NFL Sunday Playbook: Cousins Back With the Vikings in Week 10
Kirk Cousins is back with the Minnesota Vikings as NFL Week 10 opens in Munich with Lions vs Patriots. Division races are tight, with the NFC North stacked and the AFC North crowded, and Steelers-Bengals closes Sunday.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins is back with the Minnesota Vikings as NFL Week 10 opens Sunday, November 15, 2026, with the Detroit Lions facing the New England Patriots in Munich. It is the NFL Sunday Playbook's first look at a stretch run that will decide division titles, playoff berths and seeding.
The trade window has closed and half the season is done. The next nine weeks will also settle draft positions and coaching jobs.
Where the standings sit
The Buffalo Bills (7-1) lead the AFC East, and the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) lead the AFC South. In the AFC West, the Denver Broncos (7-2) and Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) look like a two-team race.
The AFC North is crowded. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are both 6-2, with the Cleveland Browns at 5-4 and the Baltimore Ravens at 4-5.
The San Francisco 49ers (7-1) hold a commanding lead in the NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, both 5-4, could still charge late.
The NFC North is stacked. Chicago is 7-2, Minnesota and Detroit are 6-2, and the Green Bay Packers sit last at 6-3. The New York Giants (5-3-1) lead a ragged NFC East, while every NFC South team has a losing record.
Munich opens the day
The Lions arrive on a four-game win streak, tied for the second longest in the league. The Patriots want to bounce back from a Week 9 drubbing and avoid slipping to .500. Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network.
New England has beaten the Steelers and Bills but lost to Seattle, Jacksonville, Chicago and Green Bay. Its 19 turnovers are tied with the Chargers for the most in the league.
Jared Goff's offense ranks fifth in both yards (379.8) and points (27.8) per game. Keeping up with that could be hard for Drake Maye and the Patriots.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown hopes to return after missing two games with a knee injury. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) is questionable.
The defense is a bigger concern. Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns against it last week and also ran for another score. New England allows 231.9 passing yards per game.
The rest of the weekend
Ten games fill the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET windows, and the Steelers play the Bengals in the nightcap. The Bears, Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on bye.
On Monday, the winless Chargers visit the Ravens in Baltimore. The Washington Commanders kept their postseason hopes alive Thursday night by squeaking past the Giants.
Early results have already aged badly. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said: "You might as well throw Week 1 out the window in most instances. There's a lot of craziness that goes on."
Green Bay lost the season opener 39-22 to Minnesota after blowing a 12-point second-half lead. Backup quarterback Carson Wentz threw three touchdown passes for the Vikings that day.
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