Must see matchups of Week 10: Bengals vs. Ravens, Niners vs. Bucs, Steelers vs. Commanders, Eagles vs. Cowboys, Lions vs. Texans

The first half of the season is in the rear view and the playoff races are going to start heating up in no time. Big division matchups will shape how playoff seeding comes to shape, and luckily we won’t have to wait to long to see some juicy division match ups. The Bengals and Ravens kick off the second half of the season on Thursday night, and the Eagles and Cowboys will meet in the Lone Star State as Philly looks to put an end to Dallas’ playoff chances. The Niners and Bucs meet at the same time as the Commanders and Steelers do on Sunday after noon and the Texans close out the Sunday slate looking to rebound against what is looking like the best team in the league.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens, Thursday @ 8:15 p.m. ET

Huge matchup to kick off the Week 9 slate on Thursday night. The AFC North takes the stage with a massive match up between the Bengals and the Ravens. Joe Burrow and Cincy know they have very little margin for error after a terrible start to the season that left them in a desperate situation before we hit the halfway point of the season. The know they have to win almost all of their remaining games, but none of them will be as this weeks matchup with the Ravens in Baltimore. The Ravens rebounded from their Week 8 loss with a blowout over the overhyped Broncos. Lamar Jackson looked back to his best and Derrick Henry ran for another two TDs. These two teams met earlier in the season and gave us one of the best games of the season. The Ravens won that one in overtime. What awaits us this week in Baltimore?

San Francisco 49ers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, @ 1:00 p.m. ET

The Niners have yet to show us just if they are a serious contender this season. They have been banged up since Week 1 when Christian McCaffery was ruled out with an achilles injury that ended up keeping him out the entire first half of the season. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year returned to practice on Tuesday, but most likely won’t play this weekend as the Niners look to keep their heads above water until their superstar dual threat running back returns. The Bucs know a thing or two about injured superstars. Both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were injured a couple weeks ago against the Ravens, and the Bucs have gone from being one of the most formidable teams in the NFC to falling out of the division race in the South. They need a win before they go on BYE in Week 11 to stay within punching distance of the Falcons.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Commanders, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m. ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of their BYE week as one of the top teams in the AFC despite a first half of the season that saw their offense struggle and a quarterback change despite Justin Fields’ 4-2 start to the season. It’s looking like head coach Mike Tomlin made the right decision choosing Russell Wilson at least through the first two games of his Steelers era. Wilson beat the Jets after a slow start in his debut, and then spanked the Giants as George Pickett and Najee Harris continue to look reborn with Wilson under center. There have been no such doubts about who should be under center in the nation’s capital. Jayden Daniels has taken the reigns is now in the MVP conversation in his first year in the league and has the Commanders at the top of the NFC East. They are just a game behind the Detroit Lions, and gunning for the one seed in what would be a miraculous turnaround season.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sunday @ 4:25 p.m. ET

FOX’s Game of the Week features one of the best teams in the NFC against one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles have been led by the heroics of Saquon Barkley in his debut season in the City of Brotherly Love. They have won four straight games and sit right behind the Commanders in the NFC East, but their schedule over the next month is going to be treacherous. They need this win against the Cowboys before taking on the Commanders, the Rams and the Ravens. Dallas on the other hand is on the verge of imploding. They have lost three straight games and return home where they have been terrible this season. To make matters worse, Dak Prescott injured his hamstring and is likely to miss the next couple weeks at the very least. The good news is Cooper Rush is 5-1 as the Cowboys starter. He may be what the Boys need to turn their season around.

Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans, Sunday @ 8:20 p.m. ET

The Lions might be the best team in the league. Check that. They are the best team in the league. Just because you don’t have the best record, doesn’t mean you aren’t playing better than everyone else. That’s what the Lions are going right now. They lost Aiden Hutchinson, but their defense hasn’t missed a beat and they just brought in pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to add to their pass rush. Jared Goff has been as close to perfect as a non-deity can be over the last five weeks, while David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have been the best one-two combo backfield in the entire league. The Texans have been showing signs of weakness over the last few weeks. Sure, they have injuries on both ends of the ball, like all teams do at this point of the season but their problems are coming from an unlikely source. In all three of the Texans losses, C.J. Stroud has looked lost. They have lost two of their last three games and are losing ground in the race for a one seed in the AFC.