Which players, teams will turn heads?

On By Littum

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We’re on to the second half of the 2024 NFL season.

With nine weeks completed, the league has officially crossed the midway point of this year’s campaign. From the playoff hunt to individual awards, very little is decided, with several teams still having ample opportunity to begin an ascent that could lead all the way to the postseason. And if Thursday night’s thriller between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens is any indication, the final two months of the season should feature several scintillating matchups.

With all that in mind, here are bold predictions for NFL Week 10 games from several USA TODAY Sports writers and editors:

Christian McCaffrey will score 2 TDs … and produce more receiving yards than rushing yards

Christian McCaffrey makes his long-awaited debut in 2024 for the 49ers in Tampa Bay with a bang. While Jordan Mason proved a more than capable fill-in to keep the running game intact (685 yards, 5.3 per carry), the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year will remind us just how lethal a multi-tasking weapon is. he’s out of the backfield. The 49ers sorely missed CMC’s impact in the passing game – which was needed even more with the injuries that plagued San Francisco’s receiving corps. Well, as McCaffrey recovers from his Achilles setback, so do Brock Purdy’s numbers in the passing game, as his ace running back not only runs routes as well as a polished wide receiver, but opens windows for other targets. I expect CMC to knock down twice on Sunday with its fresh legs and crack 100 yards from scrimmage on the turf in Tampa — with more than half of that output coming in the passing game.

— Jarrett Bell

DeAndre Hopkins will surpass 100 receiving yards for the first time this year

DeAndre Hopkins will cement his status as the Chiefs’ new No. 1 wide receiver.

Hopkins hasn’t eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a single game since Week 14 of last season. The veteran wide receiver will top the century mark in his second home game in Kansas City against a stingy Denver pass defense that features cornerback Pat Surtain II. Hopkins will have more than 100 receiving yards and one touchdown, giving him three touchdowns in his first three games in a Chiefs uniform. Hopkins’ performance will help the Chiefs improve to 9-0 as the franchise becomes just the fifth reigning Super Bowl champion to win its first nine games. Additionally, Patrick Mahomes’ dominance against the AFC West will continue. A win would increase Mahomes’ record to 33-5 against division opponents.

Blowouts are sweeping the league in uneven matchups

The NFL has been fortunate enough to enjoy another record run of close games, with 75 being decided by seven points or less. That momentum may be on hold this week, however, with several contests looking particularly lopsided. Five of my picks for Week 10 showed deficits of at least 21 points. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ tilt against the Minnesota Vikings could be particularly ugly, with quarterback Trevor Lawrence expected to sit out with a shoulder injury. The New Orleans Saints (vs. Atlanta Falcons), Denver Broncos (at Kansas City Chiefs), Tennessee Titans (at Los Angeles Chargers) and Dallas Cowboys (at Philadelphia Eagles) could all be staring down some serious setbacks as well.

— Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz