My dad immigrated to America in 1968 as a 17 year old from India. He settled in the Forest Hills part of Queens in New York City. He learned how to speak English listening to Marv Albert broadcast Knicks games on the radio. He dressed and styled himself by watching "Broadway" Joe Namath in all his fur coat glory. He became a Jets, Knicks, Mets and Rangers fan in what would become the greatest era of New York sports.
I inherited his love of all those teams. And got none of the success. The Jets are having a Jets season. My son Rohan was born in Los Angeles. The Rams are now back here. This weekend they play each other. The question is, do I indoctrinate him to become a miserable Jets masochist or do I offer him the freedom of becoming a Rams fan? Should the sins of the father be laid upon his son? Um, in this case, like yeah. Bleed Gang Green.
Now, let's get to this week's ratings...
Moving On Up
How did an undrafted rookie's OVR rise 10 points in one week? Well, New York Giants safety Andrew Adams had quite the Week 9 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles when he had nine tackles, two passes defended and an interception.
Eli Manning has perfected the Gomer Pyle, awe-shucks schtick for so long that we forget that he's pretty good quarterback. He threw four touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 9 and his OVR rose a point to 82.
Melvin Gordon is probably the most improved player of the season. After a humdrum rookie year, the San Diego Chargers running back has become one of the best running backs in the NFL, leading the league in touchdowns with 11. Against the Tennessee Titans last week, he rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown. Cue up the track. Dude rose three points to 82 OVR.
Moving On Down
Muhammad Wilkerson missed his birthday party and was late to a team meeting. He was benched in the first quarter of the Miami Dolphins game as a form of detention. Deduct three points. He's at 83 OVR.
All the grandiose superlatives have settled now as Carson Wentz has come down to reality. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has thrown four picks in the last three games. He drops a point to 79 OVR.
Ben Roethisberger's Wolverine-like ability to heal from surgery is a medical miracle, but couldn't prevent his one point drop in his OVR. Against the Baltimore Ravens, he threw a pick and finished with a 67.3 passer rating.
MJD's Madden Hot Take
Six bold predictions for Week 10
EA Sports
6. The most mind-boggling stat this year is Tom Brady has more rushing yards than Russell Wilson since Week 4. And Brady has only played in four games compared to Wilson, who played in five. Brady hasn't thrown a pick this season, but this week, he's competing against his favorite foe Richard Sherman. The Seahawks are going for the upset. Look for Brady to throw a pick and for Wilson to double his rushing yard total. You mad, bro?
5. Ben Roethlisberger is 18-1 against rookie quarterbacks in his career in the regular season. The Dallas Cowboys have had the easiest strength of schedule this season. But Dak Prescott isn’t your typical rookie and the Cowboys are 7-1. America's Team is back. Prescott will throw three touchdowns and reach 300 passing yards while his fellow rookie teammate Ezekiel Elliott will run for 150 yards.
4. The Irresistible force paradox. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Top total offense against the top total defense. Something has to give. Drew Brees has five 300 yard or more games this season, most in the league. The defense of the Denver Broncos hasn't allowed a 300-yard game all season. And part of that defense is Von Miller. The edge goes to the Broncos here with Von Miller pulling down three sacks against the New Orleans Saints.
3. Matt Ryan's a potential MVP candidate with a 119.0 passer rating. The Eagles defense has struggled against star receivers. This recipe leads to a giant day for Ryan and Julio Jones. Look for five touchdowns from Ryan and a 200 receiving yard game for Jones.
2. Two of the best running backs in the league. Both drafted in 2015. Jay Ajayi and Melvin Gordon have carved up opponents this year. Look for more of the same when the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers play Sunday. Both guys are going for 200 yards each and two scores.
1. The Kansas City Chiefs are 16-2 in their last 18 regular season games. Yeah, that's the best record in the league. But come Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, look for the upset. The Panthers have won 15 of their last 17 home games. Cam Newton will capture his MVP form by throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another.
Amar Shah is a Digital Features Editor for NFL.com. You can follow him on Twitter @amarshahism.