Tuesday 15 November 2016 12:47, UK
If America became a country divided for political reasons last week, the NFL offered the chance for everybody to come together for a common goal on Sunday night - to enjoy the ridiculously good action that was unfolding from sea to shining sea.
NFL Week 10 was packed with drama as nine of Sunday's games were decided by a single score and they were settled in the most dramatic ways imaginable. It was a classic evening of action which served to remind us all - not that we needed it - why we love this great sport.
Let's take a look at six headlines that caught my eye on a night that could very easily have turned the title of this column into the Pick 106!
Extra point success
I'm not talking about an individual kick when writing that headline - I'm referring to the success of the rule change made by the NFL last season, which forced kickers to attempt extra points from 33 yards out instead of 19 or 20 yards away, depending on the spot of the ball.
It has turned every extra point into an adventure (just ask Minnesota's Blair Walsh) and the additional part of the new rule which is often overlooked is that the defending team can now score two points if they return a blocked kick to the end zone.
Sunday saw a game decided in that dramatic and mind-blowing fashion for the first time as the Denver Broncos edged to a 25-23 win over the New Orleans Saints. The Saints had just tied the game on a Drew Brees touchdown strike and lined up for Wil Lutz's extra point try to take the lead with 1:22 remaining.
Denver rookies then combined to break New Orleans hearts. Justin Simmons leapt straight over the long-snapper to block the kick and William Parks scooped up the loose football and took it to the house. Two points. Game over.
That is exactly the kind of drama the NFL was hoping to serve up with a rule change that has turned what was previously one of the most routine and mundane parts of the game into a venture into the unknown.
Zeke for MVP?
The NFL Most Valuable Player award has long been assigned to the best quarterback in the game. You get the odd interjection by a player from another position - like Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson in 2012 - but, for the most part, it goes to the best quarterback of the season.
With the likes of Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford and maybe even Russell Wilson in position to make a run at that honour in the second half of the season, maybe the voters should broaden their lens and consider a running back.
Ezekiel Elliott is something special and you could certainly make an argument for him being more deserving than those players previously mentioned. The rookie rusher was sensational during Dallas Cowboys' 35-30 win over Pittsburgh that improved their record to 8-1 on the season.
Elliott carried 21 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns to break the 1,000-yard rushing barrier with seven games still to play in 2016. He scored the game-winner with just nine seconds remaining and had earlier found the end zone on a spectacular 83-yard catch and run.
They often talk about the rookie wall and how young players tend to slow down over the course of a season. Elliott looks like he's just getting warmed up and could very well stake an MVP claim this year.
Chiefs rip the game away from Carolina
The Kansas City Chiefs have been masters of the regular season for the past year, winning 16 of their previous 18 contests heading into Charlotte on Sunday. But it looked like they were going to fall flat on their faces as they dropped 17-0 behind a Panthers team chasing three wins in a row.
But you don't get to 7-2 in the NFL - which is where the Chiefs now are - without having something about you and an ability to dig deep. The Chiefs did just that on the defensive side of the ball on Sunday night, scoring on Eric Berry's pick six and constantly chipping away to tie the scores at 17 apiece.
Then inside the final minute, cornerback Marcus Peters ripped the ball from the grasp of Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin, setting up Cairo Santos' game-winning field goal. It was yet another unique and highly skilled way to end an NFL game and keeps the Chiefs riding high in the AFC.
Titans bully the Packers
On a night of close games, one of the most remarkable performances came in one of the most one-sided contests as the Tennessee Titans recorded a 47-25 beat-down on the Green Bay Packers.
Marcus Mariota was in outstanding form with four touchdown passes and DeMarco Murray once again played a key role for the Titans, rushing for 123 yards and one score and also throwing a touchdown pass.
Defensively, the Titans also made life difficult for Aaron Rodgers, sacking him five times. The Titans are very much alive in the AFC South and I wouldn't rule them out from making a playoff run. As for the Packers, they are a massive disappointment at 4-5.
Eagles play keep away
The Philadelphia Eagles adopted an age-old, tried and trusted method when playing the high-powered Atlanta Falcons on Sunday - they ran the ball a lot and played keep away, controlling the clock and keeping Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and co on the sidelines for longer than they would have liked.
In a reminder that nothing lasts forever in the NFL - or is easy to predict - Ryan Mathews broke out of his slump in a big way as the Eagles recorded a vital 24-15 win to stay alive in the NFC playoff race.
Mathews went into Sunday's game out of sorts and out of favour having a carried a grand total of nine times for 25 yards in the previous two contests. But he was the focal point of a Philadelphia attack that has to be more balanced to help out rookie quarterback Carson Wentz, carrying 19 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
Seahawks provide another dramatic finish
What a nightcap the NFL served up in Week 10 as the Seattle Seahawks recorded a 31-24 victory over the New England Patriots at Foxboro. And, of course, the heavyweight clash came with its own dramatic finish.
The Patriots moved to the Seattle two-yard line inside the final minute, knocked on the door but couldn't break it down, strangely opting to run twice with Tom Brady when LeGarrette Blount had been a red zone machine all night. What is it with these teams and over-thinking it down near the goal line with the game in the balance?
Seattle famously blew a goal-line chance to win the game in Super Bowl 49 against New England and this time it was the Patriots' turn to mess things up with a chance to send the contest into overtime.
After the ill-advised Brady runs, a fourth down pass into the end zone fell incomplete after a physical tussle on the edge between Rob Gronkowski and Kam Chancellor saw the ball sail to the ground. Gronk was calling for a flag on the play but I would say he was more guilty of pushing off than being interfered with and in a year of ticky-tack calls from the officials, I'm glad no flag was thrown.
Superstars going head to head, a potential Super Bowl preview going down to the wire and high drama to the last seconds - that was about as fitting an end to Week 10 as we could have imagined.
