the 14-team playoff picture. The Buffalo Bills were projected as the top seed in the AFC with a 7-1 record, while the San Francisco 49ers claimed the top seed in the NFC at 7-1. The simulation projected all four NFC North teams—the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers—to make the postseason, marking a potential historic first since the playoff expansion in 2020. Overall, the computer model projected the Bills to win the Super Bowl.
Thursday Night Preview and Featured Week 10 Picks
Thursday night’s divisional contest serves as a rematch between the 2-5-1 Commanders and the 5-2-1 Giants following a Week 5 tie. Washington seeks to rely on a rushing attack led by Rachaad White, Austin Ekeler, and quarterback Jayden Daniels after losing Jacory Croskey-Merritt to a season-ending injury. Meanwhile, New York aims to attack Washington’s pass defense, which concedes 240 passing yards per game, with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy expected to make his first home start alongside targets Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely.
CBS Sports analysts also provided their top selections for the Week 10 slate:
- Pete Prisco selected the Detroit Lions (-2.5) to defeat the New England Patriots 30-24 in Munich, expecting Detroit’s offense to overcome a struggling New England defense.
- Tyler Sullivan picked the Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.5) to upset the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24, citing Pittsburgh’s defensive numbers and a rest advantage over Cincinnati following their game in Madrid.
- Jordan Dajani picked the Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) over the Atlanta Falcons 26-20, pointing to Atlanta’s recent international travel and the trade departure of safety Jessie Bates III.
- Jared Dubin chose the Green Bay Packers to defeat the Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) 17-14 in a low-scoring defensive contest.
- John Breech selected the Houston Texans (-4.5) to top the Cleveland Browns 24-16, highlighting Houston’s league-leading pass rush against Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been sacked a league-high 33 times this season.
Trade Deadline News and Roster Updates
Following a quiet trade deadline on Tuesday that produced only five completed deals, additional roster movement occurred across the league. A trade that would have sent Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick fell through after Henley failed his physical examination on Wednesday night.
Quarterback changes took shape in Arizona, where the Cardinals named rookie third-round pick Carson Beck as their starter against the Los Angeles Rams following a season-ending injury to Gardner Minshew. Beck joins Joe Fagnano of Baltimore and Jalon Daniels of Tampa Bay, marking the first time since 1987 that three rookie quarterbacks selected outside the first two rounds have started games in the same season.
Additionally, the Baltimore Ravens addressed a roster vacancy by signing kicker Riley Patterson to the active roster and Harrison Mevis to the practice squad after losing Tyler Loop to injury and seeing practice squad kicker Jake Moody signed by Atlanta. Former NFL agent Joel Corry noted three potential deadline trades that failed to materialize, including proposed moves that could have sent running back Jonathan Taylor to the Giants, receiver Brian Thomas Jr. to the Rams, and running back Tony Pollard to the Packers.
