Carolina continued its rebuild, dealing WR Jonathan Mingo to Dallas; Detroit addressed its need for a pass rusher by trading for DE Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland; and even Cincy made a move, landing RB help from Chicago in the form of Khalil Herbert.

More Bad News in Big D

This season has been a complete shitshow for the Dallas Cowboys. Coming off three straight 12-win seasons, they’ve lost three in a row, so now need to win their final nine games to make it four years in a row with a dirty dozen victories.

And given that QB Dak Prescott (hamstring) is likely to land on the IR, things do not look very rosy now. But with all their issues, no one can accuse Dallas of being plodding; in fact, the ‘Boys lead the NFL in adjusted pace.

It may not have resulted in many touchdowns, but that’s… something.

Next up, Dallas gets to go right after division rival Philly, and we always know how fun that can be. Remember how Dallas seemed to have lost its chance to win the NFC East with a heartbreaking loss to the Eagles in early November a year ago? Well, a 7-2 run by the Cowboys following that game got them a division title after all.

We’re not betting on a repeat, but it figures that Prescott was enjoying one of his best games of the season before getting hurt. But overall, 2024 has been a real struggle for the veteran QB, as his completions are way down and he hasn’t had as many big plays as usual. In fact, you can argue that this has been Prescott’s worst season, and now he may not get back on the field for a while.

So now veteran backup Cooper Rush, who has authored 165 career completions over seven seasons, takes over as the starting QB. He’s been progressively worse over the last few years, so maybe we’ll have a Trey Lance sighting at some point while Prescott is out.

A Kellen Moore-type, Rush definitely has the brain to be a successful QB, but not the body. While Dallas is somehow 5-1 when Rush starts, we’re not expecting much. Consider him a low-end QB2 for Week 10.

Lions Keep Improving

The Detroit Lions have been on an upward trajectory since bottoming out in 2021, improving from nine wins in 2022 to 12 in 2023 and a 7-1 record so far in 2024. After walking into Lambeau Field and establishing their NFC North dominance, they’ve won six straight and clearly look like a team built to win it all.

Detroit has another tough matchup in Week 10, visiting AFC South-leading Houston for Sunday Night Football, yet the Lions are 3.5-point faves as per FanDuel.

Detroit safety Kerby Joseph has already set a new career high in interceptions (and is tied for the league lead this year), but his first career pick six really sealed the deal against the Pack. It seems we have a new pick king as he now has 14 over his three-year career. The last time a safety had that many over his first three seasons? Back in 2002-to-2004 when Hall of Famer Ed Reed did it.

For Week 10, consider Joseph a top 45 defensive back, with upside.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

American electronica band The Crystal Method formed in 1993 and are still at it today. In 1997, they released their debut album, Vegas, and the second single “Busy Child” became a signature tune for the band, reaching No. 17 on the Hot Dance Club Plays chart.