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The Titans rushed a season-low 20 yards on Sunday. Good thing for them QB Kerry Collins elevated his play. Collins threw for 289 yards and two TDs -- marking his first game over 200 yards this season -- as Tennessee beat the Bears 21-14 to remain unbeaten at 9-0. ZOOM GALLERY: Top performances

Week 10 analysis: Ryan, Flacco bucking trend

By John Clayton, ESPN.com

No one can forget the impact Ben Roethlisberger had as a rookie in 2004.

Protected by a solid running game, a good defense and smart coaching, Roethlisberger guided the Steelers to a 15-1 record and quickly established himself as an elite, playoff-caliber quarterback. For things to work that well for a rookie quarterback -- which is rare -- the head coach and general manager have to handle the transition to a rookie as if they were handling plutonium.

Handled incorrectly, the rookie experience can blow up in the face of a franchise. Ryan Leaf, David Carr and Joey Harrington are just a few of the rookie QBs rushed into service whose failures caused collateral damage to their franchises. That's why it's so pleasantly surprising to watch Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco evolve in Atlanta and Baltimore. They've beaten the odds because they landed with the right franchises and are doing the right things.

Thanks in part to Ryan and Flacco, the Falcons and Ravens have a chance to go from worst to first in their divisions. Both teams sit at 6-3 because Ryan and Flacco are success stories -- major success stories.

Drew Brees may be the first-half MVP, but his Saints are 4-5 despite Brees' 2,985 yards and 17 touchdown passes in nine games. Ryan simply outplayed him in Sunday's 34-20 victory because he's outgrown his rookie status. Ryan plays like a veteran. He gets into his third and fourth reads. He'll run a no-huddle. He'll call audibles. Peyton Manning had those skills as a rookie.

Ryan's doing a remarkable job by not trying to exceed his limitations. Offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is making sure the running offense takes pressure off his young quarterback. In the first half against the Saints, Mularkey called 18 runs and 13 passes. Ryan completed 10 of 13 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, and the Falcons led 17-6 at halftime.

"Our quarterback is maturing each week,'' Falcons coach Mike Smith told reporters after the game. "As long as he continues to develop, we will continue to add to what we can do offensively.''

In Baltimore, less is expected from quarterbacks because the Ravens win with defense. The Ravens blew out the Texans 41-13 because Flacco can come up with the big plays when needed. Sunday wasn't particularly pretty for Flacco. He was sacked three times and he netted only 157 passing yards on 23 attempts. But Flacco kept bouncing back from bad plays to make good plays.

"Early in the game, I was giving Joe a hard time,'' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "I was getting at him a little bit and he doesn't get flustered. I think momentum swings don't affect him too much. He comes out and plays the next series. He takes care of business. That's the kind of person he is, and it's a credit to his parents.''

Flacco hit Yamon Figurs with a 43-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter on a third-and-13. He also had third-and-19s and third-and-17s, and none of it flustered him.

"I think Coach Harbaugh already stated it before, just the demeanor that [Flacco] brings to the huddle,'' tight end Todd Heap said. "We could have had a horrible play. We had a couple of second-and-25s, third-and-20s, a couple of tough situations to overcome, and he just comes in the huddle and we don't get flustered. We just go about our business. And that's kind of how we play."

Five things I learned in Week 10

By John Clayton, ESPN.com

The Titans can adjust if you take away the run. Those who didn't watch Sunday's 21-14 victory over the Beas must understand what Chicago was doing defensively. The Bears' linebackers run-blitzed between the defensive ends and tackles, and safety Mike Brown came up to the line of scrimmage, giving the Bears eight defenders between the tackles. Every running lane was blocked on most plays. The Titans tried 29 running plays, gaining only 20 yards.

Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger got together with QB Kerry Collins on the sidelines and went to Plan B. Figuring the Bears would try to take away the run, Heimerdinger called more three- and five-step drops, and Collins completed 30 of 41 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Collins went 8-0 as a starter without having a 200-yard passing day. The ninth win came as a result of Collins' arm.

"We like to carry balance in the ballgame between the run and the pass, but obviously it wasn't working today,'' Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "Footing was an issue, so we picked it up and threw it. That's what you have to do sometimes. We've done it before. We did it a little last week and at the Baltimore game [in Week 5].''

When he was with the Jets, coach Herm Edwards gave his famous speech about playing to win games. Sunday's decision to go for the two-point conversion in the final seconds of the Chiefs' 20-19 loss to the Chargers was an attempt to win the game, but it was the wrong decision.

If the Chiefs were playing to win, they could have tried to convert a fourth-and-2 toward the end of the third quarter. Chargers QB Philip Rivers had just thrown an interception. The game was tied at 13. The Chiefs had the ball at their 46-yard line and had the momentum. But on fourth down, Edwards called for a punt. Rivers then marched the Chargers 94 yards on 14 plays to take a 20-13 lead.

To his credit, Edwards has his young Chiefs playing hard. They've been competitive the past three weeks with QB Tyler Thigpen running a version of the college spread-option offense. But in this case, he should have gone for the extra point and tried to win overtime. The Chiefs are 1-8, and they gave life to the Chargers, who are trying to claw their way back in the AFC West race at 4-5.

The Patriots have learned what Matt Cassel can and can't do as a quarterback. With that knowledge, coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will let Cassel try to win the AFC East by being a dink-and-dunk expert. Fifteen of Cassel's 23 completions came on throws shorter than 10 yards. On those short throws, he gained 104 yards. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 130 yards on attempts longer than 10 yards. The key is that the coaching staff developed a system and a personality for the offense with Cassel filling in for the injured Tom Brady.

Since getting the starting job, Cassel has been going to Wes Welker six to 10 times a game. Over the past four games, he's been getting five to seven passes to Randy Moss. The system is working.

Sunday was a tough day for those in Minnesota who want Brad Childress out as head coach. Childress received a game ball from ownership following the Vikings' thrilling 28-27 victory over the Packers. Although the game may not have been pretty because of the Vikings' three interceptions, it was a gutsy win in which the Minnesota exposed some flaws in the Packers. Minnesota DE Jared Allen had one of the bravest performances of the season. Wearing a harness to protect a third-degree shoulder separation, Allen had a sack and a quarterback pressure against Aaron Rodgers. The normally calm Rodgers had only 110 net passing yards and was sacked four times. He completed only 15 passes.

As always, the Vikings took away an opponent's running attack, holding the Packers' Ryan Grant to just 75 yards on 16 carries. The Vikings survived their own mistakes to win. The Packers scored all but three of their points on defense or special teams. But on offense -- the supposed strength of the team -- the Packers converted only 1 of 9 third downs and couldn't generate long drives. Say what you want about the Vikings, but they are tied with the Bears for first place in the NFC North, one game ahead of the Packers.

Ben Roethlisberger's inability to consistently throw the ball downfield because of his injured right shoulder allowed the Colts to jump back into the AFC playoff race. Roethlisberger, who threw three interceptions after establishing a 17-7 lead, is probably throwing too much for a quarterback with a slight shoulder separation. Those picks allowed Peyton Manning to pull off a 24-20 come-from-behind victory.

Because of injuries to Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers have only Mewelde Moore to handle the running attack. Moore was bottled up for 57 yards on 24 carries against Indianapolis. Although Roethlisberger's numbers looked good (30-of-42 for 284 yards), his turnovers gave Manning a chance to get into a rhythm against the Steelers' blitzing defense. Manning had only four second-half possessions, but they resulted in 10 points. He turned two of Roethlisberger's interceptions into touchdowns. It was clear Sunday that the shoulder is clearly affecting Big Ben's throwing ability.